A stay-cation in Mystic, CT

Welcome to my reveal for the 2nd Annual Challenge of Travel blog hop! Erin has challenged us to stay-cation, where we experience the local attractions close to home.

Today I'll be taking you on a trip to the famous Mystic, CT. This shoreline town is not only full of beautiful scenery but it's also rich in history, making it a popular tourist destination in the summer months. You may have already heard of my small town because of a popular movie called Mystic Pizza, staring Julia Roberts. The Mystic Pizza restaurant is right in the heart of downtown, where you can grab a slice and do some great shopping!

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This store is owned by a woman who shares my name! It's such a cool boutique.

Running through downtown Mystic is a river, and if you want to cross by car or foot, at 40 minutes past the hour, you will have to stop and wait for the drawbridge to rise. Built in 1920, this bascule style swing bridge is one of the oldest of its type still in operation and is quite a sight to see!

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I look forward to the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival every year. It's the largest around and runs all weekend long! This year the weather was just beautiful and the amazingly talented artists were plentiful. We also enjoyed some tasty New England summer foods.

Clam Fritters!

There are so many other great attractions in Mystic too. At the Seaport, you can learn about the old sailing ships and experience what maritime life was like!

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If you're a regular reader, you may remember that my high school reunion was held at the Mystic Aquarium. Who doesn't love sea lions and penguins? :)

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Now, let's get to the jewelry! I created a necklace for this challenge that was inspired by the tall sailing ships. I had a vintage brass stamping that I hung from brass chain. I then created a sort of "ocean" with multiple strands of seed beads in shades of blue and turquoise.

I hope I have peaked your interest about my area of the world, and just maybe I'll see ya around!

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Time for a show

On Saturday I will be participating in Art on Groton Bank. I had a table there last year and really had a great time. So of course, I'm looking forward to this show, it's been quite a while since I've done one. Except that I'm not ready... not enough inventory, cat fur all over my table cloths, where in the heck is that banner I ordered?!

But as my mother said to me last night, "It wouldn't be a show if you weren't freaking out, Rochelle."
So wise, she is.

{Tutorial Love} DIY Leather Bracelets

A collection of great D.I.Y. tutorials for leather bracelets!

Painted Leather Bracelets

by A Beautiful Mess

Leather Bracelets decorated with ribbon and buttons

by Jolijou

Stitched Leather Bracelets

by Crafty Nest

Leather Bow Cuff

by Melissa of ISLY

 Woven Leather and Chain Bracelet

by Runway DIY

Leather Layered Bracelet with Rhinestone buttons

by Wobisobi

Upcycled Belt Bracelets

 by The May Fly

by Delighted Momma

{A Few of my Favorite Things} Randomness

I admit that when taking on this January Earring Challenge, I didn't think it would be quite so much work. I have a feeling the end result will be worth it though. Most of my posts have been only about my daily earrings. Not that it's a bad thing, but I wouldn't want my wonderful readers to get bored... So here are a few of my favorite things from the last few weeks!

I have been listening to a lot of  the very talented Lana Del Rey, while working on my daily earrings.

Personal Photo

YouTube: Lana Del Rey

I have been lazy and keep forgetting to clean up my desk space after I make something. The result has been disastrous! So I've decided to really Clean & Organize my work room. I know this will take some time, so I've been doing a little bit each day and incorporating these great tips!

Photo Source

Ice cube trays: To sort and separate all those piles of random beads on my desk :\

 

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Clip Boards: Organize all your supplies for a project on individual clipboards!

I popped in to a few new blogs during the weekend and I realized that my blog is, well, boring to look at. Thank goodness one of the blogs I stumbled upon happened to have a very helpful tutorial on how to spice things up a bit!

 

Head over to Sweet Verbena for this and many more awesome tutorials!

One of my favorite meals is Mac&Cheese. When I have a bad day this is usually my go-to meal to prepare for Hubby and I. You know, comfort food. However, this is not the most healthy of dinners. Imagine how excited I was when I came across this recipe: SKINNY Mac & Cheese!

Six Sister's Stuff shared this recipe and I can't wait to try it!