New images coming soon! Some are up on Etsy now, but the web is getting a whole new photo look this October!

check out this mother daughter team! anyone need models?



Oh and don't forget to

Nothing like a little Family Love! Check out this cast of characters and all of their Strapped Gear. Elizabeth wearing a great necklace from the collection!
Kristen wearing the Wyoming Flag Buckle (she might kill me for sharing this picture!)
Katherine with a great ring!
Mom and Dad posing with another great ring, and....
Kristen after a wardrobe change!

Thanks to mi familia!

Strapped-out like usual! More coming soon

Strapped in Nebraska

So I cam to work yesterday expecting a normal day.....

When I got to the store today there were three women waiting outside the door! So I was off to a busy start and then arrived two strappedbelts.com fans from Nebraska. Nevaeh Boutique is there shop in Geneva Nebraska, and they are the newest members of the strappedbelts.com team!

If you are around that way, or passing through be sure to check it out!

New Studio and Store for Strappedbelts.com

Three days ago, on Friday May 7th, Strappedbelts.com moved into its new home at Jackson Hole's newest store MADE - Jackson Hole.

The store is a contemporary mix of housewares and functional art. Featuring the work of about 25 artists from all around the country, and housing the new studio of StrappedBelts.com .



MADE is Located in Jackson Hole Wyoming, in an area called Gas Light Alley, just off the town square. The 500 Sq. Ft. retail and studio space is full of windows, lots of light and a large set of double doors in the front. The board-walked strip of stores includes Shayne , Bet The Ranch, Valley Bookstore, Murcells Chocolates, Dan Shelley Jewelers, Brookover Gallery and a few others.


The store will be always changing, the furniture is for sale too, and we hope you will stop by and see us if you are in Jackson Hole, or check us out soon on the web www.madejacksonhole.com (online shopping coming soon)

Thanks
John

Jackson Hole Art Blog Posts about MADE and our Weekly Featured Local Artist Program!

Read what the Jackson Hole Art Blog thinks about Strappedbelts.com new studio, retail store and our weekly featured local artist program!  Jackson Hole Art Blog

The response has been great so far, with over half of the weeks filled in just 4 days!  If you are interested in taking part email us.

Strappedbelts.com is Opening a Retail Store in Jackson Hole, WY

We just signed a lease on a retail space in Gas Light Alley in downtown Jackson Hole Wyoming!

Starting in early May the studio is going to move from its current location (my house) to 125 North Cache Street in Gas Light Alley. 

Gas Light Alley is a long standing board-walked nook just off of the Town Square in Jackson Hole.  About 50 feet from the Elk Antler Arches, The Cowboy Bar and The Teton Theater.  Gas Light is home to SHAYNE, Bet The Ranch, Valley Bookstore and many more!



More to come and pictures soon!

Strapped Wins GOLD in Best of Jackson Hole 2010 by JH Weekly

The Votes are in and tallied and Strappedbelts.com and John Frechette have won the Gold!

Best Emerging Artist
GOLD:    John Frechette
SILVER:    Amy Ringholz
BRONZE:    Ryan Haworth

They had over 1000 voters, not bad for a town of 20,000, and they voted on over 100 catagories!

In an ironic twist - the prize for winning.... a belt buckle!  Not one of ours, but one made in mexico and made of metal, but I have already talked to the JHWeekly and we are onboard for next year, the buckles will be made in the USA, made by Strappedbelts.com and made by hand!

Thanks to everyone who voted!

John

Olympic Photo Shoot!

To See the full set of pictures including the outtakes and candids, check out

Baxendalephoto.com

If you would like to use any of these photos for press purposes please email us

Strappedbelts.com Sponsors Three Olympic Skiers as They Get Ready for Vancouver

Strappedbelts.com calls Jackson Hole, Wyoming home, and for about the last week so have Sarah Schleper, Hailey Duke and Megan McJames. These three ladies have been in town since Saturday when they flew in from Vancouver British Colombia where they walked in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.


We met up with these three US Olympic Women's Ski Team Members at Snow King Resort here in Jackson to get them "Strapped Out" and ready for the Olympics in true Strappedbelts.com form. It was a day off from training where they were told to do anything, but nothing athletic. We figured a few photos couldn't wear them out too much.



So Sarah, Megan and Hailey are ready for Vancouver and we are psyched to be their newest sponsor. We wish the girls all the best as they hit the slopes on the 24th -26th in the final days of the 2010 games in Slalom and Giant Slalom. Best of luck ladies and may our bling be replaced by Gold, Silver and Bronze!

More photos coming soon, and updates to be posted soon!

Business2blogger.com is worth checking out!

I just started using business2blogger it really is amazing and although I have only used it from the business side so far I can't wait to try it from the blogger side.

