The Saltwater Dreams Collection
read what inspired this latest collection
The cure for anything is saltwater, sweat, tears or the sea. – Isak Dinesen
With everything we’ve all been through these last couple years, we could really do with some cleansing saltwater, don’t you think? I’d like to introduce you to my newest collection, Saltwater Dreams. Read on to find out what inspired it.
a roadtrip through Europe
Last summer my husband and I took a month-long road trip from Portugal to Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, and back home. Since we mostly work remotely and COVID had us doing all our normal activities online, we thought why not take advantage of the situation and do something we may never have a chance to do again?
We had a sick doggy, our 14-year-old yellow Labrador, Hunter. He had been dealing with liver failure for nearly a year and I was cooking all his meals for him. Obviously, we couldn’t leave him, so we took him with us on our trip. Hunter was such a happy and cheerful guy, even when he didn’t feel well, he was happy to be going anywhere we were going.
While we were in Switzerland Hunter became worse, and by the time we got to Italy we knew what we had to do. It’s a hard enough thing having to put a dog down when you are home and can call your normal vet. It’s another thing when you are in a country where you don’t speak the language and things work differently.
We spent one last day together as a family, swimming in Lake Como, then we took him to the sweetest vet ever (though she didn’t speak much English). I’ll spare you the details, but if you’ve been through this, you know.
grief is just love with no place to go
For the first time in our 18 years of marriage, my husband and I were without a dog. We drove back to our vacation rental alone, and so very sad.
A good friend of mine lost her brother to cancer the year before, and she actually had the concern to check on me weeks later (I mean, the loss of a dog is nothing like the loss of a brother!) She shared with me a quote that I have since found on Pinterest. “Grief, I’ve learned is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.” – Jamie Anderson
How beautiful is that? And so true.
healing meditteranean saltwater
When we left Italy we headed home through the French Riviera, one of my favorite places on the planet. I absolutely LOVE the Mediterranean Sea. It is the most beautiful shades of turquoise, blue and green. In summer it is comfortably warm but still refreshing, and it is saltier than the ocean. Did you know that? Yes, the salinity of the Med is higher than that of the ocean at 38-40 parts per thousand, verses an average of 35 parts per thousand in the oceans. It may not sound like much, but you can feel the difference on your skin, and you float so easily!
It was there, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, grieving the loss of my fur baby, that this collection began to form in my mind. It has taken months to come to fruition, but finally it is almost finished. With every collection I do, I literally pour my soul into it, but with this one, it’s been even more so.
all the mermaid vibes
With this collection I hope you feel the healing touch of saltwater. I hope you sense the soothing calm of the colors of the Mediterranean Sea. I hope you can imagine the cool quiet as you dive under those turquoise waters and just for a few seconds pretend you are a mermaid living your best life, unaware of the craziness going on in the world above.
This collection features a lot of blue-green stones: tourmaline, apatite, Peruvian Opal, wood opal, larimar, lots of sea glass, shells, and some pearls. It’s a good mix of copper and silver, with a few pieces that include 14k gold and gold-filled.
be the first to experience the collection
Saltwater Dreams collection, coming March 18th.
I’ll be doing an Instagram Live on Thursday the 17th so I can show you all the pieces. The collection will go live to SCD Insiders on Friday the 18th at 5pm Portugal time (that’s 12 noon EST / 9am PST) for ONE FULL HOUR before it is released to the public. If you haven’t already signed up for inside access, fill in the form at the bottom of the page.
