Blingin' With Diva Amy

Diva Amy: Welcome to WRN! New columnist debuts with a sparkle By Genevieve Schmitt, Editor 10/13/2009

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"Anything Worth Doing is Worth OVERdoing"
That’s the motto of the latest rider to join the Women Riders Now team. If you’ve been keeping up with Women Riders Now over the last six months, you’ve most likely read about Diva Amy. She’s the woman who rides the colorful, shiny custom Harley-Davidson Road Glide adorned with hundreds of Swarovski crystals. If you’ve seen her and her motorcycle in person, you certainly will remember her.

It's all in the details with Amy. Notice her belt buckle...OK that one's hard to miss; but also her custom designer boots, and her helmet that she blinged out herself.

Diva Amy (her given name is Amy Skaling) has been riding for eight years, first on a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy and now on a 2007 Road Glide, and she’s a serious rider putting thousands of miles on both bikes. Diva owns Team Diva, a 10-year-old fashion and accessory company that is all about custom designed headwear, accessories, apparel, and parts that she sells at rallies, boutiques and motorcycle shops across the country. Soon you’ll be able to order her cool stuff online. She’s adding a shopping cart feature to her Web site, but right now her site is under construction.

Diva Amy with her Road Glide, left, and her Fat Boy. Notice the license plates.

Diva Amy gets around and is well connected. She always has lots of stories to tell. She will be sharing her stories with photos and links to places, people, and things we want to know about here on WRN. Her first stop is Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach, Florida. Team Diva will be setting up in the gift/sundry shop at Destination Daytona for Biketoberfest, Oct. 15-18 in Ormond Beach, Florida. Diva Amy has been a part of this event for many years and is excited about her new location. The shop is right along the food row on the bottom of the condo/hotel building and next to Saints and Sinners Pub. It is diagonally located from the main Destination Daytona Harley-Davidson store.

Diva has been making some spectacular new headwear, custom flip flops, bandanas, belt buckles, and will have tons of jewelry worthy of all her Diva customers. She will also be featuring some new tattoo art inspired wall plaques that make great gifts. Make sure to stop by and check out all the latest Team Diva creations by Diva Amy.

More on the Diva Glide
When you meet Diva, you discover that she’s larger than life always with a bright warm smile eager to share info about her blingy motorcycle and matching apparel. Having ridden with her all summer, I can attest that she’s a magnet. People flock to her motorcycle to see it, touch it and learn more.

Diva's 2007 Harley-Davidson Road Glide was custom painted by Kelly and Son Crazy Painters incorporating a leopard print design. The sparkle comes from Austrian Swarovski crystals each one placed by Diva’s hand, one by one. Also on the bike is a genuine Elvis cowboy belt buckle, and a custom made Zildjian drum cymbal to commemorate Diva’s uncle, Armand Zildjian. Many of the custom parts on the bike are milled out to accommodate the crystals.

The three most asked questions are 1) how many crystals, 2) how long did it take, and 3) how much did it cost? Diva doesn’t know these answers (or prefers to keep it a mystery) and says it was a labor of love. Most people with shiny, custom paint jobs wouldn’t dare get their motorcycle dirty, but what’s so great about Diva Amy is that her Diva Glide can always be found on the road, not on a trailer. She is a true Motorcycle Diva riding 31,000 miles on her Diva Glide in less than two years. “Anytime, anywhere, anyhow,” are words Diva Amy uses to describe riding her beloved Diva Glide.

Fun Facts About Amy
There’s a lot more to Amy than what you see. She’s been working in retailing and marketing her entire professional career. For 29 years she was employed by Sport Obermeyer based in Aspen, Colo., a family owned and operated ski and snowboard apparel company. She was the company’s brand manager for Southern California, Arizona, and Las Vegas working with the in-house design and merchandise team. She traveled nationally and internationally with the design team and was at the forefront of merchandising, ordering, and promoting the Sport Obermeyer brand.

Like so many entrepreneurial minded women, she had an itch to do her own thing so three years ago, she formally left Sport Obermeyer to work on her own company, Team Diva, that she had started 10 years prior. She says she named her company "after all my girlfriends past, present, and those I have yet to meet!" She adds, "It’s all about embellishment -- accessories and apparel -- especially headwear."

Check out some of her recent hat designs: click to make larger

Here I am wearing one of Team Diva's custom designed bandanas.

She sells to many markets including the western and horse industry, but being a rider, she’s also focused on the motorcycle industry attending as a vendor at Daytona Bike Week, Biketoberfest, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Laughlin River Run, and the Love Ride.

Amy at her fun and colorful booth at the Laughlin River Run in 2009.

She continues to show off her line at wholesale shows in Las Vegas and has her merchandise in specialty boutiques across the county including the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, her biggest account.

