On August 29th, the Beach Haven 125th Anniversary Paddle Challenge takes place at Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club on Berkeley Avenue! This family fun event celebrates the Borough of Beach Haven’s 125th anniversary with exciting stand-up-paddleboard races and other fun activities for all ages. With proceeds benefitting Mordecai Land Trust, join us as we raise money for the restoration and preservation of Mordecai Island.
Beginning at 12 pm with on-site registration, stand-up paddleboard races will take place from 1-4 pm with short races and long races around Mordecai Island. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, we will have everything from fun to competitive races for every paddle-boarder at our Paddle Challenge! Sign your child up for the kid’s race featuring 15 year olds and younger, or sign yourself up with age groups including 16-34 and 35 years plus. On water safety will be provided by Beach Haven’s own lifeguards and rescue volunteers.
If you’re not up for paddling, enjoy plenty of family fun activities throughout the day. The Paddle Challenge will feature auction items, light refreshments, food available from local restaurants and alcoholic beverages for sale. Whether you’re a participant or a spectator, you are sure to have fun! After the races end, stick around for a free concert and more activities. At 5 pm, the “Bay Bash” will begin at Walsh Field featuring music from the band, Franklin Turnpike. Enjoy a beer or two as you take in great music in a fun atmosphere.
If you’re up for a fun day with the family, join Beach Haven for the 125th Anniversary Paddle Challenge! Pre-registry is available online or in person at South End Surf N’ Paddle on 220 S. Bay Avenue. For more information, visit www.beachhaven-nj.gov or like us on Facebook! We can’t wait to celebrate 125 years of being the Heart of Long Beach Island with all who participate!
This July, Luke Concannon, the man who gave Ed Sheeran work experience in the music industry, brings his acoustic set to Darwen Library Theatre.
Luke is an English singer-songwriter who writes songs from his depths. Luke writes about people power, poverty, intimacy, and his grandmas.
Best known for being the lead singer/guitarist with Nizlopi, who topped the charts with ‘The JCB Song' in 2005, Luke has been releasing music under his own name since his 2013 album ‘Give It All.'
Luke is well known for his inclusive and engaging shows, so be prepared for mass sing-alongs, audience sharing and dancing.
“His humanising songs, his way of drawing in the whole floor, and activist love are so needed.” Alastair Mcintosh (writer)
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, July 28 (PNA) -- The Port of Puerto Princesa was touted as the country's "Most Environment Friendly Port" besting 22 other major ports under the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) port system.
Port manager Luis Cuison said PPA launched the search as part of its mission to sustain development of port communities and the environment.
He stressed that ports and harbors as convergence point of passengers and inter-modal transport face constant threats of water, air and pollution, but likewise open windows of influence on how shipping lines, passengers and stakeholders could help address these issues.
The PPA chief said the city's port topped in the search criteria such as waste management, clean and green programs, promotion of environmental awareness, related achievements and awards, and energy and water conservation.
The Port Management Office of Puerto Princesa pursued environmental initiatives years ago, drawing inspiration from the city government's clean and green program, the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan (R.A. 7611) and the PPA guidelines on orderliness, cleanliness and safety at the ports (PPA MC 1-2001), he said.
Safety is extremely important in mitigating health risks to dockworkers and in preventing improper oil disposal that endangers marine life, Cuison added.
He further said the PMO worked in coordination with the Port Management Council, the DOTC-Palawan Advisory Council, the three adjoining coastal barangays and the private sector for its mangrove reforestation, clean up and removal of underwater derelicts.
Cuision gave assurances of continued environmental vigilance, as he expressed thanks for the recognition and acknowledged the conservation efforts of past port managers.
Meanwhile, Jemuel Apellido, deputy port manager, said port personnel will conduct clean up an hour every Tuesday to sustain the port's clean and green program. (PNA)
From the La Conner Daffodil Festival in March and the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April, through apple-picking & pumpkin patch season in late fall and into Christmas tree season in December, Skagit Valley Farmers invite visitors to take a scenic drive through the valley and experience the art of farming. Visit a Skagit Valley farm & a Farmer’s Market to find the freshest foods and other agricultural products and buy them directly from the farmer. Enjoy the many agriculture attractions including our talking fields!
