Farmers Market and Flowers

Hello lovelies! Yesterday was a busy day for me so I didn’t get time to write unfortunately. I’m making up for it today by telling you all about my weekend! I come from an area with a large military presence and frankly, not much else. I had heard a few months back about a summer farmer’s market at a local historical home. I decided Saturday morning that I would go check it out.

I had my coffee (to go) and drove down a few winding roads to the Sotterly Mansion. It’s a beautiful old plantation home on the water and supposedly it’s haunted. My younger sister worked as a junior volunteer docent when she was 10 and she would come home with stories from older docents about creepy happenings on the property. Are they true? I couldn’t tell you. My experience as a volunteer there lasted one day and I got creeped out by a few strange noises and computer malfunctions that no one could explain.

Anyway, when I finally got to the mansion there were a few rows of cars and several vendors selling everything from fruits and veggies to homemade soaps. I love little outdoor events like these. They brings communities together and allows us to easily support local business. I ended up just buying a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my mom’s table at home. She said they reminded her of autumn. I couldn’t agree more!

I wandered all over the property and found myself at the gardens beside the home. Several volunteers were weeding out the flower beds and spraying wasps with wasp spray. Two bees landed on my flowers and I about lost it. I don’t do bees or things that “buzz”. Regardless, the flowers were so beautiful and full of life! There was a breeze coming off the water that was wonderful and the sunshine was absolutely perfect.

After a few minutes of wandering the garden and thanking God for the beautiful day, I asked a woman to take a picture of my bright and cheery outfit. It turns out she is also a blogger who just moved to my town from Texas. It was nice to talk and commiserate with her about the hardships of blogging. Here’s the picture she took!

My top is just a simple racerback tank from Old Navy for $3. The skirt is obviously a Lilly Pulitzer Fourth of July print (I think it went on sale for $49 during the After-Party Sale). My shoes I found for $10 at Target a few weeks ago when they were trying to get rid of summer stuff.

It was a wonderful way to spend the weekend and it lifted my spirits like you wouldn’t believe! I’m going to be visiting Texas for the next two weeks so be sure to check out my Instagram (@wittynpretty21) for my travel updates!

Summer’s Over Celebration

Happy Friday loves! It’s been such a long week for me full of ups and downs but I wanted to share with you something pretty and creative to make you smile. Since summer is coming to a close, now is the perfect time to throw a little backyard party celebrating the end of the season. The best part is, all the summer stuff is on clearance!

For a summer gathering, you need splashes of color and little vintage touches. I love hydrangeas during this season. Especially white ones because they go with everything. I go to my local grocery store and can find a fairly large bouquet for about $15. They make the best centerpieces for a table! To add a vintage touch, use a wire basket to put them in during the party. Obviously, they can’t live without water for very long so keep them in a vase before guests arrive.

A really nice vintage touch to your tableware is drinks served in mason jars. I know, how Pinterest of me, right? Normally, I hate mason jars for events (especially weddings) but for little BBQs or outdoor things, I think it works. Serve up a fruity drink in these classic containers!

I also love vibrant colors during the summer and I think that they should be a part of our table settings! At Kohl’s, all of their summer table linens are starting to hit the clearance racks. Now is the time to stock up for next year and get at least one use out of them sometime soon.

One of the things that I keep going back to in all of my posts is the great stuff I can find at TJ Maxx. It’s a place I will shop at no matter how wealthy I am. I find so many neat things at great prices there. Just like many other stores, a lot of their summer stuff is on clearance now too so go take advantage of it! Host a little party this weekend and create a beautiful table setting from the fun, quirky things you can find on clearance.

Tell me what your end-of-the-season traditions are!

Last Taste of Summer (and what to do with it)

August is flying by for me and frankly, I’m looking forward to cooler temperatures! I’m going to contradict myself with what I’m about to tell you but I think it needs to be said while it’s still so humid outside. Here it is: Don’t wish away the summer! Don’t wish away the smell of sunscreen or the drippy ice cream cones. Enjoy the season for suntans, flip flops, sandy feet, and BBQs! I love this time of the year even though half way through it I’m ready for fall.

These last few weeks of summer should be savored! If you don’t want to “savor”, stock up on summertime items for next year. Most stores are getting rid of their warmer-weather inventory and it should be on clearance. Swimsuits are all marked down right now and so are beach towels and sunscreen! I was in Kohl’s the other day and combed through a few of the clearance racks for things I had been wanting from earlier in the season. I found a Lauren Conrad ombre maxi dress for $11! I felt like such a winner.

I’d love to know what you all are up to for the rest of the month! Leave me a comment!

Kate Spade 25% Off Sale!

I love summer for many reasons but probably the biggest reason has to do with the amazing sales that seem to come with the season! Seriously, semi-annual sales, Father’s Day sales, Fourth of July sales, back-to-school sales, and so many others. Right now, I’m loving the Kate Spade sale going on! An additional 25% off all items already on (you guess it) sale. Here are a few of my picks! Visit the link to find your favorites and share them with me in a comment below!

Weekends are for Shopping and Ice Cream

Monday is here again and we’re all back to the grind. Get up at the crack of dawn, slowly get dressed, wish we hadn’t stayed up late the night before, grab a cereal bar for breakfast, sit in traffic, grab coffee, and then sit down at your desk and stare at a computer for the next 8 hours. It can be so mundane at times. I thought today I’d share with you my not-so-mundane weekend to shake things up a bit.

I spent time shopping and enjoying the nice weather. Typically, I go around to each of my favorite stores where I can find good deals and see what’s on sale. I scored a few cute things from Kohl’s, believe it or not. The dress is Lauren Conrad and I got it on clearance for $19.20, normally $64. The top is Elle brand and it was only $12. They were really cute finds for pretty decent prices.

Saturday night I went out with my family for pizza and then ice cream on the boardwalk. We’ve been going to the same ice cream place since I was a toddler. Every year it opens up and the line is ridiculously long but it’s always worth it. We stroll by the water and enjoy the scenery and overall atmosphere of the area. It feels like you’re on vacation, even if it’s just for an hour.

Sunday I went and laid by the pool with my friend Dawn. I love having a pool to go to and get some sun. Dawn is a yoga enthusiast and she asked me to take a picture of her doing a pose by the pool. As I was taking it, these little girls in the water were telling Dawn how amazing she was. They asked her to teach them, which she was slightly reluctant to do because they would be doing it on wet concrete. The girls eventually jumped back in the pool and splashed around.

Summer days are truly the best, summer weekends are even better!