Helmet Bling To BeatThe Winter Blues

Dots helmet gets blinged by Tish Laemmle.

Dots helmet gets blinged by Tish Laemmle.

When the weather turns, there are a few bright spots.

We never forget to wear our helmet anymore, because we’re suddenly thankful for more wind protection around the ears (especially with Nutcase Street ear pads when it is truly chilly).

We get to wear boots!

And cheap, hot, nourishing, delicious soups sound appealing again.

If you are suffering any change-of-season fatigue, perhaps the moment has arrived for a little helmet bling.

Tish Laemmle, a Los Angeles native, decided to ‘bling up’ her Nutcase helmet, but not in response to any changes in the weather — “It pretty much never rains here and is mostly around 72 degrees,” — but when she knew she would be going to the Academy Awards gala.

“The first thing my husband said to me was, if we go, we’re going by bike,” she said. “I spent months looking for the right gown, and in the end I did find something, but I couldn’t make it work on the bike.”

Tish decided to wear a tuxedo suit, which she said was comfortable and fabulous. She also decided to make her helmet look as great as her outfit by adding over 100 Swarovski crystals to its surface.

"I get compliments every single time I wear the helmet," she said. So many compliments, in fact, that Tish has since decorated two additional helmets as fundraising gifts: one for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and another for a cystic fibrosis research foundation.

Tish with her original blinged helmet.

Tish with her original blinged helmet.

Tish, who rides a Tern folding bike to all of the events she and her husband frequent around Los Angeles, said decorating a helmet with Swarovski crystals isn't exactly cheap, but it has made her love her Nutcase even more than before.

For anyone wanting to decorate their own helmet (we got inspired to dress up a Hula Blue with some stick-on sequins, Tish has decorated a Star Bright and a Dots helmet), Tish recommends going to an art supply store to see what goodies they've got, though she also said that the Swarovski crystals add an extra brilliance that makes her helmet highly visible in night-time traffic.

"Nutcase designs are exceptional on their own," Tish said. "The crystals just add to their brilliance, and I think makes them extra attractive to women and girls that like a bit of extra bling."

BlingBlue

Our quick Hula Blue bling.