Strapped Write Up on Grosgrain - See what they had to say!

Grosgrain.com

Ooooh, so many to choose from! Today's guest giveaway comes from Strapped Belts! The winner will choose a glass buckle from over a hundred handmade options with a colored belt to match! Worth over $65!

John Frechette launched Strapped Belts® in 2008 as a result of life's twists and turns. After his employer went bankrupt, he was "Strapped" for cash and "Strapped" for a job.
Originally from Boston, Frechette attended The Taft School in Connecticut then, Amherst College in Massachusetts. His career path started on Wall Street and landed him in Jackson Hole, WY. John has always had an interest in Photography and Painting but it was not until he arrived in Jackson Hole that he fell in love with glass.



Kiln formed glass started as an attempt to explore a new medium and has turned into a passion. John has studied under glass artists and instructors including Richard Parrish of Fusio Studio in Bozeman Montana, Bonnie Celeste of Bullseye Glass in Portland Oregon and Charlotte Potter of Charlotte Potter Design in Providence Rhode Island.

Focusing on good technique and contemporary design, Frechette has created a line of handmade wearable art.
Starting with fused and kiln formed glass belt buckles, Strapped hit the ground running. Demand for the accessories line quickly allowed for expansion into earrings, cufflinks, pendants and rings. Strapped also has a line of kiln formed plates, and tableware.

Want to catch the latest from Strapped? Check out John Frechette on his personal website and Facebook.
And until Feb. 14 enter XOXOXO at checkout and receive 20% off your order!

Many of you said that you would like to enter more giveaways, but have various issues with linking. Of course, I want anyone that is interested in entering a giveaway to be able to do so.

Therefore, from now on, giveaways can be entered in three ways:
1) By linking (to your blog, facebook, myspace, or any other site)

2) By leaving a comment without a link or

3) By linking and leaving a comment (this will be worth 2 entries which will better your chances of winning).

Find more info under the FAQ page.

If you are leaving a link just use the 'create a link' at the bottom of this post or simply creating a post on your blog and including this link.

If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

Strapped Featured in The Handmade Gift Guide Blog

Strappedbelts.com was featured in the Handmade Gift Guide - here is what they had to say...

Artist John Frechette began working with glass as part of an introductory fused glass class and quickly found a passion for working with the material and discovering its transformative qualities when heated. What started as one class has know grown into a full line of handmade glass accessories. John launched Strapped Belts in 2008 as a result of life's twists and turns. After his employer went bankrupt, he was "strapped". Strapped for cash and strapped for a job.

First, John started by making glass belt buckles:

Kelly Green Translucent with White Strings

Brown Strap

then, handmade earrings:

Pink Glass Belt Buckle with Black Graffiti

cuff links:

Forest Green and Marigold Yellow Cufflinks

necklaces:

Wire Necklace

pendants and rings:

Brown Glass Ring with White Lines

His work with simple colors and graphic designs have separated Strapped Belts from many glass artists, and has propelled him into stores nationwide. Now found in over 30 retail stores across the United States and Canada, Strapped Belts can be spotted almost anywhere!

2010 Jackson Hole Women's Hockey Team Calendar

Jackson Hole isn't just skiers! Check out the Women's Hockey Team in their 2010 Calendar.

Each year the Jackson Hole Women's Hockey Teams produces a calendar to raise money for the team. The 2010 calendar was shot by Jackson Hole Photographer Heather Erson ( http://heathererson.com )

Please Support the Women of Jackson Hole Hockey and buy your calendar today.

Calendars are available now at strappedbelts.com under Support! Proceeds for all calendar sales go back to the team!

This is the team I coach- and they are kicking butt this season!

Is this you? Because you just won $100 of Strapped Cash!

600 Facebook FAN WINNER!

Maggie McEvoy

Strapped Doesn't know much about Maggie, but hopefully she knows all about us! We do know that she will be walking around William and Mary's campus wearing her new Strapped gear sometime soon, and hopefully all the girls of Kappa Kappa Gamma will get in on the action too!


Thanks to Maggie for being a fan. Thanks to all of you for being a fan.

Jen Loves - UK Blogger Finds Strapped on Etsy!

Jen Gillam - writer of JenLoves found Strappedbelts.com on Etsy and here is what she had to say...

As always, in amongst my activities this week (including trying not to eat all my Creame Eggs at once!) I have been looking at Etsy, and it's wide range of wonderful crafts people. As you all know I have my own shop on the site, JenLoves but am continually amazed at how much variety and originality there is on the site.

