Amazing indigo dyed tent (this is not mine, I have a tent from Target). Source unknown.

Camp America's National Parks Without Reservations

Mary Byrd August 26, 2016

Browsing NPS online reservations, I was out of luck scoring a camp spot for the rest of the year. In fact, most parks are booked years in advance… but I already packed the tent, so I was going to just wing it.

I picked up my niece Joelle from her home in Nevada, and headed to Zion National Park without any reservations hoping for the best. The nice park service gal let me know it is first come, first serve and tent camp sites fill up first thing in the morning. Glancing at my phone, it was 11am.

We arrived about noon and the Zion National Park campsite was indeed full. However, a quarter mile down the road I had spotted a Quality Inn with camp sites. Worst case I'd pay $100 for the night. We pulled in and she grinned and offered me a tent camp spot. Yes, it was double the cost of the NPS site, but $40 for laundry, hot showers, cafe, and easy access into the park was great!

After hiking the Narrows, crying at the splendor of the weeping wall, and barely escaping with our lives as we tubed down the ankle deep Virgin River we headed 600 miles north to the infamous Yellowstone.

This being the National Parks Service 100th year anniversary, and peak Summer season on the absolute busiest day of the year, the Fourth of July we rolled into the park without reservations, yet again.

This time, we knew the camp site would be full as we were driving all day and would arrive in the evening. We called a couple camp sites and found an open cabin. We rented it for a night for $80. The ranger told us that half of each National Park campsite is reserved for campers like us that are looking to grab the first come first serve spots. Anytime before 10am should be alright as checkout time is 11am. What, did I hear him right? I had been planning a 5am wake up call!

We booked 7 nights in the Grand Tetons Colter Bay site, which is 2 miles south of Yellowstone. During our stay we had all sorts of people camping next to us. None stayed more than two nights, proving that an early start will surely score you a spot.

Notes:

*Arrive midweek around 7 or 8am incase you find yourself having to check multiple sites.

*First come, first serve camp spots are for tent campers only or RV’s but generally no hookups.

*Back country camping is an option in most parks with a permit, but I prefer a toilet to a tree.

Places we camped spontaneously:

*Zion National Park

*The Grand Tetons National Park

*Glacier National Park

*Mount Rainier National Park

My husband setting up camp in the rain in Glacier National Park.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

Collab with fine artist Marissa Quinn

Mary Byrd July 18, 2016

Marissa is a fine artist drawing inspiration from the sea to create the most interesting sketches of whales, moons, sea creatures and scales. She is currently writing and illustrating a book on conservation as she solo travels from the border of Mexico to Canada! Check out her Kickstarter

Moon Whale Tail Ring

$135.00

METAL:

Quantity:

Together we sketched an idea for a ring drawing inspiration from an art piece she made of a whale circling the moon.

Then during my design trip to Thailand, I worked with artisan friend to bring the design to life. We went through three renditions of the design until it was perfect using hand selected quartz crystals and the finest silver.

I met Marissa along her journey in the Puget Sound where we stayed on Lopez Island in the raddest yurt on the edge of the coastline above the rocky beach.

I can’t wait to buy a house and have her paint a mural for me!

Screen Shot 2016-07-12 at 1.52.18 PM.png

Touring America by Train

Mary Byrd March 24, 2016

Christmas night we left on an adventure that took us through 14 states, stopped in 5 cities over the course of 15 days by train! We embarked on this sabbatical from life (and social media) touring the great American Mid West along the railroad, just like the olden days.

The Train, a foamers delight

*Foamer: someone who loves trains, like this guy

We both fly a lot, and were eager to try the train. The best thing about traveling by train is the ease. You just show up a few minutes before it arrives and hop on. The conductor checks you have a ticket, then you can choose your own seat. There is no security checks at any point. We carried our luggage on, but you can check it if you’d prefer. They say the train is the civilized way to travel, and I couldn’t agree more!

I was able to stop and reflect and think about where I want to be this coming year, and make a plan on how to get there, a task easier completed without cell service.