The Washington State of Agriculture has put together with our help a weekend “Savor Skagit” itinerary! If your a foodie, make it a Savor Skagit road trip!
Skagit County maintains one of the largest and most diverse agricultural communities west of the Cascade mountain range. Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Skagit County. Local farmers produce about $261 million worth of crops, livestock, and dairy products on 93,000 acres of land.
Over 90 different crops are grown in the County. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, tulips, daffodils, pickling cucumbers, specialty potatoes, Jonagold apples, green peas, and vegetable seed are some of the more important crops in this maritime valley.More tulip, iris, and daffodil bulbs are produced here than in any other county in the U.S. Ninety-five percent of the red potatoes grown in the state of Washington are from Skagit County. In addition to food and fiber products, agriculture in this region provides habitat for thousands of swans, snow geese, and dabbling ducks.
To learn more about the bounty, beauty, and complexity of the valley’s working landscape, come visit and experience Skagit Valley.
Sometimes the idea for a project just pops up and then you seek out the materials, but other times the materials themselves inspire a project. The latter was definitely the case for this project - I must have looked at these plastic cacti in Michaels ten times wondering what I could make with them. Then I remembered seeing a beautiful porcelain cactus ring holder online a while back and thought it would be super cool if I could try to recreate it. With a little bit of experimentation I figured out how to make these faux porcelain cactus ring holders with the help of a little plaster and white and gold paint! Best part is, you can make your own, too!
Mix up the plaster in the paper cup according to the directions (mine was 1 part cold water to 2 parts plaster). Stir it up well with the chopstick. It will start setting up quickly so be ready! When it's about the consistency of a milkshake, hold the wood disk and dip the cactus into the plaster until the plastic is all coated. If parts of the base aren't covered, spread the plaster around with a toothpick to get all of the nooks and crannies. I got the best results when I tipped the cup to the side and dipped one side of the cactus and then the other. Let dry upright. If a second dip is needed, let dry overnight and repeat.
Let dry completely and then spray paint, 2-3 coats. Draw some gold accents around the base and on the cacti themselves if you'd like. I added a few prickles and dashed lines on some and left others plain.
So cute, right? They make a sweet little addition to a dressing table, and for a perpetual jewelry stasher like myself, they're perfect for keeping rings organized. They look like porcelain and you'd never be able to guess that there's a cheap-o plastic cactus inside. Ha!
P.S. I'm heading out to Craftcation tonight! I've been looking forward to this since last years' conference, so I'm super pumped! Let me know if you're going to be there! Follow me on Instagram to keep up with all the action. :) Have a great weekend!
I've been designing and making lots of new products for the shop that I'm so excited to share! The newest arrival in the shop (just listed a couple days ago) is my new Dachshund Love fabric print. Available in black + white with red hearts and coral pink + white with black hearts. It's so cute, I can't wait to sew something with it!
Also new to the shop is the start of a new collection called Mod Home. The collection will consist of housewares and accessories that are cool and contemporary with a touch of retro style. They'd look great in a sleek mid century home or a cute, colorful apartment.
My first new products in this collection are sets of 100% wool coasters. They're screen printed by hand in two different designs - Power lines and Boomerang. A cool feature of these is that they work great individually but can be fit together to make a larger 8" square trivet.
There are a few new greeting cards on the scene in the shop, too! Mother's Day and Father's Day are approaching, so I made new cards for the occasions. I designed this "time to party" card for all of those other special times. It features three Nelson-esque clocks with a bit of confetti and hand lettering.
Sometimes the best thing you can do in a sucky situation is acknowledge it. Did your friend just get dumped by someone they didn't really like that much? Pull their groin playing basketball? Get a really bad haircut? Send them this card and let them know that "that stinks!"
