Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Color My World With Summer


I love Summer. I love the long days filled with the warmth of the sun, boating on the lake, or lounging at the pool. I love soul-stirring sunrises at the beach, splashing in the waves, and relaxing with a cool drink and a good book. I love the music of summer; the upbeat, catchy tunes that have us moving, grooving, and singing along. I love the warm blanket of the sultry nights as the sun sets in a blaze of glory to be replaced by the exuberant dancing of fireflies against a dark, velvety backdrop. But, thinking about it this morning, I realized that one of the things I love most about summer is color. Bold, beautiful, vibrant, make-me-smile-and-twirl-with-joy color. Here are a few of the ways I add summer color to my life.



Flowers: Rachel and I begin our days with an early morning walk and as we navigate the streets and sidewalks of our neighborhood this time of year it seems that almost every day we're met with a new burst of color. Geraniums. Daisies. Lilies. Impatiens. Roses. Everywhere I look, there are beautiful bursts of color. I especially enjoy the geraniums on my patio and the colorful pinwheel that spins happily in the breeze. Don't pinwheels just scream summer? By the way, both the pinwheel and the cute straw hat in the photo above came from Dollar Tree. Only $1 for each of them!







Handbags: Most of the year I'm a warm brown or basic black kind of girl. That all changes when summer comes to call. Turquoise! Green! Yellow! Red! I love them all. This summer's favorite pop of handbag color is a gorgeous coral bag that I can toss over my shoulder and go. Plenty of room in there for the basic essentials...including my Kindle. You never know when you'll have a few extra minutes to lose yourself in a book, right?








Cool drinks in colorful containers: It's the season of smoothies, the more colorful, the better. Favorites include blueberry, strawberry, peach, and strawberry-banana, served up in my favorite red swirl or deep blue glasses on my colorful summer place mats.  Another favorite beverage when I want something lighter is homemade lemonade or Crystal Light's Raspberry Green Tea. Both great for quenching your thirst on a hot summer day.









Home Accessories: When the sun grows brighter so do the colors I surround myself with inside my home. Pillows, throws, bedspreads, and home accents in the colors of summer are easy and inexpensive ways to bring a light and airy feel to your living space. I adore the colors of the summer spreads in my master and guest bedrooms. They make me smile whenever I enter the rooms.















Pashminas:  Need to add a splash of color to a summer outfit? Looking for a light-weight wrap to stay warm and cozy while sipping morning coffee on the patio, dining al fresco, or indulging in some star gazing on cool nights? A soft, colorful pashmina shawl is perfect for the job. My special favorites are courtesy of an open-air market visit during a trip to Italy many years ago but I've added to my collection over the years by shopping the extensive assortment at two of my favorite stores, Charming Charlie and World Market. Their sales are terrific!









Jewelry: Big, bold, colorful, statement jewelry is a great way to indulge in the colors of summer. And it doesn't have to be expensive! My favorite place to score bright, vibrant, inexpensive summer jewelry is Charming Charlie. Here's a necklace and earrings set I bought there last year, in one of my favorite summer colors, for less than $20. And, hey, I just noticed it matches Sabrina Jeffries' sweater!





What do you enjoy most about summer?

How do you add summer colors to your life?

What's your favorite way to relax in the summer?

What are your favorite summer drinks?

Will you have more time to read over the next few months? 

What books are on your summer reading list?

I have a package of books for two randomly chosen people who leave a comment on this post. Deadline to be included in giveaway is 11:00 pm Thursday, June 30. 



27 comments:

  1. I enjoy family visiting the most each summer. (My sister and her husband were with us 3 weeks this month, including a car trip to do factory tours at the Henry Ford museum, Airstream, a coppersmith, a whistle maker, and then chocolate, ice cream, cheese, jams, nut, etc. factories too.)
    I actually don't add summer colours to my life. I wear what my children and husband buy me and rarely buy my own clothes anymore. (I wear 20+ year old tops around the house.)
    Having family visit is actually my relaxation time in the summer. (Family means vacation!)
    No favourite summer drinks. I have diabetes, so I drink a cup of milk at meals, water throughout the day, and splurge with a beer on an occasional evening. (I used to enjoy fruit juices, Shirley Temples, rye/Coke, and bottles of coolers, but those are a no-no now.)
    I don't read more during certain parts of the year. I DO read over 250 books a year (ever since 1973), though!
    I don't have a summer reading list. Books I have bought through the years are filed in alphabetical order by author, and I just go and pick one out of the dozen boxes I have here. (I now have a list of my top ten favourite authors, though, and I read their books as soon as I buy them.)

