Long time, no talk....

It has been super crazy in my world.....got back from a gnarly weekend of weather at the Brookside Art Annual in Kansas City Sunday night, getting ready for the Cherry Creek Festival and this seasons bike races....but we need to back up a bit...

The first annual Morel Ride was a success, well people showed up, we road and hunted but come home empty handed...not tasty morsels to cook up...bummer but was a great time...Plus two more Pirates added to the D Street Trading Cards, Jesse Petersen and Schmidty....arrrrggghhh....

Working on some last minute items to finish for the show...a killer belt buckle...

I dig it...

Late night set up layouts...always seems to be so much to do before a show...

Now for a nite cap before I have to wake up in four hours....ah damn...

While I was getting everything ready for my show I bought a hitch and an awesome new bike rack for my car using my tax return....Well, thanks to Uhaul I now have a $800 bike rack sitting in my living room...even though I was assured by Uhaul that my car would hold up to four bikes on my bike rack ahhh it didn't...took a 5 minute conversation with Havelock Weld to find out that this rack and hitch would destroy my cars frame...Havelock Weld didn't even have to look at my car refusing to even touch it, thank you....If I would have known that the hitch won't work I won't have purchased this type of rack...CVO was not to happy with Uhaul nor was I....for all those bikers wanting a hitch installed by pass Uhaul and go with Havelock Weld....

On the upside, the rack fits on CVOs van Puffy but she has a short life left....

We made it to Kansas City and set up....We're ready Brookside....

The VIP section for Casey Sheppard Designs...was super DOPE of Zeke and Jones to stop by, was one of the highlights to our trip...

Well with 90+ temps and over 60% humidity it was kind of quiet...we spent our time wisely and rearranged the booth...

Peeps did come out and say hi even though Sunday was filled with crazy lightning and thunderstorms....

Thanks so much to everyone that came out, I know it was super hot but thank you for bearing it....I met some really rad people, endured some crazy mid western weather and got to hang out with some good buddies, thanks Brookside and Kansas City...You Rock...

Now that I'm back in town, I'm starting to get things ready for the super amazingly awesome kickstarter backers, need to order t shirts, stickers are on there way and much more....I've also been riding my bike, sketching new work and getting ready for this whirl wind of a summer!!!  Biking, jewelry, traveling and hanging with cool peeps....sounds pretty amazing....

Racing Weekend...

This was a busy weekend full of bike races, making jewelry and having fun...Saturday was my second MTB race at Tranquility in Omaha, CVO and I signed up for the marathon which is 4+ hours of singletrack...each lap at Tranquility is 9+ miles...

Lined up and ready to go....Goal for first lap is to go slow, last race I got so caught up in the action that my nerves got the best of me and was pooped by the second lap...

Nerves did not get me today...

Riding the last lap with CVO (he was taking it slow since he is still recovering)...love the winding tree parts...

Chilling after the race in my AHTBM wind jacket eating a banana and drinking coconut water...I am a hurting, was one of the hardest rides yet for me, after the 1st lap I felt like I had a knife in my back because of my crash I had on Wednesday...every part that I hurt on my crash was in pain and right away, sucked big time....but I pulled through, wish I was at 100%, but ya live and ya learn...no big crashed a few days before a race...but I didn't crash during the race and I reached all my goals, to finish 4 laps, not to crash and have a fun ride...

To the victors...the pirate ladies representing...I got second with 4 laps and Grindcore got well deserved 1st with an impressive 5 laps....kickass job all around to the ladies that road mtb for 4+ hours...

With my first racing medal....I was super proud of myself for going out and keeping it up when I was hurting so bad....

Happy dog, she spent the day at Camp Bow Wow and had a blast....love it when she is happy...

CVO took me out to dinner at Dish which was amazing...then we headed off to Monkey Wrench for there Swap and headed home to pass out from a long exciting and fun day...

Even though I had a bike race I also got some work done in the studio, I spend the whole day Sunday working....no days off til after my show...only bout two weeks away...

Finished off the night with Blue Orchid with India and CVO, stopped by Blockbuster for a movie, talked to the parents in Iowa to see what shenanigans they were up to....then passed out watching a movie....was a good weekend...hope everyone has a great Monday.....

Victorious.....

WE DID IT!!!! A big victorious, flying high now, hey Adriane, beat up some frozen meat, Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa Thank You to all my kickstarter backers....all 49 of you...

Brigitte Martin...Syndey Lynch...Sara Bucy...Meghan Stratman...Jason Ortiz...Jeff Bonsall...Teresa Franta...Tyler Schmid...Renzo Spirit Buffalo...Roger Bach...Susan Jistel...Stephanie Robinson...Holly Blume...Carl Counts...Nic Carlson...Aaron Sheppard...Kim & Diana Tursky...Melissa Cable...Cindy Morris...Viriginia Holthus...Emily Fredix...Scott Showen...Corey Godfrey...Alan Wang...JoAnne Young...Jan Fox...Butchy & Katie Johnson...Jen Deep...Katt Tewksbury...Merri Anne Stowe...Elisabeth Grindcore...Ryana Swift...Caryn Neumann...Eldonna Rayburn...Jenine Iverson...Suzanne Johnson...Gallery 360...Pam Lionberger...Chuck & Karen Harris...Matthew Wegener...Sam Rosenau...Linda Williams...Sheila Jaeb...Leslie Smart...Kim Sheppard...Michele Tilley...Tom Harvill...Jon Curran...Bradley Walker...Johna Meints...Sydney Brown...

