It's that time of year again, the time of year when Rockabillies from all over Australia start getting VERY excited! Yup, one of Australia's best and certainly longest running Kustom Kulture festivals...

GREAZEFEST IS HERE!!!

Well, I'm pretty poor right now. There'll be no extras or going out for dinner or clothes shopping for me for a while. My bank account is looking pretty darn drained. But I don't mind, because...

I will be in this!

I'm pretty excited! Can you tell? Now that they are taken care of it's one of the biggest chunks of spending out of the way. We've already got our first 10 nights in Vegas taken care of as well as a few other things so there's only a couple of bits and pieces left to take care of and then from then on it's all just spending money baby!

You know what else it means? IT'S REALLY HAPPENING! No going back now, no easy cancellation of hotels, no nothing. It's locked in Eddie! In 8 months, I'll be in America! ERMAHGERD!!!

This will be me!

In other news, we're also going for longer now. Previously we were planning on going for about 2 and a half weeks but we've upped it to 3 and a half weeks now. Really, I think we were kidding ourselves to think that we'd be able to cram in everything we are planning on doing in a bit over 2 weeks. So 3 and a half weeks should do it...sort of. There's lots we want to do.

Now I'm just enjoying the feeling of excitement but when I actually booked the flight, as excited as I was I also kind of had this heart stopping moment. I kinda freaked out a little bit. Like, shit just got real. It's just that it's the biggest holiday I've ever been on, certainly the most expensive and also the most life changing.

I just had that heart thumping moment of 'I just booked and paid for an experience that is going to change my life forever in so many different ways'. GULP. It was just a short-lived moment of panic, that slight tilting feeling of knowing you have just permanently altered the course of your life. You've all felt that before, right?

What was your OMG, life-changing, panic moment? Did it work out in the end?

Well, FINALLY my right sleeve is FINISHED!! And it looks amazing, Mimsy has done a fantastic job and I couldn't be happier with it! It's SO colourful, I LOVE it! Apologies for the not so great pictures but it was hard to take them on my own with one hand and a rather sore and swollen arm! I will get some better, overall pictures this week.



While I was there it was awesome to check out the new studio in Archerfield. Although the offical opening isn't until August 19 tattooing is now being done out of the new studio and it already looks amazing! I didn't get a chance to snap any pictures but suffice to say it is one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Think indoor vintage trailer park complete with pink flamingoes, tiki bar, tattoo-etched glass doors, vintage knick knacks on sale, a bow bar and a heap of new Trailer Trash Tattoo merch including some fantastic new shirt designs (I want one of each!) and Mimsy's new book!



That's right, Mimsy has put out another of her wonderful flash books featuring some of her best and favourite work. Inside the pages you'll find everything from colour photos of completed tattoos to coloured artwork, line drawings, design concepts and (my favourite) even paper dolls!



How cool is that!?

Hmm the bottom right looks familiar ;)

Even if I wasn't getting tattooed I couldn't have waited until the official opening to check out the new studio and you don't have to either. The new studio is now open and anyone is welcome to go and visit, hang out in the tiki bar and search for vintage treasures.

Only problem is...I want to finish my other arm now!

Whatever your little piece of greased lightning may be, the ladies at Galmatic have some fantastic tips for you!

Galmatic is an all-girl team that specialises in car care workshops and defensive driving courses, especially for women! Although not always the case, many women aren’t introduced to car culture in their younger years, therefore many of us drive around for years not really knowing about the vehicles we drive. You might not leave these courses as a qualified mechanic, but you will know much more about the car you drive and leave feeling safe and empowered.

Tips and tricks range from the basics of changing a tyre to changing your oil, checking tyre pressure, tips on saving money on potentially costly repairs and much more. Their focus is on providing you with the knowledge and resources to feel confident and independent behind the wheel and under the bonnet ensuring you're never a damsel in distress by the roadside ever again.

With heaps of helpful printables to keep in your glovebox like the one above, Galmatic is putting fun and style back into car-savvy women with a little help rom Georgie, their mascot!


 Hee hee! 

Exciting news, I have an 8-page spread in this month's Cruzin Magazine on the Garterbelts & Gasoline Festival!

The magazine is available online and in most newsagents so grab a copy if you want to read the article. Here's a sneaky peak of what it looks like...


Page 32 people, check it out!

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Sheri Bomb: How do you think the kustom kulture scene in Oz compares to the US?

This week's Tattoo Tuesday isn't spotlighting my tattoos (maybe next week if you're lucky hint hint) but rather The Man's! He's got a few pretty awesome larger pieces but some of my favourites he only got done in the last few weeks.

