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

Afternoon sunlight shines through my surfboard resin rings in a display of pretty color.

I knew it would not be easy. I wanted to create something that would make my designs easily reproduced and consistent so I could offer it on my website and in my wholesale program around the world. Working with leftover surfboard resin is not as easy as you’d think. Ask anyone who has tried it. My collaborator in life, David Pu’u, surfboard shaper for over 30 years, told me that he had perpetually lamented the steady supply of waste hardened resin, which would end up in a landfill as a byproduct of the manufacturing process. “We tried for years to come up with a viable use for the beautiful but inert and permanent multi-colored polyesther plastic”, he says.

Some of the actual surfboards the jewelry was made from, courtesy Ventura Surf Shop.

Each stripe in the jewelry is from a surfboard. A board that was made for a surfer. The colors we get in each batch are always random and beautiful, excess resin carefully captured and saved from each board made. Wearing a piece is a very unique way to stay connected to the ocean, because those boards are out there riding waves.

The source of my upcycled surfboard resin jewelry

A year of steady R&D passed and  with the expertise and input of three local manufacturers, I came up with a product that was all of the above but with one serious caveat: It was costly to produce. There are many people in the production chain and it’s locally made right here in Ventura. There’s a lot of hand work on these pieces, a lot of stoke and love goes into them. The expertise and skills combined to make them do not come cheap.

Surfboard resin rings with surfboard

As many will remember who came into my Ventura shop during that time or visited the Betty Belts booth at Sacred Craft at the last ASR show in San Diego, I had some prototypes out just to see if and how people respond to them and if the price was bearable. Luckily response was favorable, and my fear that people may not see the value in a “piece of plastic” was alleviated. We went into production in the Fall of 2010 and the rest is history.

The earrings are wired up by myself and Amanda here at the shop and at home and I offer the necklaces on a variety of cord styles the customer can choose.

Sierra Partridge in a shoot for Hobie Girl, wearing Betty B. Surfboard Resin earrings.Upcycled Surfboard Resin Necklace

Upcycled Surfboard Resin Heart Necklace

Upcycled Surfboard Resin Necklace

Upcycled Surfboard Resin Earrings

Mini Circle Hoops made from upcycled surfboard resin

Upcycled Surfboard Resin Necklace

As always, Made with Dignity.

Smiles and Aloha,

Donna von Hoesslin

Genuine Sea Glass Trio Pendant "Mosaic" from the DvH collection of Betty Belts

Ocean Lovers sea glass and wave charm necklace

Sierra Partridge of Team Betty with the new single bezel sea glass ring in sea foam.

Italy Sea Glass Rings by Donna von Hoesslin for Betty Belts

We will now be shipping directly from our headquarters in Ventura, California, just four blocks from the ocean. This means more choices, more personalized service and free stoke and ocean breezes are always included.

You can now find all three brands in one place, easily found by price, material and style: Betty Belts, Betty B. and DvH Signature Designs. DvH is new and is a collection of my higher end pieces including sea glass and sterling silver. Coming soon: The DvH Red Carpet Collection, some very special sea glass showstoppers that are truly one of a kind. Take a sneak peek at one of these, the Mermaid Necklace.

Come see the new styles previously unavailable on the website including my sea glass mini pendants, sea glass rings and brooches and  upcycled surfboard resin jewelry!

If you read this far, you ROCK! So your reward is a 15% discount off your entire order when you use the code BRANDNEW at checkout (expires 12.31.11). Enjoy!

Smiles and Aloha from Ventura,

Donna von Hoesslin

Finally one will be able to order prints of any of them in a variety of cutting edge mediums to add a window of beauty to any wall.  Stay tuned…

Meanwhile enjoy this sneak peek!

Rincon by David Pu'u

PCH by David Pu'u

Pacific Common Dolphins, Santa Barbara, by David Pu'u

Angel by David Pu'u

Hannah Mermaid by David Pu'u

California Poppies by David Pu'u

Underwater by David Pu'u

Surfer in the barrel by David Pu'u

Exploding Wave by David Pu'u

Andalusians by David Pu'u

Andreini Hot Curl by David Pu'u

Surfer Larry Ugale in the barrel, by David Pu'u

San Francisco Surfer Samuel Witmer by David Pu'u

Hula Dancer Rainbow by David Pu'u

Inside the barrel, by David Pu'u

San Francisco Bay at Night by David Pu'u

Pelican and crashing wave by David Pu'u

Sunset Surfers by David Pu'u

Sunrise Inside Barrelling Wave by David Pu'u

Watching the Sunset in Seychelles by David Pu'u

What an honor it was to meet Dr. Dave and Randall! Surfaid has been one of my favorite orgs to give to over the years for the amazing work they do preventing Malaria and especially after the Tsunami in Indo. David and I, along with Robb Havassy, attended the SA Fundraiser in Malibu last night. I got to meet Donovan Frankenreiter and his beautiful family and hear him perform for the first time in more than 5 years. They sounded just brilliant! What an amazing day to be followed by another amazing day: today. Read about this here on David’s Blog.

Donovan Frankenreiter and his band performing at Surfaid International's Behind the Palms Fundraiser in Malibu

Robb is in town to do a phenomenal show together with David tonight at a truly amazing location, The Stoneworks Gallery. David wrote about it here. There will be a Luau in the garden tonight, complete with roasted pig, mai tais, tikis and hula. And I will have a Betty Belts table set up to offer my ocean-inspired adornments (including sea glass jewelry and my upcycled Surfboard Resin jewelry and plumeria flower hair clips to add tropical style. You should come! Details below.

But first, I will be at the Stewart+Brown Sample Sale, selling my samples and seconds at my table there. We are truly blessed to have these places and people in Ventura, an international organic fashion designer who makes absolute gorgeousness. I wore a Stewart+Brown dress to the event last night and got stopped twice about it. : ) Want to come? 955 East Front Street, Ventura, 93001 from 12-5.

And tonight, the Luau! At 300 Ventura Avenue, corner Park Row (entrance gate on Park Row). 5-9 Includes Feast and Entertainment in the garden $45 at the door (bring cash). After 9pm free entrance to see the art and gather around the fire. Questions? 805-643-5431

Don’t miss this blog David wrote this morning on this very subject!

Onward!

I have been designing sea glass jewelry for three years now, but failed to mention it much here on the blog. I’ve been told by many that I need to share this part of my art more widely, so please enjoy the pictures below and let me know if you have any questions about them.

We are in the process of re-doing the website and soon you will find more frequent updates and many new styles of double bezel set designs in sea glass pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings in many sizes and colors!

Check out the  Betty Belts Facebook Page for more frequent updates, inspiration, ocean love and opportunities to win your own ocean-inspired accessories!

Cobalt Sea Glass Double Bezel Set in Sterling

Sea Glass Mini Pendants

Sea glass cuff links and ring

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