Christmas Crafts and Creative Eats

Image via countryliving

In the spirit of today here are some creative inspirations I wanted to share.

 Image above and below via belges

 Image via anthropologie

 Image via husandhem

Image via shelterness

Image via potterybarn

 Image via countryliving.

Image via casahaus

Image via fellowfellow

 Image via birchandbird

Image via desdemventana

Image via marthastewart

Image via birchandbird

Image above and below via facebook

Christmas Market

It was a perfect weather day for the Christmas market at Graceway Gourmet yesterday.  Our table was dressed in the holiday spirit with pine wreaths and capeze shell ornaments in addition to the usual goodies.

A good showing of vendors brought nice variety for shoppers.

Lucie Winton Stubbs and Emma Halliday at their tables.

Melissa Willcocks of Orion Creations shared a table with Paradise Arts Ceramics.

 Sara Kauffman was all smiles in her elf outfit for the Middle Caicos Co-Op table.

Chrystel Loyer Kendrew had made beautiful handmade cards with her photographs especially for the holiday season.

Atelys Handcrafted jewelry was a very popular table, anything in her collections would have made for a special stocking surprise.  The whole day was great fun, so good to see so many creative people under the same tent with everyone was in the holiday spirit! Shoppers should feel great about choosing local products made by local people and the vendors should feel good about a portion of proceeds benefiting local charities (this market went to the Kidney Foundation).

Art Expo this Saturday!

Come one, come all, to the biggest and brightest gathering of local Turks and Caicos artistic talent around!  The white top tent in Turtle Cove will be bursting at the seams with beautiful handcrafted pieces perfect for holiday gift giving or displaying at home.  A small teaser from a few of the participating artists:

 LWS Designs

Krystin Frank Mann

 Chrystel Loyer Kendrew

Atelys Handcrafted Jewelry

All images via facebook

I will have additional driftwood sculptures, a few new items I am excited to share, the usual past favorites, and even a box of half priced items ready for quick sell!

Drift No. 8 base 5"dia x 21"h

Drift No. 9 base 12"w x 6"d x 23"h

Drift No. 10 base 6.5"dia x 34"h

 Drift No. 11 base 6"dia x 30.5"h x 37"w

Halloween at Fleur de Lys Villa

After three years of participating in Leeward's Halloween trick or treating, Fleur de Lys Villa finally made it on the map!  The last couple of years we disappointingly watched little ghouls and goblins pass us by, despite the lantern lit drive and open front door.  Looks like the Leeward neighborhood's Halloween spirit and reputation has grown, and Sandpiper Avenue's in particular.  The most trick or treaters in years passed tallied around 25, we delighted to see that number triple this year!

So much fun to have the streets full of costumed kids laughing, "boo!"-ing eachother, holding hands or bound in big groups in anticipation of an unexpected fright from any direction. 

Our ghost did a great job of welcoming everyone at the gates!

 

Our first trick or treaters (pictured above) arrived around 5pm, receiving big handfuls of treats as I recalled the weeks worth of leftover candy in years past.   I soon wished I had not been so generous as I looked into our fast emptying bowl!  I had to resort to giving away plastic spiders from the decor while waiting for candy reinforcements!  The back up supply arrived just in the nick of time as a few clever kids had figured out how to open the front gates.  Our final trick or treater, miss adorable below, had just missed the last treat by seconds, but she was kind enough to share her bag of goodies with us instead!

Happy Father's Day

We prepared for Father's Day a couple of weeks ago at the ECGYC.  Craft class produced these super cool cards based on this template.  A few of the non shy students are pictured above with their fantastic creations.  Did you make any fun crafts for Father's Day?   We hope you enjoyed it, whether face to face with father, or simply a good chat to lessen the long distance between.

Here's my card for you Dad!

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Image via rucraftblog

It will be a very long weekend in the Turks and Caicos Islands! Celebrations begin tomorrow in honor of the 60 year reign of Queen Elizabeth as the head of the Commonwealth.  Please visit the interactive timeline to learn more about the major moments in history since Elizabeth II took the crown at the early age  of 25. 

logo via thediamondjubilee.org

For craft class yesterday at the ECGYC we made crowns to mark the occasion.   I was concerned that these teenagers may not match my enthusiasm for this particular project, but much to my surprise, everyone went straight to work with their creative thinking caps!  We actually stayed overtime  applying the finishing touches and lettting the glue dry before taking some photos of our handiwork.

We hope you take some time this weekend to . . . . 

tedbaker tea towel via fbccinewsletter

Check out the TCI Schedule of events here and be sure to stop by island scoop

on Tuesday at 4pm!

Happy Mother's Day!

Image copyright Stacie J. Steensland

Working on a series of collages using my photographs from Turks and Caicos combined with inspirational quotes. More to come . . .

International Women's Day!

In celebration of internationalwomensday we created compliment bags for our project of the day at the ECGYC.  The girls had a great time decorating the bags and writing their very own inspirational messages and compliments for the lucky women they will choose to "fish" inside the bag.  Proof in the pudding that it is better to give than to receive.

A few great messages  (pictured right to left) you may want to pass along to the fantastic women in your life:

"Your face shines like the sun!"

"You ROCK . . . . everyday!"

"You just being here is God's gift to someone!"

"You make me believe in my education!"

"You have a heart of gold!"

Thank you to these young women at the center, you all make me so proud!

Guest Post from Arcadian Lighting, Arts and Crafts Style

Hello! I'm Jessica, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a blog and website specializing in lighting fixtures and interior design ideas. I'm delighted to be guest posting today for Pepper and Pikey because I'm going to be sharing a particular interior design style known as Arts and Crafts. This style emerged in the 1860s as a reaction to the industrial revolution where many products and furnishings were suddenly mass produced. Arts and Crafts interiors are all about simple designs, traditional hand crafted furniture or built-in, and a muted, natural color palette of green, brown or plum. I hope you enjoy!

The rudimentary wooden furniture and nature-inspired patterns in this Manhattan apartment create a handsome example of Arts and Crafts style. The intricate, floral ceiling light and Tiffany lamp are classic choices from the turn of the century.

The beige and pale green color palette in this room is typical for traditional Arts and Crafts interior designs, as is the built-in fire place and mantle in the corner.

This gorgeous built-in shelving and fireplace in the living room provides a warm, inviting focal point for the room. It demonstrates the simple, linear design aesthetic of the Arts and Crafts style.

The charming, simple tile work and a soft green and yellow color palette give this kitchen a fresh, cozy atmosphere. I really love the cupboard doors.

Another handsome Arts and Crafts fireplace, this one features a beautiful collection of vegetal-inspired pottery and accent tiles. The bronze fire shield has a swirling, intricate bird design that's a little more Art Nouveau, but still appropriate given both Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau were popular during the same time.

I love this chic, traditional master bathroom especially for its skylight and tiled floor. The circular design on the skylight, floor and counter creates a cohesive scene, and subtle green accents work beautifully with the wood cupboards.

This light-filled kitchen is so bright and energetic with all of it's vibrant green and yellow accents. The open shelving provides an excellent place to display the most beautiful ceramics and dishware.

Everything about this dining room is warm and inviting thanks to abundant use of solid mahogany. The tone of the wood picks up nicely on the yellow colors in the unique ceiling light and matching wall sconce.

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What do you think of this very cozy, handsome and organic interior design style? If you're looking for more design inspiration and a light fixture or two inspired by days gone by, check out Arcadian Lighting.