With Mother’s Day officially behind us, heralding the close of our busy spring season at the shop, we’re cruising into my favorite time of year: sweet, sweet summertime. When C and I started working in the flower business — almost a decade ago! — I spent the summer months wringing my hands and stressing about slower sales; dreaming up apocalyptic scenarios of the end of the floral industry as we knew it. Now I look forward to the couple months of a more relaxed pace and relish the time to slack off a little: sneaking out of work early to read books in the sun, indulging in lazy naps on the weekends, spending extra downtime with family and friends, cooking more healthy meals with fresh summer produce, drinking my weight in Arnold Palmers (sometimes spiked with Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey whiskey) and tackling the creative home and work projects that sit on my to-do list all year.
This week’s roundup is all about celebrating the (albeit early) start of summer, from what I want to wear, to what I’m binging on Hulu.
To Wear
• I wore my Everlane Authentic Stretch Hi-Rise Skinnies in the shade ‘Washed Black‘ literally every day of the week leading up to Mother’s Day at the flower shop, which is probably the best testimony I could give for a pair of denim. They’re truly the most comfortable skinnies I own, with a flattering rise that’s not too high — the waistband sits right at my natural waist — and the perfect amount of stretch to move with you all day while holding their shape. And perhaps the best part: these skinnies stay put on my waist, so I never have to hike them up or tug them down. You can shop them here in a variety of washes and lengths; I like the ‘ankle’ style, which ends up being the perfect length for me (I’m 5’4″).
• My Cuyana mini circle belt bag and I are going to spend a lot of time together this summer, especially on the weekends when I want to knock out shopping and errands and be hands-free. I bought the matching small zip wallet, and it’s been nice to downsize and only carry the essentials. (Spoken from a reformed wallet/handbag maximalist.)
• BaubleBar’s summer earring collection brings all the 90s nostalgia and I am here for it; when I spotted the gummy bear earring set on my Instagram feed, I squealed. How cute are those strawberry studs, and the beaded ice cream cones?! Please give them all to me!
• I picked up this Lou & Grey wrap shirt in three colors during a recent 50% off sale. It’s made of tencel, one of my favorite durable and breathable fabrics that gets softer and better with each wash and wears comfortably in hot weather. I love throwing on this easy basic top with a pair of cropped jeans + sandals with a pop of color for an effortless outfit.
• Speaking of fun sandals, if you’re looking to spice up your summer shoe collection, I have one word for you: ZARA. I bought a handful of styles in bright colors and interesting textures for a bridal style editorial last month, and they all ended up in my closet after the shoot. Then I ordered a pair of leather mules with wood heels because Mariah Leonard made me do it…
To Do
• One of the action items on my home design to-do list is to find some affordable art to hang on our walls. The Everygirl rounded up a great selection of printable artwork that you can purchase online and print/frame yourself.
• I’m all about easy, unfussy makeup in the summer. If you’re looking for a quick routine, Jamie Paige has you covered with a 5 minute look for healthy, glowing skin.
• I know I already talked about Joanna Gaines’ banana bread recipe from the Magnolia Table cookbook in a recent This + That post, but it’s so delicious (and easy!) it bears repeating. We always end up with overripe bananas at the end of the week, and baking them into loaves of this sweet treat has become one of my favorite Sunday rituals.
• Paper & Stitch shared 3 creative ways to freshen up last year’s spring/summer sandals: DIY color-pop heels, color-blocked mules, and a sunset-inspired ombre suede.
• I went straight to Amazon and ordered this paint palette box to depot some of lipsticks after seeing this post on Cupcakes and Cashmere. I’ll keep my everyday favorites in their tubes in my handbag, but I’m going to fill the little compartments with the shades that live in my makeup drawer and rarely see the light of day; I think it will inspire me to use them more, buy fewer new lipsticks, and mix up custom shades when I can see them all in a palette like this.
To Watch
• I spent all day Saturday in a deep hibernation, but between naps, I started to catch up on the latest seasons of two of my favorite series: Younger and The Bold Type. If you want to dive into something that features smart and empowered women of all ages dealing with modern career/relationship/personal issues, bolstered by healthy female friendships, I highly recommend either or both of these.
I love both Younger and Bold Type. I’m (impatiently) waiting for the new season of Younger! But I’ve actually liked this season of Bold Type better than the first one. Really interesting story lines for all the main characters.