Street Chic Couture Online January 2010

Here is one of the indie street chic glam pieces we we will have as part of our online inventory when we go LIVE with our online store in January.

This custom one-of-a-kind piece sells for $290. It is a STUNNER!

Happy Holidays. See you down the road!

Blissfest 2009

Oooh what a spendidly magnficent time we had at Fall Blissfest 2009 hosted by Kristin and Dan, proprietors of the magically fantastic Domestic Bliss! Who else actually plans a Vintage Western Masquerade Fandango...and pulls it off perfectly down to the straw hats floating in the fountain?!? I think even the California gypsies were impressed!

In pic I am wearing a vintage dress from the impossibly chic new Saints and Sirens Phoenix boutique and a gorgeous feather tail skirt that owner Shelly Sessions salvaged from a vintage trunk! (Proud to say I won the trophy for the Best "Giddy Up"). With me is my wonderful new friend and customer Amy wearing her new Paris Montana multi strand pearl and crystal chandelier necklace and 47 fabulous bangles. And a pic of Pearl Buck, our vintage mannequin in all her finery.

GIDDY UP Kristin and Dan! Can't wait for the spring show.

(Photos courtesy of Blissfest Photographer Trevor Dayley).

See ya'll down the road.

Paris Montana Online Januuary 2010

Bonjour and Happy Holidays!


I have had many wonderful comments asking us when Paris Montana is going to be selling on line, including one delightful comment from Suzanne in West Virginia:

"Oh,PLEASE...FOR THE SAKE OF US ON THIS SIDE OF THE U.S,IS THERE A SITE FOR YOUR ITEMS? I meant to sound desperate in hopes that there is a site;)!!Good luck in your travels!!" Suzanne!

Oh, bless you Suzanne. And to answer your question, we are working on a site and our plan is to be live by January 1. Happy Holidays!

See ya'll down the road and soon online.

Bewitched and Bejeweled Vintage Vixens Can't Miss Sale

The Paris Montana Blacktop Boudoir will be at the October 24 Vintage Vixens bewitching estate event with our Rusted Street Chic and Dark Glam collections that are stirring things up a bit wherever we go!

In addition to Paris Montana pretties, shop for beautiful antiques and handmade artisan pieces, all with a vintage flair. Great pieces and prices for the holidays, including estate pieces, home decor, clothing, art, garden decor and shabby chic wares.
October 24th, 2009
10 am to 5 pm
2809 Sterling Ridge Ct.
Chula Vista, CA 91915



See you down the road!

NEW Paris Montana Collections

Here are a few pieces from the Paris Montana Notre Dame Cathedral Collection and Dark Glam Street Chic Collection that we will be previewing at Vagabond Nites this Thursday, October 15 at the Grand Opening of the fabulous new Boho Chic clothing store Saints and Sirens.

S&S is located next to Rust and Roses at 42nd and 7th ave. in the Phoenix Melrose District.

See ya'll down the road!

Glam is in the Air

Paris Montana is on the road this fall with an tres chic collection of dark glam and rusted elegance scavenged and salvaged from Paris to Montana and back alleys and biways in between.

Join us and our other gypsies on the go at Vagabond Nites Thursday, Oct. 15 to celebrate the grand opening of Saints and Sirens located next to Rust and Roses on 42nd and 7th ave in the very shi shi vintage Melrose district in Phoenix. This clothing store is OVER THE TOP with a combination of boho chic and vintage elegance that is perfection!

Next we are off to see our oh so chic California girls to adorn ourselves and our homes with all things vintage at the Vintage Vixens gala October 24th, 2009 ~10 am to 5 pm~2809 Sterling Ridge Ct.~Chula Vista, CA 91915

See you down the road!

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues...And Turquoise

YEE HAW!!!!! We had so much fun at the

Scottsdale Quarter Horse Classic. Those cowgirls come from a place where bigger is better and I bet even the sheep wear jewels! We layered em up 5 deep in pearls and turquoise before sending them out to win in style.

These gorgeous girls, Trudie and Stacie, loved our tarnished and vintage crosses and cuffs.

While there I was reminded of a couple of things: 1. I still do and always will adore turquoise 2. No matter how far and wide I travel, boots and chaps and cowboy hats...and country music will always feel like home.

