Moab, Utah

My parents called me about a month ago to let me know they were driving thru Moab for some RV travels. I had been with them to Moab once before two summers ago, and have always wanted to go back. The drive from Denver is only 5 hours, so of course I said yes! Moab, you are still as beautiful as I remembered, and the Portal RV resort in Moab is still my favorite RV resort I've ever camped in. I just uploaded a couple vlogs from my adventure and below is a little photo diary I took with the canon.

Things I didn't get to do that I wanted to do was hike to the delicate arch again because that was my favorite from last trip but the weather was super windy/rained most afternoons. Also I wanted to rent a bike to do a little mountain biking, but that also got cancelled after I felt carsick from the four wheeling adventures. I did make it to the landscape arch this time which I recommend if you're visiting! It was a quick and easy hike that felt like I was really walking through the land before time. Oh, and this time we got to see some dinosaur tracks! See vlog /vlogs for more. Moab Rock Shop :)

new jewels in studio this week

a peek in the studio at some new jewels coming to the shop site this weekend..

one of a kind - made in size 7.0 (fits more like a 7.5)

when a collection begins to appear.

brought pieces of the desert with me to colorado. #inspiredalways

DIY SPIRIT STICK JEWEL DISPLAY

you can also hang all spirit sticks in natural state.

On the VLOG | 7 things

two | a good morning - greek plain yogurt, grainless granola (from trader joes), chia seeds, black berries, and café bustelo.

three | wip

four | 2am sandwiches

five | breakfast for dinner

six | at home yoga - down dog iphone app

seven | my desert pup

7 things

I'm setting another intention this year and that is to blog more. I used to love blogging before I started jewel making, just as I did cooking. I really want to start getting back in to these things I enjoy more this year especially being new to a city and having the time and space to share the experience here with you. To start I'm going to bring back my weekly 7 simple things post. When I began my blog (..in 2007. wow. time .is. scary) I started a tradition of capturing 7 little moments in my week that make me happy here.

As I'm new to Denver and really haven't seen much here yet because its been so cold and snowy, I will say when I do leave my house it's always a good time. This little city seems to have many hidden gems to explore. Although I do wonder why the universe moved me here in the winter.. I remember now why I hate winters. But when the sun does come out it's actually beautiful weather. Looking forward to sharing more weekly posts with you and hoping the sun stays out a little longer on these days from here on out.  Here's my top 7 things from life so far in Denver. The first two are from the same place because I loved this museum so much. Put it on your list if you're visiting Denver.

Crystal Caves transported from Mexico - Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Couldn't get enough of this place. - Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Happy hours with city views - Avanti

Taking a desert pup into 6 degree winter. Not a fan of winters or his winter wardrobe. - Denver, CO

Finding GF bakeries in walking distance - Beet box

Living in Five Points - the Denver Central Market

All the roads.. 2016

A post that has been in drafting for quite some time. These are a just a few of the most beautiful roads I took to and from Colorado six times in the last two months of 2016. For those who know me well, and have followed the journey know that 2016 left me feeling very lost. It was my 5th year living in Las Vegas. When i first moved there, I thought i'd only be there for a year.. Vegas grew on me quickly and I ended up loving the city for a lot longer than I had planned. My lease had been month to month for last year at my house, and i knew i wanted to get out. I knew if i didn't sell everything I wouldn't ever leave. The problem was I didn't know where to go. I just knew Vegas wasn't for me. I didn't feel like the city was home.  I get this question constantly now, as I did when i first moved to Vegas. Why Colorado, you hate the cold?! That is very true.. but I think I needed this drastic change. I felt like I wasn't growing where I was - in business and personal aspects in my life. I couldn't be more excited for this transition and all its changes for 2017! Looking forward to sharing more of this journey with you.

Last pop-up shops LAS VEGAS

My last month in Vegas was one wild pop-up shop ride. I hadn't done as many pop-up shops all year, that I did in the month of November. From West Elm pop-up shops on east side to west side of town, another holiday celebration at Retail Therapy, and art festival in town square plaza. Much thanks to Emma, from Desert Daisy Jewelry for coordinating most of these. Couldn't do it without you girl! It was a wonderful way to end my last weeks in Vegas. Oh yes, in the next post I'll explain all about our big move! :) Here's a lil recap from some of last months pop-ups.

West Elm Henderson

Surprise visit by my mom

Art Fest Town Square Plaza

West Elm Summerlin

Holiday 16' preview party

A few weeks ago, Emma from Desert Daisy Jewelry and I planned a little pre-holiday party to share our latest collections that launch in November. Emma knew of this little hidden gem boutique in town that I had never been to before called Retail Therapy which ended up being the perfect venue for our pop-up shop. We were joined by a couple local bloggers including @thefashclass who took these amazing photos in @dizzyspangle blog post here.  In addition we had photographer Payton Altman stop by and snap some photos of our event, a couple of them below. All and all the holiday preview party ended up being a great success.  Thank you to those who came out and shared your support with us. Loved getting to meet a few new faces in town and we even had a magician randomly pop in to our event for a little bit of entertainment. It was a magical night. Be sure to check out Emma's blog as well for more pics! Also read Graciella's blog for more details about the latest collections.

Image by Payton Altman

Image by Payton Altman

Day in the life.. on Mars.

A.K.A. Valley of Fire. Remember a couple years ago when we traveled here for the first time? It was about time we came back.. this time we brought Roman the pup.

I honestly feel like I'm on another planet when I enter this valley. This place instantly fills me up me up with so much inspiration. I haven't thought about a collection much this year as I set the intention earlier this year that was I going to focus on one of a kind pieces. Although with so much change happening around me and an inspiration flow, I think it's time to for that collection. I'm excited to take the upcoming weeks to myself and work on some new holiday fun and just maybe I'll end the year with my first collection of the year. The golden age is calling. Freedom and the Valley of fire adventures continued...inspired always.

Fall in the desert

A few weeks back I collaborated with this beautiful team of ladies in Red Rock Canyon for a shoot to get us all inspired and excited for fall fashion in the desert. It's still 90 degrees here in October but we are making the best of it. This fall I've been working with a lot of labradorite, black onyx, petrified wood, obsidian gemstones and raw crystals. I'm going to be launching some new one of a kind crystal pendants in the shop later this week that I'm very excited about. I still haven't done any collections this year as I remember setting that intention in January here. I've still been focusing only one day at a time, that's pretty much my theme of the year for life and jewels. I've enjoyed just working with a few gemstones that are calling to me in that season. I think one of my favorite thing about being a jeweler is working with the raw natural gemstones and designing the one of a kind pieces made just for you.  Many of my new pieces are used throughout this shoot along with some of my turquoise vintage jewels from my personal collection.

I want to special thank Brie Seavey (@soul_synergy) for putting this shoot together. I've worked with her many times before (our roots shoot here and here), she is one of my favorites in Vegas. I also want to special thank my sister (@peachybe) for styling this shoot, especially on such last minute notice. A lot of the looks were pulled from Free People. See below for more. 

PHOTOGRAPHY - Brie Seavey/@soul_synergy

MODEL - Mel /@staytunedformel

STYLING - Brittany Rosano/@peachybe

MAKEUP - Etienne Lovelle/@etiennelovelle