Color Craze: Tropical Brights

Ready for Spring and Summer? I know I may be pushing the seasonal envelope with this post but since I design my jewelry collections on a similar schedule as the fashion industry, I've been in hot weather mode since the Fall. The inspiration board for my Summer 2013 collection {above) is filled with the tropical color influences that I'm looking forward to sharing with you in May and I can't wait to wear the bright, sultry colors associated with warm breezes, lush rain forests and island living. Now, let's see about booking that trip to Fiji.....

Color Craze: Tropical Brights by JulRe Designs on Polyvore

Love Bites

We have yet to decide if we're going to enjoy an evening of fine dining in New York City for Valentine's Day this year or if we'll settle in at home and cook a romantic meal together.  Over the years we've enjoyed the pleasures of both but no matter where we choose to partake in the annual ritual of feasting on the Meal of Love, dessert will be served at home and homemade.

While chocolate is the go-to sweet treat most commonly associated with the holiday, I'm leaning toward something less traditional this time.

Mixed Berry Mousse & Gelée Verrines from Hungry Cravings 

I found this delectable Mixed Berry Mousse recipe on a respected food blog a couple of years ago and it has been my secret weapon when I need to impress guests or serve something relatively simple yet elegant. My significant other puts it high on his request list so I make it often enough to consider myself a bit of an expert. So I say, don't let the preparation of the puree defeat you. This dish is well worth the effort. It's the perfect ending to a sweet day. 

Color Craze: Ginger Snap

Food has influenced my jewelry in so many ways. The smell of a dish, whether savory or sweet has inspired some of my most colorful pieces. Spices always elicit special creative fluidity. Ginger, well, the color that comes to mind most when you try to envision the flavor, has been a bit of a design obsession. I delight in seeing the color everywhere from lipstick to home furnishings. 

Images: (above, top, left to right) Ginger Snap Cookies, Ginger hair, Ginger Taupe laminate (bottom, left to right) Carnelian gemstone beads, Ginger root, Ginger jars 

The golden reddish-brown hue is so rich and warm, it can add a power punch to neutrals. Using Polyvore to illustrate, I teamed it with a classic cream sweater dress and added ginger peep toe suede t-strap heels and a stylish leather bag. Wear with my chunky Ginger Snap Necklace and you've got an extra spicy but sublimely sophisticated look!

What do you think of the color, Ginger?


(Check out my other Style Boards on Polyvore!)

Loving Lovely Lace

Image Credits (top left, clockwise): Fabric Stock Exchange, Neiman Marcus, Chictopia, Chloe, Stella McCartney

Call me a lover of perforated fabrics. I've made no secret of my adoration of eyelet. There's something fashionably appealing about the delicate airiness of openwork cloth. Lace gives me a similar feeling. Although the art of handcrafting the fabric has been lost over the years, what we see in stores today is artfully made by machines of course but its beauty has not been lost entirely.

At one time, most often used for lingerie, bridal gowns and decorative table covers, you can now find lace being worn for day with jeans, on gorgeous cocktail dresses and interwoven into our favorite accessories. A long way from tablecloths and napkins, for sure. No matter how you choose to incorporate it into your wardrobe, keep this in mind: too much it and you risk walking a fine line between Victoria's Secret and Victorian times.

'Tis the Cocktail Season

Top left, clockwise: Bourbon Hot Toddy, Poinsettia Cocktail, Cranberry Cocktails, Bloody Caesar, Pina Colada

I've been a little obsessed with finding the perfect cocktails this season. With so many soirees for our Insiders, jewelry trunk shows and informal parties for family and friends, it has become a regular ritual to peruse the web, watch the food channels and ask local bartenders for their tastiest, colorful, most satisfying Holiday drinks. 

Between the beverages highlighted above and the favorites a few of my team members and I have pinned on my dedicated Pinterest board, we've creatively assembled quite a collection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic libations. Our PR & Marketing Manager, a self proclaimed  mixologist, has even designated one evening a month to cocktail sampling in my studio where we invent a few signature drinks like The Sapphire, consisting of vodka, lime juice and a few other ingredients that we soon learned should not, under any circumstances, be combined in a shaker or a blender.

I feel cocktail hour is not just for flavor experimentation, it's also a great time for ushering in a high energy party environment, enjoying good conversation or simply an accompaniment for some much needed quiet time. So as you make your way through this most joyous (yet hectic) time of year, take some time to delight in a cocktail or two. But whatever you choose to do, please drink responsibly.