See ya'll down the road!

La Maison Rustique Weekend

Home from a glorious sale weekend at La Maison Rustique "the Barn" in Temecula, CA, where we met a lot of new friends and customers and found treasures to add to the Paris Montana collection of vintage, eclectic and salvage jewelry.

I'm particularly delighted about our fabulous (and affordable!) new salvage style cuffs. They are the perfect combination of rust and glam. We will have them available at the Maricopa County Home Show Sept. 25, 26, 27.

AND I'm having so much fun debuting our signature piece in the Paris Montana Street Salvage line. It's a vintage Copenhagen can, from the rough and tumble streets of Butte, Montana, hanging from a stunning hand soldered chain created by Mammabellarte. Our collaboration on this piece created the exact look I have been searching for to launch this line! Look for more outrageous street salvage pieces at our upcoming fall events including the Scottsdale Classic Quarter Horse Show the first weekend in October.

Love to see ya down the road!

The Alchemy of Glamour and Grit

After customers ask, "where is Paris Montana?" (see previous post) they often ask, "what is Paris Montana style?" It's not trendy and it's not exactly boho chic...or straight up couture...It's more....

"Glamour and Grit?" I say...

"Yes! That's it!" They gleefully reply while layering Coco Chanel style pearls with tarnished vintage metal crosses and fringe leather earrings. Or while discovering the sheer fabulousness of combining 3" gold wrist cuffs (one for each wrist) with an oversized flower cocktail ring to wear with their favorite tank and jeans.

The alchemy of combining Glamour and Grit is finding your own unique style and reclaiming a bit of your joie de vivre. As Claudia Strasser says in her wonderful book, The Paris Apartment, "If you let yourself wear beautiful things you will feel like the goddess or movie star within."

Amen sistas! See you down the road!

Ode to a Rock Star

Sometimes you just have to stop and thank your lucky stars. I have wonderful family and friends. I love my business and my customers. I had dinner last night with my gorgeous amazing and hilarious stepdaughters....And, not only is my boyfriend gorgeous, smart, funny, sweet and kindhearted but he's, well, a rock star. He just got these promo pics done and I had to share because I am so proud of him for pursuing his passion...and let's face it, for making me feel cool.

But, most important, behind the cool shades and James Dean looks, he's the kind of guy who keeps his word and makes things happen. He's the one who said "go for it" when I was deciding whether to jump corporate ship to pursue my dream. He was the one who moved my sofa into his already full loft when it became painfully obvious that my decision to "go for it" was going to put a bit of a cramp in my lifestyle. And he's the one I come home to to share this wonderful crazy gypsy life he knows I have chosen. Like I said, "he's a rock star."

Secret to a better life

Want to know the secret to a better life? It's not losing five pounds, a bigger house, or a hunky UPS man...It's great jewelry.

No matter your age, height, weight, mood or station in life, adorn yourself with baubles and bling....and something magic happens! Suddenly you are amazing, powerful and beautiful! The world is your oyster. The sky is the limit. Nothing's gonna stop you now.

Tackling a huge project doesn't seem so hard when you are wearing pearls. The glorious vintage flower pin on your power suit? Changes everything.

Today, when the neighbor looks over and sees me gardening in jammies and jewels...I am going to smile back like Holly Golightly just back from Breakfast at Tiffany's and, I suspect, we will both be a bit delighted.

Grace Was With Us

There was a bright eyed sweetie named Gracie Girl, who traveled the highways and byways with Paris Montana this summer stamping bags, ringing up sales, hanging with her wingdog Cooper and sleeping pbj style between her mom and Auntie.

She might be my #1 niece...but she also is just a great kid who brightened our days and made our trip a lot more fun.

Thanks Gracie! Aunt Heidi LOVES YOU!!!!

Jewels and Jitterbuggin

What better way to end our Paris Montana or Bust Mid-Summer Tour than with a farmer's tan and a little spontaneous jitterbuggin in a field of sweet grass with a bona fide ranch hand!

We whirled and twirled and I may have been a little breathless in the end, but I still had all the moves (at least on the dance floor!) of those gorgeous horsewomen we met at the Event at Rebecca Farms, where we spent our last week in Montana.

