As I sat down to write this I got news from my niece that she is officially an 8th Grader which indicates to me that summer is on! Although in the Midwest it has been summer for a couple of weeks already and the heat has not been shy about hitting us, I know the West Coast tends to start summer a little later. I definitely need a few days to get used to the sweltering heat that has suddenly hit us here in Ohio. However, it can't stop me from getting excited about summer adventures and fun outside! So today on the blog I am going to offer some suggestions for summer essentials in the shop.
Often summer is full of travel and I know for me I try to keep my bag as light as possible. One way to do that is to ditch the bottles of shampoo and soap and go for one easy fix. The Chagrin Valley Neem Shampoo and Soap Bar is my go to for travel. It is an all in one soap that makes it easy to carry and does not cause issues at airport security checkpoints. This is especially helpful when traveling internationally as you just never know what rules you will face in other countries.
You can carry this in a plastic tub or one of our soap sacks. Although if you are planing to carry it in a soap sack I would suggest letting it air dry before replacing it in the soap sack. If the bar or the soap sack is too wet it will make the soap bar kind of spongy and wear out quicker.
I jumped too quickly to soap when I should have started with my all-time favorite adventure item: the Everyday French Market Basket! This amazing basket is imported from Morocco by Medina Mercantile. These folks have been importing goods from Morocco since the 1970's and they have the best version of this I have seen out there. The big seller for me was the double handle that is stitched on, as opposed to grommeted on. I know enough about woven straw to know that the last thing you want is a straw bag that has big holes punched into it.
The Everyday French Market is deep and wide. As you can see there is lots of room inside but they position of the handles make it easy to let things hang out the top as well. It is perfect for market trips, picnic or concert outings, or frankly for any travel. I have flown with it but I admit that part can be a bit tricky. If I was going to take it on a plane I would maybe fill it with my clothes and put it in a suitcase. Then you would have it for your daily excursions while traveling. The double handle system makes it easy to carry either in your hands or over your shoulder.
Speaking of bags! Have you seen the new Baggu designs featuring dolphins, bunnies, turtles, and penguins? They are all so cute and summery. Of course these bags are my go to for traveling especially when I am planning to shop. Each bag folds up in its own little pouch which makes it easy to carry around as you set out for your day of shopping. Best part is: you can fit a lot in this little bag. I was also thinking this morning this is the perfect bag to take on trips to the pool or beach to carry home all the wet clothes and towels! Whatever you use it for it is reliable, sturdy, and quite roomy.
Being in the garden is always an adventure in and of itself. At least in our garden I find that the longer the season goes on the more of an adventure it is. The spring always has me daydreaming about the potential of the garden while come August I am angry at weeds and trying to find the beans or squash I planted under some other overgrown vegetable! No matter what is happening in your garden you will more than likely need to clean some dirt from under your nails and the Redecker Nail Brush is the perfect tool for this. There are two different versions, with the tampico being the stiffer of the two. The inclined top bristles make it easy to angle underneath your nails.
But did you happen to see this information recently that getting garden dirt under your nails exposes your skin to beneficial soil bacteria. This mild exposure helps train your immune system and releases natural chemicals in your brain that can act as an antidepressant. This is the excuse I give to my husband when he gives me a nudge to clean out the dirt from under my nails. I say, "baby it's my antidepressant."
This leads me to my next favorite Redecker gardening tool: the awesome wooden planting clamps! These things are a genius design. They can help you trellis all kinds of things onto any type of wire, netted wire, chicken wire. The openings allow room for growth. I use them to attach plants to stakes as well which just requires that you do it below a point where another branch or leaf is shooting out from the main branch (like in the image above). They are made from untreated birch and I have found them to be quite sturdy. If you wanted to prolong their life you could coat them with wood protector. In either case these will be such a great helper in the garden. And they will not break into pieces like the cheap plastic ones!
When it comes to needing to protect yourself from the sun the summer is no joke. It can really get those lips chapped from over exposure and keeping them protected as well as moisturized is what Poppy & Pout had in mind when they made this ethically sourced, toxin-free lip balm product. When you do get too much sun and you are needing some good exfoliation be sure to check out the lip scrubs. They are made to get rid of that dead damaged skin while adding moisture to those sun burned precious lips of yours.
If you are like me summer travel (or any travel really) provides a great opportunity to disconnect from phones and social media and to return to an analog way of being. One of my favorite ways to do this is to have a small pocket-sized notebook on hand to keep notes. Before my trip even starts I will designate the perfect notebook to accompany me. In this little book I will write down any places of interest and before heading out for the day I can write down any directions or address information I need. I can also use it as a kind of diary to keep track of what I experienced. It's a great place to keep little bits of paper or other ephemera. These Field Notes Memo Books are perfect for this purpose. They come three in a pack and they are the perfect size as they can easily fit in a pocket or if carrying them in a bag they hardly take up any room at all.
One of the most challenging things I see others face during the long hot summer hours is keeping kids occupied. One of our favorite things in the shop that can give kids something to do (especially during cicada season) is this fun Specimen Collecting Kit. The kit comes in a tin box with several cork lidded glass jars, a pair of tweezers and some pins for holding tiny specimens in place. Be sure that you follow the rules: Only Capture Dead Bugs! I think this is especially fun if you have any kiddos that are afraid of bugs. When you find an already dead bug you can set it in the jar and that scared kiddo can take a close up look at the bug which can help them overcome their fear.
As those summer blooms start setting in the garden you may find some perfect flowers to dry and collect for fun craft projects. In fact summer is a great time to think about fall and winter crafting projects that require dried and pressed flowers. There are so many fun ideas out there but the thing is you need to plan ahead. Studio Wald Flower Presses are the perfect easy way to get those flowers pressed and get a good collection going while the garden is in full bloom.
Lastly, I don't think any post about things to do to occupy your time would be complete without me making an appeal for you to write a letter or two or more! We recently joined the Sunday Letter Writing Project and we are very excited to have received our first ever penpal letter at that shop. Summer travel (or any travel) can be a great time for self-reflection and sending letters to folks in your life to share your insights can be a great way to cement an idea or just to let someone know that no matter where in the world you might be you are thinking of them. Check out our collection of boxed cards, letter writing sets, and postcard sets which can be an affordable easy way to stock up on letter writing supplies!
Whatever you decide to do in your summer hours I hope it is enjoyable and satisfying. I hope you try something new and that any traveling you do is easy and stress-free.