Yosemite National Park in California

 

We recently went on a trip & were able to visit Yosemite National Park in California! It was a gorgeous park to visit, we went during the winter so it was slightly chilly and on the day we went it was raining and starting to snow. The weather made it to where there wasn't a ton of traffic in the park like there can be during the summer. There were only a handful of cars on the roads and all of the little pull outs were empty so we were able to stop whenever we wanted to pop out of the car and snap some photos. 

With the weather the ground was wet & muddy so while we originally planned on doing a bit of hiking that didn't quite work out how we wanted. So we just drove around looking at everything & got out at a few spots to look around. 

Here are some photos from the park that I wanted to share with all of you! We stayed at a hotel just outside of the national park (but still located in Yosemite Valley) so I was able to get some gorgeous shots of the night stars as well! And I will of course be posting a review of the hotel eventually, it was an awesome spot to stay with gorgeous views. 

If you pop over to my Instagram page I have a reel up showing some videos of waterfalls! Since it was raining there were several smaller waterfalls coming off the mountain tops from the rain and with the light fog it was a stunning sight. 

If you are planning a trip to California & are looking for other activities to do feel free to type in "Things to do in California" in the search bar of my blog so you can find some other great activities in California. You can also click the "Things to do in California" link located on the right hand side of my blog/in this post.

Desert Breeze Hummingbird Habitat in Chandler, AZ - Free to Visit!

 

It is finally the time of the year when the weather is going to start cooling down, so I want to share a spot where you can watch hummingbirds along with other bird species and small critters. Best of all, it is free! In Chandler, Arizona there is a small hummingbird sanctuary that sits next to a public park. There is plenty of parking at the park, you will just need to walk across a small street to reach the sanctuary which is called Desert Breeze Hummingbird Habitat. It is located at 4700-4724 W Desert St, Chandler, AZ 85226. It is tucked away near a neighborhood so aside from a little noise from the park next door or the occasional car that drives by this spot is quiet and relaxing. 

The area features an iron archway, a lovely pond with mini waterfall feature, a large iron tree with seating along with a small walking area with seating. We visited back in early May, it was the start of the hot months so we didn't see as many birds as you could on a cooler day, the time of day you go is also a big factor. This would be a great spot to visit whether you are by yourself or with your family. Families with small children could even use it as an opportunity to teach your children about some of the local wildlife & plants. 

We enjoyed sitting & watching all of the birds and the stroll around the habitat was lovely. All of the plants and flowers are kept nicely trimmed and maintained. This is a great spot to go sit with a coffee in one hand and your camera in the other, it can be quite calming just sitting and enjoying the nature around you. I enjoyed the variety of flowers that were planted here, it gave us a chance to see the cute little bees above rolling around inside of the flowers. If you happen to be in the area, I recommend stopping by to check this spot out.

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" (Click here or locate it on the right-hand side of my page) section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

Glass Garden at Butterfly Wonderland.

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.I received two tickets to check out the exhibit to take photos and form my opinion on the event for free in exchange for this post no other compensation was given.**

Have you heard of Butterfly Wonderland? It is a unique rainforest experience in Arizona that gives you an up close experience with dozens of butterfly species and plants. While attractions such as Butterfly Wonderland are always enjoyable to visit it is kind of like the zoo after a few visits it all starts to feel a little like the same thing so it is wonderful when they add exhibits, host events, etc. to spice things up. At the moment Butterfly Wonderland is hosting 'The Glass Garden' which is an exhibit on the local artist Newt Grover and his glass works of beauty. Plus if you are like me and haven't been there a while (it's been a few years for me) they also have added a great reptile section plus they still have their bee hive, insects and fish.

Each piece being shown was created especially for the rain forest conservatory where they house their butterflies. The glass pieces blend in and intertwine with the plants and trees beautifully and naturally. I suggest arriving when they first open, Arizona can get pretty hot as is and they keep the conservatory a bit humid with misters to keep the butterflies and birds happy, towards the end of the day you may sweat a bit so beating the heat is a great idea.

I've shared a few of the pieces above but I will leave the rest to be discovered when you visit the Butterfly Wonderland. The experience as a whole is quite unique and is well worth the price especially if you are a big fan of butterflies, you get to see them in various stages and you get to get up close to them.

The Glass Garden is being featured for a limited time so check it out while you can! Even if you miss the glass garden I suggest heading out to check out Butterfly Wonderland anyway because there aren't many changes to be around this many species of butterflies. If you are lucky enough one might even land on you, and many will fly very close to you so you'll be able to make out all of their fine details. Tickets are $23.95 per adult and $15.95 for children, however they also offer combo passes (with Odysea Aquarium, Mirror Maze, etc) and they offer yearly passes.

Little Marvel Designs Giveaway & Review!

