Bravely Bohemian Favorites

Breathe Deep, Be Brave

How We Landed on the Show: Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour

by

Have you watched Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour yet?

Random things happen to us, often when we travel. We’re “those people” who can be in an airport halfway across the country and run into someone we know. So imagine our surprise the day we crossed paths with Ozzy Osbourne, his son, Jack, and the History Channel film crew! It even resulted in 5 seconds of fame in the first episode of Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour that aired this Summer. #OzzyAndJack

Ozzy and Jack's World Detour banner

About Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour

In the show, Ozzy and Jack road trip around North America (with diversions to Japan and Cuba). They visit famous historic sites and add their own unique flavor to history. The show’s quirkiness mixed with Jack and Ozzy’s off-color British humor draw you in. And, when you are totally not paying attention, you learn quite a bit you probably didn’t know about the past.

Cannibalism at Jamestown?

So in episode 1 of Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour, Like Forefathers, Like Sons, the road trip begins in Jamestown, Virginia. Jamestown is the site of the first (barely) successful British colony in North America. The colonists picked a pretty lousy location with unhealthy water. They had trouble farming the land. They quickly pissed off each other and the local native Indian tribes. Their hopes of quickly finding gold and other precious metals to send back to England were dashed. Somehow, the colonists hung in there, despite several years of rampant disease, winter starvation, internal political issues and fighting with the Indians. They eventually expanded up the James River, forming towns such as Williamsburg.

Recent archaeology digs at the original Jamestown fort have helped researchers understand just how difficult those first years of colonization were. Sometimes terrible choices were made just to survive. And evidence shows that at least one instance of cannibalism took place. This instance of cannibalism is what fascinates Ozzy the most, so he and Jack are determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

Crossing Paths with Ozzy and Jack

Meanwhile, Al and I happened to be in town on the day of filming. We had just finished attending the annual Virginia Association of Museums Conference at Williamsburg and decided to spend a few extra days exploring Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown.
We were wandering around the grounds of Jamestown Fort looking at the archaeology digs, when I noticed someone getting a private tour. Now I am a total museum junkie and LOVE history. My favorite way to explore a place is to be toured through it. I even mentioned to Al, “Wonder how he got a private tour?” No matter, I had been to Jamestown before. It was hot, late in the afternoon and we were feeling a bit bedraggled. So we wandered off to the museum and then did some damage in the gift shop.

Somehow, the guy on the private tour got ahead of us. So as we wandered down the boardwalk (the fort is still surrounded by swamp) back to the main entrance and parking lot, we noticed an entourage coming toward us: 2 guys in front, several cameramen, sound people and other crew. Hey! And the private tour guy was the lead cameraman!

Ozzy and Jack's World Detour_season 1_episode 1_Jamestown

While I was identifying the cameraman, Al immediately recognized Ozzy and Jack. So as we approached, Al tipped his hat and casually said, “Big fan!” Ozzy responded at the same time by saying, “Triangle hat.” (Al was wearing a tricorn hat and round colonial sunglasses we bought at Williamsburg).

And the clip made the show with us starring as random, tired, bedraggled tourists. Go figure we are in the cannibalism episode!
#OzzyAndJack

See the Episodes and Learn More about Jamestown Colony

To see all the hilarious episodes of Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour, visit History.com.

To learn more about the Jamestown colony and the archaeology dig at the original fort, check out these links, books and films:

*Visit Historic Jamestowne, location of the original fort.
*Visit Jamestown Settlement, a recreation of life in the early 17th century Jamestown colony.

How to Get into the Steampunk Style Craze

by

A few years ago, we received a call from an old friend asking my husband and me to be in a Steampunk fashion show. I quickly made a face and said, “A Steam what now?!”

Al is a huge sci-fi junkie, so he was a little more up on the Steampunk movement than I was. He told me to go read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne and watch the Sherlock movies to understand Steampunk style. AND he said this was an excuse to wear Victorian costumes. DONE! I was a go.