One of the sellers who caught my eye this week was Strapped Belts.They create a wonderful range of glass clasped belts in some wonderfully original and creative designs. Artist John Frechette has encorporated these designs into many other things including jewelery, homewares, cuff links cards and much more. Check out the website for more info www.strappedbelts.com. These beautiful items are available from 30 retail stores across the United States and Canada, and I hope will soon be hitting the UK!

These are two of my favourites from the site. This pink stripy ring is super cute - I know loads of people who would love this as a birthday present! And this plate is just beautiful - it even goes with the colours of my lounge, perfect! If you have any quieries or questions about any of the product or designs, contact John through his Etsy shop, or the website.

Well done to everyone on Etsy as usual. It's great to have a place to go to know your getting a one-of-a-kind. If you havn't already had a look do check it out. If you see anything you like, do let me know!

Happy Shopping! x

---

Jen has a great blog with some really cool illustrations where she works with one continuous line to create the entire image. Check out her blog and her shop on Etsy... JenLoves Etsy

Thanks for the compliments Jen we here at Strapped hope the rings become a huge hit in the UK!

Strapped Featured on Mommy's Memorandum

See Mommy's Memorandum Giveaway here!

Feature and Giveaway

As a small child, one of my earliest memories is of my Grandpa Jack. He was a cowboy...not the John Wayne version---Grandpa was rugged, rode rodeo, owned horses and he always dressed IMPECCABLY. He wore a Stetson cowboy hat, western shirt, with enamel snaps, Levi jeans so filled with starch they could nearly stand on their own and Tony Llama Cowboy boots. He accessorized with Marlboro Reds, hat pins and my favorite, belt buckles!

Although a cowboy in appearance and soul, he drove truck, moving from Independence, Missouri to Utah. He fell in love with the landscape and favored routes to Wyoming, with it's rolling valleys, small population and wildlife. There's something else Grandpa would have loved about Wyoming--John Frechette!

John Frechette was born and rasied in in the North East, cheers religiously for the Red Sox, plays hockey and enjoyed a successful career on Wall Street. The development company he worked moved him from New York City to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to open an office for their newest project. Three years later, in 2008, the company went bankrupt.

"After my employer went bankrupt, I was "strapped". Strapped for cash and strapped for a job." and in one of the low points of John's life, something amazing was born. He started his own business and named it appropriately, "Strapped Belts".

"Strapped started as a fun creative outlet. I have always been an artist but for a long time it was not a priority. I began exploring fused glass and it quickly became an obsession. When I began showing the work to others it was a big hit. I sold my glass work for the first time at a Christmas Bazaar in Jackson Hole that I sort of got coaxed into and I have not looked back since."

John Frechette is a human "Creation Station"! He attended high school at The Taft School in Connecticut and then continued his education, with a double major at Amhurst College. He followed in his two brother's footsteps, majoring in Economics, destined for Wall Street. "was convinced I needed Wall Street to make money, and I had not found an outlet for my art." His second major was "Art History". " I did a lot of art. Mostly photography in high school, and a lot of different things in college but never glass and I actually never took a painting class!"

Don't let "never took a painting class" fool you. He can paint. He admits, "I never painted until I had been in New York City, but I had my first art show in Jackson in 2005 and it has grown from there."

"You can view his original oil paintings at his John Frechette-Art site. I love his silhouettes, they seem to capture a moment and freeze it in time. This one of a child doing a hand-stand brought back memories of my childhood and warmer days watching my children laugh and play.

Strapped Belts is a unique artform, made from fused and kiln formed belt buckles. Why belt buckles? "I live in the Wild West! Jackson Hole has been a big inspiration, but I really wanted to create something that both guys and girls could wear. The response has been great. The line grew from just belt buckles, to include cuff links and earrings, we have now added rings and pendants and customers are always coming up with new ideas - coming soon are housewares from plates to glassware and hair pins etc."

Frechette says his product it set apart form others because "I feel like my glass work has separated itself from the masses by being clean and focused on design rather then glitz and glitter. I produce simple designs and good color pairings. Plus most of my designs are all one of a kind, so not only are customers getting something beautiful they are getting a truly unique piece of wearable art."

Given his vast talent, I asked Frechette, what his absolute favorite creation has been so far. Without hesitation he answered, "My family (2 Brothers, 2 Sisters and 18 Nieces and Nephews) kept harassing me to create a Red Sox buckle, we are big Sox fans and when I finally mastered the pair of "red sox" the whole family thought it was time to celebrate!"


As if painting, photography and fused and kiln formed glass wasn't enough, Frechette might soon be learning a couple of new talents, "I would love to learn how to blow glass, also I think blacksmith work looks really fun!"

When he's not creating art, Frechette says, "I love to play and coach hockey. I have been a hockey player all my life and all through college. Now, living in Jackson, I coach an adult women's hockey team, it is a great bunch of women and something I really enjoy. And living in Jackson - I love to ski - of course!"

