This month our small business feature focuses on handmade, custom beadwork! I mean who doesn’t love custom? Who doesn’t love beadwork? So without further ado, let’s learn about DX Designs and get to the goodies of this giveaway! I know you’re all ready for this one because I kind of flood my Instagram story with the goods, and everyone always asks me about them. Well, here’s your chance to get a discount and a chance to win a beaded halter!
Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Kelsey Ducheneaux. I’m a sister and daughter first and always, a small business owner passionate about helping our youth, and a ranch girl through and through. I was raised on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation of North Central South Dakota. I was fortunate in being raised to love the ranching lifestyle and learned to love my small town schools where everyone knew your name and the educators cared about your success. Being named a recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship allowed me to journey off to South Dakota State University where I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Range Sciences and became “a plant nerd” as my family refers.
After a successful four years away from home, I couldn’t fight off my desire to return any longer. I returned to the family ranch and began arguing with dad about where he should let me put my 4 years of education to work. I’m fortunate to have been born into two of the most supportive families in the country, and their commitment to my success and a little hard work on my part, has me living my dream in my early 20s. I’m now working with the Intertribal Agriculture Council, assisting with growing my family’s non-profit, Project H3LP!, expanding DX Designs, taking on more responsibility on the family ranch, as I grow my own cattle herd, all while wrapping up my Master’s of Agriculture degree, online through Colorado State University. If I had three magical wishes, I’d use one of them to give two other people my remaining, as life simply couldn’t be any better for me.
How did you start your business? What inspired you to do this?
I found myself missing home my first year away at South Dakota State University, and I picked up loom beading as one of my attempts to stay connected to home (and actually procrastinate my school work). What started as a way to build gifts for my brother and sister (who were 10 and 3 years old at the time and who I missed immensely), quickly became a venue for business for me.
I signed up for an entrepreneurship class as a credit filler, and wound up developing my entire business plan around DX Designs, my custom beadwork business. I realized during that class just how appealing working from home, being my own boss, and working on something I was passionate about truly was. I’m now moved home to the ranch, and the winters can be quite long and cold. Building my business has been a fun and productive way to share the art, a venue for displaying parts of my culture, and a means of supporting local artisans.
How do you know Jenn?
My dad and Jenn started dating right around the time I was interested in challenging my horsemanship. She was able to offer her guidance and experience while I dabbled in the arena. I learned in a matter of a few years that the sort of horsemanship I was interested in didn’t have a stopwatch attached to it, but it’s been fun to see some of DX Design’s pieces competing down the road with Jenn. To this day – she still has a more complete beaded tack set than I have myself. HA!
Where can interested customers connect with you?
Where is the best place for customers to shop/purchase your goodies? Do you run an Instagram, Facebook, online store, or combination of all?
You’ll find us on Facebook under DX Designs Custom Beadwork. And, we are just that: Custom Beadwork. We never let our looms go empty, so if we’ve got some down time between orders we may build a piece or two to sell down the road at a show, or advertise online for sale, but we primarily focus on taking in custom orders tailored to fit the customer’s liking. No two pieces are alike, as we work to make our pieces a symbol of the individuals wearing them.
What’s one of the favorite item in your store?
My favorite items vary from day to day – I mean, it depends on what would go with your outfit, right?!
Aside from my indecisiveness, I think it is fair to say that my favorite items are built when the customer gives a few color suggestions and trusts us as the artists to make it happen. Belts and tack have always been fun pieces to pull together.
Our beadwork, coupled with the leatherwork of Casey Filipeck, have been transformed into some really eye catching pieces. We’ve also had a lot of fun making sure none of our scraps have gone to waste; from keychains, to hand-painted leather cuffs, we work to make sure all of our supplies reach their full potential.
Isn’t this hip belt gorgeous?
We’ve also been working to mold pieces of beadwork with the art of braiding. I met a young lady by the name of Megan Lang about 6 years ago. Over the course of our friendship, her determination, skill and wit have amazed me each day. She’s the sort of company you’d just like to have around every day, if you could. She can outwork and outlast just about anyone you’d put her up against. An opportunity arose for me to partner with her on some beadwork. She jumped headfirst into helping me with DX Designs and she’s a valued partner that helps me keep the wheels on our bus rolling when I’m traveling around the country for my other commitments. I couldn’t do it without her, and the business has benefited immensely from her “I’m going to do more for this business than it does for me” attitude.
Lately, we’ve been keeping Megan busy braiding used ropes into halters to showcase some of our beadwork. She’s done a beautiful job on these pieces! Some of my favorite products have been when we’ve been given an opportunity to work together on these halters. Plus – you just can’t find a better model for your crafts than your horses.
Now, for the Coupon Code/Discount!
We hope that you’ll have as much fun sharing our story as we have sharing our story with you. For all orders placed in May – we’ll be offering free shipping and 10% off all orders from our followers that share our page with their friends. Let us know you found out about DX Designs from TSDC’s post with the promo code: SDArt and you’ll receive a custom hand-panted bracelet with any order.
Here’s the good stuff – time to enter to win a beaded halter! This is a $150 value! Cool, right? You have until May 12 at Noon CDT to get your entries in! Share, like them on Facebook, Follow them on Instagram, and comment (up to three times) on this post to be entered!
[RF_CONTEST contest=’5130′]
So pretty!
Wow- that beadwork is amazing!! A halter would be great! 🙂
I LOVE HER WORK!!!! I would love to save up and order a belt!
I love it!
Beautiful work!
What an inspiring story! Love that you wanted to return to your family ranch this early in your life. It took me 30 years. 😊
This halter is pretty… Very talented bead work… My little rescue buckskin mare would look so cute with this halter.. Or the old man or our donkey Penelope. Lol.
Love this giveaway!!! Everyone needs halters and you can’t ever have to many!! 🙂
Wow, that is awesome bead work! I bet that takes a lot of patience and careful handwork! Should be very proud of it!
Oh boy, I feel a distinct need to go shopping! That beaded hip belt….WOW!
Right? It’s pretty eye catching!
Kelsey you are amazing girl!!! Way to go!
Alright…..entered…Loved you on FB….Loved you on Instagram! Shared to my pinterest and sent via email! You go girl – keep up the amazing work and can’t wait to get together soon!
Bring the family for Branding! I need to hug Quinn again! Xo!
this is beautiful work!!! I would be proud to show it off!! 🙂
Your work is just gorgeous – you have a new fan in Kansas!