Those of you who have followed Valerie Tyler Designs (now the Valerie Tyler Collection) may have noticed a trend recently in which the newest pieces of the collection seem to be named after geographical features, e.g. The Islander Haven Pendulum Earrings or the Dotted Ridge Necklace.
This wasn't simply because I wanted to give the new jewelry fancy names, but was really quite intentional. As a new mom who went through a heck of a time last year (let's just say there were too many emergency room visits with the little one and medical bills that were really annoying, but don't worry, kiddo is doing great!) I really was experiencing quite a bit of wanderlust while designing the new line.
Since I had to take a bit of a hiatus this year from leaving the house too much I literally lived vicariously while designing this collection, checking out dreamy photos of exotic locales, making a travel wish list, and spending entirely too much time on instagram drooling over lovely snaps from travel photographers. (One of my favorites by the way is Travis Burke Photography. Completely Stunning! )
Then I started drawing on my own travel experiences and pulled up photos from past trips such as the time we did a nice long Fallingwater, Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Valley to Williamsburg Roadtrip.
Of course, looking at all the gorgeous nature photos made me realize I really needed to step out my own backdoor a little bit more. I'm lucky enough to live steps away from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so I can always take a hike to find a little natural inspiration.
I drew upon all these things, experiences both real and desired to create this years pieces. They're rich with texture, unique shapes and definitely have a bohemian flavor.
The Dotted Ridge Necklace was really inspired by the amazing hikes we took in the Shenandoah Valley National Park and the amazing tree dotted views along Skyline Drive. I wanted to do something definitely earthy, with plenty of texture to remind me of the texture of the mountains and the rocks we climbed.
The Islander Haven Earrings were born from dreaming of a relaxing beach vacation. I designed a pair of earrings I'd want to wear with an exotically patterned sundress and a big floppy hat while sipping on a tasty mojito.
Of course, now that the little one is a bit older it's time to start indulging in that wanderlust a bit and hitting the road more often again.