In Mavericks, click on any sticky and then from the Sticky menu, choose color and set it. Stickies will only remain on your display as long as the application itself is running. You might consider dragging /Application/Stickies to your Dock. Right click on the Stickies Dock icon and you will notice Options.
You can make Stickies an open at login item (this is enabled in System Preferences > Users & Groups> Login Items). Each time you startup your Mac, your stickies will appear on your display. You may also wish to select Keep In Dock. Any time that you want the Stickies off your display, you simply right-click on its Dock icon and select Quit. You can choose whether they float over other windows, and can also arrange them in specific order.
The Show Colors menu item brings up the colors palette that allows you to change the font color in selected Sticky note text.