31 ways to make this August super fun!

August is a gorgeous month - both in terms of the weather (for those in the Northern Hemisphere at least) - and the potential that it holds. From this very morn, until the finally moment on the evening of the 31st, we get roughly four and a half weeks to make the absolute most of summertime while it's still here.

Though one can - and should - make a point of simply putting their feet up and watching the breeze at least once or twice this month (such becomes a lot less enjoyable when the temps are -30, not +30 as they are still are for many at the moment), I often find that I feel an ingrained sense to do, enjoy and experience as much about this month as possible.

Though the lovely weather may linger into September or even early October, this will be the final full month of summer and here on Canadian soil, I know that that I'll likely be waiting until next April before we start to see the first signs of spring again.

That's a rather lengthy haul for anyone, especially those in countries where your winters look like pristine, Christmas card worthy landscapes for the better part of that time. All the more reason, if you ask me, why we should try to really get the most out of August.

Recently I started thinking about some of the various activities that I hope to focus on this month and before long, I had a good sized list going (including a few that fall under the "daydream" heading).

I figured that many of you might enjoy seeing what's on it and perhaps adding to your own August itinerary care of this selection of thirty-one diverse, lovely activities to do throughout the eighth month of the year.

Of course, depending on where you live and the other various circumstances of your life, not all of these not these ideas will be equally easy to achieve. Hopefully though, they'll help to serve as a handy jumping off point when it comes making your August as exciting and enjoyable as possible.

31 ways to make this

August super fun!

1. Hit the open highway, or backwoods path, as you desire, and take a road trip someplace new and exciting!


2. Celebrate one or more (just-for-fun) National Food Days this month. Yum-yum!


3. Most towns and cities team with events in the summer months. Look on local community websites to see if there are any that catch your eye and then inquire as to if you can volunteer a few hours or more of your time to assisting them this month.


4. Set a fun challenge for yourself of taking at least one photo each day of something highly seasonally related. If you blog, consider writing a post at the end of the month in which you highlight some, or all, of the beautiful snaps you collected throughout August.





5. Head on over to Memphis, Tennessee and join thousands of other fans at the annual Elvis Week festival, which takes place this year between August 10th – 16th.


6. Just about any vintage, antique or second shopper's dream, The World's Longest Yard Sale (it spans multiple states!) returns between August 4th and 7th. Bring comfy shoes, lots of small bills, and your best negating skills!


7. Go camping, unfurl your sleeping bag, and enjoy an evening spend under the celestial beauty of the stars.


8. Try to source a great deal on local produce and join in the beautiful age-old tradition of summertime canning/preserving.


9. Sit outside, while the nights are still deliciously warm, and see if you can spot any shooting stars, fireflies, or bats zooming across the inky black sky.





10. Go through your sewing/knitting/crochet patterns and see if there's a fun, speedy summer garment or accessory project that you can make in a day and get at least a bit of wear out of this season.


11. Set aside an afternoon, or whole day, if you'd like, to write cheerful "thinking of you" letters, notecards, and/or postcards to loved ones around the world (extra bonus points in the stationary and/or postage stamps that you is seasonally themed) in which you share some of the highlights of your summer thus far.


12. Interview an elderly relative about their life and then afterwards, to sincerely thank them for sharing so much with you, present them with the gift of one or more of their most memorable pieces of wisdom displayed as a custom art print for them to hang in their home.


13. Break out your best 1920s or 30s finery and join scores of seriously stylish folks at that most beloved of deco era related summertime events, the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island in New York state.


14. Start creating (or at least planning) your winter holiday season crafts and/or handmade cards. As much as we may not want to think about it yet, Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, and many other December festivities are now less than five months away!





15. Let your inner youngster out at the beach and make a sandcastle with the best of 'em!


16. Get up really early and go out on a local hot air balloon ride to watch the summer sun rise from a breathtakingly gorgeous - and very lofty - vantage point.