Of course, moving from the North East to Jackson Hole might be a culture shock to most of us, Frechette says, "Jackson has been a great creative environment. The people here are great at supporting local art and it has definitely fostered my art. As far as the east coast I mostly miss my family and friends, but I have gained so many new friends a new family out here . I also really miss going to Red Sox games."

John Frechette is living the dream. He took an unwelcomed event and transformed it into an opportunty. What does he consider his greatest accomplishment so far? "Tough Question - but I am pretty proud of figuring out how to pick up the pieces after losing my job due to the recession and a corporate bankruptcy and beginning a start up company during a horrible market. Strapped has been a blast but it also started out as a necessity."


Where does he see himself ten years from now? "In Barneys but if you know Martha Stewart that could work too!"

Featured as a Great Gift For Dad, "Strapped Belts" was featured in the December 2009 issue of Pregnancy and Newborn--the magazine wrote:

"Cuff links for the not so stuffy businessman "

Grandpa Jack would be proud that Frechette modernized the Belt Buckle!


"Strapped Belts" line of belt buckles, earrings and necklaces are available on line at http://www.strappedbelts.com/ or through Mountain Khakis

"Strapped Belts" can be found in Thirteen States and Internationally in Montreal Quebec at these retailers:

• Paper and Grace - Jackson WY
• Native Sun - Sudbury MA
• Habitat - Driggs ID
• Lily and Co. - Jackson WY
• The Trailhead T9 - Missoula MT
• Box and Bow - Winchester MA and Newburyport MA
• Wellesley Boutique - Wellesley MA
• Barbara Eclectic - Upper Montclair - NJ
• Portobello Row - Vestal NY
• Poppy - Columbia MO
• The Twisted Daisy - West Point GA
• Team Blonde - Forest Park IL
• The M Shoppe - Nyack NY
• Spaghetti Western - Parkville KS
• Frosty Darling - Salt Lake City UT
• Casa Luca - Montreal Quebec
  
• DIGS - Northfield MN
  
• Gadgeteer - Omaha NE
  
• Frecklefarm - Lakeside MI
  
• The American Institute of Architects - Washington DC
  
• Vaguely Reminiscent - Durham NC
  
• Verde - Philadelphia PA
  
• Clarity Solutions - Greenwich - CT

Sarah Otto of New York City and Greenwich CT has on her Strappedbelts.com earrings at a Pub Golf Event in New York City. She has on White with Pink Graffiti Rectangular Earrings! Sarah is also rocking a cool pair of pink BluBlockers by www.myblublockers.com. They are a cool company and friends of Strapped so check out their goods, and let us know what you think.

Hey Sarah and more photos? Maybe a twin shot?

Now All He Needs is A Diaper With Belt Loops -

Brookes McNerney is ready for the Dude Ranch (or Teton Valley Ranch Camp)

He Has his www.strappedbelts.com Bucking Bronco buckle on, and some pajamas to match. Brookes might be our youngest customer yet, but man does he have style. Thanks to Mom and Dad (Susanna and Andy McNerney) for sharing these great shots!





Send us your photos!

Happy New Years Baby ! Yeah -

Liza and Mike celebrated in style this New Years ! Mike is sporting a custom made Peace Sign buckle that we made just for this special occasion, and Liza isn't waering anything by strappedbelts.com but she is looking good with that pink hair.

If you return from a night on the town and find a picture of you wearing one of our buckles, send it our way and we can (or can not) feature you on our blog, and we'll send you a little something special!

Happy New Year 2010

Can The Horns Hook 'Em - University of Texas Long Horns Belt Buckle

There are about 20 Texas Fans at the game tonight sporting their Longhorns buckle. Go Horns!

If you need one come and get it. University of Texas Longhorns Belt Buckle - $42.00

Box and Bow of Newburyport MA and Winchester MA Now Carries Strappedbelts.com

Box and Bow located at One Water Street, Newbury Port MA 01950 & on Thompson Street in Winchester MA is the Newest Store to carry Strappedbelts.com.

Box and Bow has a full collection of Strapped Buckles and Belts, as well as a large selection of Rings and Earrings. They also carry a gift for everyone on your list. The Winchester MA store is brand new and is the newest pop-up shop to join downtown Winchester.

If The Box and Bow is in your area stop in and tell them how you heard about them, and if it IS in your area we are sure you will love their Red Sox section, and you can check out our Red Sox Buckle!

Graffiti Buckles for 2010 -

Strappedbelts.com Fused Glass Belt Buckles has a new series of Graffiti Buckles

Graffiti Buckles come in many background colors and many graffiti colors. Check them out at www.strappedbelts.com