Summa' My FAVORITE Things!

As the good ol' days of summer surround me with joy & sunshine, I find myself truly appreciative of things I enjoy about this season.  Today's post will feature some of MY FAVORITE THINGS that remind me of SUMMERTIME year-round:

#1 - Home Goods Shopping Tote

I could spend every day in HomeGoods scavenging through the Clearance section and just taking in the adorable and eye-catching decor!  It's definitely one of my fave places to shop year-round, along with it's sister companies: TJ Maxx and Marshall's.

#2 - Mahogany Coconut Candle

Mahogany Teakwood is one of my favorite Bath & Body Works fragrances, but I think the addition of coconut makes this scent EVEN BETTER!  Look at the beautiful graphic design and cute fonts on the glass of this candle.  Unfortunately, this is last year's design, so my replacement ones won't be nearly as tropical.  Pretty much all of my go-to fragrances are summer or beach-y.  In addition to Mahogany Coconut, I really like: Turquoise Waters and Fiji White Sands!

#3 - Charming Charlie's Waterproof Zip Bag

Although this zipper bag is intended to keep your bikini or swimsuit from getting the rest of the things you are carrying wet, I like to throw this in my teacher tote.  Why, you ask?  Well, since it keeps things from getting wet, I prefer to throw all the receipts I can submit for classroom expense reimbursement in here.  That way, I can rest assured that even if my waterbottle springs a leak or any other mishap occurs, my receipts won't be harmed! Not to mention, the saying, "Less Monday More Summer" is 100% meant for me!

#4 - Flip Flops & #5 - Sunglasses

Here in Arizona, sunglasses and flip flops are basically a year-round staple!  Classic black Flojos and shades with accents of gold are my go to.  If memory serves me correct, I found the Flojos at either Ross or Marshall's and I picked up the shades at NY&CO's 4th of July sale for just $3.99!

In addition to my SUMMER FAVES, an anytime-of-year personal FAVE has to be FREEBIES!
Recently, this lovely package appeared on my doorstep from the lovely folks at Mead.  I still haven't thrown away the packaging because I'm trying to think of how I can salvage it to put it on display in my classroom somewhere....Anyway, this past spring, a company rep found my teaching blog & contacted me with an offer to send me one of their newest products. YES to FREE THINGS!! :)

Remember the Mead Trapper binders you used to carry around in middle / high school?  Well, these folks definitely have made a mark in the notebook, folder and binder realm of the office supply world.  And now they're venturing out by making some pretty AWESOME laminators.

Aesthetically, this laminator had me at 'HELLO'!  My office is filled with white furniture with chrome accents.  This sleek laminator is nothing like the clunky beasts of the past!  It is a smooth bar of beautiful white butter with silver accents.  Personally, I like how it beeps to tell me when it's ready.  Not to mention, the light also changes from red to green, just in case you weren't close enough to hear it, but it is pretty loud, I definitely could hear the beep from another room.  Something I haven't seen before are these helpful gridlines that go across the laminating sleeves horizontally and vertically to help you align your items.  This is a plus for those OCD crafters out there like me!

Interested in the Tropical Table labels you spied me working on?  Click the image below!

Final Verdict? This laminator is worth the investment!  It definitely beats the cheap little Scotch laminator I got for about $20 from Target.  It feeds the pouch horizontally with no incline, and the actual machine feels like you have a solid piece of quality machinery.  Click the image below to be taken to the Amazon product page for this laminator.

Finally, creating is one of my favorite things, and when I noticed the image in the "Quote" section of my TpT store had malfunctioned, it meant it was time for a new one.  You'll see the tropical vibe of this new button matches my latest designs.