Learn Online with DK Find Out! #DKCanada #giveaway

dk-find-out

Learning is a continual process that as parents we are blessed to be a part of.

It can be extremely hard sometimes to find the right teaching format for your child especially with the variety of ways children learn (some are visual, some need to have it explained and so on). I know both of my children are independent learners who like and respond better to large visual components.

DK Canada has launched a brand new website, DK Find Out! which can be used as a fun learning resource and is aimed at children, educators and their parents.

dk-find-outNearly two years in the making, DK Find Out is an educational website that gathers together DK Canada’s collection of images and research to create a safe and educational online tool. All those gorgeous images and wealth of knowledge that we have come to love from DK Canada comes to life in an online format.

dk-find-out

One of the best features of the DK Find Out website? It is FREE! Yes – free! There are not too many educational resources out there for parents that are free.

dk-find-outThe DK Find Out website is accessible on all devices, including iPad, phones, laptops and computers. This makes it that much easier to learn from basically anywhere! Which for us usually includes car rides to soccer practices or the much hated long road trips to soccer games. Why not whip out the iPad and take advantage of this time by accessing the website and learning instead of the usual video games?.

Some of the educational areas include dinosaurs, animals, earth, nature, history, math and many more. The illustrations are gorgeous! Large, bold and bright they draw you right into the site immediately. Children will find it easy to navigate and find their favourite areas. Parents can also easily read along with their child if they are too young to navigate the site by themselves.

dk-find-out

To help celebrate their launch, DK Canada is offering one of you the chance to win your own DK Find Out tote bag! Canadian residents can enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Continue Reading

Snow Day! #WW with linky

snow-day

We had our first snow day in the last couple of years yesterday and I have to say it was quite the snow storm!

We headed out at six in the morning and spent two hours trying to clear the driveway in order to help my husband get out and to work.

snow-day

My husband had the neighbour’s snow blower out and it still took us forever to make a dent in the snow

 

snow-day

There is my car hidden in the snow.

snow-day

The best part was getting to play in the snow with my babies! They were super excited to be able to spend the whole day at home playing.

snow-day

snow-day

Have you had a snow day yet this year? What do you do on these days?

Make sure to link up below so that I can come visit you too!

Continue Reading

Authentic Arts: Venice Travel Guide

venice

I was blessed to be able to visit Venice while I was in my teens. I immediately fell in love with the history, romance and architecture. Every street has a story and being there was like taking a walk through history. I was able to see glass being made which was just an incredible tradition to be able to see. With its beauty, Venice can also be home to tourist traps as I know I was witness to some – many times with blankets laid out in the streets selling traditional Venetian items.

venice

The author of Authentic Arts: Venice Travel Guide, Laura Morelli,  is an art historian and trusted guide in the world of cultural travel and authentic shopping. She guides you to the best of the city’s most traditional arts: Murano glass, carnival masks, gondolas, lace, paper, and more. This indispensable guide includes practical tips for locating the most authentic goods in one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world. The Authentic Arts: Venice Travel Guide is full of useful information on pricing, quality, and value, and with a comprehensive resource guide, Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts: Venice is the perfect guide for anyone wanting to bring home the unique traditions of Venice.

Artisans of Venice is the companion to Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts: Venice, A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper, & More. Put both books together and you’ll be the most knowledgeable traveler in Venice!

In Venice, it’s not easy to tell the treasures from the trash. This is true now more than ever before, as increasing numbers of carnival masks, glass, and other souvenirs flood into Venice, imported from overseas and passed off as authentic. There is no substitute for an educated buyer. Laura Morelli helps you locate the city’s most authentic artisans–those practicing centuries-old trades of mask making, glass blowing, wood-turning, silk spinning, and other traditions. Wouldn’t you rather support authentic Venetian master artisans than importers looking to turn a quick profit without any connection to Venice at all?

Venice boasts some of the most accomplished master artisans in the world. Here’s how you can find them.

Laura Morelli leads you beyond the souvenir shops for an immersive cultural experience that you won’t find in any other guidebook. Artisans of Venice brings you inside the workshops of the most accomplished makers of Venetian fabrics, Murano glass and millefiori, carnival masks and masquerade costumes, gondolas, Burano lace, mirrors, marbleized paper, hand-carved frames, and other treasures. This book leads you to the multi-generational studios of some 75 authentic master artisans. If you’re reading on your Kindle device, tablet, or smart phone, you can click directly on their street addresses for an interactive map, and link to their web sites and email addresses directly from the guide. A cross-referenced resource guide also offers listings by neighborhood.

Laura Morelli, an art historian and trusted guide in the world of cultural travel and authentic shopping, leads you to the best of Venice’s most traditional arts. Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts series is the only travel guide series on the market that takes you beyond the museums and tourist traps to make you an educated buyer–maybe even a connoisseur–of Florentine leather, ceramics of the Amalfi Coast, Parisian hats, Venetian glass, the handmade quilts of Provence, and more treasures.

Bring Laura Morelli’s guides to Venice with you, and you’ll be sure to come home with the best of Venice in your suitcase!

