Check out the many truly awesome creations made from waste byproduct on the Girl on a Board Blog.
Of course my upcycled surfboard resin jewelry is included, and it’s an honor to be in the same room with these other creative folks making cool stuff. I SO want that Skateback for the iPhone to match my resin pieces!
Some of the many unique objects made from stuff that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
This weekend I will be setting up my booth with my genuine sea glass and other jewelry and belts for Ocean Lovers at Earl Warren Fairgrounds in Santa Barbara. Come be fascinated by the world of jade, much of it from our California Beaches. View and buy art created by passionate individuals who are inspired by the ocean. Mediums include jade, shells, driftwood, sea glass and much more.
I will be bringing a beautiful selection of my sea glass jewelry and upcycled surfboard resin as well as other pieces for ocean lovers. And I will be sharing my booth with legendary artist and icon Greg Ray, who will be carving tikis on site. Greg has some amazing stories to share, so don’t miss this opportunity to meet him.
I picked David up at the airport this morning before dawn and we drove up the coast back to Ventura. He is just in from a 3D water shoot with National Geographic TV.
We stopped at the beach and ventured out into the howling Santa Ana winds to snap a few pictures. Me with my iPhone and David with his Canon 5D Mark 2.
Sand and water blowing in 60MPH gusts. Beautiful Day.
Santa Ana Wave PCH
Offshore Santa Ana blasting into a backwash wave collision. Three power forces slamming together.
David Pu'u scopes the scene on a Ventura County beach
Beach Sunrise at Mugu Rock, Ventura County
Here’s my story and how Betty Belts came about. It’s a fascinating read, I have to admit, a little strange for me, seeing it here in print. The Skirt reporter, Charlene Ross, did a great job of piecing it all together from a two hour long recording of my ramblings, jumping from one subject to another, going off on interesting tangents. Not an easy task!
Enjoy! – Donna
Donna von Hoesslin: Surfer – Designer – Activist
Author- Charlene Ross for Skirt Magazine
Donna Surfing at Queens, Waikiki. Pure bliss. Photo copyright David Pu'u.
Donna von Hoesslin is a California girl who followed a drummer to Europe at the age of 17 and ended up living in Berlin for 17 years. She married into German nobility and was living the fabulous life of the social elite. During her time abroad she held various jobs as a fashion designer, translator and back-up singer for a European two-hit wonder band.
But the very first time Donna stepped on a surfboard at the age of 31 her life changed forever. She was hooked instantly and became passionate about surfing and would travel often to faraway places so she could ride the waves. Unfortunately it was a passion her husband did not share. One day after returning home from a surf trip Donna and her husband Elmar realized that their marriage had turned into a convenient friendship and the word divorce hung in the air between them. They both cried. Today they are separated by 5,000 miles, but truly remain the closest of friends.
Betty Belts
Donna came back the states and moved into a shared beach house in her hometown of Santa Cruz so she could make surfing a part of everyday life. To make a living she became a…
(Click here to read rest of story. Or on the link below.)
http://ventura.skirt.com/shes_so_skirt/donna-von-hoesslin-surfer-designer-activist
I just cranked out this ad for DEEP Magazine, featuring Sierra and Hailey Partridge of Team Betty and debuting my Surfboard Resin jewelry collection.
The surfboard resin jewelry is a fantastic achievement. We finally found a beautiful solution for the waste byproduct resin created by surfboard building. It took a year of R&D, but the results were well worth the wait and I have to say, everyone who comes into the shop and sees these pendants and earrings is completely enchanted by them and even more so when they find out the story behind them; Each stripe in the jewelry is excess resin from a locally made surfboard, connected to a surfer riding that board, connecting to the ocean.
I debuted the collection at the Sacred Craft in Santa Cruz. Check out our little cameo in this video about this important surfboard culture event, which Betty Belts has been a part of for the past four years.
The jewelry is not yet available on our website, but can be ordered through the Betty B. retail store in Ventura at 805.648.6997
You can also see more photos and shapes on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/bettybelts
Winter Morning Love in California by David Pu'u
Gratitude is something I feel more than ever now. Just an example:
Last night my production manager (who is like family) in Bali and I had a “meeting” across oceans. We chatted and shared pictures via online messenger and email with our respective smartphones. It allowed us to be so close, as if we were sitting together in her family compound where she houses the Betty Belts Bali headquarters.
We discussed numbers, financials and timelines, but we also laughed a lot and even shared cat pictures… and I am grateful for the connections like this, for the connectedness… I haven’t been back to Bali in over a year, but I am grateful that my business can still work due to new technology wedded to a faith in my people there…
Connectedness is easier than ever now… with family, friends, business…
I couldn’t have said it any better than Seth Godin did today here:
“… celebrate two things:
The people in our lives who give us the support and love we need to make a difference, and…
The opportunity to build something bigger than ourselves, something worth contributing. The ability to make connections, to lend a hand, to invent and create.
There are more of both now than there have ever been before…” (read rest of Seth’s blog here)
And this slideshow I created a while back says it all too.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Thank you for being here and being authentic and being you.
May you find connectedness in all aspects of your life and enjoy the bounty it offers you.