THANK YOU!!!

Also check out this kickass interview that my good friend Butchy did about me...thank you Butchy..

http://onetogetrad.blogspot.com/

This is the official logo for this years Cherry Creek Art Fest....I will keep you posted on updates for the festival....also you will see my progress through my blog as well...I have to wait 14 days after all the funds have been processed and then I get to order sterling silver....

This is my profile pix for the festival...

I ordered a stamp this week...I was labeling my gift boxes before but know I have a custom stamp...super excited and love my rad logo...thanks Bro....

Walnut cuff in the works...

 Tree Bark Necklace....

Items to get done for the Brookside....

Well guess it's time to get to work...tomorrow will be a day off, filled with a marathon mountain bike race at Tranquility...good luck to everyone and THANK YOU again to my kickstart backers....

I thought it would be very fitting to have a photo that was super beautiful and with a bike for yesterdays backer who is a friend, cyclist and amazing photographer....thank you...

Jason Ortiz 

Also a big thank you to The Reader in Omaha for the blog out...if you haven't already, please check it out....

 http://www.thereader.com/index.php/site/comments/lincoln_artist_to_exhibit_in_denverproject_101s_bugs/

With a little less than 5 hours left on my kickstarter....there are 48 backers, with $2,756 funded, 110%....thank you everyone....

Wednesday riding day, we went up to Tranquility for a pre race ride...brought the dog for a family outing..

Let's Ride....

India did great but was super thirsty....

Getting some pointers from CVO....

 After letting go of all the stress of the long couple of weeks I've had I finally started to ride my bike...had a total blast but had a crash towards the end...I was over stimulated and my inexperience kicked in with a slamming on the breaks going down hill on the fun bumping hills, knew right way that I did wrong and still wonder why I did it but oh well, learned not to do that again...I picked myself up and made sure my helmet wasn't totally smashed and kept on riding (after fixing my skewed back tire, opps)...looking forward to Saturdays race, goal:NOT TO CRASH....

Did get some time in the studio after words to get some work done...very fun and productive day...we finished the night off with dinner at Blue Orchid (thanks Charlie) and a night cap at D street....til tomorrow...

31 hours and counting....

Nothin' like bikes and a hot tub...I can think of only one person who can truly appreciate this, my backer from yesterday...a big thank you to...

 

Jeff Bonsall

 

With 31 hours left the kickstarter stats are 47 backers,  $2726.00, 109% funded...thank you again to everyone for supporting my project...ahhhhmazing...

 

 

Starting to lay everything out for Brookside, getting lots done....can't wait til the show, lacking massive sleep...but I'm still plugging along...

 

Some pieces I'm working on....earrings, necklaces, belt buckle...

 

 

This pretty girl was voted "Camp Sweetheart" Monday at Camp Bow Wow....she loves that place and so do we...thanks Camp Bow Wow....you guys rock...

 

 

Well we made it official, posted our engagement to facebook....hope you all are ready for some shenanigans....

 

Today is riding day and we are getting ready for Tranquility....then studio in the afternoon....hope everyone has an amazing day....

Theres Thunder and Lightning...

Saturday was a day full on thunderstorms, so killer lightning and massive rain...with the Tour of Dirt Roads rescheduled it was an awesome excuse to work all day in my studio...

While a large group of us really enjoy the electrifying excitement of a vocal and visual spring storm, others such as India do not...this pooch had to be touching either me, CVO or DK all day long, made things interesting every time I had to drill, no fingers were lost... 

Necklace in the works....

After a long day of working, then dinner at blue orchid, I was on Tornado duty...I was to make sure that if we had to head to the basement I was to grab the boys, India and the tornado bag that CVO packer earlier...I was ready...then I passed out during the sirens, opps, guess a 12 hour day in the studio mixed with a full meal and 1/2 a bottle of wine equals getting sucked away to Oz, luckily we are all fine and still here...think I need to work on my tornado alert skills....

Sunday Jen and I road across town to stretch the legs and ride into 25+ mph winds up to 40 mph gusts, was fun...wow did we fly home...I needed to also pick up some new spray paint...12 new cans, I'm ready either for some serious tagging or to make some kick ass jewelry....

Layout for new cuff...

Finished Cuff....

Well another crazy week, my first show of the season is in less than 19 days...kickstarter is finished in 3 days....2nd MTB race of the season in 6 days....I hope everyone had an amazing weekend...and that your week is killer too...