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    1. Sounds like a fun summer, Laney! I love having family come for visits too though this year I'll be traveling to visit them. We're spread out over two northern and two southern states so getting all of us together is something of a challenge but this summer all five siblings will be in Michigan together for the first time in nine years. I'm certain there will be a whole lot of laughter and very little sleep. ;-)

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  2. Love the bag, PJ! I'm not much of a summer girl. I leave my air conditioned space reluctantly, but I do love summer clothes, especially gauzy shirts and skirts in turquoise, hot pink, and bright blue. And summer fruits--berry parfaits are yummy and gorgeous and frozen grapes are a favorite, cool treat and oh, fresh peaches from local orchards.

    There are lots of great books on my summer reading list. Just this week I read Eloisa James's A Gentleman Never Tells and Jill Shalvis's Sweet Little Lies.

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    1. I love frozen grapes! I have a bag of them in the freezer at all times all summer. I love those colors too, Janga. Turquoise is at the top of my summer favorites list.

      I haven't read Sweet Little Lies yet but I devoured A Gentleman Never Tells. What a delight!

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  3. I love summer because my birthday is in summer :D
    I love Ice Coffee,just relaxing,reading good book,spending time with my family and enjoying :)
    So many book on my TBR,I hope I wll read most of them :)
    If this giveaway international,great,if not,then again great :D
    Happy Summer :)

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    1. Happy Birthday, Bube! I never developed a taste for iced coffee but I sure do love iced tea!



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  4. Your wonderful post reflects my feelings perfectly about summer. Everything about summer is lovely. Summer is my favorite season of all. The colors are uplifting, the flowers beautiful, and the warmth, sunshine and balmy nights are ideal. Walks, soothing drinks such as lemon tea, beach books, bright clothing and colorful sandals. I wait all year for summer and love it. Early sun, sitting outside reading with a sparkling lemon drink and enjoying a travel novel gives me pleasure and enjoyment.

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  5. Great post. Flowers, lots of flowers. They bring such joy and happiness. I love to lay out in a hammock with cold sweet tea and a favorite book.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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    1. Aren't hammocks wonderful? I don't have one now (one drawback of condo living) but I sure do love them. Growing up, we had a big cloth hammock that was attached to two trees. Lots of wonderful memories attached to that hammock. :)

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  6. I like the warmth of summer, the birds, flowers, and scents! If lucky we'll get invited to a pool party and you just have to have margaritas to go with that lol. I also play bocci in the summer - lots of fun getting together with friends and of course food and drink are included lol. My reading doesn't change much since I always read every day.

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    1. I love bocci! My friends have a set at their beach house. We always have several rousing games over the summer.

      Ditto on the margaritas too. It's my summer indulgence. ;-)

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  7. Summer is beauty, happiness, blue skies, and abundant sunshine which cheers me up and gives me great pleasure. Beach walks
    along the shore, bare feet on the sand, and evening strolls. Drinking pink lemonade, reading wonderful books and enjoying life.

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  8. love drinking iced tea! relax with a book. summer means a little down time with the kids (while they're still home--one's halfway through college, senior in high school, and a middle schooler). color through purses or t-shirts. my favorite thing is a homegrown tomato! The best

    denise

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  9. I always look forward to summer - until the heat sets in. I seem to spend a lot of time sitting still trying to cool off. I do love the beach though & all of the wonderful summer fruits. A mad splash of colour can really make the heart gladden.

