Buckaroo Bling Ranch Hands
Jelena - Chief Wire Wrangler & Boss Lady
If you were to put Jelena's life into writing, the title could be, "when you get bucked off, climb right back in the saddle." There are surely many folks who've had tougher circumstances and a more gripping story to tell, but few have had a life that changed directions and locations more abruptly than hers.
Jelena (pronounced 'Yellennah') grew up in South-Eastern Europe during the time when communists called themselves socialists and God couldn't even be mentioned. Unlike the westerns she saw on TV, in her native country, good guys rarely won.
Jelena has had an artistic streak for as long as she can remember, but the need to be "sensible" in a culture that was anything but, forced her to get a college degree in foreign languages instead. Then, civil war broke out, local communist authorities started harassing her, and in a move orchestrated not by human hands, Jelena managed to catch the last flight (literally) out of her native country before all travel was suspended for many years to come. She landed in California, where she spent some time living both in big cities and in the vast expanses of the High Desert.
There, she finally got back to her love of art and earned a degree in Textile Design. She produced fine art that hung in juried shows in California and Texas, sold hand painted silk wearables at shows in her area, and worked a cushy job at a major research facility. But God had different plans for Jelena, so He abruptly moved her to Alaska, where she got to apprentice with a local jeweler. Just as life was getting cushy again, a new move came, this time, to Kansas.
In Kansas, Jelena gained both a husband and recognition for her jewelry making. Numerous art and craft shows, sales at a local boutique, an Etsy shop, and a couple of Best In Show awards later, change was on the horizon once more. Jelena's little family had to move again, this time to South Dakota. Talk about feeling like a tumbleweed rolling down the road!
In South Dakota, she again built her life from the ground up: shelf space for her jewelry in local galleries, her own website, features in Cowboys & Indians Magazine... living in the city but drawn to the country life and the romance and values of the Old West. Little did she know that she'd get a chance at such a life before she'd even fully settled in her South Dakota home.
In the spring of 2018, Jelena and her family were on the move again, this time to the northwest corner of Montana. This move provided a place to live in the woods above Smith Valley, a horse buddy in the pasture next door, deer and wild turkeys coming to visit on a daily basis... So, what more could a cowgirl at heart want? Just one more thing: her own jewelry business. That's when Jelena started Buckaroo Bling, and this story has yet to be written.
Won't you indulge Jelena's passion for bling making and her love of country and cowboy culture by helping Buckaroo Bling grow? If you value turquoise above diamonds, come join Jelena and Buckaroo Bling on this journey. We'd love to have you. Scroll to the bottom of this page 🔽 to join our Posse.
David - Computer Whisperer
Say, "howdy" to Mr. Buckaroo Bling! David prefers to stay behind the scenes, but without his way with all things computer and iPhone, Buckaroo Bling wouldn't be able to function as well as it does.
David grew up in Kansas doing all things Kansas boys do: catching crawdads, jumping into creeks, playing with snapping turtles, hunting bullfrogs and rabbits. It's not been recorded how many wild critters that he brought into the house his saint of a mother had to put up with when he was a kid, but once he grew up, his wild ways turned into geeky ways, and he's been a computer whisperer ever since. Buckaroo Bling wouldn't be what it is now without him. So, if you see him hanging around a Buckaroo Bling show booth, make sure to stop by and let him know you appreciate what he does.
Dottie - Studio Security Manager
Don't you even think about breaking into Buckaroo Bling studio when Dottie's on duty! If you're so foolhardy to attempt a break-in, be prepared to get mauled and licked half to death.
Miss Dottie, or Firefly's Dot as her legal name happens to be, hails from Colorado. She grew up on a farm, hunting quail and swimming in horse troughs. Her life was supposed to be one of setting birds, but because someone decided her hunting skills were not up to snuff, she became a member of Buckaroo Bling family and was assigned the important duty of maintaining high studio security standards at all times. You can often see her making sure those visiting deer and wild turkeys don't pull off anything funky, or ensuring pesky butterflies, grasshoppers, and other critters don't enter the studio uninvited. Unfortunately, you won't be able to see Dottie in a Buckaroo Bling show booth, because after all, someone has to keep the studio safe and secure at all times.