Cost

We bought a $459 15 day rail pass each. This gives you 8 segments, which is how many times you can stop depending on your route. We parked at the Anaheim train station (which is free parking). Here we used up two segments on the way and back to go to LA Union Station, which is where our journey began. Another leg from Austin Texas to Chicago was two segments to get there, so in the end we had five stops allowed. You have to sort of puzzle it out and book your trips before you go. You can’t wing it and get off just anywhere.

Our Route

Anaheim > Los Angeles (boarded at night)

Los Angeles > Austin, Texas (Two nights on the train)

Austin, Texas > Chicago, Illinois (One night on the bus due to weather)

Chicago, Illinois > Whitefish, Montana (One night on the train)

Whitefish, Montana > Seattle, Washington (One night on the train)

Seattle, Washington > Los Angeles (One night on the train)

Los Angeles > Anaheim

Train Vibes

People are considerate, and friendly for the most part. At night I put headphones and an eye mask and a blanket and shut the world out. The conductors monitor the train day and night, so there is no trouble ever :D

The train bounces along and is a really soothing and fun ride. We had our reserved coach seats, but spent most the time in the Observation Deck, which was usually surprisingly pretty empty. We did not upgrade to beds, and slept in the chairs over night on the train in-between stops in hotels. This was a little rough for me, I suggest upgrading if you can afford the extra $300 a night.

We made reservations in the dining room car a few times, and they sit you with other people, so that you can make friends. My husband dreads small talk as if it were depleting his very existence, so we only went once, haha! The cafe car has a good turkey sandwich and they sell microwavable pizzas and snacks that are all double or triple the store price, including $7 single serving wines and beers :/ You can bring your own food and liquor, but keep the booze on the DL.

The best leg

I eagerly awaited the trip down the California coast from Seattle to Los Angeles, but have to admit that was the worst leg. We had a four hour delay from a power outage that caused us to miss many of the beautiful sites as darkness set. The people on this journey were also noticeably obnoxious and heavily complained about the delay. My favorite route was from LA to Austin, where the train snakes down along the Mexican border. The desert landscape wildly changes from hour to hour, changing from red rocks, to sweeping cactus covered hills. The train stopped in El Paso, right next to the fence dividing the US from Mexico where it snowed while I stood in line to get handmade enchiladas.

We had a funny thing happen in Missouri. The state suffered severe flooding, so we were ushered of the train onto the Little Rock fleet of tour busses at midnight. We drove all through the darkness passing along flooded ravines with haunting porch light eliminating floating cars and submerged homes. The bouncing bus and upright seats made it difficult to sleep with my head bobbing all over the place. After tying my head to the back seat with my scarf, I managed to sleep a few solid hours. Morning light brought sights of the St. Louis Arch and a welcome switch back on the train, which scooted us along to enjoy Chicago in time for New Years.

No use in complaining, it’s all part of the adventure right?!

Recommendations

The ideal train trip would be one night in a sleeper car from Portland, Oregon to Whitefish, Montana for a Christmas Holiday with a nice bottle of wine and a smorgasbord of fine cheeses while listening to Serial season one, watching Fargo, and reading Wool under a comfy blanket.

Feel free to ask questions if you decide to try the train!

mary@shoprisingblue.com

Seattle Train Station

Chicago Grand Central

Go see the bean, it is so cool!

Whitefish frozen lake

sight seeing car

art institue, chicago

all aboard!

Austin's lady bird lake

cousins

the lodge at whitefish

chicago dogs at 2am

<3

cuff rings

south congress

heyo!

crystal cove ring

the garage bar in Austin

the city i was born in!

my cute foamer

austin's rainy street

thai makeover

Mary Byrd December 9, 2015

After four days in Bali, I flew to Bangkok Thailand to work on my new collection. I brought with me a collection of new stones and designs with the intent to produce for the holiday season.

However, have not designed anything new with the stones I brought with me from the US. It has been a struggle to just finish one set of production to sell for Christmas. Instead of a new collection it has turned into a production trip. I realize that I need to spend a lot of time working with a sample maker to create new designs, then give the molds and sample production to the factory to make the order. However, we did finish a really beautiful rose gold and silver crystal collection that I love.