****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by Little Marvel Designs for the review & giveaway free of charge.****

I've always loved having plants in my house, but sadly even trying my best to keep them alive there wasn't enough sunlight in the apartment to keep them alive. Now that I live in a house with a large glass sliding door and big kitchen windows my plants have plenty of room to live and thrive but I don't really have the space for all of the plants I want so I've had to start thinking about unique ways to display my plants. A great Etsy shop called Little Marvel Designs was the answer to my search, store owner Heather sells a wide assortment of macrame plant hangers and wall decor. I should note my plant holder may look a little silly in the photo below, this is due to my own fault because I was overly excited about the pot holder I found while at the store and I didn't realize it was too big for the size macrame I have. For my review I receive a small Macrame hanging planter with a turquoise daisy decoration. 





This is made from hand-knotted jute color poly cord and wood beads, the small is made to fit a 4.5" pot and saucer as you can see from the photo above I was silly and bought a pot way too big, granted it fits but it sits unevenly so I will need to buy the proper sized pot. It is completely hand made and is tied and knotted completely by hand, Heather did a beautiful job and I like the color combinations she selected for the wooden beads. The materials used to create this are sturdy, the rope is strong and can hold a decent amount of weight plus it was knitted onto a heavy duty metal ring so it will fit onto any size hook, once it is hung up it isn't going anywhere so you know your plant is safe. The small macrame is only $15 which is a complete steal for a handmade plant holder that doubles as a decor piece, I can't wait for my guests to see mine! I was also sent a Mermaid art print which features a Mermaid floating in a crescent moon surrounded by seashells.





The original art piece was made using only colored pencils,all the colors are soft almost pastel in color. I love how she was able to create the crescent shape of the moon because when you see the print in person it has a bit of a 3d effect to it which really makes the print pop. There are a lot of fine details in this print from her seashell hair comb to the star fish and plants on the moon. This is a great print for any Mermaid or mystical creature lover the piece is calming to look at and adds a bit of magic to the room. The print arrived in a plastic sleeve set on top of a thick piece of cardboard to help prevent it from bending during shipping, both items were wrapped in pretty green tissue paper. Heather has been quite friendly and is more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the products sold in her shop. Stop by her shop to see the other fantastic goodies her shop has in store for you!

Prize Alert:
Two lucky winners are going to receive a $25 Gift card to Little Marvel Designs. * Note gift card can only be used with a purchase of $28 or more so essentially it is a discount of $25.

This is open to US Residents only! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email!
 
Giveaway winners are announced on FACEBOOK, If you would like to see who won my latest giveaways please visit and like my facebook page.

 Giveaway entry question: Please leave me a blog comment letting me know what you would purchase with your Little Marvel Designs gift card.

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eGardenStudio Review!

****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by eGardenStudio for the review free of charge.****

 

I live in an apartment that has two large windows in the living room which should let in quite a bit of light but instead there is a large tree that mostly covers both windows so we don't get as much light as we should which makes keeping plants alive in my apartment impossible. I have finally come into possession of an easy to care for indoor plant that won't die on me, I was recently sent an Air Plant in a Bubble from eGardenStudio a wonderful plant shop on etsy.



This air plant comes in a small glass orb vase with a diameter of about 3 inches, and three little feet at the bottom. The orb vase fits right into my hand and sits perfectly on my computer desk, as a bonus the opening of the vase is about the size of my finger tip which means my cat can't get into the vase to eat my plant as he is known to do. This plant is very low maintenance you simply need to spray it 1-2 times a week making sure there is no excess water hanging out in the vase, I have been turning mine upside down on a paper towel for a few minutes to make sure all the extra water if there is any drains out. It requires bright, indirect light, no direct sun is recommended. You can put them near a window at home, or put them in your office, since fluorescent office lighting also works well for them. Both the light watering and indirect light make this plant a perfect gift for someone who doesn't get a lot of light in their home or for an office to spruce it up a little. Looks wise I think this vase and small air plant are adorable it adds a little bit of nature into what ever space you place it in. The exact model I received retails for $16 plus shipping. 

 

Shipping wise the package arrived fast and was securely packaged to keep the glass and plant from being ruined during shipping, since there was no dirt or rocks in the vase I didn't have to worry about there being loose soil/dirt in the box. eGardenStudio ships world wide, depending on where you live and how your postal service is it may take a few weeks to receive your plant in you are outside of the US. After taking care of this plant for the last two weeks and seeing that it is still healthy and very much alive I would 100% purchase more plants from eGardenStudio not only for my home but for my work desk and friends as well. All the prices are very reasonable and range depending on the plant,vase size and any extras that may come with it. Customer service is wonderful and they are always friendly. Want to check out everything they have to offer including their color moss? Head over to their shop to view what they have in stock.