Dominica Beach Bag

Today I am guest posting about life in Dominica over on This Lovely Life while Brynn is off on her summer travel adventures.  Check out my favorite things for a beach day in Dominica:

Now, head on over to This Lovely Life to see the rest of the post! 

Thank you, Brynn, for letting me share a little bit about island life on your blog! Also, thank you to Lauren for the wonderful blogger beach bag idea!

Fonts used:
Rochester
AW Conqueror Inline
Type Keys

Getting Crafty with Artsy Anthropology

Remember last week when I posted my favorite things about life in Dominica over on Artsy Anthropology?  Well, today I'm lucky enough to have Paige here sharing a fun tutorial!

Hey there C Squared W readers, my name is Paige and I have a little blog called Artsy Anthropology - on which I have fantastic people like Clare guest post, or where I share recipes, tutorials, shop coupons and other such things.

This tutorial is for fun craft storage - the squishy top mason jar with a chalkboard label...

Supplies:

• Mason Jar (for larger label, get one without writing)
• Chalkboard paint, paint brush
• Masking/painter's tape
• Fabric (about 10 sq. inches)
• Stuffing (I took apart an old pillow...)
• Hot glue gun and scissors

(You will need to do about 3 layers... for prepping the paint, read the directions for your particular paint)

You need a large circle about 2 times larger than the pop-out section of your jar's lid

You also need a small circle just smaller than the pop-out section

You need to glue the large piece almost all the way around (see below) and then stuff in the stuffing... then finish gluing.

Then you glue the smaller piece on to finish up...

Stuff the pop-off part back into the jar lid and that part is finished!

Then fill your jar, label it with the contents and be happy with your next project... Clearly I have a few of these... in which I store: glue sticks, "Bitty Bow" pieces, buttons, bobby-pins and feathers.

Hope you all have fun trying this at home! I'd love to see what you come up with!

Thanks so much, Paige, for sharing this fun tutorial.  I can't wait to try this out myself!

Be sure to check out Paige over at Artsy Anthropology.  You can also visit her cute Etsy shop and find her on Twitter. 

5 Favorite Things: Island Life

We moved to the Caribbean nearly two years ago so that my husband could attend medical school here.  Currently, we are lucky enough to live on the beautiful nature isle of Dominica {pronounced dom-in-eeka} where everyday is an adventure.

Here are my five favorite things about island life:

1. The tight-knit community.  Dominica is a small island, measuring about 290 square miles with a total population of about 71,000.  I volunteer at several local schools and community organizations, and I love the small community here.  On any given day, I see a handful of friends, neighbors, students, and other familiar faces, and this is one of my favorite things about the island.  I love knowing the cashiers at the grocery store, and then seeing them on the weekends when I go to town or spend an afternoon at the beach.  These familiar, smiling faces are what make Dominica feel like home.

2.  We have fresh fruit here everywhere, all the time.  These papayas are from my neighbor's tree across the street.  Our garden is laden with grapefruit, star fruit, guava, passion fruit, banana, and plantain trees.  During mango and avocado {locally called pear} season, my husband and I collect fruits that have fallen off nearby trees, or climb a tree in our yard or up the street for some fresh fruit.  You can buy all of these treats at the store or the market, as well, but you can't ignore the fresh goodies straight from the tree, either! {Also, the fruits and veggies here are abnormally large.  Sometimes I yell at them...}

3.  Dominica boasts 365 rivers, one for every day of the year.  There is no better way to spend a hot summer day in Dominica than by hiking in the rainforest to one of the island's many rivers and waterfalls for a refreshing swim.  Some of my favorites are Bense Pool {pictured above} and the Seven Waterfalls Hike. 

4.  Island Hopping by plane or ferry to one of many nearby islands makes for an easy adventure and an exotic vacation.  Ferries travel from Dominica to nearby islands like St. Lucia, Guadaloupe, and Martinique on a daily basis.  It's also easy to hop a quick plane to other nearby islands like St. Maarten, Barbados, or St. Vincent {above}.

5.  The laid back, island lifestyle and attitude is one of my favorite things about Dominica.  This photo of happy, carefree Rastafarian dancing on the beach at sunset sums this up perfectly.  Life here is simple.  People here are happy and they live with much, much less.  This is one of the greatest lessons that we have learned while living here, and I hope that we continue to appreciate this simple lifestyle even after we return to the U.S.

