Tis the Season

It's hard in Key West for Northerners like me to get into the Christmas spirit because the weather is so unlike the White Christmas we dream of. Strangely enough, the song I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas just came up on the CD Player! How's that for coincidence?

Anyway, Key West's weather and all the tropical foliage and colors make decorating for Christmas a challenge, especially in the shop. The traditional red and green seem too heavy for the light airy look we've got going here. So we've put together decorations to express the same feeling - big silver glass shells, mercury glass spiral drop ornaments, blue glass spirals, blue glass birds with feather tails,some painted tin birds with crystal drops, some pastel painted whimsical shapes of tin, all interlaced with aqua, lime, and coral net ribbon. And - voila.....Style Key West Christmas!


Merry Christmas to All,

Smells Like Team Spirit

I've been working out at Stay Fit Studio ever since I moved to Key West two years ago, and this year the gym sponsored the first ever Key West Triathlon. Several of my friends trained faithfully for months and completed the full Olympic length triathlon: 1 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 10K run. This is not their story.

Meet The Team:


Mary and I had been planning to compete all along; we even went to some training sessions: open water swims, long bike rides, but as the training threatened to interfere with our social calendars, we decided that we would find a third and be part of a TEAM! Yes, that's it! We couldn't manage the rigorous training to compete individually, but with the pressure of being part of a team, we would surely press through with whatever training our schedules permitted. We couldn't, we wouldn't let the team down.

We did find a third. However, three weeks away from the event we discovered his devotion to "The Team" was even weaker than our devotion to training. I begged my significant other, John, to please, please, please fill in for this slacking ne'er do well who let the team down. John had been on swimming teams through high school, and his level of commitment in all things matched our team philosophy completely. He agreed and a new team was born.

So on the morning of December 5, 2010, the very last person to jump in the water was John:


Biker, Mary's team affiliation was in question...are we team 619 or 617?


And finally, the senior member of the team crossed the finish line....I know, it looks like I'm walking, but if you look closer, neither of my feet are touching the ground...pretty cool!


We had a blast, didn't make too bad of a showing at all, and we've vowed to do it again next year. We might actually train!

First Thursday Featured Guest: Key West Artist, Eric Afinson

For the First Thursday Holiday Open House last week, Style Key West was excited to host Key West artist, Eric Anfinson, who shows at Lucky Street Gallery. Eric's haunting portraits tell a story of a spiritual evolution, both of the artist and the subject.


Eric's own story is as inspiring as the work he exhibits. At 16, he suffered a football injury causing paralysis and minimal use his limbs. But in his thirties, he began painting. Thanks to some flexibility in his right arm and shoulder, he found that he had enough movement to put paintbrush to canvas. And the successful career that followed tells the rest of the story.

This year, in addition to his collection of five boxed note cards, Eric has created a 2011 wall calendar. The calendar is a "red balloon project," and 10 percent of the proceeds goes to the Just For Kids Art Program in Bahama Village, here in Key West. You can visit his website for more information about Eric and his Etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing his calendars and note cards.

Today's Headline: Flaming Flags in Key West!

Last week Key Westers found yet another cause for celebration (that's not hard for us to do).

December 1 marked the end of an uneventful (for Key West) hurricane season, and tourism and weather officials celebrated by burning the red and black hurricane flags that are flown at the Coast Guard stations when the islands are under a hurricane warning.


We're out of the woods until June 1 next year! Hooray!

Rue Magazine's Gallery of Rooms

I recently posted about how Lonny now has a gallery of images that you can search by room. Since then, I saw that more online magazines are doing the same thing. While the archives are pretty spare right now, they will no doubt becomes a major resource for design bloggers and anyone else in need of decorating inspiration.

Here are some images that I pulled from Rue Magazine's gallery of rooms:








Do you have any other resource suggestions for interior design? Do tell!

Just in Time for Winter (in Key West): The Best All Natural Mosquito Repellent Candles!

We just received a shipment of one of our best products ever: all natural mosquito repellent candles! I know, I know - some of you are looking at snow. But here in Key West, mosquitoes are a part of life year-round. And when we find something new we get a little excited about it.

The candles are from our new candle line, Hillhouse Naturals (they also have a blog).

The candles are all natural with two different fragrance blends. One is wild mint, juniper, and tea tree, and the other is eucalyptus, mint leaf, and lemongrass. Note: No citronella! They smell fabulous in the shop without being lit, which is great, but we had to product test them for actual mosquito repellent abilities.

You know how we love outdoor dining. So Sunday night, we tested them at a dinner party in our loggia...



...and they worked great! The fragrance of the natural herbs was subtle and didn't overwhelm us as we dined.


And the container is reusable as a planter. All natural, no smelly citronella, reusable container, and THEY WORK! We're sold.

Elle Decor Showhouse Room Renderings

I always say that if there is anything I like better than a pretty room, it's a pretty picture of a pretty room. So of course I've always had a bit of a thing for designer sketches and room renderings.

Elle Decor's 2010 Showhouse has some lovely spaces, and a few of my favorite rooms have accompanying designer sketches that I would happily frame and display.

Youth Bedroom by Grant Gibson:


Bedroom by Suzanne Tucker:




The Breakfast Area by Palmer Weiss:




Then I saw that one of my favorite artist bloggers took this:


And created this:


That would be by Patricia van Essche of pve design fame of course! I'm not sure which I'm charmed by more - the room or the illustration...

The Lonny Library

I may be a little late to the party here... But I just noticed that Lonny now has a gallery of images that you can search by room. I love this!

What a great idea - and how obvious really. As an online magazine, each picture used could be easily dropped into a separate web page. And now, Lonny fans have a go to source for design inspiration.

First, I took a look through bookshelves:






Some good inspiration here...

Then, in honor of the Style Key West lifestyle, "outside living," I looked through the outdoor gallery:






I'll take the one with the paper lanterns, please. But then I think every outdoor space it taken up about 20 notches with pretty paper lanterns.

Looking forward to seeing these galleries grow!