What is Steampunk?
Steampunk is a creative alternative reality stemming from the Victorian era when steam engines were powering much of the industrial world. What if electricity was never developed and steam power continued to dominate? What would our daily reality be like? Then add in some extra science fiction, Hollywood effects, cosplay adventure and over-the-top costumes and you’ve got the Steampunk genre down.

steampunk_ak

Here are some hints for getting started in Steampunk:

1. Join a local Steampunk Club
Most communities have Steampunk social clubs or have Cosplay or Science Fiction groups that have Steampunk members. Our group (called Temporal Entities of Syracuse or TEOS) was originally a Dr. Who Club that spun off in the steampunk direction. Many groups have events such as monthly dinner gatherings (in costume), a yearly steampunk ball, gear swap weekends, dates to work on costumes, parades, fashion shows, conventions and Victorian street festivals.

steampunk_roc_ball

2. Connect Online
There are tremendous forums, websites, Facebook groups where you can virtually connect with other Steampunkers. There are tons of tutorials to help you create your costumes, accessories, and characters. Pinning ideas on Pinterest is a great way to also get ideas.

3. Develop Your Steampunk Character
Do you have a favorite character in literature or the movies? Or a historical person you admire? With some ingenuity, almost any character can be “steampunked.” Or start by researching Victorian-era costumes, plus the culture of the 1880s in Europe or in the U.S. What scientific and industrial advancements were taking place? What political issues were occurring at the time? Start with a person and then develop a story around them. Who are they? What’s their personality like? What do they do for a living? What do they struggle with? What inspires them?

steampunkball-in-rochester-2-8-14

4. Visit Your Local Thrift Shop
The thrift shop is a great place to start to put together your first Steampunk costume. While ready-made Steampunk Halloween costumes are available and great if you need an outfit on short notice, most Steampunkers like to create their own unique style.

For men, look for striped or corduroy pants, collarless dress shirts, vests, boots, and sports coats you can doctor. Also look for leather coats and bomber jackets.

For Women, look for long flowing skirts, Victorian-style blouses with high necks and puffy sleeves, flowing gypsy-style blouses, tight-fitting tops with corset seams, vests, boots and leather coats.

For both, look for belts, jewelry and leather handbags that can be repurposed as Steampunk accessories. You may want to check the knickknack and electronics sections for items you can also repurpose such as small glass bottles, wood boxes, old clocks with gears, etc.

5. Purchase Steampunk Accessory Essentials

It is worth the money to purchase certain essential parts of your Steampunk costume. These include a quality wool top hat or derby hat, goggles, leather gloves and comfortable boots if you plan to go to a lot of events or conventions. Women may want to invest in a quality made corset and men may want to invest in a proper waistcoat or tailcoat.

6. Get Out Your Sewing Machine and Glue Gun
Simplicity and McCall’s have produced several great Steampunk costume sewing patterns for men and women if you want to make a costume from scratch. If you don’t sew, then you may want to go the thrift shop route or make fast friends with someone in your club who can help you. If you are willing to invest, many talented artists sell elaborate Steampunk costumes and accessories on Etsy. Also check eBay and Amazon regularly for Steampunk related items. As a Steampunker, you will find there are many things you can make for your character. Besides a sewing machine, antiquing paint and your glue gun may become your favorite go-to tools!

7. Have Fun!
Steampunk is all about an imagined alternate reality. There is no right or wrong. Keep evolving your character and your Steampunk costume will evolve as well. Fully embrace your character when in costume and remember to take photos!

1209293_10201549819461685_2028431635_n


Our Boho Wedding (Including Elephants)

by

Have you ever attended a boho wedding?

My husband, Al, and I have been married 14 years now, yet people still talk about our wedding. We are known to do our own thing, so a standard wedding and wedding venue did not appeal to us. Looking back, ours was a very Bohemian wedding, though that wasn’t a trendy word back then. Why?

We had a zoo wedding. Not as in our wedding was a zoo. Our wedding was at a zoo. And yes, it included live elephants!

our-wedding-pic-with-siri

The Plan

Because we are from different spiritual backgrounds, plus we love being in nature, we decided right away that we wanted an outdoor wedding and rustic venue. We looked at numerous parks throughout Central New York. Then looking up wedding location phone numbers I stumbled across a listing for our local zoo. The thought of getting married at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo made me laugh and I was immediately intrigued.