These gals were the best of the best riders here for the Olympic tryouts. But, just like we suspected...when something glittery caught their eye, they couldn't help stopping by to see what Paris Montana was all about.

As always we made a bunch of new friends and sent them all off with Paris Montana baubles and bling.

We are making our way back to Arizona and will let ya'll know where we plan to be next.

See you down the road!

Paris Montana or Bust Summer Tour 2009

Can't believe it's only been a little less than two weeks since my fabulous friend and amazing artist Meg Harper and I packed the Jeep to the gills and left Arizona with the Paris Montana Airstream trailer (aka Blacktop Jewel Box Boudoir) in tow to do the Montana Circuit!

In this pic is my gorgeous Mom (photographer asked if she was a model) me and my sister Kimberlee at the ArtFest in Livingston.

My future is in bonds
How do you put a value on your family showing up wherever you are to set up and sell all weekend just so we can all be together? And what about my best mate Grant flying in for the weekend to spend some time together?

Some families have a trust fund for security. We have invested in bonds that have nothing to do with money but produce dividends beyond what any one of us will ever need to be well cared for in this lifetime (That and I always have a warm bed, clean towels and People magazine when I show up).

I feel like a grammy winner where so many great people and opportunities led to where you are standing right now that your mind short circuits on what to say and who to thank and the gratitude tears start flowing....

BUT here are a couple of Paris Montana of Bust Tour 2009 Highlights:

Before leaving I got my copy of the totally boho chic mag/rag Blissfully Traveled, published by Divine Diva Tricia Samsal. Paris Montana was on the cover AND we got a full page of wonderful photos. Thanks Tricia! You can find her and her wonderful creations through the Domestic Bliss Studio website/blog.

Driving through Zion National Park, Yellowstone National Park and coming over "The Top of the World" Beartooth Pass with the trailer in tow.

Stopping first in the town of Virgin and then in Beaver to to get "I love Beaver" bumper stickers, hats and tee shirts for our men. (Seriously, you can't not...)

Our first show was in Livingston, MT over the 4th. It is a picturesque town surrounded by 3 mountain ranges. The show was a blast AND Paris Montana won Best Booth and Best of Show! It was a huge honor and we got our picture in the Bozeman Chronicle.

Butte was...well, Butte. Somehow this historic, rough and tumble mining town of 30,000 won the bid for the International Folk Festival. 70,000 people descended over 3 days. The music was amazing and we sold lots of Paris Montana baubles and bling.

This is a week of hiking, biking, writing and rest in Missoula, my alma mater and favorite Montana watering hole.

Gypsies always on the go...we are off to Polson next week for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

See you down the road...

Strawberry Shortcakes

We had so much fun and made a lot of new friends at the Strawberry Festival. Here are pics of some of our best customers...

(Cutie patootie in pink is my wonderful friend Karen's daughter, Princess Leah.)

Favorite Strawberry moments:

Little boy walked up and pulled 2 crumpled dollars and some change out of his pocket and said, "What do you got for $4? I want to buy something for my mom. She likes black."

And the little girl (above with her brother) who, upon receiving her shiny princess ring (dug out of my magic 'stuff' bag that always seems to produce the right thing at the right time), declared, "We just had a litter of kittens. Would you like a girl or a male?"

I told her while I thought it was a very generous trade indeed, I really couldn't properly care for a kitten on the road.

Life is a blessed thing...

Strawberry with Pancakes on Top

Tomorrow we are off to the northern Arizona town of Strawberry for a 2-day festival in the sunshine...How delightful sounding is that? Again, pinch me...Instead of boarding a plane in my black travel suit, I will be wearing a gypsy dress, going barefoot and hanging out in a place much like I would imagine...Candyland (Remember that childhood game? Anyone....) to be.

I imagine the weather will be wonderful; the town cheery and sweet. But what I look forward to most, what will bounce me out of bed tomorrow morning, is the promise of meeting and connecting with wonderful new customers who always seem to find us. And going on treasure hunts through all our latest finds for just the right bauble or vintage piece to complete a look or brighten a day.

I know it's just a little thing, but for me, it's enough, to see somebody who seems a little harried or beaten down, spend some time finding a little something just for herself that doesn't strain her budget and makes her feel like a million bucks!

