- Can I Have A Do-Over?
(0) 05/16/2012Editor
How many times in our lives do we wish we could push the rewind button? How many times do we wish we would of taped our month shut and how many times do we wake up in the morning and think did i really say that?
Well if this has not happened to you, you are very lucky or always perfect. That is my point we are human and humans make mistakes. Why is it when we are in our adolescents “I’m sorry”, is so easy and forgiveness is given. I know, I know, we are grown ups now and we all should know better, right? Or do we? I know, I am always learning, growing and in different situations and so are you. I am always trying to put myself out there and push myself to new limits. So when I make a mistake, I should be able to say I’m sorry and be forgiven, or should I? Should we always know better? I really don’t think so. I have always had a HUGE heart and try to see the best in people. I don’t automatically assume that every one is out to get me, and think for the most part, that they didn’t mean to be so mean, or that surely they didn’t mean to hurt me. Sometimes, I am proven wrong does not change me, or at least I don’t want it to. I sometimes want to stay mad and be angry at people, but I have found it is easier to just let all the BS, Drama, & crap go. At the end of the day most people are more concerned with themselves & their lives than me. You can’t control what other people do, you can just control you. How you act, how you treat people and how you let other people affect you.
It’s amazing how many times we take things way out of context or read something on Facebook thinking, “are they talking about me?” Guess what who cares! It is so easy to get caught up in all the BS of the day to day drama. If you are grounded with you and who you are it does not matter. Yes, those words could hurt and cut a little, but at the end of the day I try to surround myself with people that care about me.
At the end of the day it is up to you, who you chose to be around and how you let them make you feel. Your feelings and your emotions are a choice and you wither choose to let people affect you or you choose to live your life the way you want. If you don’t like the feeling you get then make that change. At the end of the day we all need to be aware of the people around us. Most importantly don’t ever be too pround to say you’re SORRY!
-Lo
- Today We Make Our TV Debut!
(0) 05/05/2012Editor
Wow ~ today is the day, we have waited for since the day we were filmed so many weeks ago. I have mixed emotions about reality tv and my debut on it! Of course I am excited about it ~ who wouldn’t be? I think we had a fabulous shoot that day with lots of wonderful talent and help to pull it off. Am I anxious it will come out okay on TV? Of course I am. Will we be shown in a positive light and not the negative one we so often see on reality tv? Will I look fat (sorry guys that is a question we all have no matter our size or age!!!)? Will they catch me making one of my faces that I make without even realizing it and put it on national tv ~ possibly out of context? Will we get made fun of or talked about. Probably, but dressing like I have all these years hasn’t come without the occasional comment or look – ok more than occasional if the truth be known.
The film crew and producers were also great to work with – they weren’t scheming to create animosity among us and we told them when they filmed us they had better make us look skinny and smart (yea right). They said they would – time will tell. I was surprised at how much was set up and refilmed instead of it being just caught in the moment. When they filmed at the office & my house it was crazy how big their crew was – they had one guy specifically to go in and tape over or move anything that they didn’t have the permission or rights to us (pictures, magazines, coke cans etc). I am sure by all of the big trucks and moving vans that pulled up in my driveway that day the neighbors had to be convinced I was moving! It was a little awkward to think that your every word was being recorded and our every action was being filmed to be used you don’t know how. This was my first experience being recorded for that long in that way – was a little nervous!!!!
But my hope is that the world is going to see what an amazing group of women we had working TOGETHER that day. It was an amazing experience to have the talents of so many strong women being showcased that day ~ from the hair to the makeup, from the photography to the styling, from the models – both human and four legged, from the Gypsy Tails to the all the helpers.
I want that to be the message that the viewers take away – that women can work together and support each other with a positive outcome. It really was a good day and a good experience for all.
Don’t forget we have FOUR contest going, you win one of three $500 Gypsy Soule Shopping Sprees or one of our new fabulous Soule Covers for your phone! Go HERE to find out how!
- Amy & Lo's Favorite Jewelry
(1) 04/17/2012Editor
We love JEWELRY, well any type of accessory for that matter. So we decided to pull out our favorite pieces to show you. A woman’s jewelry says a lot about who she is, So here is ours! – Amy & Lo
AMY’s Favorites
I love my jewelry – it is like wearing art. I keep it out and around me at all times because I love the uniqueness and flavor of each piece. Some joke I have a bond with it! We aren’t talking diamonds and gold here – but I love every piece for the joy I get wearing it and the artistic nature of it!
