The Art of Braids

I love braids. All sorts of braids. I love the texture and interest they add. I finally got myself some little clear rubber bands just so I could try out milkmaid braids for the first time. Im kind of bummed I didn't try this style out sooner. I love it! And it is so easy to do! I have been trying other braided hair styles since, but braids are sort of hard to do on yourself. Ive looked at this Pinterest board so many times wondering if I could do any of these styles on myself. The answer is no right now..

Outfit Details

Dress || Modcloth

Necklaces || Forever 21 & ℅ Ali Oesch

Flora Focus || Shasta Daisy

Daisies are popping up everywhere right now! I love that they grow wild in fields and can easily be grown in your backyard too. They might be in every corner of our backyard right now in huge clumps of nothing but white flowers. A couple of weeks ago I took some photos in a field of wild daisies.

Shasta Daisy
Botanical Name: Leucanthemum x superbum (This flower is a cross between Leucanthemum lacustre x Leucanthemum maximum in 1890)
Flower: Classic daisy shape with bright white petals and a bright yellow center. 2 to 5 inches across. Blooms in summer to frost.
Leaf: Simple, elliptical shape. The edges (margins) have coarse teeth.
Meaning: Innocence

Daisies are a favorite for young children, playing apart in some of their daily activities in the fields. From making daisy chains to wear as May Day crowns or simply weaving some of the flowers through their hair. And of course we have all picked the petals one by one saying "He loves me; he loves me not."

Past Flora Focus Posts

• Anemone & Ranunculus
• Tulips
• Forget-Me-Not & Evergreen Candytuft
• Bluebells & Honesty        
• Lilac    
• Dogwood
• Balsamroot  
• Peony   
• Oriental Poppy 
• Yarrow & Lupin 
• Sweet peas

Daisies are the like the symbol of summer. Did you ever play with them? Or maybe you still make flower crowns from them…

Thanks for reading!

xo

Summer 2014 Reading List

I love looking at other peoples reading list and being introduced to new books. One of my favorite things about summer is all of the summer reading lists that get published on blogs and in newspapers and magazines. Maybe some of you are the same, so here is my summer 2014 reading list.

#GIRLBOSS || Sophia Amoruso: Im sure you have all seen this book on other blogs and social media. Its written by the founder of Nasty Gal about how she got to where she is today. Im reading this right and it is so good and super easy to read. A good easy summer read.

Wild || Cheryl Strayed: At 26, Cheryl Strayed made an impulsive decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to Washington state with no training or experience and all alone. I have been more interested in nonfictions lately and was really interested in this one one our local paper wrote about it. Its being made into movie being released later this year, Cheryl being played by Reese Witherspoon. You can watch the trailer here.

Looking For Alaska || John Green: From the same author as The Fault in our Stars, about a boy who goes to boarding school and meets Alaska Young (I kind of love Alaska as a name), a girl who pulls him into her own world.

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children || Ransom Riggs: The cover got me on this one. About an abandoned orphanage on a mysterious island. The orphanage held peculiar children that may have been dangerous. Jacob, who found out about this from his grandpa goes investigating to see why his grandpa  was always looking over his shoulder in fear.

Rebecca || Daphne du Maurier: I think I might save this one until the end of summer when it starts getting colder and rainy. If I can wait that long. It was recommended to me by my brothers girlfriend who couldnt stop raving about it and let me borrow this copy of it.  An old library book with the checkout slip still attached with the first due date being Jan. 12, 1970. The only way to read an old mystery, romance taken place at an old mansion.

What are you reading this summer? What is your favorite book that you have ever read? I would love to know!

Summer Sunsets

The colors in this bouquet are the same exact colors as the sunset here Sunday night. No joke. The sky was bright pink and orange and around 9 pm we went outside and there was a rainbow. It was so weird to see that so late at night. When I made this bouquet last week, I thought the colors looked like a summer sunset and thats exactly what I got.

Its made from Dahlias, Daisies, Coreopsis, Snapdragons and Im not sure what that tall pink flower is..

Whats blooming in your yard right now? I would love to know!
Have a great day!
xo

Heatwave

Its been a miserable last couple of days. The northwest is in the middle of a what seems like a very long heatwave and it doesnt look like it is going to end soon. The temperatures are only in the 80s which doesn't seem that bad to other people living in Arizona or Nevada but our houses don't have A/C here. Its miserable. Theres nothing really you can do except for stand in front of the open freezer. I may or may not have done that yesterday. I will be very, very happy when it rains again.

Outfit Details

Dress & Sweater || Target

Sandals || Urban Outfitters

A Look Back in Time

I dug deep into my closet for this outfit. One item even making its way out of the giveaway pile. I really didn't like doing that (I'm trying to get rid of stuff!) but I really wanted to wear this plaid top for the first time in years! I really don't even remember when I got the shorts, I just know they are from target. And you cant really see the sandals but I'm pretty sure every other girl had these sandals my sophomore year of college. Its like going back in time looking at these photos.

Hope you have a good weekend! See you on Monday :)
xo

Outfit Details

Top, Cami & Necklace || Forever 21

Shorts & Sandals || Target

Flora Focus || Sweet peas

You can't make a trip to Pike Place Market without getting some flowers. I picked this bouquet of sweet peas last week. I tried growing my own this year, but I think I may have started the seed to late in the season. Oh well. Maybe next year. Something I learned about cut sweet peas, they don't last very long in a vase. Maybe a couple days and then they started dropping their flowers. This is an annual vine, so you would need to plant them every year.

Sweet Pea
Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
Flower: Comes in purple, pink, white, red, burgundy and blue. It has 4 petals, the top 2 are in a fan shape and the bottom 2 sort of folded up below it.
Leaf: The leaves have 2 leaflets that are oval shaped with a point on the end and a tendril coming from the middle of the leaflet so that the vine can grab and grow up supporting structures.
Meaning: Delicate Pleasures

Unlike the edible pea, sweet peas are poisonous, So Do Not Eat Them!

Past Flora Focus Posts

• Anemone & Ranunculus
• Tulips
• Forget-Me-Not & Evergreen Candytuft
• Bluebells & Honesty        
• Lilac    
• Dogwood
• Balsamroot  
• Peony   
• Oriental Poppy 
• Yarrow & Lupin        

Are there any flowers that you guys want to know more about! I would love to do a post on them for you!

Thanks for reading!

xo