Chance to Win - Raffle of Beautiful Products

Well, we're nearly ready for the Arts & Crafts Village and we'd like to invite everyone to come out and see what's on offer - there’s no entrance fee to the Arts & Crafts Village – just walk in from the beach and take a look around at the tent-booths and the central shop.

As a sweetener, the participating companies have each given one of their items for an amazing raffle – each purchase of EC$10 (US$4) or more receives one chance to win a prize from this great collection of designer items!

So come on out and support St. Lucian creativity – we think you’ll be quite surprised by the fantastic, high quality products that are made right here in our island!

See you on Pigeon Island Beach - 17th - 24th January - we're open each day 9am - 6pm!

Tradition and Contemporary - Crafty Creations

Choiseul is the home of traditional crafts in St. Lucia - basketry, pottery, woodcarving, furniture making.

Just South of the village is a small craft shop called Crafty Creations owned by Ulrica Prospere, a well known craftsperson. Full to the brim with local crafts of all sorts, Ulrica takes the traditional items and gives them her own new look with decorative flourishes.

She works with many local crafters so the variety of items is wide - you'll find tableware - mats, napkins, serving trays and baskets, fashions - bags and hats, decor - local wicker - awali and ti kanot vines from the rainforest woven into bassonets, laundry baskets, picnic hampers and you'll also find lots of decorative items as well as sculptures and carvings of all sorts.

Sisal PlacematsTubecoiled Screwpine and Madras Bread Baskets
Woven Tissue Box Covers
Tubecoiled Basket - Lined and Trimmed
Wicker Laundry Basket
Screwpine & Madras Tote BagsWoven Sisal Hat

Crafty Creations brings Choiseul to your doorstep at the Arts & Crafts Village!

Crochet - Priscilla George

St. Lucia sometimes seems like the world centre for crochet - mothers teach daughters, aunts teach neices - whether it's a pair of crochet earrings, a bathingsuit, bag or traditional 'chair back' you're looking for, you are bound to find it somewhere in the shops or vendors trays of St. Lucia.

Priscilla George has been making creative crochet garments and decor for many a year - her products are made to last and always suit a person with style. Recently she has branched into small bags and hats made from our national cloth the Madras. I wore a pair of her earrings the day after I bought them and was stopped by three people who wanted to know where I got such unusual jewelry!

Bags, Handpainted Pareos, Art - Lynn Bristol

Lyn A. Bristol is a versatile artist – graphics, carnival and theatre costumes, stage sets, as well as handpainted fashions and one of a kind bags and wall hangings. Lyn also undertakes special commissions for local and international corporate gifts and other needs. Much of her commissioned work has been in the line of cultural and natural depictions.

Her one-of-a-kind bags come in all shapes and sizes, some taking form from the recycled materials they are made from, others in simple, elegant styles with full or accent hand-painting and adornment. Her pareos and clothing are subtle mixes of colourful Caribbean hues – earthy as well as tropical.

Her art takes much of it’s inspiration from the local and regional cultural scene – both traditional and contemporary and ranges from characterful illustrative to abstracted.

Dolls - Cynthia James

The making of cloth dolls has been a tradition in St. Lucia for a very long time - trays of colourful dresses and smiling faces decorate market stalls and shop shelves alike.

Cynthia James is known for her beautifully crafted cloth dolls - and doll souvenirs. Tiny, handsewn items - little dolls on the end of pencils, pin cushion dolls, tiny fridge-magnet dolls, now also holding notepaper, and her latest addition, little kweyol sacks - filled with fragrant pot pourri to adorn your fridge, hang in your closet or in your car to freshen your ride.  These souvenirs are exquisitely crafted to last.

Tableware - Two Fish Designs

Two Fish Designs are the original creations of a St. Lucian artist Kim, specializing in the highest quality painted glass and ceramic artwork. Each piece is hand painted by the artist using professional grade paints and materials; it's then oven-fired to ensure that the original design will not chip, scratch or fade. Because of this unique process our products are dishwasher safe and can be used everyday.

The hand painting ensures that no two pieces are exactly alike, your piece is an original, a unique piece of St. Lucian art to take home and treasure for years to come. Of course you can also purchase sets based on the same design that will transform your dinner table into an gallery of beautiful art!

Wines – Paradise Wines

With 10 years of winemaking under their belts, the folks at Paradise Wines have gathered a loyal clientele in the hotel sector and amongst St. Lucians who relish enjoying a good local product.

The range is entirely made from local fruits and includes; banana, golden apple, West Indian gooseberry, mango, sugarcane, ginger, carambola and guava wines. These are available both in decorative bottles or traditionally labelled bottles and as a trio of flavours gift set.

But don’t just enjoy these wines on their own, try cooling down on a hot day with a wine spritzer by mixing with soda water, or a flavoured fizzy drink and how about jazzing up your main course with a splash of fruit wine added in the cooking pot? There’s great flavour to be sampled in so many ways.

BUY TOGETHER - how about a handpainted bottle of Paradise Wine in a handcrafted Wine Basket?

Sculpture - Jitan St. Martin

Bradley Jitan St. Martin was born in the seaside village of Choiseul, St. Lucia, home of the traditional crafts of the island. Spending his youth surrounded by practitioners of basketry, sculpture, pottery and painting, he naturally explored his own talents and showed great promise in Visual Arts at his secondary school.

Very much inspired by his mother, herself a National Award Winner and with the encouragement of his brother an acknowledged Local Sculptor he decided to continue the family legacy. Jitan took up an apprenticeship at the world renowned Eudovic Art Studio from 1999 to 2004. Here he learnt traditional forms as well as the abstract form the studio is so well known for. Since then he has consistently been developing his own style.

Jitan was chosen by the St. Lucian National Cultural Foundation to represent St. Lucia
“Archipel” in 2001 and 2002.  In 2003, Jitan participated in St. Lucia National Art
Exhibition” and won an award for Sculpture. His work has also been featured in the St. Lucian and Martinique press.

Jitan uses local materials such as Laurier Mabouey, Laurier Cannel, red and white cedar and Mahogany.

Featuring A Few of the Products

A slideshow of some of the products that will be featured here and at the Arts & Crafts Village in Jan 2009

Arts & Crafts Village 2009

In the coming weeks we will be featuring some of the best of St. Lucian arts, crafts, fashion, jewelry, music, books, gourmet food gifts - all available at the Arts & Crafts Village during the twin events of Caribbean Marketplace January 18-20 2009 and the St. Lucia Food + Rum Festival January 15-19 2009.

The Arts and Crafts Village is open to the public - no admission fees, just come to the Pigeon Island Causeway and enjoy the best shopping for local St. Lucian products all day long, January 17th - 20th, 2009.

We will be presenting this wonderful array of goods for sale in a 1000 sq ft air conditioned central shop, surrounded by artisan tents. All products have been selected for quality and authenticity, and for your convenience, there will be credit card facilities as well as on-site packaging and shipping.

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• We look forward to serving you at the Arts & Crafts Village in St. Lucia, January 17th - 20th, 2009!