Amy has been married to the same guy, and father of her two children, for 27 years. Hooray for longevitity! Her daughter Adrienne is 24 and son Sammy is 20. In the summer she lives in Park City, Utah, and when the cold weather hits, she heads south to Carefree, Arizona, so she can continue to ride. I know where I’ll be this winter.

Here's how Diva travels with a big T-Bag on the back attached to a removable sissybar, with her colorful laptop cover strapped to the bag. She wears that rockin' airbrushed leather jacket. Notice the air cleaner cover adorned in crystals. She doesn't miss a beat! Diva and I are getting ready to leave Thermoplis, Wyoming, here to head for Sturgis.

Custom Designs
Amy is known for designing one-off custom items for her customers. If you have a logo or special design you’d like adorned on a hat, tee, or anything else, Team Diva can do it. To get in touch with Amy email her at divamy1@gmail, or call her at 818.519.7842. Remember anything worth doing is worth overdoing. You can also kibitz with Diva Amy on Facebook at Facebook.com/AmySkaling, and Facebook.com/TeamDiva.

Click here to download an article with lots of pictures about Diva Amy and her Diva Glide that appeared in American Bagger magazine.

Off to another event.

What a Rock Star! I love your motorcycle bling; I have bling on my bike too! Your style is awesome!

SassyBiker
Los Angeles, CA
11/4/2009

Wowee! Amy is awesome and I'm so glad I got to know her in Keystone. She is totally fun loving and sure knows her stuff! She will be a great addition to WRN. Hope to see that bling riding down the road soon.

Love ya Amy and Gen!



Cris Sommer Simmons
Maui, Hawaii
10/31/2009

Loved the article! I met Diva Amy at the International Women's Conference in Keystone, CO. What a nice woman and talented! You are inspiring and fun! I have no doubt our paths shall cross again and I look forward to it.

Angie Bertrand
Grand Junction, CO
10/21/2009

Hey Genevieve and Amy,
Hope to see both you divas in my area soon. Us northeast sisters would love to meet you and check out your accessories. Keep up the great stories Genevieve!

Rosemarie
New Jersey
10/20/2009

WTG Diva Amy! I personally know about applying those Swarovski crystals one by one - bling, bling, bling.

Mary
Houston, TX
10/19/2009

I enjoyed the article. What a beautiful bike Diva Amy. I can only hope to log a fraction of the miles you put on your bike, but I'll keep plugging away with the inspiration from you and Genevieve. Thanks ladies.

Therese Ward
Wooster, OH
10/19/2009

Welcome Ms Diva!
Be sure to come and visit the awesome diva riders on the east coast.
Sincerely,
MsMoto

Joan
NY!
10/19/2009

Diva-darling,
Where were you when I was writing for Woman Rider magazine AND Horse & Rider magazine at the same time!? How COULD I have possibly missed YOU! You bring new meaning to the term, "Go big, or go home!" Glad to hear we'll eventually meet up as mutual moto-friends of MontanaGen! And, hey, I'm a "snow-bird-neighbor" in Gold Canyon January through March! I've got her talked into coming down to learn what real winter sunshine looks like!

Ronna Snyder
Author, Hot Flashes from Heaven http://www.ronnasnyder.com/

Ronna Snyder, author
Idaho AND Gold Canyon, AZ
10/19/2009
You can bet I'll be visiting both you this winter in Arizona -- that's for sure!
Genevieve Schmitt, Editor

You will never meet a more friendly person. Go Diva Amy! I have so many of her hats. Movin' on to bandanas!



Chanda Freebairn
Sandy, utah
10/14/2009

Hi Genevieve and Amy,
It is great to see you riding and writing together! I look forward to seeing you both (through my camera lens especially) riding down the road.

Best wishes to you both,
Michael Lichter

Michael Lichter
Boulder, CO
10/14/2009
Thanks for the nice feedback Michael. Looking forward to seeing you, too, at the next event.
Genevieve Schmitt, Editor

I've known Diva Amy for more than 20 years and she is amazing! You captured her spirit and creativity in your article. She's truly one of the most unique, fun and generous people I know and I can't wait to follow her adventures here. She truly does live to ride!


Teri Lyn Caliouette
Costa Mesa, CA
10/14/2009

Great article Re: Diva Amy! I am the proud father of this crazy lady. I would like to subscribe to your WRN so I can keep semi-track of her. Thank you very much.

Tom Burge
Surprise, AZ
10/14/2009
We've entered your email address to receive our eNewsletter. Great to meet you.. Dad!
Genevieve Schmitt, Editor

Roll on sparkle queen!

Wilbur
Aspen, CO
10/14/2009

Love the new stylish addition to the team! Welcome and congratulations Amy!

Sheryl Bussard
Sandpoint, ID
10/14/2009

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