This is Ireland by M. Sasek

Miroslav Sasek, (1916 - 1980), better known as M. Sasek, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

After vacationing in France, he got the idea to write and illustrate travel books for children.

This is Paris was his first one, with 17 more to follow.

I visited the library and picked up This is Ireland,

wanting to see what these books were all about.

I found simple, watercolor illustrations of maps and landmarks,

drawn with children in mind, but ready to delight us grown-ups as well!

Enjoy the retro charm as you look with me

inside the pages of This is Ireland!

Miroslav Sasek first caught my attention when I featured a cover of one of his books 

on my post San Francisco Illustrated. (You can see that HERE!)

Here are a few more book covers from the This is series by M.Sasek~

betterworldbooks

lilsugar

brainpickings

amazon

poppybrew

Visit the Miroslav Slasek website, This is M. Sasek.

A Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!

Naples, FL ~Out & About

A stupendous vacation in Naples, Florida!
Here's a conglomeration of photos from our trip.
Lots of links if you'd like to look into a visit of your own!
  

From Bayfront Naples (above)

we boarded the Naples Bay Water Shuttle for a tour of the bay.

A great deal at just $5.00 each, it included stops at Tin City, (see that post HERE),

and The Boathouse, where we had a yummy dock-side lunch!

So relaxed and happy!

There's something about eating outside!
Fresh air ambiance!

My delectable lobster roll with sweet potato fries!

Here's me trying out a Jetlev Jet Pack!

(Just kidding. As if.) Read about this crazy-cool water activity HERE.

Our rental car! We didn't request this VW Beetle, but it was a fun surprise!

We loved zipping around town in it. (Red, no less.)

Enjoyed a sunshiny day at the Naples Zoo.

A rare treat to see a sloth this close!

Glad there was a fence to safely separate me from this alligator!

We were continually amazed at the unique, tropical vegetation.
Here's a stangler fig.

A gorgeous outdoor mall called Waterside Shops.

 Hibiscus blooms abound! True tropical beauty!

Spotted this terrific mint green Vespa scooter!

Now that would be what I'd call the perfect souvenir!

A vintage travel poster I just had to share!

Crazy about staghorn ferns! They're very popular in Naples.

This one hanging from a front yard tree was enormous!

A glass tile sea turtle mosaic in the walkway to Naples Pier.

Drove over to nearby Marco Island one afternoon.

Enjoyed watching the pelicans on the dock.

Want to see more pics from my Naples, Florida vacation?

Catch these posts:

Vacationing in Naples, Florida ~The Beach

Naples, FL ~Tin City

Naples, FL ~Naples Botanical Garden

Naples, FL ~Naples Soap Company
A Sunny Stroll on Naples Pier
The Edison & Ford Winter Estates

Yep. I put the "flop" in the floppy hat. =)

Paisley Beading ~ March 2014

My latest handcrafted jewelry at Paisley Beading!

Come and see the shop HERE!

Naples, FL ~Naples Soap Company

Though not edible, these loofah soaps, cleverly displayed on cake stands,

certainly look delicious, don't they?

They lured me inside and a "Bondi Breeze" blue one 

made its way back to PA as a souvenir for my daughter!

I had a  fabulous time shopping at Naples Soap Company,

located at Tin City in Naples, Florida.

Founder and CEO Deanna Renda began Naples Soap Company in 2009,

in a quest to offer natural body products of the highest quality.

The successful shop has since expanded to 5 locales in Southwest Florida.

We're talkin' lotions and potions!

Sea salt scrubs, face cream and body sprays.

Shave cream, moisturizer sticks and bath bombs.

And of course...soap!

Throw a Bath Bomb into your tub for an explosion of bubbles!

Doin' what they do best - a wide variety of quality soap 

in swirls of colors to match your bathroom

and wafts of fragrances to suit your mood!

Such a fun way to sample soap!

Geologically fun SoapRocks look almost like the real thing!

Couldn't resist the luxurious body butter! I just had to bring some home with me.

No bottles necessary for this shampoo and conditioner!

Here are the Naples Soap Company

website and

Facebook page.

View other posts in my Naples, Florida series:

Vacationing in Naples, Florida ~The Beach

Naples, FL ~Tin City

Naples, FL ~Naples Botanical Garden
Naples, FL ~Out & About
Clam Pass

Celtic Art: Cast Paper by Kevin Dyer

With a nod to St. Patrick's Day, the Emerald Isle, and all things Irish,

I'd like to show off a shop called Cast Paper by Kevin Dyer!

Kevin artistic talent is combined with his interest in Celtic history to create 

these fabulous paper cast works of art, like the Donegal Stone Celtic Cross, above.

Here's an illustration of the paper casting process that Kevin uses to explain his work.

Seeing the steps taken helps us to appreciate the time involved,

as well as the 3D, detailed textures of each piece.

Celtic Cross

Brigid's Cross

Celtic Cross of Creation

Celtic Family Circle

Celtic Firefighter's Cross

Scottish Thistle

Blue Heron

Celtic Tree of Life

In addition to traditional Celtic art, Kevin's works include
Asian, Western, and fantasy themes.

Find Cast Paper here:

Etsy

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Images used with direct permission from Kevin Dyer.