This week, the beverage of choice was the new Bud Light Platinum.  Early in the week I had mentioned that I wanted to focus on Budweiser because tomorrow is the Bud Shootout in Daytona.  So, as I thought about the collection, I recognized early on that there were two statements I wanted to make.

1. First, Bud Light Platinum is targeted to be a more sophisticated, upscale entry in the Bud Light lineup.  Part of me thinks that is an oxymoron, but we’ll skip over that for now.  I do believe that the beautiful cobalt blue bottle glass was meant to be part of an upscale jewelry collection.  So, I wanted to make one piece that really showcases the beauty of the blue glass.
2. I really wanted the rest of the collection to focus on Budweiser, NASCAR, and the culture of the racing experience.

NASCAR Inspiration

I went to my first NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway when I was about 10 years old.  Through the years, I’ve attended races at a variety of tracks, camped on the infield, spent time in suites and continued to love the “vibe” of race day.  Fans at a race are pretty easy to describe – many are passionate about racing, many love a cold beer on a hot summer day, and they all are looking to escape for the afternoon and root for their favorite driver.

For me, the best moment of the day is the start of the race….anticipation of what’s to come, the sound of the engines reeving, and on the first few laps the smell of the fuel and the rubber.  Bringing this feel and the atmosphere of the crowd to the forefront is the essence I wanted to create in this collection.  Here were the pre-design goals/statements:

1. Celebrate informal beer drinking….social, simple, and fun.  From a can to a red Solo cup…the drink is the accessory of the day.
2. Cheer for your driver.  Great NASCAR fans are committed to their driver.  How can I celebrate that connection?
3. Where the rubber meets the road.  While I want to use elements of the Budweiser packaging, I wanted to also find some “racing artifacts” to include in the design….

 The Journey

The design process was a fun one.  I started by tracking down all the varieties of Budweiser bottle caps that I had on hand.  Then for a few of my ideas I thought I could use some of the photos I had taken at races over the years.  I also decided early on that I wanted to use tire rubber.  With the short notice, I knew I couldn’t get a race tire, but how hard could it be to get a regular tire?  I found out it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be…..I tried a tire shop, but they could only  provide me with a whole tire – not what I needed.  So, I decided to look to the side of the highway for shredded tires.

Quickly I realized that there are lots of shredded tires discarded on the side of the road.  I picked my location, pulled to the side, turned on the hazards, and suddenly I was like a kid in a candy store.  I found several “perfect” pieces.

Here are all the pieces and parts I had to work with:

After I started to work on the designs, I decided to try and use some Budweiser cans in the process as well.  Here’s the Budweiser can that I cut into two pieces and the awesome red pull tab with the Bud crown.

The NASCAR Budweiser Collection

The first collection this week is in celebration of the Bud Shootout at Daytona – TODAY!!  I can guarantee that I will be wearing one of these pieces in honor of the race.

The first piece in the collection is a necklace:

This piece has many different components tied together in a unique design.  The section in the center is a piece of clear glass from a Bud Light Lime bottle wrapped in red wire.  To the left of the glass piece are two sections with photos I took at Michigan Speedway of the Budweiser NASCAR.  The photos have been placed in silver bezels and are protected by a layer of resin.  To the right of the glass section is a red recycled glass bead and then a section from the Budweiser beer can.  To the right of that and next to the photo images are pieces of tire rubber wrapped in red wire.

The next design, I think is a fun one.  I wanted to capture the party on the infield at any great race.  I couldn’t think of a better way to honor the activities than with a Red Solo cup design.  So, while a hostess at a dinner party pulls out her wine glass charms, the NASCAR enthusiast can now pull out their red Solo cup charms!  I love them.

With a simple hole punch, you will never lose your cup again.  On one side of the charm are the various Budweiser bottle caps and on the other side is a classic race image – the infield, the crowd, the cars on the track….each photo is unique.

The final designs in this collection are a set of pendants.  Each created with their own unique personality.

The pendant on the left is a piece of clear glass from a Bud Light Lime bottle.  The crown from the Budweiser can is attached to the glass and the entire piece is wrapped in red wire.  The second pendant has a piece of tire rubber as the backdrop for the Budweiser pull tab wrapped in the red wire.  The final design has three independent pieces – a section of the Budweiser can, a piece of clear glass wrapped in red wire and a recycled glass bead.

The Bud Light Platinum Collection

As I’ve mentioned before, the cobalt blue glass of the Platinum bottles is just beautiful.  I created three pieces that capture the sophistication of the brand.

The first piece in the collection is the necklace

This piece incorporates pieces of the cobalt blue bottle glass with blue and white recycled glass beads.  The design is sophisticated, yet very unexpected.  Wearing this out on the town will definitely make a statement and draw attention wherever you go.

In addition to the necklace, two pendants were created.

The pendant on the left incorporates a piece of the bottle glass wrapped in silver wire with the logo design from the Budweiser can.  The design on the right has a roughed up piece of bottle glass with a Platinum bottle cap and white recycled glass bead.

Summary

I think the NASCAR inspiration was one of my favorite challenges so far!  Capturing the fun and excitement of the race was a very different way of thinking about my designs.  I’ll be uploading the pieces to my Etsy shop over the next day or two.  So, stop by, check them out, and let me know here what you think!  Cheers!!