17. Spend time on, in, or near the water! Lake, river, ocean, tiny creek, it scarcely matters. The important thing is that you likely won't freeze in you get wet!


18. Track down a remaining drive-in movie theater in your state or province and take as many relatives/friends as you can legally load into the car for a night of classic film going fun.


19. Try to squeeze in some extra outfit photo shoots this month for those chilly fall and winter months ahead when the weather may not be nearly as cooperative, but you don't want to go too long between posting new looks on your blog.





20. Devote at least 30 minutes a day to quiet reading and make some serious headway on your summer book list.


21. Invite some friends over and hold a spa day/night using only cold or room products to help keep August's heat at bay while you pamper yourselves.


22. Head to beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia for this year's fun filled Pacific National Exhibition - better known around these parts as the PNE.


23. Pretend that you're still of a single digit age and leap (or at least gingerly step ;D) through a splashing sprinkler.


24. Find a local stable or ranch that offers such and hire a horse for a day of trail riding.





25. Have a good old-fashioned ice cream social and go wild with the variety of sundae toppings that you offer your guests.


26. Visit, or perhaps even take part, in one of the biggest annual Highland Games, the Cowal Highland Gathering, in Scotland.


27. As you get ready to start incorporating your fall/winter wardrobe into your life again, take this time to give your closet a thorough purging. Sell, donate, or swap those items you no longer want and, if you've had some sales, treat yourself to something from your vintage wishlist that you've been yearning to buy for ages now.


28. Go early season apple or pear picking at a local orchard.


29. As the month wraps up, join throngs of fellow tennis enthusiasts at the US Open, which runs from August 29th - September 11th this year.


30. Host at least one more full-on, done right family barbeque or picnic.





31. Start planning your Halloween costume - it's never too early to do so and many stores are already beginning to stock festive offerings, so the sooner the better!



{To learn more about a specific image used in this post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Naturally the list above is a mere drop in the bucket (err, sandcastle pail) when it comes to the near endless number of things that one can do, savour and experience throughout the month of August, and it was tricky to cap my selection at just thirty-one entries.

It's doubtable anybody will do all of these entries this August, but we can each indulge in at least a few, adding in others that suit our lives and remaining open to some great on-the-fly fun as well.

After all, the ability to start your day early and end it late, both in glistening summer sunshine, is one of the most appealing aspects of this fantastic time of the year.

I hope that today's post will help to make your August even more enjoyable and would love to hear about some of the things that you adore doing, seeing, tasting, and otherwise delighting in this month!

One seriously representative - and very tasty - 1950s potato salad recipe

Vintage loving soul that I am, I can't help but have a special spot in my heart for yesteryear recipes that not only telegraph the era they hail from, but which shout it out, loud and proud, from the rooftop!

Typically these sorts of foods include a combination of ingredients that seems a touch dated to the average diner, but which we as vintage fans have a deep respect and adoration for, even if they're not exactly what we're plunking down in front our families each night these days.

Chances are such dishes, when they hail from the 1950s and are of a savoury nature, are apt to include at least one of the following things: mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, pickles, olives, mushroom, pimentos, tuna, and/or celery, to name but a few iconic ingredients of the age.

Today's vintage recipe for hearty, delicious sounding Ripe Olive Potato Salad hails is from 1952 and houses five of those very ingredients, a point that made this passionate old school epicurean smile ear-to-ear.



{Talk about a meal in a side dish! This lively, flavourful mid-century potato salad combines pickles, olives, pimentos, mayo, and a handful of other ingredients with spuds to create a stick-to-your ribs potato salad that is bursting with 1950s charm. Vintage recipe image source.}


I fully get that this combo of ingredients might not elicit squeals of delight from everyone, even though I do think they harmonize together fairly well. By all means, pick, choose, and disregard as needed. Being allergic to eggs, I need to skip the hard boiled ones here and use GF vegan mayonnaise (the vegan offerings from Follow Your Heart are by far my favourite store bought options on that front), and would likely use cucumber over celery, as I have an easier time with it, but aside from that, I'd totally give it a go as is.

