Author Archives: HiOctane

>Naughty Secretary Club’s Book Out Now!

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Jennifer Perkins is one of my inspirations. She left her job as a secretary to return to her childhood love of jewelry-making and started a company called Naughty Secretary Club. Where she transforms fun kitsch items into colorful jewelry. In her new book,
“The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry.” She shows us how to create some of her ultra-cool resin designs. If you want to order a signed copy you can order it from The Naughty Secretary Site. I regularly read The Naughty Secretary Blog, where Jennifer posts lots of helpful hints for start-up businesses.
I first heard about Jennifer’s jewelry years ago when a friend forwarded her site to me. The name stuck with me. Years later when I was looking for ways to promote my internet based jewelry company Hi Octane Jewelry I came across a couple online articles that talked about her company, and I found out they had started a group called the Austin Craft Mafia. Which I immediately looked up and found out they started a site and group devoted to helping people just like myself, called the Craft Mafia. After being unsuccessful finding a Craft Mafia group in my area. I decided I needed to start one. So the Oceanside Craft Mafia was born. The Craft Mafia has been an invaluable resource for finding tips on all avenues of starting a crafting business.

>They came, they conquered, they slept

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Oceanside Craft Mafia members, Alicia (Hi Octane Jewelry) and Leah (Peez & Ques) are tired after a great weekend in San Francisco for the Renegade Craft Fair. Saturday and Sunday at the first West Coast Renegade event was awesome! Lots of enthusiasm from vistors, great smiles and products from vendors and groovy tunes from d.j’s and a punk rock marching band (Mucca Pazza). What’s more to say than “wonderful!”

For the vendors it was work! Very hard work! But boy did we love it! By far the best craft show ever! And with this being its first year out west, it has no where to go but up! The vendors were really all individually exceptional! We were also so glad to meet familia from the Los Angeles and Sacramento Craft Mafia!

If you missed Renegade this year be sure to keep your radar pointed to their website for next year’s dates. As a vistor or a vendor you will not be dissapointed. You can still check out all the vendors on the Renegade website.

Brad and Alicia also got featured on another blog from the show.
You can see it here. Mikkelina’s Thoughts

>Renegades in San Francisco

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Renagade FINALLY is hitting the West Coast!

We are glad to announce the Rengade Craft Fair hosts its first annual “west side” event this month at Fort Mason in San Francisco. To say Renegade’s arrival to the West Coast was highly anticipated would be a gross understatement! Events in Chicago, and New York boasts hundreds of applicants and tens of thousands of shoppers! The San fransisco event is sure to hold its own with Renegade’s recognition amongst crafters, artists and those who support handmade.

California is a big state, but if you are in San Fransisco, plan to be, or up for a flight or road trip, The Renegade Craft Fair will not disappoint. You’ll find the Oceanside Craft Mafia representin’ the O.C. Look for founding members, Alicia and Leah at their booth for Hi Octane Jewelry and Peez & Ques recycled stationery. They’ll be selling goods galore, but only in between trips outside to take in the amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge!

The San Fransisco Renegade Craft Fair will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13th from 11 am to 7 pm at the Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion. For more information check out www.renegadecraft.com

>Hot Rod Jewelry | For Hot Rodder’s

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So far the reviews have been great on our car grille rings and our motor rings. Both men and women are buying them and wearing them. We have had a few couples buy them as engagement rings. These are true car lovers for sure. The biggest thing we want to do for next round of new rings is to create larger sizes. Brad, here at Hi Octane Jewelry has what most people including myself, would call very large hands. He wears from a 12 to a 14 depending on the finger. His hand looks like baseball mits next to most people.
And as we have been doing booths at various shows around the west coast, we have a quite a few men walk up and want rings and they say I am 14, I am 16. So this round we are doing Big Ass Rings or Big Daddy Rings Sizes 10 -16 only.
Here are the styles that will be coming out this fall.
And they are going to BIG.
Everything on these rings is bigger. They are thicker and wider and most importantly we will have a 16 when you ask for it.

>Trunk Show at Fashion Week in Escondido

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Fashion Week Trunk Show

This week in the gallery come and see Fashion Week jewelry, including similar pieces to the (pictured) Hi Octane necklace worn by Fashion Week Celeb Ricky Lizalde. Designers, Alicia Hanson and Brad Johnson from HiOctane jewelry will be featured in the gallery Friday night for Crusin’ Grand. Recycled clothing by Kathryn Gould and fabulous pins by Renee Richetts are also featured. Stop by and see this amazing work. The trunk show will end Saturday night.

Admission is free to the public!
The Escondido Municipal Gallery is located at 142 West Grand Avenue in downtown Escondido.  It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is free.
 