About Laura Morelli

Laura Morelli holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University, where she was a Bass Writing Fellow and Mellon Doctoral Fellow. She authored a column for National Geographic Traveler called “The Genuine Article” and contributes pieces about authentic travel to national magazines and newspapers. Laura has been featured on CNN Radio, Travel Today with Peter Greenberg, The Frommers Travel Show, and in USA TODAY, Departures, House & Garden Magazine, Traditional Home, the Denver Post, Miami Herald, The Chicago Tribune, and other media. Recently her art history lesson, “What’s the difference between art and craft?” was produced and distributed by TED-Ed.

Laura has taught college-level art history at Trinity College in Rome, as well as at Northeastern University, Merrimack College, St. Joseph College, and the College of Coastal Georgia. Laura has lived in five countries, including four years in Italy and four years in France.

Laura Morelli is the author of the guidebook series that includes Made in Italy, Made in France, and Made in the Southwest, all published by Rizzoli / Universe. The Gondola Maker, a historical coming-of-age story about the heir to a gondola boatyard in 16th-century Venice, is her first work of fiction.

Connect with Laura on Facebook, Twitter and her website.

The Bauta

The baùta is the quintessential Venetian mask, worn historically not only at Carnival time but any time a Venetian citizen wished to remain anonymous, such as when he may have been involved in important law-making or political processes in the city. The simplest of the traditional Venetian mask types, the baùta is a stark faceplate traditionally paired with a full-length black or red hooded cloak called a tabàro (or tabàrro), and a tricorn hat, as depicted in paintings and prints by the Venetian artist Pietro Longhi. Most baùte were made of waxed papier-mâché and covered most of the face. The most prominent feature is a distinctive aquiline nose and no mouth. The lower part of the mask protruded outward to allow the mask wearer to breathe, talk, and eat while remaining disguised.

venice

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Continue Reading

A Stitch in Crime by Cathy Elliott #LitfuseReads

stitch-in-crime

Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women’s fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.

stitch-in-crime

About A Stitch in Crime

Thea James, our main character, is hosting her first quilt show and it appears to be falling apart at the seams!

She had gladly accepted the assignment of co-chair for Larkindale’s first quilt show but she begins to find that juggling the show and running her antique business is leaving her feeling frayed.

Mary Alice Wentworth, the much adored town matriarch, respected quilt judge and Thea’s own dear friend, is covertly knocked on the head during the kick off of the quilt show which throws immediate suspicion on her guests. To add even more to the situation, Mary Alice’s valuable diamond brooch had been stolen during the attack! The family is furious but it is unclear if it is the theft or their hurt mother which angers them more.
When a renowned textile expert goes MIA and the famous Wentworth heritage quilt disappears, Larkindale’s reputation as a tourist haven is at risk. Thea attempts to piece the mystery together and save the town’s investment in the quilt show before Mary-Alice is attacked again with far worse results.
My Thoughts
I have loved all the  novels I have read so far in the Quilts of Love series and A Stitch In Crime is no exception! Full of mystery and just that little bit of budding romance combine to make a perfect novel.
A Stitch In Crime, while not full of nail-biting mystery and suspense, has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. It is the perfect mystery for me – the kind that gets you thinking but is still light enough to read without being overwhelmed and frustrated. The community in A Stitch In Crime are your typical small town community who know and look after each other. This is what  makes the mystery that much better – how could someone do this to the much-loved matriarch?
Through in the comic relief from, Thea’s Mom with her ‘British’ accent and it tops it all of perfectly. I wish the romance between Thea and her friend evolved a little bit more but that may have been too much to accomplish in just one book. I do hope that there is a second part to come back to for this book as I think it was left off with enough to build on.
Make sure you check out the Litfuse Blog tour page for more reviews!
Rating: 4.5/5
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Continue Reading

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden #LitfuseReads

beyond-all-dreams

Is bringing the truth to light worth risking the future? For Anna and Luke it may mean everything in Elizabeth Camden’s Beyond All Dreams.

beyond-all-dreams

About Beyond All Dreams

Anna O’Brien leads a quiet and predictable life as a map librarian at the famed Library of Congress. Her quiet life slowly changes when she stumbles across the mystery of a ship that disappeared at sea. All of her attempts to uncover information is thwarted by others in positions of power. Her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help.

Luke Callahan was one of the nation’s most powerful congressmen before his career was shadowed in scandal. Eager to help the beautiful and intriguing librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship. Opposites in every way, Anna and Luke are drawn to each other despite all the strict rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglements with members of Congress.
From the halls of the Capitol where powerful men shape the future of the nation to the archives of the nation’s finest library, Anna and Luke are soon embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is bringing the truth to light worth risking all that they have ever dreamed of?
My Thoughts
I fell in love with this story from the first chapter. I am a huge history fan so this novel won its way to my heart immediately!
Anna is a bright young woman living in a time that was quite difficult for women. She wanted to succeed in her career that so many women could not obtain or if they did as soon as they were married they were forced to leave their position. She could not and would not let anyone ruin her position. She had given up on love and finding a partner as not only would this ruin her chance of working in the Congress Library but she was also much older than typical young women of marriageable age.
Luke has his own family history of scandal as well as his own. He is controversial and so very different form the men in Anna’s life.  Behind his rough exterior he is a man of compassion, intelligence and kindness.
From start to finish, Beyond All Dreams is a fantastic, engaging read that you will enjoy over and over again.

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Continue Reading