This picture is perfect for the evolution of my style!!! I have the three chain hippy necklace I made for myself that I love and wear on a regular basis and the new blingy me – My “Art By Amy” necklace that I heart so very very much!! But lets get this straight – it is all vintage quality bling which speaks to the old soule in me! This necklace has gotten some miles in the last three years. It has been used in numerous photo shoots, on stage, nights out and days running around in casual attire. I can’t go anywhere without compliments on this piece!
What would I do without my ever present silver hoops?!?! I remember my Mom asking me once, “Why can’t you wear classy diamond studs?” – my response “Really with all this hair, who could afford diamonds that size?” Plus – the silver hoops are true to my Gypsy roots! I am always looking for a different version or style of them. These are my new favorites that I picked up at Magic Market in Las Vegas in February.
Can you tell that anything silver is my true love? Then add a little Turquoise and I am there. I have always told my husband that he is a lucky lucky man ~ I love Turquoise as much as I love diamonds!
The silver ring I bought in Mexico several years ago – almost didn’t buy it because I thought it was silly to pay that much for a silver ring that I could buy at market. But, it is my daily “right hand” ring. It was so worth it! I haven’t seen another like it and it goes with everything. It has the feel of an old Indian ring minus the turquoise.
The bangle is by one of my favorite jewelry artist of ALL times – Margaret Sullivan (You can find her pieces at Cry Baby Ranch) I love her use of silver, old feel, uniqueness and inspiring quotes. This is another daily staple for me – I love the saying on it “Make the difference”
The feather quote is one of my favorite all time Gypsy Soule designs – I love the feathers and turquoise, plus I like that it is a little wider so I can wear it by itself or with other pieces. I am lovin all the Native American trends we have going right now ~ maybe I am just paying homage to my Native American roots?
One of my latest vintage finds – I am a huge collection of the Fred Harvey bracelets. I love how they fit on the wrist and each tells a story of Native American History with all of the symbolic images that are placed on it. If you ever get a chance read about the Harvey Houses on historic route 66 and the difference Fred Harvey made in the Native American jewelry pieces.
My ring I designed with Nick Cunningham ~ it has all of my favorite elements! My lucky number 3, turquoise and a Native American headress. I love this one of a kind piece created just for me! Nick’s talent is amazing and I feel like everytime I put on one of his pieces I am truly wearing a piece of art! It was created out of a Silver Dollar as well.
My Coreen Cordova beauty I have collected charms for three years now. Can I tell you this and my bling Art by Amy piece get me stopped more than any other jewelry I own? I love the color and texture of the feathers and love how it just speaks to you!
Again back to the earrings – with all this hair and all this attitude the earrings have to match! The bigger the better!!! They frame the face and are often the first jewelry piece to get the attention. I love this Zuni pair – because they are show stoppers and they are light! Again – I wear them to fancy formal affairs or when I am running errands around town. Pieces like this are timeless and can be handed down for generations. They also can be worn just by themselves without any other jewelry they are so lovely!
My lucky charms necklace! I have never been a fan of noisy charm bracelets – those that know me know that I am in constant motion AND talk with hands so the noise can be a little bothersome! But, oh how I love charms!! They speak volumes for your experiences, likes, beliefs and adventures! This is the necklace I wear when I fly ~ not just reserved for that, but being a nervous flyer it calms my soule just a bit because of the signifigance of the charms!
*1- My Our Lady Of Guadalupe charm – although I am not catholic she is one of guardian angels whom I look up to and worship. Her quite strength give me strength
* 2-The elk tooth charm – yea a bit unusual but it came from one of my husband hunting trips and means alot! My friend and silversmith Matt Litz made it into a charm with another of my favorite things engraved on it – prickly pear cactus
*3-Protect Me – think this charm speaks for itself!
*4- 3 charm – I can’t explain it but I love the number 3!!! It is my lucky number! It is what I collect in art and limited edition books. It is the greek mythology number for strong women. It is the merchandisers rule of thumb – use 3 in a display not 2 because we don’t want friends in our displays! Keep it odd
*5-Another Coreen Cordova charm that just spoke to me when I saw it. The cactus and the hills remind me of home and the ranch life I was raised in.
# 3 dogtag – Love the number 3 and I like long BB chain necklaces to hang my various pendants and charms on. I love layering necklaces – the more the merrier – and these type of necklaces are easy to work with! I do not discriminate ~ I love super long necklaces and I love chokers!
The earrings are my latest jewelry find – I bought from a friend of mine that has a store in San Angelo and often sets up at trade shows, she purchased these from an Indian lady and several other beauties. The color and length of these are making them my fast new favorites!
Again – my rule of thumb? I will wear diamonds to the grocery store in my workout clothes or turquoise Zuni Earrings and Squash Blossoms to the fanciest cocktail parties!! I wear what makes me feel good! I also often start with the jewels and build the outfit around them.
