OFFICIALLY WISHLISTED: SEABAGS

Two summers ago my husband and I bought a small sailboat. As a Connecticut kid, I have been sailing all my life and I was delighted to discover my husband shared my enthusiasm. So now we have a small racing boat, something fun to speed along in, and we have slowly been kitting it out with fun gadgets and add ons. So when I saw this post on swissmiss yesterday, detailing the cool water tight 'Seabags' made by the Swiss companies Büro Destruct & Kitchener, I knew they would be the perfect addition to our sailboat wishlist. I mean, really, how can you resist the potent combination of utility and cuteness?

Check out all the latest Seabag designs here.

HAVE A COLORFUL WEEKEND!

Do you guys have anything fun planned for this weekend? I am headed to Connecticut today to go sailing, check out this craft fair and generally relax. Next week I am looking forward to sharing my tales of selling at Brimfield and all the fun plans I have for the rest of the summer. In the meantime, go out and enjoy some sunshine!

(The images above are a totally random selection of colorful photos I have stumbled across recently and couldn't wait to share; top to bottom, image links here, here and here.)

ANCHOR'S AWEIGH!

Did I tell you my Dad is turning 70 this September? We are having a party at our beach cottage for him and, not surprisingly, my Mom and I have decided to give it a nautical theme. Plus, this weekend my husband and I bought a small racing sailboat to sail at the cottage (it looks like this)! So I have seafaring on the brain . . .

Here are a couple of fun ideas I have come up with for the party. Do you have any to add?

top to bottom:

Nautical flag garland, $31.63

DIY wave cups

Serving Swedish Fish and Lifesavers, perfect no?

Kikkerland striped paper straws, $6.60

Monkey fist placeholder, $4

WEEKEND UPDATE: GUILFORD CRAFT EXPO

Yesterday I promised I would give you another update on my weekend adventures—here it is! Last weekend, before my trip to Brimfield, my Mom and I made another yearly pilgrimage to the Guilford Craft Expo. The craft expo is a big artisan/craft fair full of wonderful vendors who sell everything from handmade rocking chairs to diamond jewelry. I love going every year to meet new sellers and catch up with old ones, not to mention buy gifts for family and friends. This year I snagged a beautiful handmade cutting board (from The Shade Tree LLC, a workshop that runs entirely on solar power!) to give as a wedding present. Still, there were lots of other things that tempted me. Here are my favorites:

The gorgeous jewelry made by Dana*David really belongs in the Savings & Loans category. I tried on the bottom two pieces—the ring tempted me as a wedding band, the necklace just because the moonstone was so stunning—and had serious difficulty taking them off. If they weren't both in the $1400 range, I might have taken one home . . . alas. Perhaps for a really special occasion?

The goodies over at Tanner Glass always end up in my shopping bag on the way home (not to mention the owner/artist is super nice). Last year I bought one of the key hooks you see above, this year I went home with a beautiful map-based paper weight. Although looking through the Tanner Glass Etsy shop, I wish I had seen some of the exquisite handblown multi-colored ornaments! I would love to hang one in my window and watch it shine . . .

Tami Rodrig at Happy Art Studio always has the prettiest, freshest designs. My mom bought a necklace in one of the circular patterns last year and she says she gets compliments on it every time she wears it. More lovely pieces here.

James Guggina has long made beautiful, highly colored ceramic works like these. But it's not until I saw these new more subtle bowls with simple lines that I became truly smitten. Check them out here.

REPRESENTING MY HOMETOWN

Yesterday I was very happy to discover that the fabulous blog design*sponge has now written a city guide to New Haven. Having avidly read their guides to other major tourist destinations--London, Paris, New York, Boston etc.--I was super pleased to see them doing a feature on my hometown! As a lifelong resident of New Haven--which often gets a unduly bad wrap--it was quite exciting to read a thoughtful re-presentation of the city, pointing out all my favorite places to eat, shop, explore and enjoy.

You can read design*sponge's New Haven city guide here and find more of their city guides here.

p.s. My only complaint? No reference to Modern Pizza, the best brick oven pizza place in town. Oh well, I guess we will just have to save it for the locals . . . . :)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: BEACH ME!

This evening I am headed out of the city for the weekend. Tomorrow I will be making the trek up to Brimfield to score some vintage finds at their famous tri-annual antique show (read about here). Then it is back to Connecticut for a weekend at the beach with my family and some family friends. Busy, busy! Hope you have fun plans too!

(Photo by me taken in 2008 at Lake Garda, Italy. See more here.)