THE THAI WAY

I did begin a project with my sample maker the last time I was here. His work is amazing. Really beautiful. When I meet him the first day of the trip, I reviewed the wax molds and handed over new designs. I was wearing yoga pants and a tee shirt. The next time I met his wife, I had been shopping and was tired from the heat. I pushed the meeting back 20 minutes. I had no makeup on and was wearing tennis shoes. I had a friend with me.

She was not impressed with me. She was in a rush to leave, and told me she was going to buy diamonds for another client. As soon as I left the meeting I knew I made a mistake. So, I decided I needed a Thai makeover. I met with my fashion friend at the super high end mall. She picked out outfits for me. I cut my long hair off. I actually applied makeup.

The next meeting I was early. I had my new outfit, heels and makeup on and jumped on the motorbike taxi (riding side saddle for the first time!). The sample makers wife was very impressed. Ha! She told me that I didn’t have makeup on and looked “mad", but now I look beautiful. We chatted a little, then I got down to business and gave her cash deposit and said she could only have it if she delivered my product before I left. Of course she said yes.

Don’t get me wrong, she is not materialistic. She is a wonderful person. I made the mistake. I needed to assimilate to the Thai way of doing business. It is a fast, competitive market. I need to compete.

I have both physically and mentally changed my perspective. I no longer want to smash everything and sell mountains. I want to mine perfect little creations, then sell to a select few. I want to reach personal customers. In one way, it is a deep personal connections with people who will wear my jewelry. Jewelry holds a story, and I want to be a part of it.

BANGKOK BEAUTY

Mary Byrd November 11, 2015

I have found home in Thailand, the Land of Smiles. One of my best girl friends Kaew from Bangkok modeled for me. She is a badass chick and talented swimwear designer. Her and I had many adventures and fun times. She also happens to be really beautiful in a natural way. I love her mocha skin and big Thai smile.

She is wearing pieces from the new Crystal Cove Collection that is launching for the Holiday season. Enjoy!

Maria in Phuket, Thialand

Mary Byrd October 30, 2015

Last weekend I hopped on a plane from Bangkok to visit and old friend, a French girl I worked alongside during my design days at Quiksilver. She lived in France, and we chatted frequently, but only met a few times. She invited me down, and I couldn't pass it up! We had a blast, I snorkled, went in a waterfall, motorbiked around and saw the Big Buddha. The Panang Curry was my favorite Southern dish. Epic times.

While on the island of Phuket, I decided to squeeze in a photoshoot. I messaged Maria, a local girl through instagram. Maria is a Russian babe who up and moved from her home town to Thailand with out any connections, or ability to speak Thai or English, the two most common languages, She quickly learned from her job as a photographer on a tour boat with an all Thai crew. Hell yes, she is an inspiration!

I enjoyed taking her photos or the RISING BLUE + PREMANITA LINGERIE collab. Enjoy!

Danielle Fisser

Mary Byrd October 6, 2015

Huntington Beach girl Danielle is such a lovely person. Her big beautiful smile radiates happiness. I love hanging and shooting her from our friend @clothingbyowls sweet Newport Beach house. Good times.

Collab info: @clothingbyowl @daniellefisser @eastnwestlabel @oneteaspoon_ @stitchandfeather @quayaustralia

SAM

Mary Byrd September 19, 2015

Shooting local girl Sam in our hometown of Seal Beach. Sam is a country girl with a perm and a warm heart. She is in amazing shape, loves her boyfriend, her friends and is enthusiastic about it all.

follow sam @savageesamm

How to start a business

Mary Byrd August 24, 2015

Here are all of the 20 steps I have taken so far to set up my business. I struggled to figure it out, so thought I would share and maybe save you some time.

It is listed in order. It has been about 4 weeks to get all of this accomplished, but you can certainly start doing other business things in the mean time ;)

Legal Zoom is a great resource for some of this stuff. You can pay them to help you set up the business, but for me it was better to do it on my own. Go here also for contracts.

