New from Tiny Prints!

As a Tiny Print affiliate I get to find out about all their latest products and then share them with you! One of their new products that I'm really excited about are Photobooks by Tiny Prints. I've been wanting to create a photo book for the longest time but just haven't found the best fit for us until now. I love Tiny Prints photo book site and options. Choose your cover, size of album, page layout and number of pictures on each page. Plus there are a wide variety of backgrounds to choose from and you get to hand select which to use on each of your pages. Did I mention that the backgrounds have been designed by Tiny Prints’ own top artists? Personally I would love to create themed photo books for our vacations and Holidays. Be sure to check out Photobooks by Tiny Prints.


Also now available:

Free online RSVP service from Tiny Prints.

Save The Date Cards, Magnets, Postcards and more from Wedding Paper Divas.

Photo Wall Calendars by Tiny Prints.


Plus if you love my affiliate Tea Collection and Tiny Prints then you'll love the Tea Collection line available at Tiny Prints.
Tea Collection for Tiny Prints:
Birth Announcements, Baby Shower Invitations, Holiday Cards & More

Emily and Albert

Well the school year is here. One of my fond memories of returning to school was getting to return to friends. So I thought I'd feature a fun little BFF picture book, Emily and Albert, by Jan Ormerod and illustrated by David Slonim. Join the adventures of Emily and Albert in this five chapter book of the give and takes of friendship. Emily and Albert couldn't be more different from one another. Emily is dramatic and opinionated to Albert's calm, easy going ways. The balance works out just great for these two. The chapter list includes: Noses, Hiccups, Dancing, Feeling Better and, my favorite, A Good Book. I love all the personality that David Slonim adds to this twosome through his cartoon illustrations.

Top Five Fridays - Kevin Henkes

With my oldest starting pre-K very soon I thought it would be a good week to highlight some great back to school reads. Growing up and going to school are easy, right? If only it always was. One of my favorite authors of great reads for those early school years is Kevin Henkes.No one tackles some of the tough parts of growing up quite like Kevin Henkes in early children's picture books. His characters are very relatable to children. Some are anxious to go to school, clinging to a loved snuggly, singled out for being different, worried about, well, everything. We've all been there and many have helped our kids through these days as well. Henkes handles these topics wonderfully with a sun will and does come out tomorrow outlook.

You will find his stories and characters endearing. He has written and illustrated dozens of children book classics. Most of his picture books have been illustrated by him. His illustrations are often colorful, cheery and cartoon style. The only exception is the black and white illustrations of his Kitten's First Full Moon book.

I must confess I've not read all of Henkes books, we're working on it. There's a lot. But I have read many. I also have not read any of his novels for older kids. I honestly did not know he wrote juvenile fiction until I started working on writing this post. I will definitely be checking those out soon. To learn more about Henkes please visit his site: kevinhenkes.com.

So here are my top five picks for the picture books of Kevin Henkes-






1. Owen - All you crafty Mom's will appreciate Owen's own Mom's resourcefulness









2. Chrysanthemum - As for terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, poor Chrysanthemum has her share. But Mrs. Twinkle a wonderful teacher comes to the rescue. Hooray for teachers like Mrs. Twinkle!








3. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse - Another great read of a day gone bad and a wise teacher to help make things right.










4. My Garden - Okay I LOVE garden books and oh my what a garden a good imagination can grow!







5. Birds, illustrated by Laura Dronzek - Also not a back to school book but a lovely read about types of birds and filled with a rainbow of colors. Would make a lovely classroom read though too.




What are some of your favorites? Any suggestions on which novel I should check out first by Henkes?

Hospitality and so much more

I was thrilled to receive a copy of the The Reluctant Entertainer: Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality by Sandy Coughlin to review. I've been a browser of her blog, The Reluctant Entertainer, for awhile now, so I had a sense of what this book would be about. I must say it exceeded my expectations and I was already set for a great read. This truly is an every woman's guide. I must say my own personal experiences in hospitality and entertaining were very similar to Sandy's. In my 20s I couldn't wait to host events and have friends over even in our small 600 SF condo. We would host dinners for up to 12 guests there. Now in my 30s with kids a little bit bigger home I've locked myself a bit in the need to be perfect box, just as Sandy shared. I guess I feel, as many others probably do, that I should have it more together now that I'm older. I've raised the expectations on myself and in turn have simply started to shy away from hosting events. Or maybe I've just had more time to build up my arsenal of excuses.

