Been away from the drawing board, so to speak – dealing with curve balls of life. I also see how much time has lapsed since my last post. Dava, don’t judge! Yes. Patience is golden, and the older I get, the more I realize how important and challenging both are. That is, not to judge and to be patient. I’ve missed writing and sharing. Learning to accept the natural rhythm of life, here I am writing once again. I cherish the nuances life brings to me and am grateful of my awareness, but it still takes practice. After all, life isn’t a destination – it’s a journey!  I am about to take you on this month’s journey;  A Rainbow of Reds.  My challenge here is to link wearing reds in the form of rubies, and then eating red foods as you will see below. Why? Because both are so good for you! This isn’t about fashion, but I introduce at least one cool fashion shot. Reflecting the topic- RED. Passion, courage, and effortless style. Wearing red in clothing, jewels and eating leads to one happy soul. Happy July and Happy Birthday to all of you Cancers out there! I love this month, and the sensitive wonderful beings born in it. I grew up with two my whole life. I am also very partial to July’s birthstone, Ruby. Love the color, love the healing properties and the energy. Below, in the first photo you see a cluster of smooth Ruby nuggets. The color is intoxicating. Ruby is healing, as are all gemstones, and offers so much good to the mind, body and soul. The photos below this one are necklaces and a bracelet created by me for Nymph, holding diamond charms and the other with a black Tahitian pearl. The deeper red translucent stones are “pomegranate” garnets; rather unique due to their size and the depth of color. Garnets are the stone of January; resting behind the menagerie of rubies, in peace. Ruby improves motivation and setting of realistic goals. It is the heart chakra’s stimulating stone. It promotes positive dreams, and positive leadership. This deep red stone detoxifies the body, blood and lymph-similar to the foods I will describe in a bit. Ruby brings about positive and courageous state of mind. Under it’s influence, the mind is sharp with heightened awareness and acute concentration. It is a motivational stone, imparting vigor to life. It heightens passion and improves setting realistic goals. A natural heart balancer, and promoter of positive dreams. Mentally, Ruby brings about a courageous state of mind, and also influences heightened awareness and concentration. This sociable stone attracts sexual activity and fires enthusiasm! Cool, right? The color is rich and divine, and wearing rubies simply brings vigor to your day.  Please visit Nymph Jewels on Etsy to purchase and for more information.

Below you’ll see a Pic Stitch created from photos reflecting different types of rubies. Some polished, some faceted, some simply raw and organic.  I invite you to scout around on my Etsy page for more Nymph Jewels. The month of July evokes swimming, fun, frolic, festivities, food and of course, July 4th celebrations. These activities inspire great cooking indoors and out. The nutritional portion of this blog post has now arrived. Let’s celebrate the Rainbow of Reds! Red peppers, radishes, radiccio, beets, red onions, tomatoes, watermelon, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, red apples, red plums, blood red oranges, ruby red grapefruit. The list can be carried out until August, when most likely I will talk about Peridot and green foods, but for now I share the benefits of these luscious foods with their passionate colors. These foods are among many,  rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Antioxidants are cancer fighting agents offering protection from breast, colon, esophagus, prostate and skin cancer. Antioxidants soak up damaging free radicals. I am not a scientist, by any means – but  the words lycopene and anthocyanins are words that spell out ANTIOXIDANT. Interestingly, Cranberries, for example have been shown to cause the death of cancer cells in lab studies. They also can stop bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract walls. Cranberries are rich in vitamin C.  I am using Cranberries as an example of the food groups in red and their benefits. My  goal is to build awareness and emphasize the importance in digesting intesnsely colored foods and why; awareness about the RED family of foods and  how contagious and beneficial devouring this color can be. I am not a scientist, as I said, but truly a lover of foods, passionate about colors and how they can influence a more positive balanced life. Wearing rubies, garnets or coral stones all in the family of reds, or ingesting many of the red foods available to us, our hearts, bodies, minds and souls will be thoroughly nourished from the inside out. I leave you with one final image; serious reflections in focus within this bountiful glass of Italian Barolo, and its sidekick carafe; taken in Los Angeles while dining with Aya. Our red wine glasses are loaded with Antioxidants – those delicious little cancer fighting agents once more. Healthy, tasty and very nutritious. Beautiful way to wind down the day on my final night visiting my one and only little girl. Bringing balance to a wonderful Italian meal!

Having serious passion for color, I am also a lover of life, lover of food. I find these red fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious offerings, along with gemstones, one more way to enhance the life you live with fun and balance! Happy July, everyone. Enjoy each waking moment outdoors as much as you can, storing up on the Sun’s natural Vitamin D while Mother Earth is offering it. Glorious summer. Bask in it and the nutrients  offered at this time of the season!  Incidentally, I find it rather ironic that the Astrological sign for July is Cancer, and the red food offerings have been proven to fight diseases such as cancer.

PS. BIG ANNOUNCEMENT COMING IN AUGUST

Yours in joy,

Dava