airstream bambi at the beach

Osa and I got a dose of la playa last weekend and let me tell you, it recharged me and at the same time, relaxed me. We needed that! I wish G could've joined us, but he was holding down the fort in Vegas (did I tell you he's on the Airstream 2 Go team now too?!). Yup, I am soooo glad to have him on board and in Vegas with us!

Here are some photos from our coastal adventure. Our motivation was an invitation from Coastal Living magazine to include us in an upcoming article. Hey, you can twist my arm to hit the beach anytime!

The view from my Bambi II's window

Betty Jane, Bambi II on the beach. Yes, this is our campsite!

I am one happy camper! Osa is one tired and happy camper!

Thank you notes were written by the sound of the ocean

Hey, look who joined us- Alison and Maxie!

I've decided I'm going to put a coastal visit on the calendar each month now that Betty Jane, Bambi II is living in Vegas with us too. It's the perfect getaway!

I hope you'll make time for a fun getaway adventure too...

Silver Trailer featured in Homespun Magazine

How wonderful to have my Luxe Trailer Necklace featured in the Australian magazine, Homespun!

diy project: theater letters for the office

OH, how wonderful you look today, OH

The walls in my apartment needed a little something. Naturally, I headed to my latest favorite shop, SWAG. SWAG is too close to my apartment for my own good (it's also diagonal from the "Pawn Stars" shop if you're ever in the area). The owners are wonderful and they're always updating their Facebook page with their latest finds. They have a room in the back of the store where I've found some good treasures, including these old theater letters. They had the letters S H O hanging on the wall. Stacked to the side they also have an I and a U. For a while I was tempted to get the H O for Jay's last name, but I thought that would be... well more of a constant reminder. Then I thought OH! Ohhhhhhh?...  Oooohhhhh. The word OH is so great! With different tweaks of inflection, it can express so much!

From Merriam Webster's website:

The word "OH"

Definition of OH

1

—used to express an emotion (as surprise or desire) or in response to physical stimuli

2

—used in direct address;oh, waiter! Will you come here, please?

3

—used to express acknowledgment or understanding of a statement

4

—used to introduce an example or approximation


                      Oh, what a great interjection it is! Here is my OH project.

Osa provides encouraging creative support. She's thrilled in a really relaxed way.

Theater Letters Project

This is a pretty simple DIY project, and hopefully it will inspire you to find your personal word.

What you'll need:

Theater letters
Hair dryer
Olive Oil
Cotton balls or pads
Nails
Hammer
Level

So, first to locate the theater letters. There's Craig's List, Etsy and of course your local antique store. Here's how the letters looked when I bought them.

The price stickers were a little stubborn to remove, so I loosened them with the heat from a hair dryer.

To remove the rest of the sticky goo and get an uniform black without painting the letter, I used a couple of drops of olive oil on a cotton pad. (I got the glass holder for the cotton from SWAG too). 

Coat the surface very lightly with the olive oil and focus on getting the sticker remains off. Remove excess olive oil with a clean cotton pad

 Get out your level, hammer and nails, and hang in the perfect spot.

You can sharpie the nail heads black if you want them to blend with the letters.

OH! How lovely.

Silver Trailer featured on HGTV

We were featured on HGTV's show, Retro Roadhomes, RV's Gone Crazy!

 It's a dream come true for me to have my Airstreams and jewelry featured on HGTV. 

We had a lot of fun that day and I am so grateful to HGTV for including me in the show.

It just goes to show, if you stick with your passion, eventually it will happen!

(Here's the YouTube version as well. )

discovering vegas: Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Today Osa and I took a nice walk to a building that I'm thrilled to have in my backyard (well, 10 blocks from my apartment, to be exact). It's the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health designed by Frank Gehry.

                                          Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Not only is it a stunning structure, they provide valuable services to patients in need of their services:

"The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health provides care to patients with memory and movement disorders at Cleveland Clinic locations across the United States".

It was 77degrees today which made for a beautiful blue sky backdrop behind the building. I could photograph this building all day...

Other good news, they have an outdoor cafe! 

It's closed on Sundays, but I'll be back another day for sure.

Osa and I took a rest on a bench in front of the glass sculpture. 

                      But wait, there's more... they're across the street from the Design Center.

(The Design Center will be my next "discovery destination"). 

See friends? There is life beyond The Strip and it is an endless spring of inspiration!

Next time you're in town, I suggest a trip to see the building (schedule a tour in advance) and have some lunch at their cafe. 

