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SOUTHERN CHARM: APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2023 Enjoy a seven-day experience in South Carolina. Stroll through Charleston's historic center with a local guide. Take a trolley down to Savannah's Historic District. Visit the quaint St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. Take a tram ride, cruise on the waters, and look out for dolphins… and more! SHADES OF IRELAND: AUG. 16-25, 2023 Enjoy a 10-day experience in Ireland. Get a taste of old Dublin. Ride with local guides to see St. Patrick's Cathedral. Tour the Waterford Crystal Factory. Visit the Medieval Museum and have a glass of wine in the 15th century Mayor's Wine Vault. Travel to Limerick and Kilbeggan to enjoy Ireland's whiskey… and more! To sign up or for more info, email Jeff Woods at jwoods@collette.com 8 | LIFE IN SOLERA | DECEMBER 2022 | Do you believe in unicorns and fairies? I never have until I met Cheryl Bicondova. Cheryl is not a unicorn but she is a fairy; a Cookie Fairy to be more exact and she lives amongst the residents of Solera. Cheryl looks just like what you would expect from a fairy —petite, slight build, and beautiful twinkling blue eyes. I met her on a morning walk and was curious about the rod she uses to stretch her arms upward. That's when I got to know about her mission. Cheryl had a former neighbor who every Christmas would gift most of the residents on her block with a large platter of cookies that she enjoyed baking. The neighbor moved and Christmas was coming; Cheryl was sad to think about the fact that there would be no cookies from the neighbor this year. She decided to take up the former neighbor's mission and made platters of cookies for that year. After Christmas, Valentine's Day was approaching and she wanted to make cookies for the holiday. She has three special friends who became her "official tasters." (I am secretly hoping she will need me as a fourth.) She would randomly drop cookies off at these friends houses (almost every day for a while- lucky women) and one exclaimed "Oh- another package from the cookie fairy!" Thus the Cookie Fairy came into existence. Cheryl has quite a repertoire of decorated cookies — some of the more unusual design requests have been black and white guitars (Elvis theme), scarecrow family, Chanukah menorah, graduation caps, Navy Seals, baby shower elephants, cookies that say "thank you," even cookies for someone moving (a for sale sign). Her imagination is limitless as well as her supply of cookie cutters which number over 500. Needless to say, these are not your standard run-of-the mill cookie cutters and two of her suppliers have been Etsy and Pinterest. Cheryl uses a projector to transfer an image onto a cookie which she then draws with edible colored pencils. She can control the sugar level of the cookies as well as make them gluten-free. She uses an airbrush to create her gorgeous decorative designs. A constant comment that Cheryl hears is "They're too pretty to eat!" Now I am sure everyone's next thought is: Does Cheryl eat her cookies? She does not! I know it's hard to believe. She will taste them minimally for quality control but that's the extent of her ingesting them. Her enterprise has actually caused her to lose weight and she happily shed 30 pounds in the three years she has been baking and decorating. Cheryl grew up making contact lenses — her father developed a type that you could sleep in. She began making the lenses alongside her father from the time she was 10 years old. She is a very detail- oriented person and creating her artistic cookies feeds that part of her personality. She loves the feedback from her customers and friends and enjoys her "Cookie Fairy" moniker. ~ Victoria Haviland Meet the Cookie Fairy