Monday, November 22, 2010

Jewelry of the Month Club ~ Holiday 2010

                                          Happy Holidays!
          Give a gift that keeps on Giving throughout the Year
                                      Jewelry of the Month Club
          Quarterly ~ Bi-Annual ~ Annual Memberships available.

Receive a new piece of Nancy Yuskaitis Jewelry delivered to you each month in your choice of colors and styles yet still filled with an element of surprise!
Delight the woman in your life with unique handmade contemporary jewelry designed in her unique style.

Is she ~Island Style inspired by the sun, the sea and island living?

           ~Bohemian Style inspired by an adventurous free-spirited lifestyle?

           ~Western Style inspired by the organic spirit of the West?

           ~Botanical Style inspired the beauty of gardens and wildflowers?
What can I expect? To enjoy membership benefits of Nancy Yuskaitis Jewelry Club including receiving handcrafted, one-of-a-kind artisan jewelry each month during your membership, discounts and special offers. Your new jewelry will arrive packaged in festive gift wrapping and before the first package is shipped a gift card will be sent with a questionaire that will determine your unique jewelry style.
When will I receive my first shipment? For the 2010 Holiday a festive gift wrapped card will be sent announcing your gift with the questionaire during the few weeks before Christmas.  Upon request package may state DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS. Jewelry packages will be shipped during the first few weeks of January 2011.
Shipping: No need to worry about shipping costs.  It's already included in the price of membership.
Please contact me with any questions or special requests you may have and visit my website for costs and more details.
Wishing you a Joyful Holiday and Blessings in 2011

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Down where the palm trees grow








Hello and Welcome!

It's the start of another great day in the Florida Keys. The first cold front of the season that brought strong winds, rough seas and cool temps is winding up and today we are enjoying clear skies, with a beautiful sea breeze and temps in the high 70's. There is still a light chop on the ocean with occasional white caps breaking through the light green sea.

Yesterday morning there was a knock at the door and a young man asked if he could have the coconuts perched high in the palm trees in our front yard.  He wanted to fill his van with free coconuts to take to Miami to sell and so we agreed to share them with him for a little trimming of the large palm fronds that were draping over our mailbox making it difficult for the mailman to drop off our mail in the strong wind we had for the last 5 days.

The day before we did some trimming on a beautiful coconut palm in our back yard that was looking wild and wooly from the summer's growth, it now looks stately as it guards our home with it's large fronds stretched outwards to the left and right protecting us from the strong sea breezes.

Life has been busy since our return to Florida, catching up with friends and family, opening up the house, organizing and settling back in the Keys. My studio is set up for glass cutting and I'll be ready to fire up some new work this week, update my website and offer a special promotion for facebook fans on Nancy Yuskaitis Jewelry. 

Season is just beginning as part-time seasonal visitors have returned and it's always an exciting time to re-stock my displays in my retail venues and seek out new ones.  Even with the economy the way it is, people seem more hopeful this time of year.

The SoDu Gallery on South Duval in Key West has new Island Style necklaces and earrings for sale, if you are in Key West please stop in the gallery.  Little Palm Island Resort on Little Torch Key has my Island Style Palm Tree Necklaces available in their gift shop. You can take the ferry boat to the private island for a beautiful seaside lunch and stop in the gift store for unique tropical items.

Wishing you a delightful day!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Living on an Island

Late October is such a busy time in Key West with part-time residents like us returning for another dose of a lifestyle much like any other where the weather is sultry, the ocean is clear aquamarine, the sky is blue and the coconut trees sway in the breeze.  But this island is different in October when thousands arrive to celebrate Fantasy Fest 2010 with more than a week of sexy events and zany creativity expressed in every corner of the island.

The Habitat for Insanity theme offers masquerade marches, a street fair, toga party, red party, a green party, party in plaid, a pajama party, a vampire ball, wet t-shirt contests, a white lace/black light party, a pet masquerade and lots of body painted costumes roaming around everywhere.  The festival's biggest event is a Capt Morgan Fantasy Fest Parade which boasts 60 wildly crazy floats and 70,000 excited people there to cheer along the parade as it winds along the parade route.  A king and queen preside over the festivities and one of our favorite local musicians, Howard Livingston from the Mile Marker 24 Band is the grand marshal who will be riding on the lead float.

