About The Lipstick Ranch
How the ranch got started~
I started with our rusted iron
pendants about 7 years ago. Originally I had only about 15 styles and I
used them as magnets. I expanded the line and started using them as
jewelry pendants. At that time I only sold them in my own personal
jewelry creations. I focused on the wholesale jewelry industry. I had a
showroom at The Denver Merchandise Mart and primarily sold to the
western industry. The western world is a fast moving fashion forward
community that has pared with the country and organic look. In the
western world you stay successful by blazing the trail and being the
first to launch a new concept or design. That is where my slogan came
from "it's all about being unique"! My biggest account was The Grand Ole
Opry...what a fun experience that was. I designed and created jewelry
for them for over 5 years.
I started selling our pendants
individually about 3 years ago. There was a local bead show and I had
numerous requests from bead lovers just wanting to buy the items that
went into my finished lines. That was the start of The Lipstick Ranch
transformation. Since then I have completely stopped making wholesale
finished jewelry and now only design to inspire our bead customers.
Since the first bead show, I have added numerous fabulous lines to The
Lipstick Ranch. I now have a line of leather cuff bracelets, necklaces
& accessories. All of our "lipstick leather" comes from premium US
hides that are cut and assemble by us right here on our farm in
Colorado. I also have 5 finishes of ball chain, also produced in the US
as well as beautiful handmade chain and hard to find accent items. We
strive to bring the most unique items to the beading industry at really
great prices.
My background is finance and accounting...a far cry
from anything glamorous. I like to think my creativity is "in my blood"
and God given. My mother graduated from The Art Institute of Chicago.
She owned her own business as an artist in the 60's & 70's (which
was iconic for a woman in those days). She was commissioned by The White
House under the Ford administration. Featured in numerous magazines
like Family Circle and Ladies Home Journal and truly to this day is my
biggest inspiration. My mother passed away when I was 5. I knew I always
had that creative gene...from decorating our homes to my kids pumpkins
at Halloween (we could never just have a pumpkin...it had to be a 6' x
6' theme featuring a pumpkin). Creating and designing feels comfortable
to me...it's like going home. I get quiet there and many times ask my
mom for advice (I know to some this sounds crazy, but it works for me).
Some of my biggest accomplishments today are what I thought were
mistakes at the time...including my rusted iron pendants.
With an
enormous amount of help from my husband all of our rusted iron pendants
are made on our farm in Colorado. My husband owns a dairy farm...so we
had the perfect shop already in place. We have a "rusting field" where
time and nature give our iron pendants that perfect finish. I write the
software for our pendant designs and my husband cuts them out. We truly
are an old fashion Mom & Pop shop. I have a studio on our farm
(actually I took over my husband's horse barn).
All of this is God given and only a small portion truly belongs to me.
Oh and by the way in case you were wondering ~ DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE!
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? ~Mary Oliver
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