If I wanted to switch things up a bit though, I might ditch some of the veggies (pickles included), leave the black olives in place and use some sun dried tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts for a thoroughly Mediterranean influenced potato salad, or maybe some black beans, corn, and cilantro for a fun Southwestern take on this staple summer side dish.

Potato salad is a seriously versatile food that you can play around with endlessly, making it as mid-century or present day as your heart desires. You can even sub in sweet potatoes, yams, taro, sunchokes, parsnips, or rutabagas for the standard spuds themselves.

As summer is but a stone's throw away, picnic, grilling, camping, and al fresco eating season in general are all starting to really hit their stride, so I wanted to share this delightful, adaptable vintage potato salad recipe - which really does scream 1950s in the best kind of culinary way - with all of you here today, on this gorgeous sun-kissed Saturday.

With lots of family events, birthdays, barbeques and other enjoyable events in the cards throughout the next three to four months, I know that dishes like this great mid-century offering will be a common sight on our table - be it indoors or out - and one that I'm really, really looking forward to, as I rarely make cold pasta or potato salad during the snowy half of the year. That’s baked, mashed and roasted spud season! :)

Let's go on a vintage picnic

There are few things in the whole wide world that seem to partner better with a gorgeous late spring or early summer Sunday than leaving the confines of your home and venturing out into nature to enjoy a serene and entirely scrumptious picnic.




Whether you're picnicking merely for its own marvelous merits or in celebration of something wonderful - say, for example like Father's Day today - there's scarcely an occasion that isn't made more delightful by packing up a meal, jaunting off to the seaside, a lovely park, the verdant woods or wherever your heart desires and rejoicing in the mellow pace of a sunny Sunday picnic.

Scattered far and wide across the globe as we are, it's not possible for all of us vintage adoring folks to gather together in one large, delightful communal mean outdoors. Instead, on this beautiful morning, let's go on a virtual picnic together, chocked, naturally, full of vintage loveliness from start to finish.

First off, we'll need a picnic basket. How about this completely charming mid-century red, blue and yellow tartan metal number?





Or if classic wicker is more you're style, why not tuck your favourite picnic foods into this beautiful 1950s example.




And for sheer classic elegance and iconic picnic appeal, they really don't come any more lovely than this great woven version.




If highly perishable foods are on the agenda, we might need a cooler, too - one can never be too careful when it comes to preventing food poisoning! This charming Little Brown Ice Chest and matching Little Brown Jug thermos are sure to do the job.




Naturally, whether we're spread out in a grassy meadow, on a tawny hued beach, or a wooden campground table, we're going to need a white and red gingham picnic blanket. I'm especially fond of the version below created by etsy seller Sewn Natural. It's a three-layer, quilted outdoor blanket that's both eco-friendly and waterproof, too boot! (You've got to love that if you're picnicking with little kids who might accidentally tip over a bottle of grape juice at any moment.) 

We're venturing into the elements, so that means it's time to slap on the sunscreen, even if we decide to set up camp in the shade.





Ants are the only pesky critters who like to show up when picnics are around, so it's probably best if we bring some bug spray, too (or, if you prefer, tote along a nice, big citronella candle).




Perhaps though, we're jumping ahead of ourselves just a touch...we haven't even decided what we're going to wear on our lovely Sunday outing yet. Of course the choice of venue with factor in here considerably, but in general, there are certain options - sundresses and playsuits, for example - that will work well no matter where you're headed this time of year.

In a cute nod to the iconic picnic blanket, I'm rather fond of wearing gingham while I'm noshing in the great outdoors. This two-piece 1950s shorts and crop top set from etsy seller Fashion Rerun would be awesome for those especially toasty days when the last thing you want is to be covered up from head-to-toe.

