It was truly a glorious weekend and got me thinking about color (the artist in me) and themes for events and weddings.  I think one of the most important tools in deciding upon your theme/color scheme for any event, and particularly a wedding, is your own imagination. Start by truly letting your imagination go wild and then slowly tame it.  Go beyond just choosing your “favorite” colors. Here are some steps to get you going on the right path.

1. Brainstorm - Think of your favorite colors, places, memories… use the surroundings of the location to inspire you or the season. Think of the location of your first date, a favorite date or vacation spot. Look at the natural surroundings - the flora (leaves, trees, flowers, etc) and the landscape. Think broad and don’t limit yourself.  True inspiration is found through an active imagination, so don’t let yourself be constricted in this part of the process to what’s in vogue or seems safe.
2. Find inspiration - Once you’ve brainstormed, delve deeper into those thoughts.  Look at natural objects (like shells, trees, flowers, the ocean); Choose an object that you really love - maybe its the lace from grandma’s wedding gown or an old teacup pattern.  It could be your favorite painting or an accent pillow on your couch.  Just find something that speaks to you.
3. Look at the color palette.  You should choose a main color, a neutral and then one or two accent colors.  For a monochromatic theme, choose a few shades of the same color.  For something with a little more punch, choose accent colors that contrast with your main color.  There’s a great color wheel that you can use to get ideas and see what colors work together at brides.com http://www.brides.com/weddingstyle/receptions/colorstudio/ 
4. Once you’ve decided on a color palette, tie those colors in with your flowers, linens, favors and other wedding items.  Use the color palette to create your save-the-dates and invitations to give guests a taste of what’s to come…

Have fun, be daring, choose what you love!

My return couldn’t have come at a better time as the temperature has plunged into a deep freeze in the North East (and I am sooo not a cold weather person)… and business is starting to boom again on St Croix.  A few cool things I’ve learned since being back:

• In the Nov 07 issue of Caribbean Travel & Life - St Croix was the cover feature - and the article was titled St Croix: The Next Great Place. The article is focused on the great things that are happening on our often overlooked island and why it is THE place to be!
• There is a new upscale bar and restaurant in downtown Christiansted that I’ve heard nothing but raves about - Zebo’s on Strand Street.  Haven’t gotten a chance to drop in yet - but its high on my list!  I’ve heard its comfy couches, pool table, great food… will report more when I have the chance to stop in!
• Had dinner at Bacchus Friday night - my first time since the new owner’s and I can say that they are doing a great job!  Same great and welcoming staff, same funky, upscale style menu with their own twists on classics.  I split the rack of lamb with a friend (which was delish and plenty!).  We had some AMAZING spicy lobster dip on large fried wonton squares… tender, melt-in-your-mouth bite sized tuna tar-tar on tortillas… and of course finished with my favorite - their bread pudding!  Nothing disappointed and I discovered my new favorite wine - Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir. 
• The Mermaid Restaurant at The Buccaneer is now open for dinner!  It’s always just been a lunch spot on the beach - but their new dinner menu is really intriguing with lots of seafood and vegetarian options.  I had a tropical chicken salad for lunch which was really fantastic and I’m looking forward to trying it out for dinner.  A great option to the high-end Terrace Restaurant at the Bucc - which is great for a meal or two, but a bit much for every night if you are staying at the resort.

There’s lots going on these days on St Croix and I’ll be sticking to a regular publishing schedule now that I’m here… at least posting twice weekly… so check back for more of the insider scoop and great event ideas!

Sun & Smiles,

Cindy

In other news, The Palms at Pelican Cove has been bought out and I hear their plans are big, big, big! From my source:  They plan to undergo a $15 million renovation over the next 4 years, will have 120 rooms (currently about 45 rooms), 2 pools (currently 1 gorgeous pool) and a 250 person conference center.  (I’m REALLY excited about that one).  Additionally, right now they have 2 very talented and widely accoladed chefs heading up their restaurant and I CAN’T WAIT to get back on island and visit.  Frank Pugliese is the former owner and executive chef of Restaurant Bacchus in Christiansted (now under new ownership) which was one of my favorites for upscale, gourmet cuisine and an amazing wine list.  Chef Brian Wisbauer, has worked at the hotel when it was still The Cormorant and most recently headed up the kitchen at Salud Bistro.  Both he and Frank have many awards under their belt and I’m sure are turning out to be a mean team.  Make sure to put their kitchen on your list of “must do’s” when on St Croix - **YUM**! 

Recent news also has it that 2009 will mark the return of the cruise ship to St Croix, namely the Disney Cruise Line.  While there have been some smaller ships stopping and some larger ones staying for a few hours to fuel up, the past 5 years have seen very little cruise ship activity.  But, it was recently announced that Disney Cruise Lines has added St Croix as a port destination for its 2009 itineraries.  This is great news for the economy of St Croix and no fear - there still won’t be 5-10 ships daily like on St Thomas.  Just enough travellers to find out that St Croix truly is the gem of the Caribbean, then go back and tell all their friends!

The constant change that occurs on any island is just another reason that you should have a local wedding, event or travel planner.  They can make sure that you are aware of these changes - and guide you in the right direction to new things that are really worth checking out.  My first mission when I get back to St Croix (as of Jan 1) will be to check these new places out and let you know what I think… in other words, I really and truly will be actively blogging!  You should also see some great new changes to my website as of Jan 08 - so stay tuned!

And - to everyone… have a very Happy Holiday season!

Q:  What got you started in organic farming? My dad had a small garden at home that he grew during the cooler months of the year. I would help with the weeding and cleaning of the salad greens.

Q: Can you describe the ups and downs of organic farming? the ups are these: lots of life all around you. it’s so satisfying to see so many insects of all types living on our farm and then the birds. Birds love our plants and so do the toads. /with organic farming you are actually building life in your soil and above it. The only down is that we have to stop in the summer but this is actually a blessing cause the soil gets to rest and so do the farmers!

Q: What produce have you found works well in the St Croix soil and what not so well?Southgate is it’s own little world. I can’t grow pineapples at southgate but on the southshore only 4 miles away I am growing great pineapples. even with in southgate there are different soils. it’s taken us years to figure it out. Peppers don’t like southgate and squash and pumpkin also don’t like it. Most greens love it and so do tomatoes and most other veggies tolerate us.

Q: What produce do you typically supply to local restaurants and caterers? We supply a lot of salad greens, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, long beans, eggplant, and bananas.

Q: What seasonal produce do you grow and in which seasons are they available? Our main season is the cooler months. we grow most of our goodies from September till May. We try to grow a variety of quality produce. We’ll have  three types of basil, two types of parsley, chives, mint, two types of cilantro, dill, edible flowers, 6 types of cherry tomatoes, 6 types of slicing tomatoes including heirloom varieties, 4 types of cucumbers,  3 types of long beans, 4 types of eggplants, lots of cooking greens and lots of salad greens. We also grow micro greens and baby greens. We’ll start having tomatoes in january and they will go till  May. As soon as the tomatoes are done the mangoes  start. This summer we also had great melons.

I think it’s important for all of us to do our part. buying local and organic is a great step towards greening up our communities.

Q: Do you have any recommendations for keeping events/weddings more earth friendly?There are more and more biodegradable products coming out on the market these days. I think it would be great for weddings and parties to incorporate those products. Separating trash at these events is also a good idea. All the organic stuff could be composted (we compost allot of restaurant waste) and the aluminum could be recycled.

…check out our online store for greener products for home & entertaining! http://www.suncelebrations.com/Store.html

Anyways - lots of new stuff on the website.  Working on a GREAT newsletter chock full of info and tips - whether you are a bride or interested in travelling to St Croix and the rest of the Virgin Islands (BVIs included!) you’ll find something informative, fresh and fun.  It’s easy to sign up on my website www.suncelebrations.com just enter your email address… and rest assured that I DO NOT and WILL NEVER share emails with third parties.  I can’t stand the amount of spam that I get and so would not do that to you ;o)

As soon as I finish updating the major things I need to get through on my website, I’ll be working more on my ebook and also changing over the blog to WordPress!! (I’m so excited!!!)… same url will apply, so no need to change any favorites :0)

All for now - enjoy the sunshine!

Though there is nothing else on Peter Island besides the resort, there are ferries daily to Tortola and other spots if you care to explore (but why would you want to leave?!).  Getting to Peter Island is a bit of an adventure - you’ll need to fly into one of the bigger islands and then ferry or take a helicopter.  But once you’re here, you’ll be oh-so-glad you did it! 

 And the bosses say its time to go.

Go to www.suncelebrations.com if you’d like help getting here!!

Just off the main strip in Christiansted is my favorite, and arguably the best, restaurant on St Croix.  This place is a not-so-well kept secret… they don’t do much advertising, they don’t have to!  Savant is a cozy little bistro with an eclectic menu of Asian meets Caribbean meets Mexican.  This is the place to go if you have only one night to splurge. 

Dine inside and enjoy the intricately detailed decor (Kate used to design movie sets! http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Kate_Bartoldus/3110322) or outside in the Mediterranean/Moroccan-inspired courtyard dripping with romance (Kate did the amazing sculpture work).  Make sure to try the house specialty, char-grilled calamari, and sample something from their expertly created wine list. 

Be sure to make a reservation!  Call 340.713.8666 …tell them Cindy from SunCelebrations sent you!

This little guy stopped by for breakfast!  He’s a juvenile Hawksbill seaturtle.  Hawksbills are listed as critically endangered, a result of centuries of being hunted for their meat and their shells, destruction of nesting habitat and commercial fishing practices.  Most of the shoreline of St Croix, the USVI and the BVI are nesting beaches for these amazing creatures.  In fact, 3 species of seaturtles call the Virgin Islands home - Hawksbills, Greens and Leatherbacks

So, if you’re there - help them out… don’t dig deep holes above the water-line - you could dig up a nest.  Don’t anchor your beach umbrellas into the sand - again this could damage a nest.  Refrain from bonfires on the sand - fried eggs don’t hatch. And though there may be up to 100 eggs per nest, statistic show that only 1 out 100 will make it to maturity.  So be careful out there!

For more info on seaturtles and protecting their habitat go to http://www.nestonline.org/