When you have an outdoor boho wedding and reception, it is really important to come up with a Rain Plan. We live outside of Syracuse, NY near Lake Ontario. Our weather can be very quirky here. The folks at the zoo informed us that they were just building a new entrance with a green events facility. We met with the staff, toured the zoo, inside and out, and knew we had the perfect place for a boho wedding. We literally signed onto blueprints. We also crossed our fingers that our guests would not be arriving to a huge pile of dirt the following year.

So Plan A was to have a fabulous outdoor wedding and reception. Plan B, the Rain Plan, was to use the new lobby and green reception area. So here’s how it all went down:

The Wedding

Thankfully, we had an amazing July evening wedding with gorgeous weather! The zoo closed at 4:30, so we scheduled our wedding for 6 pm. That meant an all-hands-on-deck just over an “hour of power” to clean the place, set up, decorate, get ready, greet guests and be ready to roll with the ceremony. Phew! It was tight! After directing a lot of decorating traffic I got into my wedding dress at about ten of.

207907_1017828700321_1292_n

As our guests arrived, they were greeted at the door by a zookeeper and a talking parrot the zoo uses for education. Then guests were led through double doors into the courtyard. We had a short ceremony in front of the courtyard flamingo pond. And then the celebration truly began!

The Cocktail Hour

During our cocktail hour, we encouraged our guests to grab a drink and wander about the zoo. We rented the whole zoo just for our guests. Many of the animals are nocturnal, so they become most active after the zoo closes. And they know when it’s their dinner time. While the animals were being fed by the keepers, we also had roaming waiters greeting our guests with hors-d’oeuvres and drinks on the various zoo trails.

207995_1017828820324_2385_n

We used the cocktail hour to have our photos taken about the zoo. We also paid to have the elephants and keepers present for fence time. Our guests could get up close and personal with elephants Siri and Romini and get their photos taken. Their keeper was keeping them amused by feeding them jelly beans, though Siri thought my bouquet looked like the best treat.

our-wedding-pic-with-siri

208379_1017828780323_2026_n

The Reception

After the cocktail hour, we all met back in the courtyard for dinner and dancing under the stars. We had a wonderful live Big Band playing at the gazebo. As it got dark, zoo volunteers lit hundreds of votive candles throughout the courtyard. The candle effect was so beautiful! We topped the night off by slicing into our 3-tiered elephant iced wedding cake which sat on top of a Raymond Waites elephant cake stand.

209015_1017828860325_2749_n

Our boho wedding was definitely original. It was win-win-win for everyone. People talk about the event to this day. They often comment that ours was one of the most fun weddings they have ever been to. The Rosamond Gifford Zoo used our wedding experience and photos for years to market their green facilities. And we not only had a great time throwing a fabulous party “our way” but the money we paid for the reception went to helping the zoo and the endangered animals they care for.

206463_1017828740322_1656_n

The Honeymoon

P.S. We had a unique honeymoon as well. We took several weeks to travel about 3,000 miles through Alberta, Canada, visiting Calgary, Banff National Park, Lake Louise, Jasper National Park, Edmonton and the Canadian Badlands where I signed us up for a dinosaur dig. As a wedding gift, the staff at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo arranged a behind-the-scenes day for us at the Calgary Zoo. What an amazing trip for nature and animal lovers!

We hope our unique boho wedding inspires you to think out-of-the-box when planning your wedding. Take a look at the Adventuring section on this blog to see what other fun we’ve gotten into since getting married.


Awesome Boho Backpacks Perfect for Back to School

by

It’s that time of year: Time to send the kids back to school. What better way to make your children feel special than to send them off with colorful, inspiring, boho backpacks? Even big brands like Jansport, Kipling and The North Face offer boho and tribal designs this year. Other retailers are offering imported and fair-trade bags for a great unique bohemian look. Check out some of our favorite boho backpacks here:

This Elephant Backpack by InterestPrint is by far our favorite boho backpacks! The black and white henna style elephant makes a real statement over the bright green and blue terrestrial background. InterestPrint offers several other bright boho prints as well. Click on the link to see more options.

Bright embroidery sets off this wonderful imported boho backpack. Any teen or college student looking to stand out in a crowd would love this style. Various sizes and patterns are available starting around $18.00.

