Classy Cowgirl Corral

With the events of the past few months, many are starting to wonder where their favorite products are made, and we western folk are no exception. Some of us have even decided to start buying only USA made products from now on. That can be hard to accomplish though. With the exception of smaller, local brands, you'll find that most of the name brands in the western clothing, boot, and accessory industries have long been outsourcing their production to other countries.

If you're too old to become a rodeo queen, design jewelry for one! That was my thinking when I approached Kayla, the reigning Miss Rodeo Montana 2019.

Kayla is the first Kalispell rodeo queen in a lot of years, more than anyone cares to count. So, the whole community rallied around her to support her quest in the Miss Rodeo USA pageant. There were fundraising galas, big company donations and sponsorships, but what could a small, independent jewelry designer do to help support the local rodeo queen?

Many of you are curious to know how I choose colors for my designs. The process has several components to it. First, when I am initially designing a collection, I sometimes look at color trend forecasts for the coming year. I don't do it too often, as western designs usually include a rather limited number of colors that don't bend much to the fashion trends the rest of the world follows.