Tonight we are planning to meet some friends at the sound check show at the Green Parrot Bar which is also a great place to watch the parade on Saturday evening.  We usually take a bus to and from the parade to avoid driving in this madness and that in itself is an event in entertainment to experience.

I will try to post some pictures soon of this years events!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Blissful Fall Days


Just back from experiencing an incredible week in San Francisco taking in all the sights and sounds of the city and the Northern California coast.  As we return to Crested Butte Autumn's golden glow surrounds us all over the valley with its beauty and warm sunny days and I am feeling refreshed and energized.

With lots to do to catch up on orders and designs in advance of leaving this gorgeous landscape in ten days for visits to other beautiful locations in North Carolina and Florida I live in the moment of bliss while looking forward to my next adventure.

This afternoon I am enjoying cooking a fall dinner for friends of butternut squash soup, roasted chicken, and fresh vegetables all from our local organic CB Farmer's Market.

Wishing you blissful fall days of being energized and creative doing what you love!



Friday, September 17, 2010

Fall Splender in the Mountains

As the leaves on the trees turn to welcome Fall and embrace the coolness in the air my senses are filled with breathtaking beauty and color everywhere.  Autumn brings with it a bounty of earthy shades of turmeric, paprika, cumin, quince, burnt orange, rusty brown and many shades of bright gold and vivid yellow. Trees, bushes, shrubs and rocky mountainsides are ablaze with a vibrant explosion of color.

Cows graze and nap in striated fields of lime green and soft brown...stacks of rolled hay piled high in giant rectangular displays sit prominently on open land...rustic logs are piled high along the roadside...rock and gravel in shades of spices are beautifully poured in piles that call out fall to me...Blue Mesa shows signs of fall all around the lakeside in golds and yellows.

September's beauty is all around and Vinotok celebration is going on in Crested Butte, Colorado complete with dancing maidens, mumming, a trial and a Grump.  This pagen fest ushers in Fall while ridding the town of negative gripes and complaints which are written and collected in decorative boxes around town, then burned in a hugh bonfire with the Grump.

The entire week leads up to this even with storytelling and an outdoor harvest feast, provided by the CB Farmer's Market this year.  It's the most fun example I found so far to recognize the change of seasons and to say goodbye to our very short yet spectacular summer season.

Wishing you abundance and grace in this beautiful season!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Summer's 10th Birthday




Our dog, Summer Island Mountain Girl is the sweetest dog you could meet.  She is a pure yellow lab and her gentle loving personality is a pleasure to be around.  She turned 10 yesterday which inspires me to share her with those of you who have never met her.

She is a happy dog and her calling in life is to be a greeter.  When you meet her for the 1st, 10th or 100th time she will greet you with such exuberance and enthusiasm it will almost bowl you over.

She is a quiet dog and has always been that way.  She finds little reason to bark when someone arrives to visit us.  Its only when she is on the front porch and another dog passes by, that she may feel inspired to say hello with a bark or if she sees a dog on the street when she's riding in the car she may shout out a hello to him or her with a loud bark.  Another occasion that prompts a bark is during our drive to go hiking, but that's not really a bark its more like a yelp almost the entire way with excitement while she is pacing back and forth in the back of the car.

She is a playful dog and loves going on hikes in the mountains in the summertime AND during the snowy winter season. She even has her own Nordic ski pass. She's a trailblazer leading the way ahead of us but will stop and wait if we call out to her to do so. She sniffs the flowers along the way and greets all the dogs and others on the trail.  She does her best to not cause an accident on the trail with a biker or skier while she is excitedly greeting them.

She is a hungry dog who wins contests by being the fastest eater and will quickly finish any visiting dogs food if they are too slow to finish it first. Anything left unattended on the coffee table is fair game too and it doesn't matter if its adult or kid food, its gone before you know it. No matter where she is in the house, she can hear the fridge door open and she comes into the kitchen looking for treats.  Cantaloupe and watermelon are her favorite snacks besides lots of natural dog cookies.

