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[bigletter]A misty warm breeze, big brilliant colors, blended fruity cocktails, a collection of picture perfect seashell souvenirs … these are the things I imagine when I think of the Caribbean. Granted a place I’ve never truly been, unless Cancun is considered a member? Island life is what I’m picturing, and after 2020, it’s high up on my lustworthy list of adventures to embark on one day soon…
Throughout this past year I have managed to remain incredibly grateful to be faced by challenges I was able overcome and in the grand scale of pandemic level crisis, minimal in comparison to the severe hardships faced by so many of us all over the world. The nice weather year round in Los Angeles has granted me many mini adventures in a place deemed a desirable destination by so many and I’ve loved being at home more with my husband and new pups, seeing my family and a handful of friends fairly frequently, in addition to having the opportunity to work remotely. Overall, I’ve had it easy pandemic-wise, but I can’t help long for some wanderlust farther away.
And while travel is starting to open back up, so is the reality that I am about to give birth to my first human child, likely leaving more dust to pile on my monogrammed passport.[/bigletter]
Yet, there are so many places I’d love to venture to when the opportunity presents itself again, but one place I’ve been eyeing lately is the Caribbean.
So as they say, if you can’t get there, bring it home?
Luckily my home has a beach nearby and my craft closet is no stranger to taking inspiration from the enviable lives of islanders, basking in the the warmth of open air living, rattan filled furnishes, pineapple silhouettes and anything and everything possibly adorned with seashells of all sorts and sizes.
I was just excited to use my new bamboo flatware set, scalloped baking shells, and block print tablecloth from the most befitting queen of island style herself, Amanda Lindroth. Her airy coral linen was the perfect backdrop to set a table embracing all the fruits resembling island life I could muster in southern California such as mango, pineapple, banana, papaya, dragon fruit and tangelo minneola.
I displayed some of the fruit half open to add some color and texture, along with woven textiles and colorful glassware. The drink umbrellas felt like a no brainier, as unrelated to the Caribbean as they likely are but I loved the color and true vacation spirit they embody!
I set each glass ready with a grapefruit flavored welcome shot to get things going and my husband picked up takeout from Cha Cha Chicken, a delicious local Caribbean inspired spot with the best coconut chicken and potato croquettes!
With some Caribbean jazz tunes playing {ironically my husband’s favorite kind of music} and a pink sunset in full swing we chomped and cheered the evening away before packing up when the cool ocean breeze reminded us we are not in fact on the balmy beaches on Anguilla or St. Barths.
However, for a forever place to be, this one still feels pretty damn good to me.
