Handcrafted, Custom and Original

It's hard to believe that the site has been live for nearly 2 months, what a journey! The site may be new, but the vision to get here has been in progress for many years, in fact since 2000! The vision evolved from early retirement in the medical field and opening an art gallery to handcrafted, custom, and original pieces of my own and other Artisans. I guess you can call this an online art gallery!  

I have been asked many times lately why I wanted to go out on my own - talk about a loaded question! I am the kind of person that likes to push the limits and really the only way to do that is to be on your own pushing! The events of this last year gave me the push I needed to see it was my next step.  

I want this site to be an inspiration for those looking for really great things. With my hats, I can make whatever you can imagine so don't let the pictures limit your desire. The jewelry by Love Tokens is one of my favorites. I think the first connection for me is the fact that Stacey, the designer, is self-taught in her craft which is the same for me. Actually, that is true for me in pretty much everything I have done. I think that speaks volumes for the passion we have of our crafts.  

Love Tokens studio is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, made in the USA! When I talk about handcrafted, Love Tokens is the embodiment of just that, handcrafted. I think that term gets thrown around a lot and isn't always the case. Handcrafted by definition is to make skillfully by hand. That is what they do. Each piece starts as a vision, translates to a drawing, then the art of lost wax casting begins. This means each chain link, each metal bead, each finding is made one piece at a time by many hands. I totally simplified the steps because there are a million in there from the vision to the finished art so I want you to think about the true meaning of handcrafted every time you see that word. It's not about buying beads and mass-produced pieces to string together and call them handcrafted and heirloom quality. It's about art and being skillfully made by hand. Every piece you collect started with a purely creative vision then made by hands that are passionate about their skills and love what they do. That is the true definition of handcrafted wearable art.

My hats are the same. Some of the bases are custom designs which means I envisioned them then put that to paper and dimensions. Because of my lung disease, I can no longer make the base but the gentleman that does is amazing.  He gets them ready for me to do the rest. It is a team effort for sure! They are created one at a time with skillful hands filled with passion for the art. I create the feather embellishments one feather at a time. Design many of the pieces of jewelry that go on the hats. Collect the vintage baubles from all over the country as I travel around. This makes them even more custom and one of a kind because I only do one. If I use a stock hat base I customize it with everything I put on it. We created a band to go in the custom bases that allows for an adjustable fit of small to x-large. Top hats have been a passion of mine for years and I am excited about taking it to the next level. 

I am always available for questions, special orders, styling, anything I can help with.  

Being original is what it's all about! I hope you enjoy all the wearable art here and keep in mind it's been created from passion and love to share and collect.

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Dusty