She is a sleepy dog who loves a full nights sleep and lots of naps in between activities and she is always willing to take naps with any of her family.  Her favorite spot during the winter is by the fireplace and in the summertime you'll find her sleeping on her bed upstairs with the sun shining on her.  She may also be found sleeping under her dad's desk while he is working and she really loves to nap outside in the salty sunshine when she is living by the ocean.


She is a boat dog who loves to swim.  She rides sitting up on the seat with her face toward the wind and her ears flapping all the way, smiling.  When the boat stops she can't wait to jump into the ocean, swim to shore, shake off and bask in the warm sun.

She is a traveling dog who loves road trips.  She sits up on the back seat looking out the window at the sites along the way and she travels well on airplanes in her large crate too.  She loves all the attention she receives at the airport and in hotels where she is petted by adults and children alike.  On airplane trips we listen intently as we land and can hear her barking, and before long the entire plane can hear her cry "Don't forget me!"

She is a Florida native who loves the warm sunny weather in Florida but hates the humidity.  She has learned to love the snow and is invigorated by cool mountain air and is at home any where she goes.

She is a hostess dog who loves company.  As soon as the guests arrive she literally becomes attentive to them and never leaves them alone.  She lays by their feet, sometimes on top of their feet and follows them around even sleeping by their door unless she can get in their room.  She lays on their clothes while they are away waiting for their return.  One of her favorite guests is a special three year old boy who thinks Summer is his dog, calling her Summer Bummer. The two are inseparable.  Its very cute when he plays his toys on top of her but if she lays down on top of his toys or train set he demands she move over a bit.

She is a social dog who has many friends. Lucky, a golden retriever is her boyfriend.  Twister, a black lab is her young neighbor friend and well as sweet Lucy who visits from next door.  She has many cows who come to visit her, as well as a red fox, a deer, iguanas and even a crocodile has stopped by to say "Hi."

She is a sweet dog and a wonderful friend and loyal companion. She recognizes all of our family and many friends by name and will run to the window and wait for hours for them if you just mention their name out loud.

She is an incredible dog and my inspiration for several children's books I've been working on with ocean and mountain settings including one about her 10th Birthday Party!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Jewelry Art in the Tropics & Keys News

This summer I have expanded my jewelry venues to include two online art shopping sites.  I am excited to be included in both of these very cool art catalogs and hope you will visit and look around at all the beautiful merchandise so artfully displayed.

Via key West is a place where funky meets fabulous and is filled with tropical paintings, photographs, island getaway books, jammin music, luscious cakes, and of course handmade island style jewelry all inspired by the history, culture and characters of Key West.  I currently have several unique pieces listed with more coming online soon.   http://www.viakeywest.com/Jewlelry_s/86.htm

Margaritaville ~ Made in Key West is a special area on Jimmy Buffets website that offers handmade ceramics, unique shawdow boxes, paintings, and of course my island style jewelry.
http://www.margaritavillestore.com/browse.cfm/2,599.html

While working on my Island inspired designs I love to listen to Beachfront radio. If you want to experience a little island music, reggae, trop rock etc., this online station plays all the new music and lots of old favorites too.
http://www.beachfrontradio.com/fr_home.cfm

Keys News: One of our local bands, Howard Livingston and the MM 24 Band has been nominated for several catagories in the Margarita Mafia Trop Rock Awards. 1. Male vocalist of the Year 2. Band of the Year 3. Entertainer of the Year 4. Songwriter of the Year and Dave Herzog on Steel Pan as Musican of the Year! Congrats to Howard and the Band. I hope to catch a show and maybe the awards ceremony this Fall.  http://www.milemarker24.com/