VANS Old Skool Vans of the World backpack








VANS is a brand known for its edgy skater personality, humor and retro style. We love their Old Skool line of backpacks, hats and sneakers. Check out the VW bus print all over this Vans of the World backpack. Takes me back to my college years when we did actually bum around in a VW bus!

Jansport backpacks are known for their durability and are one of the brands that hold up under the weight of school books and laptops. Jansport has some great boho and tribal designs for 2016 Back to School and most ship quickly with Amazon Prime. Shown here is the Trans by Jansport design in Navy Moonshine.

Looking for a casual backpack? Consider this Crossbody bag by Slope. Crossbody sling backpacks are stylish and comfortable.

Worth every penny, The North Face is another backpack brand that will hold up under the weight of books and laptops. We like the look of this Vault Native Frequencies design in white, blue and coral.

I own several Kipling bags and again, they are worth the money! Kipling bags are designed in heavy duty nylon, so they are super lightweight, durable and perfect for school or travel. We recommend the Ravier line of backpacks. This one is called “Brightside Sky” which makes my boho spirit very happy!

Last but not least, boho style is never complete without some great fringe. While maybe not so practical, fringed backpacks are very hip this year. We love this affordable blue backpack by TrendsGal.

Happy shopping and have a very boho school year!


5 Ways to Make Someone’s Day

by

This week unexpectedly turned into a “life lessons” week. The most important part reminded me of how nice it is to make someone’s day.

Today I met Sandy. She was on her way out of the bank as I was on my way in.

I was on a mission. It was 95 degrees out. I had a million errands to get done in the next hour. I was focused on movement- getting things done as quickly as I could without melting from the heat.

Sandy (I didn’t know her name at the time) smiled at me on the sidewalk as we passed. I half smirked back bee-lining for the door. Then I nearly jumped out of my skin as Sandy literally yelled at me, “I see the start of that smile! I see your dimples!”

Yikes! That brought me back to the moment. Being an introvert, someone so outgoing would have intimidated me a few years ago. But now I was just intrigued. So a little less loudly, I responded, “I see you smiling too.”

Cherish Each Day_5 Ways to Make Someone's Day_

And that’s how we ended up having a random conversation for the next ten minutes. So much for my schedule. So much for racing to get out of the heat. I just wanted to know how someone so outgoing ticks.

Sandy said that she makes it her life mission to make as many people around her smile as possible. She said life is too short not to enjoy each and every day and she likes to remind people of this lesson. Wow!

I then asked her what makes her smile. She said her dog and her husband. She proceeded to tell me a wonderful story about being an only child and how the boys in her neighborhood adopted her as their little sister. After many adventures, one of those boys grew up to fall in love with her and they’ve been married ever since. And she told me about how proud she was of her son, who apparently grew up to have the same outgoing personality as Sandy.

My random encounter with Sandy was priceless to me.

Live in the Moment_5 Ways to Make Someone's Day_

Here are some things we can all learn from Sandy:

1. Make Someone’s Day.
It takes only seconds to make eye contact with people around you and smile at them. To hold a door for someone. To say hello to a store clerk and ask them how their day is going. To compliment someone on their hair or dress or ring they are wearing. People feel happier when they are noticed. Plus you receive positive energy from the exchange.

2. Be Present.
It’s so easy to be thinking about the next 20 things you have to get done this week and stress yourself out. Remind yourself to breathe and try to focus on that which is right in front of you.

3. Appreciate Your Life.
Life is short! In Sandy’s words, “You don’t know if you’ll be here tomorrow, so you might as well enjoy today!” Bring your attention to all the good things in your life. Surround yourself with loving people.

4. Laugh a Little More.
Perspective is everything. How much easier is your day when you are in a good mood and can laugh at the little things? Sometimes it takes practice. Eventually, you may find you can laugh at some of the big things life throws at you too.

5. Spread Love.
Everyone wants to feel loved and acknowledged. It’s human nature. However, to feel more love, you often have to give more love. Random acts of kindness are a great way to practice this.

I encourage you to go out today and make someone’s day. You may surprise yourself by finding out how much fun you will have in the process.