LORINDA
I, like Amy, love my jewelry! Every piece tells a story, where I got it, why I got it, who made it, lots of stories. It also tells the story of who you are. It is a part of people’s first impressions of you, so why not show show them who you are in every way!
The horseshoe ring is from husband Joel. It is from Read’s Jewelry and he bought it for me at the 2001 NFR. He bought it for me because I am lucky for him! The second ring is my wedding ring, Joel designed it himself and it is absolutely perfect. I love the way it is set, I can wear it all the time whether it is to dinner, the office or riding my horse. The third ring is making it’s second appearance on Gypsy Sisters, was earned by me and made by Nick Cunningham. I love being to wear and show off something that I worked so hard for so many years, so long ago to get. It is my new favorite piece!
Every year when we are in Denver, I treat myself to one FANTASTIC piece of jewelry, most of the time from Peyote Bird, the bracelet on the left is what I bought two years ago. I just love it. I also love to wear my handmade beaded cuff, I got it from Desert Sage Bead Art, I just love it! The small Zumi Indian bracelets were given to me by my Great Grandfather, when I was fifteen. I also have a matching ring. The multi stone bracelets are from Peyote Bird, I had wanted these bracelets for 15 years and I finally got them a few years ago. They with everything, like my favorite Gypsy Soule stoned cuff.
The horseshoe necklace, I designed from Reads Jewelry. I had one made for myself, both of my sisters and my mom. My dad wears a horseshoe ring from Reads too. I thought when we are not together we are so lucky to have our family and the necklace reminds us of that. The diamonds were out of an old ring that my sister Johan had, it’s special and we all have something in common to share. The multi-colored bracelet is a Gypsy Soule piece we did last year, it is one of my all time favorites. I just love the colors, it matches so much! The buckle is the first buckle my mom ever won. My great grandfather wore it till the day he died, the same one that gave me the bracelets (Grandpa Walt). After he passed away, my mom gave it to me and I feel so special to have it and I wear it with pride. My watch, was my Dad’s. He is still alive, he just got a better one, when he traded for a horse. Yes, he is a kind of a horse trader, but he gave me this one. I had it updates a little, but when I wear it I have the love and strength of my Dad with me all the time!
The perfect pair of turquoise earrings, they go with black, purple, heck anything! They are from Peyote Bird also. The stud earrings are my everyday earrings, I don’t have Amy’s hair, so diamond studs work for me. They are the perfect thing to wear just to make you feel special for every day. I also like them, because although they are studs and simple, they aren’t too simple. They still have personality. I love my vintage gold crosses. I bought them from a street vendor in Santa Monica. I love to mix metals, bronze, gold & silver.
Like I said, every piece has a story. I love my collection it has been handed down to me, bought for me & bought by me over the years. It’s more than jewelry it’s a connection to the people I love most in my life and the places I have been. – Lo
- Making Granny Proud
(0) 03/22/2012Editor
I am so missing my deadline Gypsy Sisters!!! But tonight I am following my heart, not my gut ~ my gut could tell you the trends of the 2012 in a heartbeat ~ which I will do soon I promise, because I am loving the 80’s Ladies feel we got going on!!
But today I am writing to you from the heart ~ my Granny, who was my world, passed 10 years ago today March 22, 2002
I think of her every single day in one way or the other. Sometimes I just plain miss her and my heart hurts because she was my Granny. Some days I run things by her morally in my mind. Some days I share a victory with her. Some days I see her favorite color pink and smile. Some days I smell her perfume. Some days I miss her guidance and her acceptance that I always didn’t get from people ~ you know I am not the run of the mill kind of gal!
There are so many things in the last 10 years that have happened ~ good and bad – that I have wanted to share with her. I just wish she could have seen that God did have the perfect man for me ~ just made me wait for him until the ripe old age of 35! And God, like my Granny, knew he had to come later in life for me to appreciate and embrace him. But, oh was he worth the wait. One of my biggest regrets in life was that Granny didn’t get to meet Chad. She would also be so proud of how strong all of us Gypsy Sisters are!!! Of course, she knows ~ she has a front row seat up their in the clouds! She would just sit back and giggle at all us mouthy, strong, smart, sassy girls that call the shots and rule our world! She would love the fact that I am part of a fabulous shoe and accessory company ~ it was her true love!!! She would be proud that Lorinda and I work towards empowering the next female generation. But, more importantly, she would love to see that I am working everyday to become the lady she wanted me to be ~ the strong woman that doesn’t always pick the popular choice ~ but the right choice!