Last but not least, I have 3 new rubber stamps! They're based on my travel illustrations, with an Italian Vespa, Double Decker London Bus, and Eiffel Tower. They're perfect for adding some European flair to your mail and paper goods.
That's all the new stuff for now. I'm working on lots more, but they'll have to be put on hold for a bit while I get ready for Craftcation! This time next week I'll be hanging out with lots of other creatives in Ventura, learning a bunch and crafting as much as possible. I'll also be teaching my simple screen printing workshop, so I can't wait for that! If you're going let me know. I'd love to meet you!
I'm getting ready for Craftcation (can't wait!) and decided to make a new business card holder so I can keep my shiny new business cards at the ready. I made these leather business card wallets with just a small piece of leather, two small pieces of fabric, and a snap - supplies you probably already have on hand! You could easily switch out the leather for vinyl and use up those small scraps of fabric you have lying around for the pockets. They're so easy to make, you'll probably want to make a few!
Sew-on snaps. I used the size 2 snaps (shown) on the thicker leather, and size 1 snaps for the thinner red leather.
Wonder Clips - They're perfect for holding layers together without making pinholes. I rarely use pins anymore!
Fold the two pieces of fabric in half with the right sides touching, so they're 2" x 4.75" each. Sew around the three edges with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving a small opening on one side. Turn right side out. Use a chopstick to help turn crisp corners. Press flat.
Mark a point in the center of each pocket, about 3/4" from the bottom edge. Hand sew the snaps on. Make sure to sew through both layers of fabric. Clip the pockets to each side of the leather, with the folded edge to the inside. Stitch around the perimeter with a 1/8" seam allowance, overlapping a few stitches at the end.
I really love how they turned out. The pop of color and pattern on the inside is fun, too. I plan to keep one in each of my bags so I'm guaranteed to always have some cards on hand. One of these would make a nice handmade gift for a friend with a new job, don't you think? :)
This past week marked 6 months since I brought my sweet, silly, crazy puppy home from the shelter. We've gone through a lot together since those first couple weeks; housebreaking, teething, first Christmas, and our first trip to the beach. She's learned so much about her new pack (me and my family), how to be a good puppy when she wants to be, and how to be bold when she wants attention. She's also taught me lots of good life lessons, and I'm grateful when she reminds me of things that I may lose track of during my usual routine.
This girl wakes up every day with a start and bounds down the hall, excited to be alive another day. It's hard to be in a bad mood first thing in the morning after watching her practically leap with joy. Each day that I wake up healthy, with a roof over my head and another chance to go after my dreams is a good day.
All I have to do to get her interested in the toys she already has is put them in a basket and she'll go digging through it like it's Christmas morning! Sometimes you just have to repackage and fix up the stuff you've already got to find some new enthusiasm.
There's nothing like a cat-nap dog-nap or a brisk walk in the middle of the day. It's ok to take breaks.
I've never known a dog who likes looking around so much! She's perfectly content sitting outside, watching birds, looking into the distance, and sniffing the air. She reminds me to slow down and enjoy where I'm at.
Baci is so funny - she goes browsing, practically window shopping looking for things/trouble she can get into. I can't count how many times I've caught her in my closet sniffing around for stuff to steal and play with! It drives me crazy, but reminds me to continue to seek out the things I want, too.
Ok, don't do that - she did it once, and while I scolded her for it, I'm sure it was exhilarating at the time! Throw caution to the wind and break the rules once in a while.
There's nothing like some puppy dog eye contact and happy tail wagging to get people to want to stop and say hi. I can't do the tail wagging thing, but I can do my best to show a happy, approachable attitude when I'm out and about. Especially since I have resting bitchface sometimes...
This little chickadee is so good at making her own fun - she even throws her toys for herself! Make your own fun.
So there you have my top ten life lessons taught to me by this funny little dachshund mix. She continues to teach me new things every day, like the best way to get her out from under my bed when she's stolen one of my shoes. :) What about you - have you had a pet that taught you any good life lessons?