made in provo

13 December 2012

just a few weeks ago i met jen from jennifer maude design. jen is gorgeous, super friendly, and so, so talented. when i first arrived to provo, i remember seeing her art up at the grace bay club and at maxime’s (these ones and this one) and was totally impressed!

jen has been painting all her life, starting her studies as an apprentice in new zealand when she was only 12. she has been in provo, working as an artist since 2006.

“I try and bring my ethos of sustainability into everything I create; this is evident in my purses made from upcycled fabrics, my handbound books, and my work with driftwood” she says.

recently i have been loving jen’s purses, she was selling a few at the art and craft expo in turtle cove, together with handmade christmas cards and tags, beach mobiles and hand bound books.

how great are all these? you can contact her and see more of her work here.

all images by jen

his dive story / 40

11 December 2012

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Well, the weather hasn’t been too cooperative lately and we’ve had high winds coming eastward which usually means the entire Providenciales island is washed out and this means there isn’t a good place to go diving except maybe French Cays which has not been a favorite spot for me.

This Sunday was the first really nice day that we had for almost two weeks and I was so excited to book my diving. The boat was still in the south side and we were headed for Northwest Point. On board were the usual suspects… Dave, our captain, Nikki, dive instructor, Don, who runs the TCI Reef Fund and Sarah, a former dive instructor and my recent dive buddy.

On this day, Don would be working on refitting the moorings at two dive sites at Northwest Point. The first site was Two Steps, which I love. The second site was Shark Hotel, which for whatever reason was my first time diving it and I really enjoyed it for its deep swim thru which would take you down to at least 40m. It is called Shark Hotel because at bottom of the swim thru there is a sandy ledge that the nurse sharks usually hang out and sleep there. But today, I only saw reef sharks. You will see on the video what I saw. It was really cool to see a turtle swimming next to a giant Nassau grouper and then followed by a shark then by me! Sarah was behind and probably took a picture of all of us!

shark-hotel by myseastory

The other video was towards the end of the dive where I saw a decent size school of fish which I know Joana would like. Enjoy the videos and next time, I will be using my new INON strobe with ULCS arms, red filter and a new INON macro lens! Can’t wait to splash with them.

see all my previous diving posts HERE – James

wishlist # 3

10 December 2012

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this week pantone announced the colour of the year for 2013 – emerald green 17-5641, this has always been one of my colours of choice. green signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment and it represents hope in many cultures. here are a few of my favourite finds in emerald green –

1. bonfire rainforest paper wallpaper by sixhands – 2. chandelle statement earrings – green onyx from oliphant design – 3. portico green silk tee by madewell (on sale!!) – 4. sequined solid waist irregular chiffon dress green from sheinside – 5. filed of flowers postcards by baba souk – 6. flat clutch in green by clare vivier.

guest post ~ marta

4 December 2012

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guest post | marta via myseastory

marta and monica came to visit last month from paris, they were lucky because they arrived one week after sandy. although it was a bit windy and the sea was kind of rough, we spent a great week together running around the island, laughing all the time and taking lots of pictures. it was, once again, a great opportunity for me to see the island through their eyes – and enjoy it so much more. marta takes beautiful pictures, have a look and read about what she thought of turks and caicos. thanks for visiting girls!

what do you think makes turks and caicos (providenciales) so special?

The colour of the sea: amazing blue. The so-deliciously-warm temperatures. The lobster. The space and no-one-at-sight beaches: we were just US and the white sand. How cool is that? To feel like you have an island for yourself? The feeling that you are away from everything and everyone but the comforting thought that you are quite close to Miami. A couple of unique and secluded luxury resorts. The chilled mood that makes you just want to lay in the sand and forget about the world. The huge difference from the Miami glittering-vibe.

what were your favorite things to do whilst on island?

Grabbing so many and beautiful seashells in the sand. Watching the amazing kite surf “performers”. The unique and silent sunset at Amanyara. The day spent at Parrot Cay. Any on-the-boat activity. The local conch meals. The spa at Grace Club. Going to so many different beaches and having no one around!

would you recommend to a friend?

I would force a friend to come if I could. It is the perfect destination to recharge your batteries, enter the I-don’t-have-to-think-about-anything-sate-of-mind. It’s so beautiful here…

all pictures by marta

check out previous GUEST POSTS

art and craft expo

1 December 2012

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art-and-craft-expo via myseastory

today, at the turtle cove marina – i’m going!

a-few-things

* The Turks and Caicos Island Sailing Association First Annual Pico National Championship, today and tomorrow at the Bight.

* Turks & Caicos AIDS Awareness Foundation World AIDS Day Cocktail Party, tonight at the Grace Bay Club.

* Lemon Cafe‘s special Arabian Nights, tonight.

* Annual TCI Shine Island Wide Cleanup Campaign and with the Department of Environmental and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) for the first ever under-water cleanup, next saturday december 8th.

Have a lovely weekend, hopefully with the sun out and shining!