Welcome to Paradise Inspired Living capturing my journey of a colorful life filled with views of paradise & inspirations from the heart.
Island Mountain Cottage Studio Happenings ~ Inspiration ~ Everyday Life ~ Photography ~ Jewelry.
Wishing everyone a happy, bright, sunshiny week from the Wildflower Capital of Colorado, Crested Butte.
It's Summertime! Let's celebrate with Flowers.
This delightfully small ski town which is covered in a blanket of white for many months of the year is experiencing an explosion of color in shades of pink, purple, orange and yellow this summer. Last week was the Wildflower Festival and the flowers were peaking on the mountainsides and trails, but everywhere you look there are gardens, flower boxes and hanging baskets bursting with gorgeous colorful flowers.
Everyone gets into the spirit of summertime here and plants to their hearts content or purchases the most beautiful flowers available to display in their yards and porches. Shops, galleries, offices and restaurants display hugh hanging baskets which must be watered each day in their entrances and the town provides planters and flower boxes which line the main street, Elk Avenue in vibrant summer blossoms.
Although the growing season is short here, usually about 90 days this flower frenzy is a feast for the eyes and fills your heart and soul with gratitude for such beauty.
Enjoy the flowers and the inspired by nature ~ Botanical Style flower bracelets which can be found on my website or if sold, by special request. Keep checking back for more flower inspired jewelry this summer.
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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
This month some dear friends asked if I would care for their potted bonsai plant in their yard when we returned to Florida. It would be for three weeks while they drove to Delaware and back on business. “Of course,” I said knowing that they had done the same for us as well as care for our dog over a weekend in the past.
Every day or two I would walk across the quiet street over to their yard and generously water their cherished bonsai plant as well as the tomato plant filled with delicious ripe tomatoes, gorgeous flowering orchids, striking bromeliads, flowering vines and herb garden with water from a rain barrel in their back yard.
April was a dry month, I think it rained only once and it was very windy a lot of the time which dried out the soil, and required watering more frequently.
I found each day I looked forward to and would spend a little longer in their yard tending to the various plants and flowering bushes, removing dead leaves, trimming, picking up fallen branches, even raking the yellow flower blossoms that had fallen on the gravel yard from the neighbors tree.
Before long I realized that what began as a favor to our neighbor friends became something I truly enjoyed and looked forward to. After a winter of snow and white I relished the opportunity to enjoy springtime in Florida enjoying the bright greens, vivid pinks and yellows greeting me each day. The day before they arrived back, with the rain barrel empty, I carted over water by the jug full and soaked in this experience realizing its value and blessing in my life as I watched several birds who appeared to be building a nest in the palm tree in the yard.
Wishing you a Springtime filled with new insight and gratitude!
Hello! Welcome to Nancy Yuskaitis Jewelry. Whenever I mention to someone that I live on an island part of the year and in a western ski town the rest of the year, they always remark that I have the best of both worlds. I agree! Life is more interesting that way, but I haven't always had that contrast in my environment.
For most of my life I have lived in the tropics of South Florida and enjoyed all that lifestyle has to offer including warm weather, boating, swimming, beach-combing and wearing flip flops everyday. My vacations were always to another beautiful beach town, such as Hope Town in the Abacos, in the Bahamas where I started collecting sea glass in shades of cobalt blue and sage green...or in Brighton, England where the beach is covered in adobe colored pebbles..or in Tossa de Mar in Costa Brava, Spain with its brown coarse sand cushioning your nap...or in Switzerland where the sunbathers are undressed and the fried fish is delicious...or in Anna Maria Island, FL for the 4th of July fireworks...or Long Island, NY with it's grassy beaches.
The sea has always been a part of my life from my earliest memories and childhood photos. I've enjoyed countless hours riding in boats of all types including ski boats...sport-fishing boats...deck boats...sailboats...commercial fishing boats...yachts and cabin cruisers. While looking out at the sea I would daydream about designing tropical inspired clothing...accessories...interiors and home decor and later would use my inspiration to design one of a kind gifts or interior designs.
During the last several years my inspiration has expanded by the opportunity to live in a sweet little mountain town in Colorado. Although summertime is my favorite time to be outside and enjoy the natural beauty, wintertime has it's special appeal and is still novel to me. Especially, two years ago when we received 42 feet of snow.