Florida Magazine's Best of Florida 2010
Congrats to Key West for taking so many honors in the Best of Florida Awards including; Friendliest Small Town
Best Beach is Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park...Honorable mention: Bahia Honda
Best Place to Bring Fido is Dog Beach in KW
Best Cultural Festival is Fantasy Fest every October
Best Live Music Venue is the Green Parrot Bar " A Sunny Place for Shady People."
Best Band is Howard Livingston & MM 24 Band and KW's top tropical band.
Best Local Celebrity is Jimmy Buffett and his island escapism
Best Brunch is Blue Heaven Restaurant a local favorite in a quirky environment.
Best Margarita is at Margaritaville
Best Fishing Spot is The Florida Keys from the upper islands down to KW.
Best Sunset from Mallory Square
Best Outdoor Cafe is Salute'on the beach.
Best Talk Radio is KONK 1500 AM a little radio station with a BIG voice.
Best Newspaper is Fla Keys Keynoter
Best Independent Bookstore is Voltaire Books, its considered the last independent bookstore.
Best Garden is Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden containing a miniature rainforest.
Dive shops, Bike Shops, Spas, etc.
For the Complete list http://www.floridamagazine.com/bestof2010.html


Wishing you fun times limin' (hanging out with friends) and jammin' in an island state of mind!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

It's all about days filled with Color

To me working with glass and beads for that matter is like playing with color.  Each day I wake up to spend my days thinking of and working with color.  Being a visual person and one that is passionate about color I surround myself with lots of colorful inspiration to fuel my design process and keep me excited throughout my day.  Magazines and catalogs inspire me as well as does reading online about interior design, paint and fabric trends. 

According to The Color Marketing Group, the leading international organization of color design professionals the new hot color for Spring and Summer 2010 is Barefootin'.   A rich shade of sand that you would find in Spain or even Maine beaches with a warm terra cotta tint to it.  It is described by the President of CMG as a new color infused neutral.  The vivacious color orange, has taken a step back to soothe a weary psyche but without being dull. I am inspired by  all the shades of orange from burnt orange to pale peach because they are all found in nature.

Fla Keys Sunset
Crested Butte, Colorado
The Tropics Necklace from the Island Style Collection Nancy Yuskaitis Jewelry
I've enjoyed my experience with the color orange this summer and one of my favorite tops, a vivid orange with a pretty muted gold trim receives lots of complements each time I wear it.  I've since moved on to a reddish brown on my toes but enjoyed my previous pedicure and the shade of bright orange was really fun with my fancy brown fit flops. I love designing orange glass jewelry and most woman are quite striking with a pop of a highly energized orange necklace or earrings. I always enjoy an orange sunset in the tropics or in the mountains and orange poppies and hibiscus are equally gorgeous.

Additional Color Trends for this year which are paired with neutrals are
Red; A bright Red Pink filled with energy and excitement
Yellow; A natural Green Yellow to pair with gray
Green; An uplifting clear and bright Green Blue
Blue; A saturated Blue Gray
Beige-Brown; to complement darker shades
Gray; A mineral Lavender Gray or Steel Gray

Thursday, August 12, 2010

It's Wild Mushroom Season

It seems earlier this year than in previous years that we headed deep into the forest in search of our favorite wild mushrooms. Usually we go in the Fall but this year in early August after a week of cold rainy weather we began hearing reports that the mushrooms were popping out all over the forest.

We love the high elevation hiking in this town, the wildflower fields, striking waterfalls and gorgeous green lakes and streams but foraging for wild mushrooms is really exciting like going on a scavenger hunt.

Only a short car ride outside town is our favorite mushroom trail and so after breakfast and a trip to the Crested Butte farmer's market we headed up the dirt road past people running, camping and fly fishing.  Pink and yellow wildflowers line the road climbing up the mountainsides creating beautiful scenery all along the way.

As soon as we arrive with our backpacks filled with water, lunch and rain jackets, we quickly head into the forest.  Immediately we notice how wet everything is, and how moist the ground is beneath us.  There is a fresh scent in the air, a combination of pine and fragrant florals that is crisp and delicious and we hear the sound of streams and water gently rushing by.