If pink is your passion, you're sure to swoon (as I did!) over this cute-as-button pink and white sleeveless vintage gingham dress from etsy seller Custard Heart Vintage that practically has "June picnic" written all over it.




For those in the mood for a somewhat darker, but still completely summer appropriate gingham look, may I present a lovely black red fifties dress from etsy seller Vintage Critter, complete with cross stitch inspired detailing and a very flattering square neckline.




Should your picnic take you anywhere near the water - be it lake, ocean, river, stream, or pool - then you may want to slip into this wildly adorable red and white gingham fifties swimsuit from etsy seller Wear It Again.




A wide-brimmed straw hat is a marvelous accompaniment for nearly any vintage picnic ensemble. Equal parts practical and pretty, it shades your face and neck from the sun and gives you the loveliest I-just-stepped-out-of-a-vintage-summertime-fashion-spread look. It's all I could do to keep from swooning right off the couch when I spotted the beautifully elegant flower adorned 1930s straw hat pictured below from etsy Sonnet and Bough.




Now let's turn our focus to the menu. Much as with what we're going to wear, our choice of picnic fare may very a bit depending on where we're headed.

There are certainly beloved staples (beyond just sandwiches and fresh fruit) that are sure to please most picnic goers of all ages and which work well for a variety of venues and events, such as deviled eggs, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, hamburger pie, and chocolate fudge pie. The 1950s picnic spread pictured below would also be rather tasty!




Supplies, food and outfit determined and ready to go, it's now time we nailed down just whereabouts to hold our lovely Sunday picnic. We could head to the beach...




How about getting the whole family together for a feast at the park?




The woods are always a natural choice for an outdoor meal, and a very relaxing one, too, assuming you don't run into Yogi Bear! :)




Sometimes the best picnics spring up organically in the moment, turning wherever you are in a wonderfully festive spot. Case in point, this 1940s crowd having a wonderful impromptu feast on the hood of someone's car.




Having settled on a location, it's time to unpack the trunk and basket, kick up our heels and savour an ice cold beverage.




Be sure to grab some snapshots of your outing to look back on fondly when winter's icy wrath returns. There's nothing like daydreaming about July in January to help make the long wait until summer's return a touch more bearable.




And last but not least, remember to have fun, smile, delight in the magic of being outdoors. Fill your lungs with pristine fresh air, swap stories with friends, nosh until your heart's content, and make sure to repeat the whole picnic process as often as possible this summer!




Whether you drive for five minutes or two hours to reach your destination, pack a few light nibbles or a full on feast, enjoy tagging along with ten people or just one beloved soul, I hope that over the course of this warm and magnificent season, you all get to revel in at least one thoroughly terrific picnic. They're needn’t cost and arm and leg, can be tossed together on the fly, and often result in some of the loveliest memories of year.

{To learn more about any of the images used in this post, please click on an image to be taken to its respective source.}

Happy picnicking, my sweet dears! And to all those celebrating Father's Day, may you have an absolutely awesome time however you spend this special day!

Isn't it high time you went on a picnic?

✯ Day 205 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

There was a sense of contentment that washed over me yesterday, stemming from the fact that the Vintage 365 project had retuned to its usual daily occurrence once more. I'm comforted by this feeling and believe that it will help fuel my blogging fires in the coming weeks (as goodness knows, I have the energy levels of a comatose slug right now ).

As well, in writing Saturday's post, I couldn't help but be reminded of the myriad reasons why I adore summer, hold it dear to my heart, often wish it would linger on until the end of time. It's far too easy to gripe about the heat (which, yes, for most of us summer does deliver in spades) instead of stopping to find pleasure in the bounty of wonderful points this season holds.

Without a doubt, one of the most delightful things to do when the dog days of summer are upon us is go on a picnic. Whether in your backyard or a hundred miles from home, a picnic - teaming with scrumptious foods, cool beverages, and a few simple ways to pass the time (vintage novels, kites, perhaps a croquet set) is a resplendently lovely way to devote your time.