The Sailor Jerry anchor looks killer and was done by fledging tattoo artist Tilly Lace on the inside of his right forearm. Sadly, the picture doesn't do it justice but it sincerely looks AMAZING!! Note the colour scheme? Why yes, it is the same as that of my 'Lucky' tattoo. Copycat :P

The 'Storm in a Shark Mug' was also done by the talented Tilly Lace in the Trailer Trash Tattoo studio under the anchor on the inside of The Man's right wrist. I reckon it's total old school cool! I especially love the lightening bolts and the design is a Tilly Lace original with a few slight modifications by The Man.

The 'Lucky 13 Dagger' was done, you guessed it, last Friday 13th by Warren 'Wozza' Rigby at his studio Vision Skin Tattoo. For a measely $30 you had your pick of 13-themed flash as is tattoo tradition on this superstitious day. And how freakin AWESOME is that tat!? I LOVE it!! It's fairly small and runs down the outside of The Man's right arm from the wrist. You should see it in real life, such fine lines and detail!! It ROCKS!!

So there you have it, the first guest spot on Tattoo Tuesday and something a little less girly for the guys out there.

Do you like the old school tattoo style?

Some stills from the program and the cool blue T-Shirt I just HAD to buy

Saturday I went to QPAC to see Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. As a total theatre tragic and having been named after their hit song ‘Sherry’ there was no way I wasn’t going to see the show and I’m so glad I did because it was amazing!

A really fascinating insight into the rise of these young mobbed up street tough boys from Jersey all the way through to the highs and lows at the peak of their fame. The performances were fantastic and the voices – my goodness! To re-create such a unique and distinctive sound is amazing. The performers completely nailed Franki’s famous falsetto and Nick’s booming bass baritone as well as that unmistakable Italian Jersey swagger and accent.

The set itself was relatively simplistic although very cleverly used and while I was a little disappointed in the lack of 50s kitsch sets and 50s female fashion, the story really wasn’t about that. I did, however, LOVE the Lichtenstien-esque artwork that was projected by LED screens that came down from the ceiling.

Great performances, fantastic music, excellent use of stage and set and a really interesting look into the nitty gritty of one of the hardest working groups of the time. There were many highs but also some very heartbreaking and difficult lows but the loyalty these guys continued to show to each other and the group is nothing short of amazing.

And to think ‘Sherry’ was written on the spur of the moment in about 15 minutes and went on to become one of their first and biggest hits. Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons taught us how to Walk Like A Man and that Big Girls Don’t Cry. They wrote some of the most enduring music of their time and continue to traverse the gap between generations with many of their songs still being used in major motion pictures and advertising to this day.

They’ve been inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame but Jersey Boys brings to life the real story behind 4 guys under a streetlight in Jersey trying to find a way out of the neighbourhood and ending up under the spotlight.



If you haven't seen it  or aren't planning to, get in quick before tickets sell out! You won't regret it!

Forgive me blogger, for I have sinned...

I short changed someone 50c.

I have been slack with my exercise and too generous with my eating.

I left work a little earlier than I was meant to to get my hair done.

I have been eating cookies.

I accidentally kicked the grill out of the toilet door at work. I just left it.

I have been spending too much and not saving enough.

I sometimes speed.

I have been losing motivation to blog.

And there it is.

I feel guilty because I haven’t been blogging as much and to the standard I feel you readers deserve or at the level I want for this space.

Work is REALLY busy and so is my personal life. My window of opportunity to write is getting smaller which makes generating quality content even harder.

I want to give you something of value, like I used to. But it’s getting harder and I’m continually disappointing myself which makes me lose motivation even more.

Sigh.

I’m sure I’ll get back on track soon. So please, bear with me…I’m sorry.

Now, help a girl feel better. What sins have you committed lately?

The Man gave me a tattoo for my birthday and it was made all the more special because of the artist it was done by.

Although I still went to the Trailer Trash Tattoo studio, it wasn’t Mimsy who tattooed me. It was good friend and newest member to the TT team Tilly Lace! Tilly has just started her apprenticeship with Mimsy although judging by the quality of her work, it won’t be long until she’s on the gun full time!

I love how old school this tattoo is, it’s a version of some old Sailor Jerry flash. Except I changed one little thing. The original design had the word ‘luck’ but I changed it to ‘lucky’ because this tattoo isn’t for luck, it’s to remind me how lucky I already am!

Lucky to have The Man, lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, lucky to have such a great job that I enjoy so much, lucky to have my health, a roof over my head, food on the table, money in the bank. Lucky to be surrounded by so much love. Lucky that the most I have to complain about it the weather. Lucky to be planning an amazing holiday.

There’s just so much to be thankful for and this is a wonderful, constant reminder.

Tilly will be doing select basic flash designs at a reduced apprentice rate for a limited time only so get on in and get some history in the making before you miss out! Call 07 32746645 or email trailertrashtattoo@hotmail.com

A big birthday thank you to The Man from the luckiest girl in the world!

