artist statement:

Bellezza means "beauty" and I believe you can find beauty everywhere. An abandoned board game, hardware left in a shed, clothes that someone has grown out of or are no longer useful in their current form, keys that no longer have anything to unlock are all items I give a second chance at beauty.

B.B. Bellezza focuses on handcrafted jewelry and also makes coasters from discarded ceramic tiles and dolls from recycled clothing.

My inspiration comes from nature and the mission of B.B. Bellezza is to leave the Earth at least as good as I found it, if not better.

B.B. Bellezza Jewelry Lines:

HardWire Jewelry: Jewelry made from hardware and wire that were unwanted and not being used. Some of the pieces were literally saved from the trash, cleaned up and made into awesome new pieces. Some of the items were gathered from sheds and garages where they were just hiding and waiting for the opportunity to be something special. (In my Etsy Shop, you will find these peices throughout Necklaces, bracelets, and earrings sections)

Game Tile Jewelry line: Game pieces including scrabble tiles, dominoes, monopoly pieces and others that have been repurposed into unique jewelry. These pieces go in phases because I everything is upcycled. I will go through a phase of domino pendants because I have dominoes. I just scored a Scrabble game, so I you will see many more scrabble tiles soon.

Charm jewelry : Wire-wrapped beads, traditional charms, and not so traditional charms together create whimsical and beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces.

I also make unique necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

My newest items include Photography ACEO's, Collaged Coasters, and dolls made from recycled clothing!

About Kimberlie J. Burkhart, jewelry artist

I love finding interesting things and using them in different ways to create little wearable pieces of work. I hate waste! No one will ever throw away a book, game, hardware or any piece of jewelry if I have anything to say about it!

My experience with jewelry started when I was pretty young. I had this pink unicorn duffle-bag-shaped purse. It was completely filled with beads. They were all mixed up and in every color. I made bracelets on stretchy string. I loved the feel of the beads as much as I loved the look of them.

I had moved on to other creative outlets - like music, for example - for years. Then one day several years ago that pink unicorn bag showed up again and I made a necklace. I was hooked again!

I sell my items in person at craft shows around my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have a full time job as a paralegal, and I also have been working on a Bachelor's Degree part-time. I am originally from Hughesville, Pennsylvania, a small town near Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

If you are interested in more photos of my work, craft show set ups and all our crazy road trips check out my flickr photostream. http://flickr.com/photos/bbbellezza

I am permanently at Building Character, 342 N. Queen Street, Warehouse C, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

I am a Self-Representing Artist Jewelry Designer number 975. This means that when you buy from me you are directly supporting the jewelry artist and all the proceeds come directly to the jewelry designer (me). This also means you are helping keep my lights on, food on my table and a roof over my head in a very direct way - and I am forever grateful for that!

For my calendar of local Lancaster, PA events, go to my website and click on "events" www.BBBellezza.com

My work is available by going to www.BBBellezza.com and clicking on Shop.

Outta the Way

We also love to take fun daytrips to interesting places. We recently released Volume 1 of our zine "Outta the Way" and have a blog: Outtaway.blogspot.com

Here are some things from my Etsy Store: