Category: Summer
Last days of summer…
I spend my summers in a tree,
I roam the world while sipping tea,
and lots of things are built by me
from house to ship and this decree
I’ll spell it out so you can see,
I cannot marry because I’m free
and one more reason this may be
is I am married to the sea.
Married to the Sea :: Clare Elsaesser
(print)
business casual?
After the last post, I realized that I don’t have fun summer clothes anymore because all I buy during the summer are outfits for work. In winter you can layer more, adding on to pieces that alone might not be work appropriate but that is much harder to do in the summer. When I used to work in retail, I could pull off tiptoeing the line between personal and work clothes but now that I work in an office, I feel very far from that line – living in the black hole that is “business casual” dressing.
If I could buy three new work outfits, they would be the ones below. I didn’t even bother posting the prices so it seems more attainable (if only in my imagination). I think the Dona Monroe blouse below is my perfect work shirt. So simple but the buttons and color make it so unique.
donna monroe blouse // vince pants
fancy seeing you here
I know, I won’t make any excuses. Life has been nuts but hopefully things will calm down a bit now that it’s summer. Anyways, the warm weather has me pulling out my summer clothes and I’m realizing that I am seriously lacking in fun warm weather clothes. Unfortunately my budget is hovering right around zero now that the word mortgage is in my everyday vernacular but here are my completely unrealistic picks for summer:
(Well, the ASOS dress is reasonable but since no-budget equals no-festivals, I don’t know that I need a flowing floral frock for anything I can justify to my bank account.)
a. Myne Coco Sheared Neck Tee :: $158
b. DVF Beabea Coverup Romper :: $185
c. ASOS Floral One Shoulder Asymmetric Dress :: $80.69
d. Patterson J. Kincaid Tribal Stripe Balboa Slouch Tee :: $138
i have worries to give to the sea
It’s been in the upper-60°s this week and all I want to do is go play at the beach. I didn’t get away to the coast even once this past summer, so I am going through a major double-winter ocean withdrawal.
Stores are starting to get in their Spring/Summer collections and I keep bookmarking pieces I want for my imaginary beach vacation. Even men’s summer pieces! I can’t help it. I need some ocean + sand to soothe my soul.
I know the men’s henley doesn’t seem very logical but one of my favorite parts about going to the beach is at night when your skin gets cold from being in the sun all day. Boyfriend’s oversized (on you) super-soft cotton shirt? Does the trick. And Franks is a line of board shorts out of Australia that I love – mainly because they offer American style and European style swim shorts with a few somewhere in between (like the one pictured, although I love the throwback feel of this one too).
1. Aubin & Wills Inchberry Henley :: £69
2. ASOS Macrame Back Maxi Beach Dress :: $62.76
can it be spring yet?
I want to stroll around town in this outfit pronto, even though it is January and I would freeze my tush off. I don’t care because I’ve hit my winter style lull where I’m tired of lugging around heavy coats and want to just throw on my purse and walk out the door. Sigh. It will be here soon enough, I’m sure.
And Michelle & Sarah, I kept everything under $100 as an ode to you two, even if it’s only because they’re off season and on sale 🙂
o v e r a c h i e v e r
Failure is Always an Option Screenprint || $14
I could use this hanging in front of my face sometimes. I am a perfection junkie. I’m also a rampant overachiever. It’s not a wonderful combo. The only time I have a hard time not whirling myself into an anxious, project-ridden tizzy is the beginning of summer and the beginning of a relationship.
I am no longer experiencing either. Gone are the days of clock-watching just so I could sneak out a few minutes early and get a little sun on my face or catch a baseball game with my other half. My skin is plenty sun-kissed and I’m lucky if J and I catch each other for long enough to eat dinner together, much less nine innings.
So here is my short list of things to do in the next two months:
1. Go on a vacation. Not a trip, a vacation.
2. Have a least two, real dates with J a month. As in cell phones’ off, dogs at home, et cetera.
3. Finish the stack of books on my bedside table.
j u l y
I am a lazy blogger as of late. It’s been FOUR WEEKS since my last post. Seriously? Where did July go?
I’m also not feeling very inspired/artistic/creative/<insert something that is not the word tired here> lately. Saying that I’m not feeling tired would be a horrible falsification. I’m exhausted.
I am, however, a glutton for being busy.
I do it to myself. I make very conscious choices to take on the projects that keep me occupied so I can’t really complain about the lack of free time. I also still have seven days of vacation that I’m supposed to use up by September 15th but considering my company is opening two stores in the month of September, that is looking doubtful. I don’t lose the days after that date but my boss is convinced if we roll over our vacation into the next year, we’ll take a whole month straight and chaos will inevitably ensue.
Meanwhile, I have been browsing the web in my free time and I’ll try to start being better about posting things.
Leigh Viner is my new favorite.
busy birdie
Vintage Bird Pillow Sham || $29
I want this pillowcase. And some free time to blog. I keep finding things I want to write about but I've been so exhausted with work/life lately, I have been bad about actually getting around to posting them.
How great would this ice cream school be this weekend for Fourth of July picnics? It reminds me of the one my parents have!
peach basil sangria
When I made this recipe from Gourmet the first time, it was an instant hit with my guests. The second time, I accidentally added too much sugar and it was still a hit, albeit a little more dessert-wine than dinner-wine, so I know this is a quality recipe. I’m not big on sweet drinks so I’ve taken out the sugar, letting the peach nectar sweeten it instead but since we just harvested over thirty pounds of honey from our hives on Tuesday, I might just have to add a bit in for a sweet treat. I also added in a can of ginger ale to give it a little fizz since I prefer my sangria sans ice.
Peach Basil Sangria
(adapted from Gourmet Magazine, July 2005)
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus an
additional 8-10 sprigs
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 can peach nectar
- 1 (750-ml) bottle chilled dry white wine
- 1 large peach (peeled if desired), diced
- 1 large apple, diced
- 1/2 cup ginger ale
- 2 Tablespoons honey
Put basil leaves, honey, peach nectar and
lemon juice into a small saucepan and bruise leaves by mashing with a wooden
spoon. Bring just to a simmer, stirring until honey is dissolved. Remove from
heat and let stand 5 minutes, then pour into a heatproof pitcher. Stir in wine,
peach, ginger ale, and basil sprigs. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour and up to
24. Serve over ice.
Picture via Mostly Foodstuffs
ninety-one degrees
Pixies Summer Dress || $175, Tano Native Tongue, Mystique 3574 || $125
I’m going away this weekend with my two best friends for a joint birthday celebration. The forecast is h o t and I’m wishing I had a small, over-the-shoulder bag like this one to throw on with a sundress and sandals to go on our adventures.
Birdie's Perch 