She gave me the strength to just be me at the end of the day. I just want to thank her for allowing me to be just me and for her encouraging me to chase my dreams at all cost! She loved me unconditionally ~ but held me accountable for my actions ~ good or bad. She told me when I was right ~ she told me when I was wrong. You see, way before I was considered OK and not weird ~ my Granny loved and supported me for who I was! Shouldn’t we all want this for someone?
When I am down or when I feel triumphant she is who my heart turns to. She is whom I strive to make proud. What do I think is pretty amazing about all of this you ask? After all of the people I have been fortunate to come across in this world, famous and not so famous, my Granny still is my moral compass, my cheerleader, my world and the one I remember daily ten years later.
I can only hope that I might be that for someone someday. She taught me something before the days of Oprah, Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz. She survived the depression and was the oldest of 13~ she was strong. She and my Bigdaddy saved, worked hard, believed in God and believed in doing right. Something unfortunately that isn’t always being done or taught to the next generation.
Before The Help ~ whose tag line I have tried to turn into a blog and lo and behold here it is ~ Granny made me feel this way!!! We must share this message! She did!
Tell someone that needs to hear ~ “You is kind, you is smart, you is Important.”
Can you say you have made a difference in someone’s life like that? Can you say that they will think of you everyday after you are gone and wonder how you will feel about the decisions and paths they have chosen ~ good or bad? Can you say you have ever been a role model to someone? Have wanted to make a difference in someone’s life? My goal is to be that someone to somebody.
I encourage you to be that person for somebody ~ be that person that a day doesn’t go by that the lessons that you pass on make a difference in somebody’s life. Be that person that reminds someone that they are kind, they are smart and they are important. Be that person that picks someone up when they are at their lowest. Be that person that holds society and each other accountable.
I often hear that country song “If Heaven wasn’t so far way I’d pack up the kids and go for a day.” If I could have just one more day! And I promise you I would pack up for way more than a day!
Thank you for letting me share my Granny with you today ~ I miss her so much and am thankful for the awesome memories and lessons she gave to me. They are worth more than any presents she could have ever given me! Be that person for somebody ~ remind them they are smart, they are kind, they are important!
God Bless & XOXOX ~ Amy
- PINTEREST
(1) 03/07/2012Editor
So who isn’t obsessed with Pinterest? What? You don’t even know what it is? OMG
Pinterest is an online pin board. You can pin ANYTHING to your boards, make different boards, invite your friends, share with your friends. It is ABSOLUTELY the easiest way to kill several hours before you realize it, so be careful. I love it. As a photographer and designer it is like a drug to me. Really gets my creative juices going. Think about this way…The world wide web is exactly that, world wide. There is so much information, ideas, images out there that you will never see it all. Most people go to the same internet sites all the time, you have a specific blog you are addicted to you and read it religiously. You don’t have time to go look at every little thing that is posted out there, Pinterest is the best way possible to broaden your internet horizons. You see a pin you like, you can repin it, comment on it or go directly to the source and see what it is all about.
Some of the coolest things I have made, done or seen lately have been on Pinterest. Example: I have been begging my hairdresser Jade for years to put a couple of electric blue streaks in my hair (don’t ask why, there is no reason other than I just think it would be fun). Every time I ask, she tells me no. ”I will have to bleach out some of your hair and if you don’t like it the damage isn’t worth it”. Sooooo low and behold I am on Pinterest and see a way to do it temporarily, literally it washed out the next time I washed my hair, no damage, no drama. LOVE IT! {for those of you who want to know how, just go get some soft pastels from the art store, and literally color your hair like you would a crayon.} I also found this really cool way to curl my hair with no heat, some really awesome DIY decorating projects and some inspiration for our last photoshoot.
Another thing I LOVE about Pinterest, is the possibilities. If I can get my mom to get on board, shopping for her will be a breeze come Mother’s Day. I have a two boards on my page just for this sort of thing. One entitled “awesome gifts” and the other (they way more important one) “What the spoiled brat in me wants”. (Yes there is a picture of Ryan Reynolds, a girl can dream right?) In honor of our love and obsession with Pinterest we are going to be running a “GYPSY PINTEREST CHALLENGE”. Details will be posted on the contest page later today, so get your mouse ready to pin! Oh and the prize a new pair of the Gypsy Soule & Ariat Boots!! I know you are excited!!!
One last amazing thing….You can follow the Gypsy-Sisters, Gypsy Soule & The Gypsy Blogger (that’s me) on Pinterest (although you might not want to follow me because I can be a nerd…I have a whole board dedicated to Typography)…. Here are the links!!