Thanks Rhea & Chuck for my sexy new duds, thanks family for that DIVINE watch, thanks Mum for the yummy smelly stuff and THANKS KRASH & VICKI for my one of a kind piece of super cool Krash art (haha Wally I got mine first!)

Well for a ‘low key’ birthday this year, it sure was a goodun!

It started with birthday donuts and the cutest barking doggie birthday card on Wednesday night and went until a VERY lazy (read slightly hungover) Sunday evening.

Thursday was my actual birthday and even though I worked it was still a nice day as I was inundated with lovely messages via phone, text and Facebook. Thursday night I did the family thing and my brother-in-law proved just how much he loves me by cooking an amazing roast pork dinner in the middle of the week! Dinner was delish and my sister topped it off with red velvet birthday cupcakes.

Friday was cake day at work and then home for a chilled out night of beers, a Mexican feast and an awesome massage…ahhhhh. Then Saturday we were up and headed out to Krash’s Tiki HQ out at Jimboomba. As far as I was aware it was just a BBQ.



HAHA but seriously, how awesome did we do!?!

Well it was, kind of. But there was HEAPS of amazing food and a killer tropical tiki rum punch involving lots of Sailor Jerry Rum, coconut liquor, tropical juice, dry ginger and fruit. Turns out it wasn’t just any old BBQ, we got to help paint a mural in the tiki area!! SO MUCH FUN!!! I also got an awesome gift from Vicki and Krash (who also happens to be an amazing pin striper, tiki carver and all round artist). A hand-carved flamingo mounted on furry leopard print!!! It is by far one of the coolest things that now resides in my house! I love it so much, I am such a lucky girl!!

The punch really packed a punch so it was a pretty slow start to Sunday morning but a greasy breakfast made us feel human again and we slowly headed home to a lazy TV day. It was a wonderful few days of birthday celebrations and is the last birthday I will ever spend as someone who’s never been to the US!!

Oh yeah, I also got a tattoo as a present from The Man…but more on that tomorrow ;)

As most of you would have probably picked up on, yesterday was my birthday.

It’s a pretty low key occasion this year but I had a wonderful day and felt so loved! I got over 70 Facebook messages alone!! Each one was so lovely and it really brought home just how true my post the other day about friends really was.

Damn I’m lucky. But more on that next week ;)

So far it’s been a great birthday and the best part is…it ain’t over yet! Stay tuned on Monday for a full wrap up of birthday awesomeness including whatever secret squirrel  things are going on over the weekend. Don’t think I don’t know SOMETHING’s going on!

I just wanted to stop in quickly today to say a big thank you. To my wonderful family and friends. And the universe, for blessing me so.

Friends are so important. MY friends are amazing. Yours probably are too, that's why you're friends with them. But I happen to think I've been blessed with some of the most amazing friends on the planet. I'm a very lucky girl.

Apart from the fact that my friends are just plain old good people to their core they do wonderful things. For charities, for animals, for the world, for other friends, for themselves and for me. They are kind and loyal and giving and smart and good looking and hilarious and caring and talented and cool.

There's a lot to love! But the thing I love most about my friends is that we are affectionate. We kiss and hug hello and goodbye.

I love this!

Not that annoying over the top hello dah-ling! kind of faffing around. It's real. Friends mean a lot and there is a special kind of love there. One that should be expressed. Time's a'waistin. You never know what life will bring, so it's important that you show those you care about just how you feel.

I think it's really important. And it's so lovely to know that I've got these amazing people in my life. That they've got my back when I need it. Will pick me up when I need it. And that I'm there for them when they need me. Today I am thinking a lot about some very special friends of mine and hoping that the universe brings them what they deserve.

I'm mentally sending lots of hugs and love their way. Do you hug and kiss your friends?

Well, do you?

It seems like everywhere I look people are trying to ramp up their fitness, me included. I think it's great! It's so important to be healthy and The Man and I are in 'training' for all the full on fun, late nights, endless dancing and fried food in the US next year.

But it's not always easy sticking to a new lifestyle of more exercise and healthier food. Lately I have found myself slipping. Being a little too 'generous' in my portion sizes, a little less vigilant on nutritional content and a little too unmotivated when it comes to exercising.

It only takes one bad week to get me freaking out. All the good work I've done becomes invisible to my eyes and my self-esteem and suddenly I feel like I've fallen. Far.

But I haven't. And all I have to do is get back up, dust myself off and jump right back on the wagon and I'm on my way again. I just have to remember that. It can be easy to forget and sometimes I am much too hard on myself. Expecting a lot from myself.

But you know what? I'm doing good. And to all of us who are making an effort to be healthier, happier versions of ourselves I salute you! Because it's never easy, but especially in winter.

So yay for us! We rock! And come summer...damn we're gonna be HOT!