Monday Picks: Goodbye Summer

Summer is coming to a close.  I spent the last few weekends enjoying the warm weather outdoors at a lovely butterfly garden, a nature hike, and of course the county fair.  Here are my picks for this Monday, inspired by the bright colors and flowers I will miss, though I have a feeling we won’t need to put the sunglasses away any time soon.

  

Recycled summer paper bunting from Peony and Thistle

 Vintage pink and gold sunglasses from Holdenism

 Neon wooden bowls from Wind & Willow Home

 Floral stud earrings from Starlight Woods 

Have a beautiful week!

At Last, Strawberries!

This summer I planted some Chandler strawberries.  My mom bought me three plants and I transferred them into some small planters on the stoop.  Two of the plants were completely dried up by the intense heat wave we had, but this little one hung in there.

The first harvest was very small and the berries died before reaching full ripeness.  I did my best to protect them from the harsh afternoon sun during the following months and added more soil conditioner.  Finally, three little berries produced this August.  It was so exciting to watch them change from bright green to ripe red.  It happened so quickly!  Unfortunately, the smallest of the berries started to rot on the vine.  Looking back, I think I should have picked that one sooner.

Nevertheless, these two made it!  I picked them for my breakfast, diced them up and ate them with a drizzle of honey.  They were very juicy and a touch on the tart side, but still worth the wait.

Here’s hoping for a third harvest!