I always have my camera in one hand and a bag for the mushrooms in the other because as we head up the trail we may see many different types of mushrooms in all sizes and shapes which I love to photograph.  The fly amanitas with their bright red cap and puffy white dots are something out of Alice in Wonderland but extremely poisonous. They are so colorful in the forest of mostly browns and greens that I love to photograph them.

On our first day out there are four of us and we all head slightly in a different direction off the rocky path in search of our own edible finds.  Soon we are calling out to each other to look at this one or come see these unusual ones and before long we have our bags filled with the golden Chanterelles, "The Queen of the Forest," with their apricot color and fruity scent.  Hawk's Wing, also called Chocolate Hedgehog with a rich flavor and the universally popular wild mushroom, the King Bolete, a strong and meaty porcini type.

This mushroom adventure was a first for our friends from Denver who were anxious to taste our wild treats.  As soon as we arrived home we cleaned the chanterelles, which is a laborous process and I sauteed them with organic button mushrooms, fresh garlic, butter, olive oil and a fruity white wine and served them over linguine pasta with parmesan cheese and whole grain bread from the farmer's market. So Delicious!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Turquoise ~ The Color of the Year 2010



While stopping by a neighbors home the other day I noticed a copy of the August issue of New Mexico Magazine on the coffee table with its beautiful turquoise gemstone jewelry on the cover.  Quickly I turned to the article "The Power of Turquoise," and was thrilled to see that my favorite color was announced by Pantone as the color of the year for 2010.  It is a timeless color and one that inspires me daily in my jewelry design process as its qualities transition so well with my Island and Western Style collections.

Pantone calls the color this year "an inviting luminous hue" and goes on to state that "it is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth inspired by water and sky."  Its no wonder I love this color, from its many hues of sage green to aqua blue to tropical ocean turquoise.  I enjoy painting my walls in shades of the ocean and designing and wearing shades of the gemstone in clothing or accessories in this beautiful blue green palette.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Lessons I learned from a Three Year Old

 To live life;
with an absurd imagination and playfulness
~ask endless questions
~make unexpected statements
~try out new words
~sing out loud
~create free form art
~color outside the lines
~experiment with new foods
~high five everyone who asks
~ become a trailblazer
~stay up late giggling
~cloud-watching
~enjoy red, green and orange melons with each meal
~talk to cows, "How now brown cow?"
~say "I love You" a million times a day
~dance with abandon
~be decisive when there is a fork in the road
~be focused about playing
~everyday is an adventure
~take naps with your dog
~live like you don't have a care in the world.

Learning and re-learning these things has given me so many new ideas for writing children's books that I hope to take time to write this summer in between my jewelry design and art shows.

My main character is my yellow lab, Summer and her adventures in the mountains and on the ocean with many characters joining in the fun.  I haven't decided whether to self publish or to shop for a publisher yet and so any suggestions are desired and welcome.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

High Altitude Art

As I prepare for the summer art season in Colorado I admit I must step up my habit of list making or relatively important things may be overlooked.  It helps me to remain calm yet productive when the intensity ramps up, it also encourages restful not sleepless nights trying to recall all the business details awaiting me the next day and it harnesses the the creative energy that flows through me at this time of year, instead of letting it just flitter by.

Although island living fuels my design process and enriches my jewelry with intense color and tropical flavor, it's the summertime living high up in the mountains that opens me up and excites the passion in me to create art jewelry and to write.  Last summer after a series of rolfing sessions from our wonderful local rolfer, Susan Marrion I could not stop writing.  I must have expressed about 10,000 words about my life and drafted several children's books which I hope to finish one day soon.

So far this summer I have new and re-orders to fill for Florida and Colorado gift shops and gallery's including one that I'm totally thrilled about.  Soon Margaritaville.com will be selling a few of my jewelry items.  I'll keep you posted when it goes live.  I am also preparing for several shows starting this weekend including, July 3rd - ART-rageous - A Day of Art at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte, Colorado, AWEfest and the CB Farmer's Market and I am looking forward to an inspired high mountain summer.

Celebrate creativity in all forms!  What creative projects have you been immersed in this summer, I'd love to hear about them?  Wishing you a creatively abundant summer!