Today is my first day away for two weeks as I take a quick little vacation! I leave you in good hands though and am please to share my first guest- Rachel who not only runs a fabulous blog filled with pretty little things, but also has been a great encouragement to me.

A few favorite summer inspirations:

Blackberries are all over the pacific northwest and their arrival means summer is really here! Berry picking outings are planned, followed by evenings of baking and eating. Once the berries come in no summer gathering is complete without a blackberry pie, tart or cocktail. The next town over also has a blackberry festival in July. We always make the trip for a batch of fresh blackberry ice cream!

Simple summer tanks and dresses inspire me to craft colorful summer jewelry. I love to celebrate the season by creating giftable bangles for birthdays and graduations. It’s also so much fun to bead playful vacation jewelry while daydreaming about where you’ll be traveling!

Long summer days and warm nights inspires us to take day trips to neighboring cities and parks. We get up at 5am, drive three or four hours in any direction and find ourselves in a completely different climate. I love spending summer days in a different town. There are new restaurants to eat at, outdoor music to enjoy and the all-important after dinner summer stroll. Bonus if the stroll includes a bridge over the water!

Hugs. Rachel