Name: Susan Rutan
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Shop Name: bibasusu

How did you come up with the name of your shop?
My store name, bibasusu, is a combination of terms of endearment. The short part of the bibasusu story is susu. Knowing I didn’t like going by the nickname Sue, a friend called me Susu instead of Susan. (Somehow I liked that better!) Biba was a nickname of a very beloved senior dog I found by the side of the road. She was such a sweet girl, old, arthritic, in need of emergency surgery, very little eyesight and hearing, but her heart was still full of love. No one claimed her, but she claimed me. From that fateful day, Biba and I lived a blissful coexistence for just over two years, during which time she faced so many health struggles, including seizures, paralysis and use of a doggie wheelchair! Although she passed away in 2004, her spirit is always with me. She’s inspired me to continue rescuing the forgotten seniors, and it’s such a fulfilling privilege to pamper their final months and weeks with love. Biba was my world and I was hers, so it’s very fitting that I assigned our combined respective pet names to something that brings me joy. 

Why did you chose your craft/medium and did someone teach you? I am all about swanky sparkle and snazzy accessories, and there was a most-tragic period of my life where I didn’t leave the house without at least 158 sequins somewhere on my person – really, it was out of control. I have since refined that style choice to leave the sparkle to my accessories instead of my clothes, but I still love the bureau full of jewelry I acquired during that High-Glitz Era – mostly earrings and bracelets. I don’t exactly recall what prompted me to first pick up the pliers, but I’m sure it had something to do with the limitless possibilities of creating my own “beaded baubles & artsy embellishments,” which is my shop’s tag line. I took a class from a local artisan on a whim, and from there began creating pieces in my free time. I took a break for about a year or so, and recently started crafting again.

What is the most difficult part of your craft? For me, deciding where to start can be the hardest part. It’s like I have various colors and ideas and options and possibilities all rattling around in my head, but I don’t ever sketch or plan ahead of time. I’ll rattle through my bead trays, and even if I’ve seen them dozens of times, one will somehow look different at that moment, and that’s where the piece begins. What comes out is what comes out. My pieces are usually just organic stream-of-consciousness.

Where can we find your work? Find bibasusu's beaded baubles & artsy embellishments at bibasu.artfire.com and bibasusu.com. Custom orders welcome!

What is the most costliest part of your crafting? Time is the biggest investment! I love beading, but I also work full time and have a miniature herd of rescue dogs who demand lots of time. Making jewelry is definitely lower on my to-do list, but when I get crankin’ on some new pieces, I usually turn out a bunch in one sitting.

Do you create in more than 1 medium? My main focus is beading, but I also knit (seriously – can a girl have too many 8-foot-long scarves to double and fab up any winter coat?!) and I’m currently working on some new resin pieces designed for and inspired by my pack of crazy dogs. My dogs are kind of like my own personal fan club.

Where do you create or work? I’m a gypsy beader. Typically I create on my living room coffee table while sitting on the floor. I’m a lifelong floor-sitter. Even from the beginning of my beading days, I felt more comfortable down there. I don’t like working over a table, so you can typically find me sitting cross-legged with bead trays, tools and findings (and a sleeping dog or five) all around me. When I’m done with my beading session, I pack up my beads in a caravan on wheels and roll it into a spare bedroom for out-of-sight storage.

What kind of music do you listen to (if any) when you create? I always have the tv on when I’m crafting. Doesn’t matter if I’m actually watching it… but it’s always on. Sometimes, I tune into a show I really want to watch, and then get so ingrained in whatever I’m making that I completely miss the whole thing!

What has been your most successful marketing technique? I’m very new to the online selling community. Pre-ArtFire, my sisters have been the bulk of my business. Coworkers, teachers, coaches or friends of theirs always have gift occasions, so word-of-mouth has proven most fruitful.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? I love the snow, so anywhere that gets buried in white for as long as it will stick is where I want to be.

Have you made anything that you just can't bear to part with? I have “control issues” with all of my pieces. I like to create them, but I have this kind of “creator’s remorse” when it comes to parting with the projects. I take ridiculous amounts of pictures of each before they go on their merry way. Sadly, I have found that of the pieces I keep, I go back and look at them wondering why I liked them so much in the first place… and then I dismantle them so I can start over. It’s kind of a problem.

What would people describe you as? A creative, quirky, sarcastic, independent, opinionated, animal-loving, vegetarian.

Photos courtesy of Susan Rutan.