So there you have it, my five favorite things about life in Dominica.  

Font used:
Special Elite

Photos by Clare Wilkinson for C Squared W.

Bright Lights

Happy Monday, friends!

This weekend was a fun one: a Friday dinner date with Charlie; a birthday brunch and wine cruise for Rachael's birthday on Saturday; and hiking, lunch, and a sunset swim with Charlie on Sunday.  Plenty of photos coming soon!

Today I am thrilled to be featured on Joy's blog, Frock Files, where I'm sharing a little bit about myself and a few of my favorite things.  Do you know Joy?  She shares her love for fashion on her blog, in addition to writing beautifully and sharing thoughtful posts and book reviews, among other things.  Head on over to Frock Files and show us some love! 

 

My Trip to Italy: 4 Cities

You should be so proud of me - I unpacked my entire suitcase yesterday, within one day of returning from my trip! {Sometimes this takes me weeks.  It's bad, I know!}

My trip to Italy was so fantastic, and I've almost recovered from the long trip home {getting back to Dominica often takes a couple of days, so on my return trip I had to overnight in Puerto Rico}. I'm excited about sharing bits and pieces from my trip over the next couple of weeks! 

During the ten days that I was in Italy with my family, we were lucky enough to visit four different cities:

Each spot was so beautiful and unique in its own way.  I can't wait to share my photos and tell you all about what we did in each city!  

I would also like to thank my wonderful blog friends for sharing some awesome guest posts while I was away.  In case you missed them... 

Emily gave us some helpful tips for planning a trip. 

Supal shared her essentials for a backpacking trip.

Katie showed us some fun photos from a past trip to Rome.

Bobbi gaves us a glimpse of one of her favorite places in Australia.

Thanks again, ladies!  

Bongiorno!

I'm writing this blog post from Italy where I'm currently on vacation with my mom, Katrina, and sister, Margaret.  We're loving every minute of it!  We've been busy all week walking, sightseeing, eating, and drinking, and it couldn't be more fun!

Here's a sneak peek of the three of us roaming Rome:

We passed this lovely fountain on the way to Margaret's school one afternoon and couldn't resist a family photo.  I can't wait to tell you all about our incredible trip when I return to Dominica in a few days.

Today I'm also guest posting over on Katie's blog, Priceless Adventure, about a trip to St. Maarten I went on to last year with my other lovely sister, Frannie.

Check it out to see our trip highlights and some fun travel photos.

Katie is currently in St. Maarten for our dear friend Kristen's wedding.  A handful of our close friends from Dominica are there celebrating with Kristen and Paul this week, and I know they are having a blast.  Congratulations Kristen and Paul, we're so happy for you!

Favorite Places

Whenever I tell people the amount of time that I lived in Australia (just a few days shy of a year) I’m immediately peppered with questions about what life is like there.

Can you really ride kangaroos? No.

What’s the food like? Think American food, but more fattening.

Does it get so hot that you feel like you’re walking into a blistering inferno every time you step outside? Oh god, yes.

Do the toilets flush in the opposite direction? I’ve never wanted to put my face so close to a toilet that I could tell, but let me know when you find out. My guess is they probably just flush straight down like a lot of toilets outside of the US do.

But, the most popular question I get, and the one I love answering the most, is Where was your favorite place to live?

And that, my friends, is a wet little tropical oasis in the northern part of Queensland called Mission Beach.

I say that Mission Beach is my favorite part of Australia, but it’s really also one of my favorite parts of the world. There is sun, beautiful beach, adventure at every corner, and–odd, because tourism is how this town stays alive–a complete lack of the over-saturated, touristy vibe that a lot of the hot spots in Australia give off.

Instead of telling you–no words can really do it justice–I’ll show you a bit of what I’m talking about:

I spent about four months in the area in total (after only planning on staying four weeks). Sky diving, river rafting, trying not to get eaten by creatures in the rainforest. Basically having more fun than any one person should really be allowed to have. 

Unfortunately, the area was devastated by Cyclone Yasi a short time after my last visit. They’re slowly rebuilding, but it’s taking time and a lot of money that the locals don’t really have if travelers aren’t coming through. I hope that they can withstand the tough times and reclaim some of the traffic that they used to get. It’s no doubt, even looking through pictures of the rebuilding process, that the magic is definitely still there. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my favorite place on Earth! If you ever find yourself in Australia, definitely stop in. If you’re anything like me, you might not be able to leave! 