(Here are ways to contribute to the Lou Ruvo Center if you're interested).

living in downtown las vegas

Wow, there's a lot to catch up on! I'm now living in downtown Las Vegas, NV and Lotus, CA. The two places couldn't be more different, yet are similar in a familiar and small town feel kind of way. G and Pony will be holding down the nest in Lotus and will be my rays of sunshine with their visits. I hope to post regularly from my happy nest here in downtown Vegas. It's a fun adventure I'd like to share and record. For now, here's the start of my little sanctuary. I am loving being a city girl again. Stay tuned for more adventures from downtown... Thank you so much for being a part of the journey.

Good Day Sacramento TV appearance

Last weekend I enjoyed being on the set of Good Day Sacramento, showing off my 1964 Airstream Bambi II, 1960 Airstream Caravel as well as my jewelry lines. It was live and we did three short segments and interviews. What fun! I'm not able to post them here at the request of the station, but I enjoyed my day and the animated interviewers, Amy Carraba and Cody Stark. Plus, I finally got to give G his shout out on live T.V..

I mentioned to G that it's a good sign that I automatically clasped my hands to my heart when she asked me about him. (If you've ever seen the Seinfeld episode about touching your head when someone asks you a question, you can appreciate that!). I told her that G has been by my side and has been an amazing support over the past decade as I celebrate Silver Trailer's ten year anniversary.

It was a fun and surreal experience that really makes you think on your feet. I figure you have to try everything at least once, right? I'm so glad I did. 

Veuve Clicquot & Silver Trailer's Airstream

It was a happy collaboration with Veuve Clicquot who used my our 1961 Airstream Globetrotter, Luxe Lounge as a mobile tasting room throughout California. Look at that "Cliquot Yellow" pop! A happy customer makes me happy.

bowling bag gym bag

It must be the fact that it's September and the school kid in me is ready to set out my outfit for the next day and start anew. Well, it's also time to shape up, and that means visiting the gym again. No one would accuse me of being a morning person, so having my workout stuff ready to go by the door in a nice retro bundle seemed the best way to go. This little blue bowling bag came with our house when we bought it, and it was either time to put the bag to use, or time to drop it off at the thrift store.

I decided to turn my little blue bowling bag in to a gym bag. I didn't alter a thing, just unzipped and inserted the items I'd need while my eyes are half open:

~Gym bag - you can find one at a second hand store

~Sneakers (these can be covered with those clear hotel shower caps if you'd like

~Socks

~Towel- one of those quick dry travel ones

~Toiletries - tucked in the front pocket

~Headphones - they hang nicely on the metal support.

~Change of clothes.

Now to get myself out the door...!

A visual packing list: 10 days in Europe / 10 essentials

Okay, I have a secret. I'm a chronic packer and re-packer. Packing is such a science, and I want to get it just right every time. What can I say? I'm into small space efficiency, it's my thing- so when my husband walks into the garage sees me at the vice taking a hacksaw to my toothbrush to make it smaller, he doesn't bat an eye. (Those dinky travel toothbrushes just don't cut it, am I right?).
Ladies and gentlemen... I got it right this time after 20 years of international packing!
I'm at the end of my 10 day trip in Europe (and almost 2 weeks in NY before that). I made a visual reference guide to refer to next time I'm in a packing crisis. This is more or less what I packed for 10 days in Denmark in August- 70 degree days on average. I have a carry on suitcase that I still have room in to bring home a tablecloth, soap dispenser and some other gifts. (Not shown are ballet flats for the plane). I'd also like if I had packed my Modaspia summer dress for the beach and mayyyybe my ipad. I really only missed it for these blog posts.  If you're a guy reading this, hopefully you can get the basics from this list, like swap our the skirts for dress shorts or pants.
My messenger bag was great for biking around Copenhagen and my overnight trip to the beach. Other times I would grab my clutch and a collapsible shopping bag.

Here are the top 10 essentials I was glad to have with me:

1. Ortlieb messenger bag

2. Fossil wristlet

3. Sketchbook, pen, small scissors, and washi tape. You can bring small scissors on the plane if you put them in plain site with your toiletries through airport security.

4. Passport and ticket holder (also holds foreign currency, itinerary, tickets, memo pad, pen)

5. Targus travel adapter & iphone / ipad charger

6. Pouch to hold electronics including headphones for the plane

7. Muji toiletries bag with Muji pump bottles

8. Zip pouch to hold bras & underwear

9. Zip pouch to hold rolled up tank tops, shirts and scarves

10. Sneaker flats

Hope that helps anyone else in the "pack and repack" club! Happy travels.