I'm so glad I got a copy of this book so it will not take me until I reach my 40s or longer to get my priorities and expectations set right. Sandy's writing style is personable, open and gracious. This book is packed with all the practical tips, recipes, ins and outs of hosting events in a simple and inviting way. Add in all of Sandy's warm encouragement and you will be set to start opening your heart and home to others. This is a must have guide to entertaining and will be a resource that I will go to for many years to come.



I received a free copy of this book from Revell: A division of Baker Publishing Group. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

Sometimes I Swirl - I won!

So I actually won, one of the lovely blog giveaways that I entered! It was hosted by Amanda at Serenity Now and it was for the art work of Sarah Hennessey. She has the lovely Etsy shop Sometimes I Swirl. Don't you love that name! She says she's inspired by the art work of Paul Klee one of my favorite artist so it's no wonder I love her art work. The two pieces I selected with my gift certificate were:


This 5x7 drawing titled - Teal and Blue Abstract Flowers



And this 5x7 drawing titled - Blue, Navy, Teal Ink Drawn Flower Garden


Aren't they gorgeous? I seriously can not stop staring at them. I had shared with Sarah in my selection that I had thought that I would order the Crooked City. Being an Architect, prior to becoming a SAHM, I am just drawn to architectural drawings and love ones with a touch of whimsy. Or in this case a good dose of whimsy:-) But that we desperately needed art work for our Master Bedroom that we are working on and just fell in love with her teal and blue pieces. Our MB color schemes are dark browns, grey and teal. I could not be happier with how they fit in!

So what does Sarah do? She sends me the Crooked City print in addition to the two I won!!! That just floored me. Isn't it amazing?? It'll go in our living room. We love decorating with our architectural books and I'm sure it will be a great conversation piece of art! Sarah, is not only very talented but so generous!


I was a little nervous picking out pieces on my own. My Husband has a great eye for art and is very opinionated about what pieces we select. He LOVED them!! We have even tentatively talked about the possibility of seeing if Sarah could create larger pieces to go over the MB bed. I think they would be lovely. We've been on the hunt for art work that was abstract, in the blues/teals color scheme and floral. Check, check, check. Maybe for Christmas or our next anniversary....

Mrs. Spitzer's Garden

Mrs. Spritzer's Garden by Edith Pattou and illustrated by Tricia Tusa makes a lovely back to school read or gift for student and teacher alike. Each September the Principal hands Mrs. Spritzer a new packet of seeds, what?? Each September? Okay this is clearly not a spring gardening book. Rather Pattou does a fun play and comparison on how each new class for a teacher is like lovingly tending to a new garden. The plants, I mean students, need lots of care. Each are different, some need lots of light, some more attention, some simply flourish like wildflowers. Each are unique. Mrs. Spritzer spends her year watching over and tending to her new garden, I mean class. Then at the end of the year she gets to stand back and admire all the growth! The drawings are equally lovely and whimsical as the story is.

Top Five Friday - Mo Willems

We're big fans of Mo Willems around here. Publishing his first children's picture book in 2003, his bibliography has simply exploded. They are almost too numerous to count and he's continuing to write more! I am a huge fan of his humerous, simple writing style and equally simplistic drawing style. And so are my kids. To learn more about Mo Willems visit this link to his site. We went on a Mo Willems reading spree at our library to make sure we've checked out all the books before even attempting to write this post. So here goes...

My top five picks for Mo Willems:




1. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale - You've got to love a good cautionary tale, no?






2. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identities - What can I say we're hooked on Trixie and Knuffle.






3. Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She was Extinct - This is so my sense of humor!



4. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! - We love the pigeon books but I'd have to say this is one of our favorites. We can not get enough books about sharing over here it seems...repetition, repetition, repetition.




5. I Love my New Toy! - We love the Elephant and Piggie series too, you really can't go wrong here but this is definitly one of my favorites. Oh, the drama!





What are your favorites?

And there's a new Knuffle bunny book on it's way! Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion is due out September 28th, be sure to check it out!