Summer Stories 15'

8 cities. 20 days. The summer adventures in the RV started here. The first 3 days on the road we made it through Flagstaff and Albuquerque. Of course I would have loved to stay in both these cities longer then just a day but they were only quick stops for us on the road. I had been to Flagstaff a few years prior and this time was just for a late afternoon and one night stop. I think what I enjoy most about this town is that it reminds me of Woodstock, NY where I visited a lot to when I lived in NY. Flagstaff does not feel like Arizona at all with all the green, trees, and cooler temperatures. It was nice to get out of the desert heat. When we started our travels that morning it was 90 degrees at 8am in Vegas. Flagstaff temperature was in the low 70s. I got to enjoy my first hot coffee of the summer in Flagstaff at Fire Creek cafe which was located off route 66, also located right next to my favorite crystal shop called Crystal Magic. For dinner we ate the Black bart's steakhouse. The only restaurant I've ever been to where the wait staff sing and dance on stage during your meal. They all are students at a local art/music performance school which made for a very interesting atmosphere to eat in. I enjoyed it, and of course the steak and wine. The next morning we left early for Albuquerque. Oh, Albuquerque. I wish I could have stayed longer. I LOVED this town (I think even more than Santa Fe) but I only got to spend one day here. We went into old town that evening, where I had the best enchillada dish at La Placita. The people I met here in this town were so friendly and every corner was full of turquoise and old pawn shops. I did pick out some sweet turquoise gems during this short visit. Quite overwhelmed with the amount of turquoise and jewels the city hoards. I will get back to this city soon, if I don't end up moving there sooner. Seriously add this one to the list... Next stop was Santa Fe - post to follow.

Only pic I got from RV park in Flagstaff, AZ.

Hiking in Sedona, AZ

This past weekend one of my best friends I met in college, Erika came to visit and we took a road trip to Sedona, Arizona for a little summer getaway. We'd both been to Sedona before so we wanted to make sure to try and see new things we'd never done before which included some hiking. On our first morning we woke up at 7am and took the West Fork Trail. We had heard from some people in town that it was the best hike to take in the summer season because it was mostly a shaded hike in the canyons and the trail made you feel like you weren't in Arizona, and that I would definitely agree with. That trail was so green I couldn't believe it! I felt like I was back in NY, in the adirondacks! It had just stormed right before we headed out on those trails, so all the trees and leaves had fresh drops of rain on them and the smell was one I wish I could have bottled up and taken home with me. Mother nature at her best.

The second hike we did was later in the day, called cathedral rock. This hike was a little more intense especially since it was during prime hours the sun was directly above and beating on us. Not recommended in 100 degree temperatures - unless you have lots and lots of water! Lets just say I did not make it to the top of cathedral rock. I stopped midway and took some time to myself. Erika made it a little further than I did.. but I enjoyed stopping and collecting some personal moments for myself. Even though our Sedona trip was quite short, it was the perfect getaway to clear the mind and cleanse the soul. Sedona is probably one of the most sacred and spiritual places to visit. We also got to enjoy some good food, psychic readings, vortex visits, and crystal shopping during our stay. Here's a little photo diary from our hikes.

Oh yes and we had this little man along for the adventure! He was such a trooper. #romanthepup

Ghost Town

Just an hour outside Vegas - southwest of Boulder City you'll wander upon the littlest town off the highway called Nelson. I recently went mining with a friend who mentioned this town aka Ghost Town. Now I can see why. There is a private property that is now a historical landmark right in the middle of this town. It used to be an old gold mine, and they do offer mining tours on weekdays. I went on a Sunday, but would love to go back in the upcoming week to check out one of these tours. Although this location even without the tour was a dream.. everything from antique cars, school buses, vintage gas pumps, old barns with every random piece you can imagine to find in a junk barn. It was like I wandered right in to a time machine. Such great inspiration, I adored this place a lot. Looking forward to adventuring the gold mine next time. Here's a little photo diary from my day in Nelson.

Annual Tucson gem show

I honestly can't get enough of this show! Last year I went solo, and this year I brought my mom along who was just as overwhelmed. Again, I only had a day to shop - which is not nearly enough to experience this show, but we did see some breathtaking crystals and had some beautiful gem finds for the day. Lately I have been so drawn to rutilated and smokey quartz. Every room I went to I was immediately pulled to these stones, so naturally I knew I needed them. I also couldn't keep my eyes off of watermelon tourmaline. This year it seemed to be popping up everywhere at the show. It's a gem I've never worked before, so I'm excited to see what I can do with it. I must say these gem shows fill me up with so much inspiration and energy. Looking forward to sharing all my finds in the upcoming collections. Here's just a glimpse of our day in Tuscon.

Shop Underground in Beverly Hills

This past weekend I had my first pop up shop in Beverly Hills hosted by Fabric Fashion Show. I'd like to special thank those I met from my instagram, who came out and picked up some jewels. It was a pleasure meeting you all. This was my first pop up in LA and their first "Shop Underground" event [See opening weekend video highlights below]. Also, check out the feature on Racked LA here. They will be hosting these events every other weekend, and I'm hoping to make it back for another one again soon.