That and a greasy spoon that serves pancakes with real maple syrup and I will be complete.

Safe travels. See you down the road, Heidi

Let er rip!

So I've noticed that a lot of us high energy creative gypsy types seem to have "been through the wringer" (as my mother would say) a time or two when it comes to our men and relationships.

I had my heart ripped out and trampled on a couple years ago when my husband of 13 years up and left me. I was in the 1% minority of women who didn't have a clue that he was leaving till he was out the door.

I spent the better part of a year blaming myself for being so willful and independent. Why couldn't I have been a little more Stepford and a lot less Mae West? (I tried. I learned to play golf for cryin out loud!)

Then one day I woke up and thought "screw it!" I am going to let my light shine as bright as I want. I am going to be loud and full of ideas. I'm going to grow my hair back long and sing Free Bird out the car window at the top of my lungs.

My true self is what I was owning up to when I recently met my true match and mate. He said I talked to fast. Made his head hurt. Was careless with my heart, time and money and a total pain in the a*** And, that it was vitally important to do whatever it took to protect my childlike nature because that was more beautiful than all the clutter and chaos I could create.

I have felt mostly lucky in my life...But this was one of those moments when I felt truly blessed to have another chance at love being who I really am.

I believe that when it comes to men, and most matters, letting them see you "let er rip" is where Grace lives.

Bless you sistas...and the men who love us...anyway!

Genteel Poverty

When asked during an interview where her creativity originally sprang from, Robin Brown "Pearl" of whimsically fantastic Magnolia Pearldom responded "poverty and imagination."

I love that. I learned the hard way that making lots of money doesn't necessarily make you rich. While I am grateful for the business experience and the lessons (and ok, the Ritz Carlton) I learned in the corporate world, there was not much room for my imagination to roam.

It was only after my mini empire collapsed that I began to feel my life again and to experience everyday stuff in a whole new way. And to appreciate what I already have. And to wear my fabulous jewels...

There is still that business cougar in me that wants to grow my little business into something bigger and better and magically fantastic...And I believe I shall...Only this time I am leading with my heart.

ps-Trust yourself to know the next move - wisdom from amazing fitness instructor I had somewhere along the way.

Duck Tape and Gorilla Glue

Somehow I ended up in this do-it-yourself world without the crafty gene. Creative? yes. Sewing, measuring, sawing? no. BUT I don't let it stop me. My secret weapons of choice? Duck Tape and Gorilla Glue. Works on 92.7% of whatever I need done... (Like glueing my beloved Paris Montana skull back together AGAIN after a particulary nasty crash and burn.)

That and a fabulous pair of pearls will get a girl through almost anything.

You don't throw a life away because it's banged up a little...You patch it with Duck Tape and Gorilla Glue and get on your horse and ride... Seabiscuit Movie + Paris Montana wisdom

Where the Heck Is Paris Montana?

It's halfway down a moonlit walk along the River Seine lookin like a million bucks in impossibly high heels and a little black dress with 47 layers of pearls...and about 3 mile markers from Katy's Wildlife Sanctuary Bar in the middle of somewhere Montana boots off and bare feet out the window to cool your heels after a night of nonstop jitterbuggin with Waylon and Willie and the Boys.

Gratitude

Sometimes I can't believe that my office is a wide open prairie of cool grass and wild flowers growing every which way and blue sky stretching out as far as I can see.

Ok, and sometimes it's a parking space sandwiched between the kettle corn guy and the crazy fun sunglasses, but still...

This gypsy life overwhelms me and fills me with such a sense of glee that truly I can sometimes hardly contain myself from jumping up and down and yelling out YIPPEE!

This One's for Andy

Bonjour Ya'll,

Paris Montana is an over-the-top bohemian jewelry flea market showcased in a vintage Airstream trailer turned blacktop jewel box boudoir.

With Paris Montana or Bust as our motto and gypsy wanderlust in our soul, down the road we go selling our brand of couture, vintage, repurposed and cheap chic jewelry salvaged from Montana cow towns, Paris flea markets and the asphalt jungle of Los Angeles.

Check our website for upcoming shows. http://www.parismtjewelry.com/

Love to see you down the road!

Heidi