Make a nice cup of coffee & a little music, this might take a while..

1 | 1 Password

Use this to store all of your passwords and numbers. It make filling out paperwork SO much easier

https://agilebits.com/onepassword

2 | PO Box

Make sure to bring a utility bill

You can only have a PO Box in the city that you live

3 | Pick a Name

Do a search here for business names

Search Google as well to see what pops up

Tip- A name with two words is easier!

4 | California Statement of Information

http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/forms.htm

I recommend using an LLC

5 | Name Reservation

http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/corp/pdf/naavreservform.pdf

6 | Domain Name

https://instantdomainsearch.com

7 | Insta handle

Try to make it simple- no spaces or underscores

8 | Website

Wordpress- ThemeForest has some nice options

Squarespace -Easy drag and drop interface, this is what I use

9 | Link Domain name with website

Squarespace tutorial

Wordpress tutorial

10 | Google App for Work

Use this to set up emails that link with your business name

Store files on Google Drive

11 | Payment Processor

Stripe or Paypal, but Stripe is waaaay better

This is integrated within Squarespace which I love.

15 | Business Checking

I went with Chase. It is free as long as there is a min of $1500 in the acct every month.

16 | Mileage Plus number

United

American Airlines

17 | Credit Card

United Explorer Plus Chase Credit Card is what I went with

No Foreign transaction fees

Wait a week to make sure your business license is registered.

18 | Sellers Permit

https://efile.boe.ca.gov/ereg/index.boe

At the bottom add yourself as a “Manager”, then add yourself again as a member/manager. This is the hardest part

It will ask you for a NAICS code. Just pick one that corresponds the best here

For Payment Processor I use Stripe, then your business name as the “Merchant Card Processor Account”. For me that is Rising Blue (It is NOT a number)

Add Supplier: I don’t know if this is correct, but I just listed my own company and left the BOE# blank.

19 | Square Card Reader

https://squareup.com

20 | Happy Selling!

BIKINI JUNKIE

Mary Byrd August 17, 2015

Meet the girls from Bikini Junkie. Ashley is launching her new swim line and bashfully obliged to let me photograph her and her sales rep Denali in her new collection. Cheers to girls following their dreams. x Mary

Night Cap

Mary Byrd August 17, 2015

MIAMI SWIM WEEK

Mary Byrd July 27, 2015

I love bikinis almost as much as jewelry! Here are my favs from last week's Miami Swim Week.

Finding Factories in Southeast Asia

Mary Byrd June 1, 2015

After a two month trip in Southeast Asia, I'm back in California.

My first stop during this trip was Bali, Indonesia.

Since my last time there, I've learned more of the local language: Bahasa Indonesian. This has helped me negotiate better prices, and escape a few Bulay (tourist) schemes. Laughter, smiles, and a little language go a long way!

Every day I jogged in my neighborhood, did some quick yoga, then cruised around on motorbikes to visit jewelry studios, find factories, and buy supplies. This is sweaty business, as it's impossible to escape Bali's tropical heat in the Spring.

I found an amazing studio run by an American who's lived in Indonesia for 13 years. Her factory is filled with insanely talented silversmiths, metalists, and wax carvers. We hit it off immediately and she’ll be handling production in Bali for me.

The only hangup was finding a gold maker. I found the best guy on the island, but he decided I'm not big enough yet. My factory owner has found another supplier for me, but this has caused a delay in the gold production.

I also designed several different packaging systems in Bali, looking for something that is equal to the craftsmanship of the jewelry. I worked with a footwear and handbag maker and we came up with a leather pouch with hand made tassels. We also created a cute leather clutch made of the same soft leather with a beautifully hand woven ikat lining.

The two weeks in Bali flew by. I'm overjoyed to have found such an amazing factory to produce the first Rising Blue collection. I am leaving with the packaging designed and all my boxes checked. This trip was a huge success, although it's always sad to leave behind all the people who I've met. Off to Bangkok!