The event was held during the day at a stunning new venue located right off Beverly Dr., and literally underground from all the best shopping in Beverly Hills. There was a wonderful mix of fashion/jewelry/makeup artists/performing artists/etc. I got to meet many fellow independent artists and designers. We all had a blast mingling together and enjoying a couple cocktails [they had complimentary drinks, full bar, and little hors d'oeuvres being served all day]. I even got my hair and makeup touched up by the Glamsquad who had a booth there. Some of us ended up going to dinner together after the event to celebrate at the Chateau Marmont hotel, which was also my first experience there. Such a quaint little magical place to dine in West Hollywood. I just love LA visits! I have a feeling there are going to be many of them this year. I've already had two in January - and there's another one in the works for Valentines weekend! Can't wait to share what's on the calendar for that... never stop dreaming, dreamers! XO

photo cred: via fabric fashion show

Best of adventures.. since I got my Macbook Pro

The other day I was going through my computer, removing old photos on to my hard drive to make room for new adventures. My current storage keeps messaging me it's almost out. I guess 4 years with my Macbook Pro and 12K+ photos later will do that.. By doing so I found so many amazing adventures that I've had, some I never even shared before so thought I'd share some of my favorites on the blog this morning. Looking forward to what 2015 adventures will bring!

Apple picking in Indian ladder farms - Altamont, NY.

Outdoor camping and canoeing on the Delaware River - Bethel, NY.

Antiquing in Hudson, NY.

Planting in green houses - Castleton, NY.

RVing off the Mississippi River - West Memphis, AR.

Wandering around New Mexico.

Cross country road trips.

Old Nevada - Bonnie Springs Ranch, NV.

Opus One Winery - Napa Valley, CA.

Fog over the Golden Gate bridge - San Fransisco, CA.

First step ever in the Pacific - Huntington Beach, CA.

Treasure Hunting in Quartzsite, AZ.

Horseback riding in Zion National Park, UT.

Snow in Mt. Charleston, NV.

Visits back east to my hometown - Albany, NY.

Full Moon Meditations - Mt. Charleston, NV.

Celebrating 110th anniversary of Harley-Davidson - Milwaukee, WI.

Rainbows, sunsets, and bottles of red - Red Rock Canyon, NV.

Sailing on Lake Mead, NV.

Exploring Valley of Fire, NV.

Home away from home - Scottsdale, AZ.

New Jewels

The first new little collection for 2015, "winter blues" includes one of a kind ready to ship turquoise, blue lace agate, titanium blue druzy, aqua aura quartz, lapis, and sterling silver are now all available in shop www.nikdreamer.com/new. Also I just opened up a page for custom jewels, please contact me if you're interested here. I will be traveling through Arizona in the upcoming weeks on a hunt for new gems for 2015. If there is any particular gemstone you would like me to find and custom make, do let me know. I always love creating one of a kind jewels!

Food for the soul: a day in the mountains

Sometimes you just need to surround yourself with good people, in a good place that makes you feel like home. Today was one of those really good days. Being from upstate NY, I do get homesick around the holidays because the weather in Vegas still doesn't feel like home, but I love being able to drive 30 minutes to the Mt. Charleston where the snow is just beginning to stick to the ground. Today was exactly what I needed to bring back those feelings of home. Although I can say after spending the day up there, I definitely don't miss the "cold" weather but do miss that crisp air and smell of December pine.

I spent the day with Brie, Mae, and Micha. Brie, I met when planning for my look book for the Fall collection. She is the one who created all the photo magic from the "Roots" look book. Her work has always inspired me, see more from her site here. Mae, I met exactly a year ago, on a shoot for Dark Beauty. Since then, we've become very close. One of my best friends since being here in Vegas. And lastly, Micha who I just met today who was so fun to shoot with. Between the four of us, we were able to capture and create some magical moments in the mountains. I still can't get over the massive tree fort we stumbled upon on our adventure. It ended up being the center for our shoot today. Below are some outtakes//behind the scenes. We stopped on the way out from our shoot at the lodge to warm up with some hot chocolate and some "are you afraid of the dark" stories/laughs. Love these days!

Market Row

I can't believe it has been a whole year since I've done an event for Nikdreamer. I believe our last one was at West Elm last December and First Friday in December as well. This year went just like that! I was extremely excited to be asked to be a part of Stitch Factory's Market Row holiday event last Thursday evening. It was their first time hosting this event that included local fashion, art, crafts, food, etc. It was the perfect mix of vendors. I had a great time. Thankful for my friends that came out to support and new friends that I met from being there. We all had a blast! Looking forward to doing more events in the near future.

Freedom and the Valley of Fire

In celebration of being self-employed (yes - i am officially free!) I treated myself to a full day adventure in the Valley of Fire with a fellow jeweler friend. It has been a full week now that I left my full time job at Harley-Davidson. Right after the mercury retrograde, I had so much bottled up inside that I knew I needed to change. It was a hard decision to make, one that I thought about for quite some time - if you asked me 10 years ago right after college what my dream job would be, it would have been doing marketing/events for a company such as Harley-Davidson. It has been hard to let that go.. but today my dreams are bigger. This road I'm taking has no maps and is quite scary, but I've never been so ready for this journey.

Yesterday was exactly what I needed to celebrate this freedom. I need adventure, inspiration, and to always be traveling on those roads (and hiking paths) with no maps. I'm going to make a pact to myself, that at least once a month I adventure to a new place I've never been. The adventure yesterday was my first time, and luckily I went with a friend that knew exactly where to go and share the magic. I will say we definitely had our share of unexpected adventuring - especially when we went off-roading and my car sank in the quicksand. Lesson learned in the desert... thankfully a couple saw us and helped get us out and back on the road. So grateful for them, I made sure they didn't leave without a crystal I had in my pocket. I put extra in that day, because I had a feeling I was going to need them. The power of crystals.

For those of you that have never been to the Valley of Fire (which is about an hour outside Las Vegas), I highly suggest putting this on a top visit in the Southwest. To be honest, I enjoyed it more than Red Rock Canyon. At some points on our hike, I felt like I was on another planet, the extensive erosion was so amazing photos don't even really capture it's beauty. Here's a peek inside the Valley.