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!

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

The Best of Both Worlds

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.