THAILAND

Bangkok is considered the jewelry capital of the world. They have the highest quality metals and stones. Rubies and sapphires are a particular speciality. The craftsmanship there is of a completely different style than in Bali. I spent six weeks looking for factories to produce new collections that just can’t be produced in Bali's handmade style.

I trekked through the streets meeting with factories, suppliers and craftsman. As a foreigner (or "farang"), I am on the outside. People refuse to work with me. I struggled with getting a fair price and finding handmade craftsman.

Half-way through the trip, I felt like time was running out. One designer worked with me, but his work wasn't up to my standards and I had to cancel with him.

Luckily, my new found friends introduced me to an incredible jeweler who goes my the nickname Pea Pod!

He makes the most amazing outrageous pieces, including earrings made of hair. He agreed to work with me, and together we are collaborating on a new collection! Here are some of the molds we have started.

Once Pea Pod was working, I took a trip to Chiang Mai, a laid back city in the north of Thailand with a small-town feel. While there, I experienced the hottest day on record in Thailand: 105 F with 95% humidity.

A cafe owner pointed me towards Chiang Mai's Saturday Market to find silver. At the market, I met my second jeweler: Eak. He is Thai, but studied jewelry design in Canada and speaks fantastic English! He has been perfecting an unusual technique of soldering silver together to make it look stretched. Together we came up with a modern geometric collection, using his specialized technique.

Finally, on the last day of my Chiang Mai trip I met the third member of my Thai team: Lop Lop. He is a friendly, reggae-loving silversmith. He speaks Thai, but we communicate through pictures and a calculator! We're working on a few raw turquoise designs (his speciality).

Finding people to work with is like dating. It takes a while to see if there's a real connection. I feel very lucky to have found three colleagues during this trip.

Since I found these people late in my trip, though, they weren't going to have samples finished until I was already back in the US, so I extended my Thailand stay for an extra week. It was completely worth it. I reviewed samples, okay'd production, and even met a potential factory for next time.

It’s hard to believe I was gone for two months, but I got so much accomplished! My first shipment of completed product is on it’s way now from Bali, and the next line is already being created. Exciting!

Kickstarter

Mary Byrd May 20, 2015

After traveling through Asia, designing the first collection Rising Blue was launched through Kickstarter, a crowd funding website. The project was successfully funded :D Read more about the project here

Sydney's Royal National Forest

Mary Byrd February 19, 2015

I was lucky enough to make friends with some cool people in Sydney and road trip with them out to the Royal National Park in Sydney. It was one of the most picturesque moments of my whole trip.

We hiked over rolling grassy hills barefoot in the mud at dawn. When we finally parked ourselves on the sand, we found a little leech had firmly attached himself to my girlfriends shoe. While the boys paddled out for a surf, @Jeerish and I had a little impromptu photo shoot. All in all, an epic day!

Jeerish is not a model, but just one of those beautiful people that the light just shines out of. I love these photos so much. Enjoy!

Treasure hunting in Bangkok

Mary Byrd November 23, 2014

I kept hearing over and over people telling me to go to Thailand to find gems. Okay, let's do it. Asked around and found a friend of a friend to stay with and a cheap flight. My homestay was just about up, and dengue fever was sort of floating around so I thought, fuck it I am going.

Basically the stars aligned and I jet. I couldn't stop smiling over there. It's like shopping on crack. I spent 2 days at the Chakuchak Market (JJ market) sourcing jewelry. I picked up a few sweet leather jackets from the vintage section. It was banana's. I have to go back.

Then I cruised around the Si Lom area chatting with all of the jewelry makers and had a custom laser engraved RISING BLUE stamp made. I bought turquoise and crystals from the coolest little boho shop.

Shopped China town with a new friend Jeed who works in the high fashion industry in Bangkok. She helps customers who are dropping 10k for a handbags as they literally step over the begging people at the door. It's mind blowing.

My mate Matt, who I stayed with, is a pretty amazing street artist in Bangkok. He and some buddies are putting on an show called BANGKOK UNBALANCED, exposing the strange landscape of extreme wealth and shocking poor that is smashed together creating the craziest city in the world. Check it here.

Pretty cool stuff going on in Bangkok. Totally different from the easy life in Bali.

