My love of turquoise goes back to when I was 15 years old. My family and I embarked on a family trip across the country, stopping at notable places, doing the tourist-ey things, and enjoying some great food around the US. When we stopped in New Mexico, the gift shops, the hotels, and the little road side stands were filled with the rich blue rock, taunting me with its beauty. I purchased a little silver turtle that encased a tiny turtle pendant on a silver necklace with a little bit of turquoise on his shell. The top of the silver turtle box had two silver and turquoise earrings fastened to the exterior of the shell. It was one of my most beloved pieces of jewelry to date. Little did I know that the purchase of that tiny bit of turquoise would send me down a rabbit hole of longing for all things with that alluring, blue-green color.
It’s week two in the series, Turquoise How I Love Thee and here are my five favorite things this week that share the color I love so dear.
1. I’m in love with all things floral and these lovely soft turquoise felt flowers with yarn centers are no exception. Their soft felt petals wrap beautifully around their fluffy red centers. I love the combination of red with turquoise. It is my absolute favorite color combination. I even painted my small dresser-turned-jewelry-box with turquoise and painted the handles cherry red! I have these flowers on my to-do list for crafts to create. I think some of them grouped on the wall would make such a nice bit of art. They are exquisite and look fairly easy with some time put into the project. Have you made your own felt or paper flowers? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
2. This image, model and costume are out of this world gorgeous. At first, I look at it and think where to start? But then I hone in on those fabulous turquoise feathers. I love the little bits of black stripes on them here and there and that they make a frame around the stunning necklace the model is wearing. I love the flowing turquoise chiffon gown and the way the makeup artist used the turquoise under her eyes to tie it all together. The headdress made of appliqués and rhinestones combined with that amazing necklace make this sparkly loving gal dream of days of performance and dress up. This entire outfit makes great costume inspiration – both for dance and/or a costume party. Absolutely divine!
(Photo by Royce Aldrich Centeno)
3. Who doesn’t love a leather cuff? They make a great accent piece to any outfit and a hand stamped and painted one like this gives the wearer an earthy feel mixed with the feminine brilliant turquoise. The little studs placed around the outside give the bracelet more dimension and layers, for me making it much more interesting. I love hand carved and stamped leather with painted details. One of my favorite purses of all time was a red leather purse from Peru purchased by my sister as a birthday gift to me. It had flowers and leaves carved into the leather and was painted with whites and greens. It was absolutely adorable. I would still have that purse today if I hadn’t accidentally set it on the roof of my truck prior to driving on the freeway, forgetting my poor little purse up there (along with my cell phone and $300 cash, eep). She must have flown off and into the bushes. I drove that portion of the freeway at least five times before giving up on the idea of finding her. This cuff reminds me a lot of that purse with it’s flowers and studs. It’s such a pretty piece!
4. I know, I know, this is not a turquoise stone however, I do include my love for Aquamarine in my obsession for turquoise. Although it’s a softer, lighter blue, it still has that hint of green mixed in with the blue in this lovely gemstone. Aquamarine is my birthstone as a December baby, giving me a fondness for the stone since I was old enough to know what a birthstone was. This amazing raw piece is mixed with Feldspar and is from the Erongo Mountains in Namibia, South Africa.
5. Have you always wanted to live in a colorful house? I have. I’ve always loved and admired those beautiful villages in South America where all of the houses are painted different colors and all of them are so bright and cheerful. I think color that comes in bold fashions like the exterior paint of a home really does bring more joy to our every day lives. It’s a wonder that so many homes are beige and white and brown. This lovely turquoise home with yellow accents – YELLOW is my second favorite color – just sings! Can you imagine walking up to this home each evening on your way home from work? A smile would wash over your face and a sigh of relief that you’re home, back to the land of cheer and happiness. I dream of living and sharing a community and Artist Colony someday. In my vision, the homes all have different colors and stunning details like this one. Artists really do make everything beautiful.
(Private residence on a colorful street in Vina de Mar, Providencia, Santiago, Chile. Photo by Steven Miller.)
That’s it for this week’s favorite turquoise things! Which one is your favorite from this list? I’d love to hear why you love it so much!
