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"I started this business to share my creations with others who are looking for sensitive skin friendly bath and skincare products along with fun handmade jewelry. Shortly after opening my handmade jewelry became the most popular thing in the store! I am so happy it did, I love creating jewelry and trying new ideas. Thank you!" ---> Website
Introducing "The Missoula Maker's Minute" – a captivating podcast series brought to you by the Missoula Makers Collective, where inspiration meets creativity in just a few minutes.
At the Missoula Makers Collective, we believe in the power of storytelling and the celebration of shopping local.
Through engaging interviews and insightful conversations, we bring you closer to the minds and hearts of our talented community members. Discover the stories behind their handmade creations, gain a deeper understanding of their artistic processes, and witness the dedication that drives them. As we explore various artistic disciplines, from jewelry making to pottery, fiber arts to woodworking, each episode offers a window into the passion, ingenuity, and dedication that define each individual maker.
Embodying our commitment to inclusivity and empowerment, "The Missoula Maker's Minute" prioritizes giving voice to women, trans, and nonbinary makers. We believe in providing equal opportunities and resources to underrepresented individuals, fostering a more diverse and vibrant creative landscape.
Bailey, co-founder, emphasizes the impact of conscious shopping choices, stating, "How you spend your money is one of the most constant political decisions you make - choosing to shop handmade is a political decision that benefits your community and so much more."
In the words of Rachel, co-founder of Missoula Makers Collective, "The podcast intentionally embodies what got me started and kept me going as a maker through offering encouragement, support, friendship, and collaboration to local makers."
Subscribe to "The Missoula Maker's Minute" as we celebrate the artisans, the dreamers, and the visionaries who shape our community. For just a few minutes each week, immerse yourself in the beauty, resilience, and creativity that thrives within Missoula's maker scene.
0:00:03 - Speaker 1
Alright, we are now live. Thank you, rachel. Welcome back everyone. We are doing our second installment of our live interviews with Makers and I'm here with Brianca of Bells Botanicals. Brianca is a permanent vendor at the summer Makers Market this summer the Missoula Makers Market this summer And so, yeah, we're going to talk to her a little bit about her business and kind of you know why she's here and what she does and yeah. So, Brianca, why are you here? What do you do?
0:00:34 - Speaker 2
Can I take this? Yeah, why don't you have the tiny microphone? The tiny microphone. Hello, i'm Brianca. I have a business called Bells Botanicals where I make nature-inspired jewelry with resin and pressed flowers, and also polymer clay with miniature like butterflies, like I'm wearing, and tiny hanging plants and just a bunch of other stuff.
0:00:54 - Speaker 1
Yeah, that was a good idea. That was great, do you mind? yeah, so you do resin and polymer clay Can you tell us a little bit about, because you have a really unique like with polymer clay you do. Can you tell us a little bit about? can work?
0:01:07 - Speaker 2
Yes, so the way I like to describe polymer clay canes is kind of like those long things of candy you see, with the designs inside that's cut. So you make like a large version of your design and then you reduce it down and cut it, and that is how I create my butterflies, a lot of my petals for my flowers and some of my succulents that I make. Yeah, i actually use it a lot, yeah, and I post videos showing the process of everything too, if anyone's interested in doing it or they just want to watch a video where I make things.
0:01:43 - Speaker 1
Brianca's secret talent is she's actually a pro video editor, so definitely go check out those videos. They are so satisfying and incredible. It's a long time, yeah, but I love doing it And you're great at it. You're really good at it, yeah, okay, let's see. What are you, yeah, i guess what are you excited about for the summer and markets, and kind of oh, also real quick, yes, when did you start? I?
0:02:10 - Speaker 2
like, started working with clay. Yeah Yeah, when did your business start? I started my business April 2022, so a little over a year ago. I had already kind of figured out how to work with resin, which takes a long time to get it down, and then I started using polymer clay and realized you can make literally anything, so kind of dove into that a lot. And then you're asking what I'm excited for this summer.
0:02:35 - Speaker 1
What are you excited about for the summer?
0:02:38 - Speaker 2
I signed up for so many markets this summer. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking, but it's going to be very fun. I love seeing everybody. I've worked in restaurants for so long and now I'm not so like. getting that opportunity to actually talk to people again is so nice in a market, so I just love seeing everybody come by. Everybody gives me ideas for the next thing I want to make and I honestly can't believe I'm just making things full time now, and thank you so much to everyone who's helped me do that.
0:03:12 - Speaker 1
Yeah, big congrats to Veronica, because she went full time kind of like a month ago, two months ago. Yeah, big congrats. Are there any places that your hands are stunning?
0:03:22 - Speaker 2
by the way.
0:03:22 - Speaker 1
Oh, thank you Erin, you are correct, yeah.
0:03:25 - Speaker 2
I just restocked some of her earrings today, at the makers collective, by the way, and they're amazing.
0:03:30 - Speaker 1
Good, yeah, thank you, erin. Thank you for bringing in your restock. All right, what else could we talk about, i guess? How was your experience at the last market? Okay, yeah, how was your experience at the last market? You want to talk about the?
0:03:46 - Speaker 2
first one, yeah. So where I set up, i had to completely change my display so people could walk through. I've never had my display that way. It was really fun and I loved seeing people walk through to go into the market and it would just grab their attention to see like little butterflies and flowers. So I wasn't ready for the weather. It was a lot warmer than I thought and I wore fleece leggings Terrible mistake, i was so warm. But other than that, it was just amazing and it was like the first market I was truly prepared for, which was a weird feeling Yeah, a good feeling, but weird and it's been great. I'm excited for all the live music and the food and all the other makers at the market.
0:04:33 - Speaker 1
It is kind of a fun experience and a tricky experience as you go into the market season because you can never be fully prepared until you've done two or three and failed a couple times and then until you've done like 15.
0:04:46 - Speaker 2
You might be right, feels like.
0:04:47 - Speaker 1
Yeah, alrighty, don't stress about the forecast, we're gonna make it work. We're still gonna be there. It's supposed to rain, it's potentially supposed to rain, but we're gonna wing it as most markets go. We're gonna make it work. Yeah, also, if you haven't noticed, maybe you haven't noticed, but we've had, basically, like one bad market ever. So, like we're pretty lucky, knock on wood. But yeah, with weather-wise, things usually work out Yeah, yeah, so it'll be fine. Come out tonight, it'll be fine. Yeah Yeah, we sound very convincing, don't we? but we've been tricked by weather forecasts a lot recently, and so we are we're skeptical. Okay, yeah, do you want to? do you have any closing, closing remarks?
0:05:37 - Speaker 2
I do not, okay. Yeah, just come to the makers market tonight. If it rains, you can stand under my booth. There you go.
0:05:44 - Speaker 1
Look at that offer You've got. yeah, you've got a place to stand. It'll be good. All right, thank you for tuning in and we'll see you next week and we'll see you tonight at the market.