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  10. I like that it stays light later!
    I like to wear bright colors in the summer - hot pink & turquoise are favorites.
    On really hot humid days I go low key & read!
    Lemonade is my favorite summer drink - tho iced tea with a fresh wedge of lemon is a close second.
    Oh yeah - on those hot summer days I'll put on the fan and read.
    I'm working my way thru Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, then have a couple of Susan Wiggs books on my stack.

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  11. I like summer, don't get me wrong, but it's just so dang hot here in Texas that it's hard to enjoy being outside. If we wait until twilight, the mosquitoes are on patrol. If we get out of the house, we make it an air-conditioned place, even if it's just Costco or Target. To make matters worse this summer, my husband is adding a paver patio in the back. In the heat. Crazy, huh?
    We both drink sweet tea with lime, but I am really partial to dr pepper. I love that handbag! Mine is red right now.

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  12. I love summer. I love the kids being out of school. Love taking them to the pool and park. Love the 4th of July. Also love sitting outside and reading and enjoying the sun. Also love outdoor festivals and concerts.

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  13. We have the grandkids for most of the summer. I mostly have ponytails for the summer and I have some really colorful hairbands. I also have some colorful and funky tennis shoes I wear. My favorite thing yo do is sit on my deck and drink iced coffee. And listen to the kids of course. Which means I won't get as much reading done, but I am making memories, so that's okay. I have Jill Shalvis newest book on my kindle, so that's up next. All in all, looks like a great summer.

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  14. What do you enjoy most about summer? Being able to wear sandals

    How do you add summer colors to your life? In my clothing

    What's your favorite way to relax in the summer? Read

    What are your favorite summer drinks? ice cream sodas

    Will you have more time to read over the next few months? I hope so

    What books are on your summer reading list? any new contemps coming out.
    ladbookfan

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  15. What do you enjoy most about summer? being able to go outside more... until it gets unbearably hot :)

    How do you add summer colors to your life? wear more colorful clothes. My dog even gets out his "summer" color which is a bright baby blue

    What's your favorite way to relax in the summer?

    What are your favorite summer drinks? ice sweet tea

    Will you have more time to read over the next few months? nope :( having to cover vacations and people quiting

    What books are on your summer reading list? a new novella by Anna Campbell, the newest Jill Shalvis and catching up on the Charley Davidson series

    thanks for the fun post!

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  16. What I love about Summer. That it comes between the most beautiful times of the year, Spring and Fall. Summer in Memphis is miserable, and really no way to cool down except stay in and wait until dark.

    I do enjoy summer fruits and vegetables though. Watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, fresh tomatoes. As to drinks cold water for me.

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  17. I love summer because after a long, cold winter, it's so nice not to have to wear a dozen layers of clothing just to leave the house! And I love adding bright cheery colors to my wardrobe to celebrate the summer season. Favorite summer drink is a Frappuccino, right now I'm really loving the S'mores Frap, totally delicious treat. I'll definitely have more time to read in the summer months and I'm looking forward to getting some books from my wish list like Jill Shalvis' Sweet Little Lies, Julie Anne Long's Hot In Hellcat Canyon, Jennifer Bernard's Drive You Wild and Julia Quinn's Because of Miss Bridgerton. Hope you have a super summer! :-)

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  18. I love just sitting outside in the fresh air and listening to the sounds.

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  19. I have a tough time with the heat of summer so I tend to be near an air conditioner and catch up on some reading since I don't get as much time to relax the rest of the year. You'll find me with a chocolate milkshake or an icy coke to beat the heat. I have tons of books to keep me occupied with the likes of Lori Wilde, Eloisa James, Maya Rodale, Jill Shalvis, Lori Foster and many more on my summer reading list.

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  20. Try to stay cool, hate the heat - relax in my pool, to add colors, plant pretty flowers, love margaritas, will read any new suspense books I can find and read the books I got from the bookswap that I participated in.
    Karen T.

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  21. I wear colorful clothes and bring flowers in the house. I always find time to read. My favorite drink is a glass of peach wine. I love the warmth of the sun and being able to spend time outside with my granddaughter.
    Patty B43

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