If you haven't done so already, you must check out Bobbi's blog, Today I'm Bobbi. She has such a great style and design sense.  I love her book reviews, travel photos, humor, and sarcasm. Did I mention that she also designs blogs?  Really, you just need to go check her out, she's so much fun! 

When in Rome

When I heard that Clare was going to Italy for Spring Break, I was sad that she wasn't going to St. Maarten but excited for her that she was getting to do something so far from our typical island life!

Italy is one of my favorite places. I have been to Rome twice, and am in love with the mix of old & new, history & glamour. I love that the Colosseum is just sitting in the middle of the city!

Both times I've been to Italy it has been with friends. After I graduated high school, I sold my car & took a trip with a friend. Then during my senior year of college I studied abroad at Oxford University and was able backpack through Italy & Paris the two weeks prior to classes starting.

These pictures are from the latter trip, in 2005. I don't think anyone even had a digital camera back in 2001 when I went the first time! My how quickly times change, but the beauty of Rome is how it's history is so carefully entwined with it's present.

We miss you Clare! Come back soon, and bring back some gelato with you!

If you've read my blog before, then you've probably seen Katie's blog, too; she's my island bestie, after all!  But in case you haven't, be sure to check out Katie's fun adventures over at Priceless Adventure and her fabulous blog designs at Priceless Design Studio, too!  

Backpacking Essentials

Hi everyone! I am so excited to be holding the fort down here on C Squared W today! To be completely honest, I have a little travel envy. Clare's trip seems like so much fun and when she asked me to do a travel related post I was honored and excited. I have done a good deal of traveling for school, my job and for fun. Time to time, I like to share my experiences backpacking through different parts of the world on my blog, and so today I thought I'd do the same here.

Today I'm going to share my five essentials for a backpacking trip. I don't mean a small carry on tote, but a full on backpack adventure! I may come off as someone who is high maintenance, but most people don't know that I often crave a bit of adventure. I've had some great experiences and a lot of stories, but I'll share those some other time. 

First, liquid bandages are a must! I can't stress this enough. When you're constantly walking you are prone to blisters. Even places like Europe, you're prone to infections, so apply this solution to heal, treat and sanitize any wound. 

Second. Ever stay in a beautiful hostel? My favorite hostels are in Spain owned by the Oasis Backpackers. They have them in different cities of Spain and Portugal. Though they are clean, the whole sleeping on a mattress with youthful backpackers rolling through kind of stresses me out. My solution are silk sleep sheets. They are thin and weightless and fit the purpose! 

Third. Most people like to take some kind of electronic device with them to communicate with friends and family back home. This is something I like to do also. My parents would throw a fit if I didn't. Instead of taking a laptop, I usually opt to take a tablet. Obviously, the best would be the iPad. You can get wifi at almost any local cafe these days, so easy to store photos, document your trip and connect with people back home! 

Fourth. My backpack gained the most weight from bottles of liquid [body wash, shampoo and conditioner]. I would have to sacrifice some important things [like shoes!] just to fit all three and meet weight requirements. I was told, from an Australian friend I met in Granada, that Olive Oil soap is the best for backpackers. So I tried it, and it's true. I take a bar of pure olive oil soap and I can use it on my body, hair and clothes!

Finally, when you're taking day trips without your life-of-a-backpack with you, carry a day bag. It can range from a backpack or a small tote. Be sure, however to hold onto all your important documents [passport!] and valuables [camera, laptops, etc.]! 

Just a tip for you newcomers to the backpacking world, make sure your backpack is 12kg [about 26 pounds] or less for the most comfort and to prevent injury. If you're interested in reading more about my travel experiences, visit my blog to read about camping in the dessert, a recipe from Syria, and my top travel essentials for everyone! 

Well, there you have it. My five essentials for the thrill-seeking backpackers! Thanks Clare for having me over, and thank you all for stopping by. I hope to see you soon and perhaps you can come visit me over at chevrons & éclairs!

Make sure you check out Supal's beautiful blog, Chevrons & Éclairs for more fun posts, inspiration, and some delicious recipes.  She also has some gorgeous party ideas and is the mastermind behind Art to Inspiration.  Basically, Supal does it all, and she does it all really well!