The Escondido Arts Partnership is a nonprofit organization and serves as the official arts agency for the City of Escondido. The EAP is dedicated to promoting art and culture in Escondido, supporting our artists, and providing art education to the community. 
 

 

>Hi Octane Jewelry @ Back to the Beach

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Hi Octane Jewelry is headed up to Ventura this Friday night, April 25th. Saturday is the Kustom Kulture Festival Back to the Beach. Which is put on by the ultra cool hand bag maker Trophy Queen Productions.

About the show: The 10th Annual Back to the Beach, Hot Rod and Motorcycle show will be held at the Ventura Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 26th from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Car qualifications: Open to all 1969 and earlier American cars, trucks and Woodies only. Billet wheels are ok for Back to the Beach only. This is an Old School Hot Rod show, no foreign cars or art cars allowed. Motorcycle qualifications: Open to all 1969 and earlier American and British motorcycles only. Absolutely no Evo Heads will be admitted in show. Car and motorcycle pre-registered $25.00 at gate $30.00. There will be a kustom kulture section with artists and vendors, tiki carvers, food, beer, DJ, live music, surf bands and actors from the movie “American Graffiti”. General Admission $10, Military with ID $5, Kids 12 and under Free For car, motorcycle or vendor registration, please visit our websites www.backtothebeachventura.com or call (805)216-2421. This event is sponsored by Budweiser

Grab your lead sled an go…..

>The Sun Post Covered Hi Octane Jewelry

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To read the original post click here

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Jewelry for automobile lovers
Business Spotlight
For Sun Post News

By Debbie L. Sklar

Interviewed: Owners and husband and wife, Alicia Hanson & Brad Johnson, jewelry designers.

What’s your business?

Designer and manufacturer of handmade sterling silver jewelry and recycled car parts.

Describe your business?

We are lovers of the Hot Rod culture who have chosen to create jewelry that caters to those who love the design of the automobile. For example, sterling silver rings with vintage automobile grilles, custom bracelets with car front-ends and creates jewelry from reconstructed car parts.

Your newest line is from recycled items?

We go to swap meets, car shows, junkyards and estate sales and find old car emblems, then clean the emblems up and reconstruct the pieces into jewelry pendants by drilling holes in the emblems. We also make earrings created from flattened bottle caps.

Do you have special training in this business?

Silversmithing and casting courses.

What’s the hardest part of this business? The best?

The hardest part of the business is finding cost-effective ways to drive people to the Web site. The best part is going to swap meets and junkyards and finding cool treasure to reconstruct into something new. I love carving something in wax making it come to life in metal.

Who are your clients?

Car lovers, mostly Hot Rod enthusiasts, Hot Rod builders, gearheads, Rockabilly moms and Southern California culture lovers.

Describe your personal role?

Alicia: I wear a lot of jewelry and a lot of hats. I am a jewelry designer, graphic designer, junk collector, maker of most things, solderer, marketer, photographer, shipper, car lover, melter of metal, mom. Brad is wax carver extraordinaire, silver casting partner, bottle cap flattener and cohort in all things.

Why would someone want to wear your jewelry?

Many people admire the design and beauty that goes into automobile design and our creations embody that same enhancing quality from the classic automobile and translates it to people with a revved up piece of jewelry … Each piece is a small piece of American car nostalgia that has so many meanings to each person.

Price Range of items?

Recycled necklaces $45 – $155, Bottle cap earrings $15.

Future goals?

Getting one of our car grille rings on Jay Leno and getting our jewelry into more boutiques across the country.

By Debbie L. Sklar

For Sun Post News

>Hi Octane Jewelry creates Hot Rod Jewelry from Recycled Car Parts

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New sustainable jewelry designs from Hi Octane Jewelry. If you love old cars but are hesitant to take that ol’ gas guzzler for a spin with the prices of gas right now, you can still flaunt your love of the classical automobile by wearing a piece of your ride.

Hi Octane Jewelry has been scouring local junque shops, swap meets, garage sales and junkyards looking for interesting car emblems and treasure. They then take the pieces and reconstruct them; using items like Sterling silver chain and resin and turn those old car parts into unique one of kind jewelry pieces.

Give your woman’s wardrobe an overhaul, with an ultra cool V8 emblem necklace to wear. She’ll love her look being revvv’d up. Have an old emblem collecting dust on your workbench in the garage? Send it over to Hi Octane Jewelry have them reconstruct into something you’ll love to wear.

Hi Octane Jewelry also offers a line of unique sterling silver rings that resemble your favorite old car grille or motor. They also create custom cuffs bracelets of your favorite ride.

Hi Octane Jewelry is located in Oceanside, CA and our team offers 5 years of experience and expertise creating specialized and unique styles and designs. Visit us online at https://www.hioctanejewelry.com, or call us at 760.529.9353.