Cruising with the locals

Mary Byrd October 12, 2014

We hung out with my jewelry maker, Nengah and his family. He's like my bestie down here in Bali :D We went out to Tabanan, which is at the foothills of the mountains, and deep in the rice patties. We road in a van packed with kids, bags of rice, offerings, street food, and jewelry.

We talked business on the way up the mountain and his son schooled me on my bahasa Indonesian, laughing every time I said something wrong. Fricken 8 year old's, ha!

The highlight was visiting their villages. We met the whole fam and ate Durian fruit. They roast coffee beans (dried in the sun) and made us a fresh cup of Bali Coffee, which has the grounds at the bottoms. They laughed when we told them that cup would be 40,000 rupiah ($4) in the states.

Later we went to see Ayuk's brother who was off road racing with the Bali motor-cross team. They race 5 hours through the jungle. It was wild.

Then we saw her other brother who runs an ATV park, where you ride through the rice patties. I was scared to ride, so the 10 year old cousin took the wheel. It was funny.

It was a good day. I am so blessed to have met Nengah.

Design Handover

Mary Byrd October 2, 2014

Today my jewelry maker took me to his village. We talked with his beautiful wife about family, their dreams for the future, and of course jewelry.

Afterwords, we traveled to another village to visit his friend who will help make my order. His sweet son brought me a tea and practiced his English. I am the village spectacle for the children haha!

They live in a little street with all of their family. The whole lot of them are creative entrepreneurs. His brother in the room next door was meeting with someone about making surfboard racks.

I am so thankful to have found these guys and cannot wait until they have my table in the workshop :) I'll be sitting in the heat making samples right along side them.

All in all, a good HBD ✖️

Sourcing Abroad

Mary Byrd September 30, 2014

A little research beforehand helps, but one really needs to be here to really find the true talent Bali has to offer.

I'm a friendly gal and a little smile goes a long way here. I am always making conversation, and before you know it I am on the back of the motorbike headed to a hidden home factory.

This is why I love it here.

Here is a little home villa/factory that I stumbled upon. It is next to a beautiful temple and on right on the beach.

7 Apps that run my life

Mary Byrd September 12, 2014

I'LL GLADLY TRADE SITTING AT A DESK FOR LAYING ON THE BEACH

I am Currently attending XOXO Fest in Portland, which is An experimental festival celebrating independently-produced art and technology. Including cool people like Kevin Kelly from Wired Magazine, Hrishikesh Hirway from Song Exploder, Dan Harmon from Community and Anita Sarkeesian from the highly controversial FEMINIST FREQUENCY. In honor of all things tech, I thought I would share a few tools I currently use to automate my life.

MY BUSINESS AND LIFE PLAN

>> Sleep when I am tired, even at 3pm

>> Work when I have the drive, which is usually all hours

>> Create day and night

>> Be better than the time before, be it my left jab or editing a collection

>> Eat well and travel often

>> Go to the Beach on the daily

Here is how I am doing it. No secrets from my friends ;)

IFTTT // IF THIS THEN THAT // 1

I use it to send my instagram photos to flickr and save insta likes to a folder on my google drive.

YOGA STUDIO // 2

I try to sweat every day and use this app when I can’t get to my Muay Thai training session. When I am physical I sleep better and enjoy food more.

EVERNOTE // 3

My coach put it best, calling it an “Idea junk drawer”. I save websites, ideas, blog drafts, and any thing that pops in my head.

THINGS // 4

Make lists, check that shit off. Stick to deadlines. Use it to organize your projects.

YNAB / YOU NEED A BUDGET// 5

Spend, type it in, spend type it in. I suck at money, but this helps

1 PASSWORD // 6

Don’t be scared. DO it. It is better then Livingthedream69 for everything. Trust me.

TRIPCASE // 7

I am not one to print out boarding passes and organize it in a tidy folder. So not being a “planner” this helps me track my flights, hotels, car rentals, etc. It is so easy.

I am always trying to free up my time from tasks that I hate so I can make things instead. Try them out and let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions!