Lance Aux Epines Cottages - What's cooking?

I grew up loving Lance Aux Epines Cottages. It's an adorable little tranquil resort on the island of Grenada. I've watched it change over the years and grow into something incredible. The staff are old friends, the gardens are always so inspiring, and the color makes me want to drop to the grass with a sketch book and start designing. I love going down to the beach for a swim, sheltering under the tiki style hut by the water, or grilling home made burgers on the conviniently located bbq.

Do you know the manager, Tim Brathwaite? Well I recently came across this video online and nearly died laughing. He's been increasing L.A.E Cottages web presence and I couldn't resist sharing this with you. Want to see what's cooking? Follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=227593845614&ref=mf

Enjoy!

MeghanT

Louis Vuitton meets the Spice Isle (Grenada)

I am a self professed Louis Vuitton addict. I have a list of purses I intend to buy during the course of my lifetime (when I become famous of course). My friends think I'm crazy but I don't care. For now I am content with my little Louis Vuitton clutch that my boyfriend bought me (out of pity) several years ago. Every now and then I take it out of its box, admire it fondly, and then squirrel it away for special occasions.

As soon as I looked at these seeds I knew something was familiar about them. It didn't take me long to figure out that they reminded me a lot of one of my favorite red handbags: the Louis Vuitton Alma GM (a classic of the house). It's a gorgeous large monogrammed vernis leather purse and it's form is perfectly echoed in these lustrous red seeds.

These seeds are very special. This variety come specifically from Grenada (the Spice Isle) and were hand gathered by a lovely local resident. I pick a small supply up when I visit each year in December. I hand drilled them in my studio, polished them with special oil, and then suspend the gems on 14k gold filled rings. Simple, understated and elegant! Luxury straight from the Island of Spice (Grenada).





Enjoy!

Explorer

Fresh from my studio! Here are my new "Explorer Earrings". I wanted to design something that captured my sense of restless adventure. I was wishing I was away traveling in some distant location, but after some self reflection I decided that there is adventure to be had in every day life; even if I'm stuck at home toiling away (albeit joyously) in my studio. It all depends on your attitude and point of view.

I am really please with how these turned out. I think they are perfect for the new tribal chic trend. I found these beads about a year ago and I've been waiting for inspiration to strike so I could make use of them.

I hope you enjoy my latest creation!

MeghanT

Paradise Plums

There are some strangely exotic treats to be had in Grenada, if you’ve a sweet tooth and a sense of adventure. This necklace is named after Paradise Plums – locally made balls of hard candy consisting of copious amounts of sugar and essence. They’re an eye catching bright red and yellow color, reportedly walking a fine line between sweet and eye wateringly sour. My Grandmother says when she thinks about them her mouth puckers up. For some reason they haven't been on shelves in Grenada for a long while. I’ll have to see if I can ferret some out when I’m next on vacation! They don’t sound like something I’d want to chew on, but they’d make funny treats to leave out for unsuspecting guests.

This colorful fringe necklace features a whole rainbow of eye catching tagua nut (vegetable ivory) slivers and ornate bali beads. They’re wire wrapped with oxidized sterling silver wire and are topped off with genuine turquoise briolettes. Everything hangs from a handmade sterling silver chain and is easy to get on and off thanks to an easily accessible oversized lobster claw like clasp at the front.

Material:

Tagua nut (vegetable ivory) slivers

Turquoise
Sterling silver beads
Sterling silver wire
Sterling silver components


Enjoy!

Lazy Lagoon - Grenada

One of my favorite places to hang out in Grenada is at by the waterfront in St. Georges at a bar called Lazy Lagoon. Well, actually, the hotel is called Lazy Lagoon and the bar is called the Horni Baboon, but I didn’t think that would be an appropriate name for these earrings! Local people use these names interchangeably to refer to the bar so it’s not a big deal.

If you’re ever in Grenada on vacation you really should check out this hangout. They’ve undergone renovations recently so they can handle bigger crowds. You’ll feel right at home in this club paradise, tiki bar like complex. The music is always great, delicious snacks are readily available, and you’re bound to run into someone you know if you stop by in the evenings for a drink.





The crystals I used for these earrings kick up a whole spectrum of amazing colors and they immediately made me think of Lazy Lagoon. The waterfront sometimes has a weird iridescent sort of inky oil slick like shimmer to it, thanks to all the boats passing around, and when the sun lights it up I swear there are patches that look just like these earrings! (In case you’re wondering…no… don’t recommend you swim in the water! Get a lift to Grand Anse Beach instead and take a dip there at one of Grenada’s most famous beaches!)




Enjoy!

(these earrings can be viewed on my website at: www.MeghanT.etsy.com )

Jewels in unexpected places

I am constantly on the lookout for new material to work with. I am attracted to anything new, unusual and colorful and I am always amazed at what I unearth on my travels. Recently I stumbled across the most amazing beetle wings. Their jewel toned color took my breath away and I find it hard to believe that something so spectacular exists like this is nature.

I am releasing a whole beetle wing series of earrings and will be expanding on this design theme over the next few months. I have been working on these wings in my studio; polishing them up and shaping them so I can use them in some of my earring designs. So far the feedback I've had from customers has been really positive.

Every time I look at these gorgeous wings I conjure up something new I'd like to do with them. I keep all my wings in a little golden treasure box on my desk until I'm ready to work with them. When an idea strikes I look for a matched pair and away I go!


These earrings (see image on left) are themed after Grenada's Grand Etang rainforest. They remind me of leaves, shimering in the sunlight after a rainstorm. I wire wrapped a citrine gemstone and positioned it so it's appears to be dripping off the tip of these wings, like a bead of water quivering on the end of a leaf. They're gorgeous in person and guaranteed to get you attention. These are featured on my etsy shop (www.MeghanT.etsy.com). I will be designing more beetle winged themed creations so keep checking back at my shop!

Water Child - Exploring the irresistible pull

There is something I find utterly irresistible about water. It features prominently in a lot of my designs, the staging of my jewellery, and as a person I find myself lured by it. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what is is about water that I find so captivating, but there are definitely powerful forces at work!

I am a very sensitive person, who is very in tune with her environment. Early on in my life I discovered that water has a certain energy to it. My favorite place to be was in the middle of Lance Aux Epines bay in Grenada, on a small kayak. I'd paddle out far enough away from land to feel utterly surrounded. The thrilling surge of energy I'd get from being out at sea is what kept me going back, again and again. It's hard to hold on to petty problems and concerns, when you're being saturated by something so inspiring.

When I moved back to Canada from Grenada, I immediately had to get a fish tank. I live in a city now and instead of the sprawling beaches I was used to, I have had to contend with acres of concrete. Not so enriching for the soul! Nothing compares to the untamed majesty of Grenada's salty beaches though.

I believe in doing what feels right, and making choices that nurture your soul. This is why I have taken a bit of an aquatic turn with my jewellery design. Most people are starting to get a feel for my style and can see that Caribbean themes and materials are constantly popping up in my designs. Certain choice jewellery items that I am working on seem to come alive when I add a little water at the photo shoot, so I am running with this, and listening to my intuition.

My latest creation (seen to your left) draws inspiration from Aquarium Beach. We frequent this beach to snorkel because a short swim off shore are some wonderful coral reefs, just begging to be explored. It's a perfect location, great for photography enthusiasts. I've taken some of my best photographs of the island from this beach, and I intend to go back to stage some of my jewellery at this hot spot.

There is a restaurant (which hosts amazing parties) along this beach called...what else...Aquarium! The owners are wonderful, and often times we'd walk into the bar after a swim and enjoy a delicious tropical beverage. Aquarium also happens to be one of my favorite restaurants, so naturally we go there frequently to eat. The owners wife is an artist, and she does amazing paintings which I love to check out. She's done a great series on mermaids, and when I'm rich and famous, I intend to buy one! If you're interested, check out Aquarium's link:

http://www.aquarium-grenada.com/

Well, you can be sure I'm not going to be done with the whole Caribbean sea/aquatic thing anytime soon! I'm just getting started and have only begun to flex my muscles. Grenada is gearing up to host some of my items at local boutiques, so I aim to impress! Plans for an amazing sea themed photo shoot are in the production phase.

This is such an amazing career to be undertaking, because I'm able to pull so many different talents together to make things work! It's so true that when you find the thing you were meant to do, it will never feel like work! I can't wait to see where things will take me in the future. In the meantime, I'm gearing up to do some swimming!

Splash!

MeghanT