Winter Nights in Connecticut

This weekend we all packed up and went to our friend Corey's house in Connecticut. One of the things I love about living in Rhode Island is being able to travel to other states so easily. After all, Rhode Island is pretty itty bitty. So, Saturday night we had a fire out in the wooded neighborhood, complete with beer and banjo-playin'.

Here are a few photos from our campfire fun...

It was a really fun time! Really really cold...but fun.

Crafty Children's Books

Maybe it's because I love art and creative illustrations, maybe it's because I'm a teacher, or most likely both...I adore children's books!

Tonight I went to relax with a warm chai tea latte at Barnes and Noble and read a few picture books that I'd heard about recently. These two are absolutely adorable!

What are your all-time favorite children's books?

Valentine's Day

(A little girl in my class has the same shoes as I do. Adorable.)

My first Valentine's Day party with my first very own classroom of children was a success! Filled with sweets, crafts, glitter, red paint, and giggles.

Tonight Trevor made us a heart-shaped pizza, poured some sparkling wine, and bought fresh cannolis for desert. All complete with some daffodils in a jar on the table. (A hint of the Spring to come).

I hope all of you had a wonderful day filled with love and kindness.

Happy Valentine's Day!

<3

Getting Organized

Today I had the bug to start focusing on A Sailor Woman Sews again. I went to Staples and purchased a few things from the new Martha Stewart home office collection and created a custom mini-binder for my business. I love the vibrant red color! Trevor noticed the abundance of red on the coffee table this evening and snapped a photo.

I can post a few photos of the adorable organization inside the binder later. Hopefully this will motivate me to get back into sewing some new items for my Etsy shop! Hey, I'll take any excuse to get some new stationary :)

blabla

I just found out about these today. Blabla is a company that makes these adorable, funny dolls and finger puppets with fair trade artisans in Peru. These would be such sweet gifts for new parents or a child you know. I'd love some for my classroom (or myself :)

Photos from blablakids.com

I Love Mail!

After my trip home to Florida, it was tough returning to work after nearly a week of sun and sailing. Although, it's hard to stay grumpy once I walk in the door of my classroom and am engulfed by hugs from 3 and 4 year olds :)

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a package in the mail on Tuesday. Did you know that I absolutely love mail? I LOVE recieving and sending letters, cards, and packages! Even when I return home to visit my family, my first instinct when I get out of the car in the driveway is to check our mailbox. Anyhow, I'd totally forgotten about an order I'd placed on Etsy a while back that was shipped from Hong Kong. It was thrilling to come home from a long day at work to an unusual package with tons of international stamps. (I'll post a photo of the package soon too, I can't help it!)

I ordered a new camera strap from iMo Shop on Etsy. I carry my camera with me a lot and thought it would be fun to have a cute strap to make it even more personal and unique. I went with this one. It's extremely well-made and comfortable to wear. It fits my Nikon3000 DSLR perfectly. Maybe now I'll stand out a little in the sea of black Nikons and Canons.

(Photos from iMo Shop on Etsy)

Do you carry a camera? What kind? I've also been considering a new camera bag eventually. There are some cute ones on Etsy. Any recommendations?