Oh the things I find in my mom’s garage. I about had a heart attack when I found this footlocker buried underneath a slew of boxes. It’s my grandfather’s footlocker that he used in WWII.
I immediately asked my mom if I could have it and she said “Of course! But what are you going to do with it?” A devilish grin appeared across my face. I packed it up, took it to FedEx, and shipped it to Austin.
I called my creative partner in crime, Riley Eckman, and asked him if he could make this trunk into a table. Of course he could… Riley can make anything.
First, we ordered the legs.
Then primed them.
And lastly painted them a flat gunmetal grey and attached them to the bottom of the footlocker.
And voilà, WWII footlocker table.
Works so well in the loft. Might slap a piece of glass on top, a shaggy rug underneath and make it into a coffee table. Either way, what an easy conversion of something so beautiful and full of history. Oh the places this trunk has been and the stories it contains. It’s an honor to give it new life.
Several years ago I was inspired by these stools that I saw on apartmenttherapy.com:
Yes, they’re amazing. But after some deep internet digging, I realized that they looked better than they functioned (way too heavy, easily tipped and uncomfortable). So, I hired super talented welder extraordinaire, Riley Eckman, to help me improvise.
First, we had to find some truck springs that could hold the weight of a human being. My buddy Shannon and her husband scored 2 from a Dodge 3/4 ton pickup.
Since I needed 3, I made my first trip EVER to a salvage yard… and traded in my stilettos for a pair of combat boots.
And then went on a scavenger hunt with my new friend, Ricardo. It didn’t take long before we found what we were looking for.
He was a little surprised at my excitement… and that I asked him to take a picture of me with my new suspension spring.
Saw this on my way out of the salvage yard:
Yep, I live in Texas again.
Next up: seats to go on top of the springs. How about tractor seats?
And finally, a base. What about trailer rims that had to be dug out of the ground?
Add a blow torch and some paint, and voilà!
Besides being badass, there was an unexpected surprise… they physically rock. So I can do a chair shimmy while I eat breakfast. High five, Riley.
I plan how I improvise. Contradiction, I know. The reason I do this is because 70% of my show involves the audience, so I have to be ready for anything. I prepare for certain shenanigans to go this way or that and practice how I will handle different situations. But just when I think I’m in control and have mastered the art of “planned improvisation,” the unexpected happens.
I hosted the Austin Fashion Awards in the summer of 2010. It was my first time hosting an award show. I was very excited and extremely nervous, to say the least. To kick off the show, I was wheeled out in an old wardrobe trunk while the “Pink Panther Theme” played over the PA. As that song faded out, an instrumental version of “It Had to Be You” came on, which was my cue to pop out of the trunk and start singing. All was going fabulously, until this happened:
Do you know what saved my ass? While I was being wheeled out, I said in my head over and over again “Be in the moment… Be in the moment… Be in the moment.” That was the first time I had ever said that to myself before a performance. Well it paid off because right when the music cut out, I had no choice but to be in the moment and because I was, my act was BETTER than what I had originally planned. I learned that very day that preparation only gets you so far… being in the moment gets you so much further.
It was February 21st, 2005. I was sitting at a bar on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, celebrating my birthday with a few friends, when all of a sudden we locked eyes. It was love at first site. Absolute perfection… all 4 inches of him. He came home with me that night, practically crawled in my pocket, and has never left. What a machine.
Here are some of the his adventures:
Puttin out the vibe near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Hangin with Marilyn in Chicago.
Mister Stevens only rides in first class. He’s a bit of a diva.
Keeping me company in the studio.
On a canal in Amsterdam, his favorite city.
Mister Stevens has a thing for hip shoes and hip ladies.
Starting to think that he may have a drinking problem.
Scratch that. He definitely has a drinking problem.
This little man has meant so much to me that I wrote a song about him, called “Mister Stevens.” Not only is it on my record, which you can get on iTunes (shameless plug), it is featured in the film “Deeper and Deeper.” He’s kindof a big deal.
Some of you may know by now that Airbnb is an alternative to a hotel. Holy geez it is SO much more than that. For me, it is a way of life.
After my estate sale, I decided to take my career global. Airbnb made it easy. I exclusively rent their properties all over the world. Because all of these properties are fully furnished, I am able to “move” by simply hopping on a plane with my 2 suitcases. Yep, seriously.
First stop: Amsterdam. Duration: 2 months. Here is where I stayed.
And now for some very random highlights…
Bikes everywhere. #1 form of transportation in Amsterdam.
Gay pride was INSANE!!! I’ve never seen so many people in one place. Love that the parade was on the water through the canals.
Surprisingly, this took a while to find. There was a fantastic brewery next to it. Of course I stopped in… more than once.
This picture hung on the wall in a restaurant close to my house. Was always hard to hold a conversation when this pic was in my peripheral.
Stilettos and Dutch chocolate?! Um, YES PLEASE!!!
Super Mario lives here.
Romantic little alleys everywhere you turn…
Stumbled upon an old ship yard. In heels. (duh)
My mom, the etiquette teacher, came to visit. She loved the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, but was extra excited to buy sunflowers at a flower market and find these shoes.
Mongolian grasslands folk meets Beijing punk rock? Check.
The name of this band, btw, is Hanggai. If they ever come to your town, go see them.
Honorable Amsterdam mentions: soap on a stick and a furry friend who kept me company.
The blonde wig that she’s laying on belongs to my cousin, Bella Morningstar. She came to visit and had a very, uh, interesting experience. This explains it better:
On Memorial Day of 2011, I had my first… uhhhh… there’s not a glamorous way to say this……… colonic. In another entry I’ll go into detail (woo hoo!) about why I did it and why the clinic I went to was unique, but this entry is about the ripple effect of that visit.
After my life changing appointment, I *floated* out of the clinic. I had never felt so cleansed of mind, body (of course), and soul. This feeling was so overwhelming that I wanted to cleanse everything else around me. So that’s exactly what I did. The following Saturday morning, I put this sign in my front yard:
And proceeded to sell absolutely everything I owned (except for 2 suitcases of clothes).
I thought it would be hard to sell my performance clothes, makeup, jewelry and stilettos…
But it wasn’t.
I thought it would be tough to let go of skincare oils, records, furniture, art, drapes, kitchen things, etc…
But it wasn’t.
I thought it would be really hard to let go of the Audi…
But I can always buy a new one. :-)
I served champagne so that people would buy more… and it worked.
And Mack did a good job keeping an eye on things.
Here’s a little clip of the calm before the storm:
I now understand what my dad meant when he said “You don’t own your possessions, they own you.” Thank you Daddy. I get it now.
Minimalism… you should try it.
(***and for the record, I did not sell the dog and cat… admit it, you were curious)
