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.