Uplifting Quartz-Charged Rose Spray

Life has been tumultuous lately. The combination of yet another high summer in sweaty Philadelphia (although it's been blissfully cooler the past couple of days) and being elbow-deep in a job search has left my mind reeling with all the options that are suddenly at my fingertips while simultaneously wiping sweat from my brow... and I've needed some grounding. Ok, a lot of grounding. Be forewarned if you ever find yourself unlucky enough to be caught in a conversation with me, don't ask me how I'm doing. Anyway. This is where this spray comes in. I typically burn incense and PF Candle Co. candles throughout the year to add a little fragrance to my apartment, but lately it's been too humid for smokey incense and too hot to think about lighting a candle. Plus, a spray like the one here can be used to scent towels, sheets, and even yourself if you feel like it. It's simple to whip up and relatively cheap. The added quartz crystals are, of course, optional - but I need all the good vibes I can get right now so it's CRYSTALS IN EVERYTHING, all hands on deck.

What's in it:

Rose essential oil: Rose oil works similarly, helping to boost mood, ease stress and anxiety, and lift your mood.

Geranium essential oil: Geranium oil is thought to help the adrenal glands and balance hormones, fight stress, and help with feelings of depression.

Cedarwood essential oil: Thought to improve focus and mental function.

Quartz crystals: Thought to improve mood and energy, clears negativity. Can be added to baths, water, kept close to other crystals to amplify their energy, or kept in your pocket as a touchstone.

You'll need:
2-4 oz. glass spray bottle
Rose water
Witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, or vodka (really)
Rose essential oil
Geranium essential oil
Cedarwood essential oil
Optional: Small quartz crystals, washed and charged

To make:

1. Fill glass spray bottle 3/4 to the top with rose water. The bottle I reused is a recycled glass B12 vitamin spray bottle, but they are also easy to find via Etsy and Whole Foods. Dark glass is best to protect the oils.

2. Add a splash of witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, or plain old vodka. This will help preserve the scent and make it linger just a little longer after you spray it.

3. Add essential oils. I used 2 drops of cedarwood, 4 drops of geranium, and 5 drops of rose.

4. Drop in charged quartz crystals before adding the cap. Shake well before using.

Vintage Top & Cutoffs

There's something about tops like this that remind me of my mother. For the past couple of years, my mother's style in the early '90s has been a huge inspiration to me. Guatemalan woven pants, Indian gauze tops and dresses, and low key beauty. It's a combination that's easygoing and fast, two important things when it comes to summer style. I don't like think about what I'm wearing too much, especially when the temperature is nearing 100 and the humidity is about as high too. Lately I've been reaching for trusty cut-off shorts, breezy tops (extra points if they're super light but long-sleeved for a little extra sun protection), my favorite round sunglasses (love these too), and the ubiquitous woven tote that's on everyone's shoulder these days (but seriously, if you want a go-with-everything bag, this is it - uh, this one too). I picked up this vintage top from a Micknmarianne popup at Meadowsweet here in Philly semi-recently after falling in love with the huge balloon arms and pretty stamped print. I love how it looks with shorts for summer, and come fall I plan to wear it tucked into high-waisted Levi's and layered under vintage overalls.

Here & There 7.14

Happy weekend! What are you up to? I have a fun trip coming up on Sunday that I'll be prepping for tomorrow, then we're headed to a party with some friends-of-friends. This week was abysmally hot, so much so that I mostly stayed indoors, which I'm none too proud of. How have I managed once again to forget these blazing Philly summers? I think a trip to the shore might be in order soon. Hope it's a wonderful one, friends!

This vintage leather dress is a dream - so cute for fall (fall?!) with some cream colored mules

Laughing to keep from crying

Are you in the club?

The formula for the perfect outfit (obsessed with that tropical print skirt)

Cauliflower brownies are thing and they're delicious (I would know, I made them!)

Love these cheeky tees

Important announcement: How to get free ice cream this weekend

My love for straw totes is undying: how cute is this?

Did I just purchase a shell-shaped drink cup? You bet I did...

How to fix the worst self tanner mistakes... because I'm definitely about to make some

Never thought I'd be really into pool slides, but here we are

How time wears things down (really cool)

How delicate and pretty is this handmade star necklace?

Decoding the artistic references in Beyonce's birth announcements

I've been looking for sunnies like these EV-ERY-WHERE - now, which color to get??

Psst... get early access to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale here! Loving these mules and this rad biker jacket

A Week In New England

Last week I took myself on a little vacation of sorts. I had planned this week away a couple months ago, before life took some unexpected and admittedly really stressful twists and turns, and when the time came to catch my train north it couldn't have been a better time to escape. I've recently found myself in dire need of a change of perspective. Why is it such a shock when smooth and easy sailing transitions to rough seas? I'm talking about life of course, not actual sailing (though the same applies). I'm 33, I should be used to the ebb and flow of life by now. So this confluence of events was the perfect time to get some fresh air and quality time with family, friends, and the ocean. It was just me this time, as Chris had to work, so I caught a train and met up with my mom in New Hampshire. It felt so good to be back home again. I needed fresh air more than I realized, and to have an entire week to mostly leisurely visit with family and basically bum around as if I still lived there provided the perspective I was hoping to find, albeit with some confusion. We've been thinking a lot lately about where we'd like to end up, the kind of place we'd ideally like to live. Philly has served us so well these past few years - we certainly handled the move with considerably more grace than we did poor Pittsburgh - but in the end we know this isn't where we want to settle down. We miss fresh air, and easy hiking, and kayaking, and salt marshes, and everything else you can do and explore when clean water and beautiful geography are right outside your door. Essentially this means the Pacific Northwest or Northern New England for us sometime in the near future. Mountains on one side and ocean on the other.

If you ever want to be seduced into throwing it all out and moving to New England, visit in the summer. Five years - six years?! - away has only made my heart grow fonder, especially when summer in Philly can feel like hot garbage (not poetic or kind to the city I live in, BUT THE DAMN TRUTH, it's hitting triple digits today). I missed a pretty nasty storm by a couple of days, and we had one drizzly cold day on the coast, but otherwise it was damn near perfect. Even with the mosquitos and threat of ticks. I spent most of the week visiting with family  - several members were in from out of town - and working on some personal projects, then on Saturday I headed to the North Shore to see some friends before heading back to Philly. It's incredible to see how revitalized everything has become in the past few years. Our old town was never in dire shape exactly, but there were a few years when empty storefronts were becoming increasingly common. It's so wonderful to see new shops, cafe, and restaurants popping up (too bad about the rent though).

So that's where I'm at. That's where we're at. Having lots of conversations about where, when, how, and if. After jobs determining where we live over the past few years, Chris and I have both fallen in love with the idea of being masters of our own destinies (I mean, we've always been in love with autonomy, but as we get older it feels more urgent) - life is too short.

Gingham Mini Dress

Sometimes a trend comes along and, as much as you may try to resist, you know it was a trend made just for you. Gingham, meet Julie. Julie... meet gingham. You guys, I'm all in. I love the versatility of the print, especially how it can so easily be made slightly edgier with the right accessories. Like platform Teva's and a great pair of sunglasses. Case in point, this dress.

Side note: My 13-year-old self would be so jealous of my shoes right now.

To date, I've worn this dress to wander around Philadelphia, for a preview night of the new midway at the Delaware River Waterfront, to New York to preview West Elm's holiday line, and for the 4th of July. I think it officially qualifies as a summer staple at this point. I has been looking for something similar to the gingham dress put out by Reformation last summer, disappointed that I'd missed out on the design but also thankful because the price was hard to justify. Well, my searching paid off and I found this one for under $50. Boom. It's currently sold out but I linked a similar style and similar price point below.

Happy (Holiday) Weekend!

Oh, hi. Hello. Little unintended break there, but I'm back! At least quickly, to tell you to have an amazing holiday weekend (if you're in the US). Are you celebrating? We're headed to a friend's lake house in Jersey today (to say I regret not purchasing this lobster pool float is the understatement of the century) and then tomorrow we're hitting the beach. My brother is in town and I'm so excited to see some family. Life has been a bit of a rollercoaster lately (do I say that every weekend? ... I might say that every weekend...), so I'm excited to get out of my usual routine and spend some quality time with people I love. The next few weeks are sure to be wild, so I'm relaxing while I can. I've been doing a ton of reading lately and finally using the Kindle I bought, I'm halfway through this book and can't recommend it enough - I'm considering purchasing it in actual book form, because it's one I can picture myself referring back to. It's not exactly your average beach read, but it's surprisingly engaging. What are you reading these days? Any recommendations?? Other than that, I'm planning on making a few changes around here over the next couple of months - I can't believe how long it's been since I made any amendments to my design and I've been wanting to change things up for awhile.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend, I'll be back to regular scheduling next week :) xo

Jess is having a big 4-day sale! I'd definitely scoop up this cool vintage patchwork dress.

I wish I had made this ice cream flag cake for this weekend's festivities, so cute!

Love this cute print

This is super interesting - ever wondered where the '80s aesthetic came from?

Save 15% off dresses from Moorea Seal! Including my absolute favorite dress ever. (Also I just ordered this jumpsuit and I can't wait to wear it!)

Are you a tuner or a spinner?

Save an extra 30% off sale items form Urban Outfitters! Love this cute crop top, this gorgeous maxi dress (perfect for summer weddings), and these fun pool slides (which I may have just ordered)

Being mindful on vacation

The perfect summer beach bags - all those pom poms!

Check out my latest piece for The Style Line - so in love with her work.

How cute is this mini marquee?

A face mask DIY to decongest your summer skin

All about ridiculously printed but totally functional beach blankets this year - I love how bright and big they are!

Made me laugh (seriously, "ma'am")

GAH - these handmade cactus mugs are so damn cute!

Save 40% off select styles from Free People! Love this cute happiness tee.

Oh my heart - this llama planter is so cute