Sundays, primed for relaxation by their very tranquil nature, are an ideal day in which to indulge in the splendours of a summertime picnic.

{While a trip to Grand Canyon and a feast overlooking its breathtaking views might not be the cards, there are countless other beautiful spots of all sizes that can make for a fabulous picnic destinations. Vintage National Geographic image via the owls go on Flick.}

 

Regardless of if you're more of a beach bunny or a lush green field loving gal, prefer the companionship of just one special soul or a team's worth of friends, pack lavish spreads or just tote along a few simple, hearty foods, a picnic can be tailored to your specs however you fancy.

For those, like myself, who live in a home that lacks a yard you can call your own (fellow apartment dwellers raise your hands), escaping for a few hours to a verdant park, sandy shoreline, or shady wood can feel like manna from heaven for our parched souls.

Even if you have a yard of your own in which to spread out out a checkered blanket, a change of scenery and the opportunity to eat while the golden sun dances across your skin can often be precisely what the doctor ordered.

Treat yourself to an afternoon outdoors, forget the hustle and bustle of this crazy electronic era we're living in and reconnect with with al fresco eating.

Create your own enjoyment, bring friends, let the kids have a second helping of dessert, slip your sandals off and tickle your toes with wispy blades of grass, wear your favourite vintage sundress in the whole wide world - and above all else, have fun! After all, that’s what picnics – and summer its very self – were designed for.

Happiest Victoria Day wishes, my fellow Canadians!

✯ Day 143 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

The history of today's celebration dates back to the time of Queen Victoria of England, whose name lends itself to this May holiday, however for most Canadians Victoria Day is less about the monarchs of Britain and more about kicking off the immensely long awaited beginning of summer.

Now, granted we're still about a month away from technically hitting summer (on the calendar at least), but in many places across the country, the weather has finally perked up to the point where barbequing, picnicking, boating, strolling on the beach, and oodles of other delightful outdoor activities are enjoyably doable once more.

Canada has a relatively low number of national holidays (let alone ones that take place in the warmer months), so as the May long weekend draws near, it's not uncommon to find a general spirit of happiness has washed over canucks in every corner of the country. Usually spring is in full swing, the risk of snow is just about gone (does it ever really leave for us here though? ), and folks have slipped back into their warm weather threads.

Traditionally this wonderful long weekend, which - with a little luck - will be a splendidly toasty one - is a favourite amongst those who love to camp and can get the time away from work to spend two or three days under the stars, a tent as their roof, s'mores as diner, and plenty of merriment on the bill for the whole trip.

 

{Whether you like to bring everything and the kitchen sink on your Victoria Day outdoor adventures - like this charming 1950s family - or prefer to simply slip down to the lake with a single picnic basket in hand, few things compare to finally being able to spend time under the Canadian sun again! Vintage photo via Captain Geoffrey Spaulding on Flickr.}

For some, Victoria Day might be the first time of the year they've fired up the grill, ready to fill their backyard (if not the whole street) with the intoxicatingly delicious scent of food cooking over a flame in the great outdoors.

Others still may head off to their cabins/cottages (particularly here in Ontario, where there's a large number of cottage owners), take a quick road trip, visit a favourite national park, catch up on DIY projects around the house, throw a block party, or simply kick back in their favourite lawn chair (or hammock) and savour the simple joy of having three marvelous days off from the grind of work.

The mister and I fall into the later group this year (much as I wish I could have been out camping, it just wasn't in the cards), and we're spending this weekend embracing the immensely welcome warmth of late May, a cool drink in our hands, the kitty napping angelically in the vibrant morning light, and a selection of our favourite Canadian songs (vintage, retro and present) wafting around the room as we celebrate the unofficial start of summer 2011.

Whatever you've got on your itinerary for today, I wish you an utterly fantastic Victoria Day (or simply a marvelous Monday, if you're not in Canada) filled with equal measures of relaxing tranquility and sunshine covered excitement!