Summer Hygge: Slowing Down to Savor

Hygge is a Danish term which reflects a lifestyle of coziness, comfort and closeness with family and friends. Although the term is commonly associated with a cold-weather lifestyle, the art of hygge can be practiced and enjoyed in all seasons. Here are some tips for enjoying a comfortable summer by embracing the art of Hygge!

Enjoy the summer where comfort and JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) are the priority!

- Disconnect and Unplug - When we are able to put away our devices and experience connecting with our surroundings, our humanity returns. We are more able to create definitive moments with others through conversation, forming meaningful relationships based not on how many "likes" one has, but finding what we have in common. Try to avoid photographing every single moment of the day, and simply embrace whatever happens, keeping the event in your memory only. Even if it is for a couple of hours, putting away the phone gives you the freedom of being disconnected from the noise of social media and the stresses of today's world.

- Connect with Nature - what better time to get outside than when the weather is warm and there is plenty of sunshine and daylight? Enjoy going for walks, or schedule time to be outside instead of the gym for your workouts. A great opportunity to take in the local plant life awaits at botanical gardens, where you can quietly walk through beautiful gardens and mini-forests, or just find a bench to sit and ponder among the green trees and babbling ponds.

- Have an Outdoor Movie Night - All you need are a few blankets, pillows and a backyard projector. This projector is Amazon's Choice for the under $100 category. Use a white sheet on the wall for a movie screen, or go state of the art with this pop-up movie screen from Home Depot. Don't forget to include the snacks! Make popcorn with an air-popper and give everyone a choice of seasonings; provide cool beverages and additional snack favorites in fun treat boxes for that movie theatre feel!

-Get Away or Just Stay - Vacations do not have to be elaborate or expensive. Camping with the family is a fun way to get away from the house while enjoying the great outdoors. Or simply make home the ultimate destination! After the seasonal deep clean, give the house a sprucing up to create a BnB atmosphere by setting out fresh flowers throughout. Adorn the house with candles and string lights to create an elegant ambiance, and invite friends and family over for an elegant farm to table dinner in the yard. Arrange a stack of white towels in the bathroom and white linens on the beds, and enjoy a luxurious breakfast in bed on a tray with fresh fruit, croissants and coffee...five star style right at home!

-Make Cool Things to Sip - Pouring an ice cold beverage to enjoy is one of my favorite parts of summer, along with creating a signature drink to serve to guests when entertaining. I also love to make sun tea by setting out our big glass dispenser in the morning and bringing in the naturally brewed tea to bottle in the afternoon. Harney and Sons has so many flavors to choose from; from full-bodied black tea to their light and flavorful iced tea bags. Sun tea is so delicious that it needs no sugar, only ice and a straw!

- Do Some Gardening - You do not have to plant endless crops of vegetables to savor the joy of gardening. Start simple by choosing some of your favorite things to grow in a container garden or easy-to-make raised beds. Paint a few rocks, or make a ribbon garland out of old rags or fabric to decorate. Or if you are in for a summer DIY, refurbish an old piece of furniture to make a potting bench. You can get instructions on my YouTube channel by clicking here. Each and every day, you will see the beautiful transformation of the things you have planted only to be rewarded with a harvest as the summer ends.

- Make Ice Cream - Nothing says summer more than the cool, soothing taste of ice cream that makes the heat bearable. While there are myriad of flavors available in the store and in parlours, making your own can be a lot of fun and way more delicious!

- Spend an Evening with the Arts - Whether getting dressed up for a night on the town, or just creating a playlist of your favorite summer tunes, experiencing artistic creativity provides peace and inspiration. Visit a museum, or go to a concert, ballet or theatrical performance. Music festivals are everywhere this season where you can grab a blanket and enjoy an evening under the stars. Or create your own art; experiment with watercolor or sidewalk chalk, or string beads to make your own beautiful jewelry. The sky is the limit when it comes to exploring our creative side!

Visit the Broad Museum in Downtown Los Angeles!

-Visit the Beach - The beautiful waves, the warm sand and encountering marine life screams SUMMER! Make it a point to go during off-hours to avoid the crowds, and remember to take sunscreen.

-Read - If there was ever a time to catch up on that book you started last winter, summer provides plenty opportunity. Let the day slowly pass with a glass of iced tea under a tree, by the water or in a hammock and get acquainted with new characters and far-away lands.

-Nap...A Lot - Beat the heat indoors while keeping cool, taking the time to snooze beneath the fan or in an air-conditioned room. Indulge in one long nap or check out for a few naps during the day. Spending an hour or two during the day in quiet brings peace and relaxation to mind and body.

-Enjoy Friends and Family - Whatever you do, take the time to be grateful for all of your good fortunes and spend time with friends and family. Hygge is truly about enjoying the beautiful, simple things in life, and stopping to appreciate all that each season has to offer.

What do you do to slow down and savor during the Summer months? Share your ideas below!

How to Glamp on a Budget

You CAN add Boho Chic to your summer campsite without breaking the bank!

On our last camping trip to Yosemite, my daughter and I were excited to prepare our camping gear. We packed sensibly, with things to make our trip enjoyable and comfortable. One of the things we decided to include was a "Glamp Kit", which was complete with creature comforts that made our campsite feel like a luxurious, outdoor home. This summer, we will be camping on the beach, and I am looking forward to putting together another "Glamp Kit" to make this vacation  a cozy, glamourous experience!

Glamping does not have to include a fancy canvas bell tent, wooden floors and heavy furniture. After all, who in the world is going to have the room to pack a U-Haul full of stuff to furnish a tent for three or four days? While we all love the beautiful, romantic posts of social media, most people prefer to have a tent that includes a few amenities that will create a relaxing atmosphere. A simple container with some items found around the house can bring the magic for little to no expense, and brings that little bit of home away from home.


The first thing I did to get my kit together was to get ideas from Pinterest, while some were noteworthy, there were very few that had unique, realistic ideas for creating glam on a budget. Most posts and links featured ultra-exclusive, expensive features such as heavy carpeting, drapes, candles and furry blankets and pillows, with settings in either upscale resorts or the immediate comfort of the photographer's backyard. All of these examples were truly glamorous, but when it comes to packing light, bringing these extra items may be daunting if you are tight on room when traveling. I looked for things that could be easily included without compromising space; we are packing an SUV with our supplies, so I didn't want my glamping to end up being too excessive. I started with a plastic bucket, a pillowcase and a 13-gallon trash bag; whatever I wanted to take for glamping had to fit into these three containers.

Trying out things at home first for the big weekend!

Next, I practiced a few weeks in advance, putting all of our equipment and glamping supplies together out in our backyard. I wanted to make sure there were no shocks or surprises when we reached our ocean destination.
Since I already planned to pack our inflatable queen-sized bed, I didn't include that on my list.

-Fairy Lights - These battery operated strands are the essentials of bringing instant ambience! Hang them around the outside and inside to add illuminating sparkle to the night. You can even coil a strand in a jar to bring to the table for a charming centerpiece. Place them in a gallon resealable bag with a few extra batteries.

-Lanterns - While we have two solar lanterns that are necessities on our camping trips, I also packed two of our lanterns that use candlelight as a safe way to use a scented candle within our tent. Be sure to blow out the candle when you leave your tent for a hike or activities, and before you drift off to dreamland. I place these items on one of the bins I bring to use it as a nightstand next to the inflatable bed!

-Fresh Flowers - Taking a hike is not only great for cardio, but you can also forage for beautiful flowers to cut and bring back for a colorful table setting. Just be sure that nothing is poisonous; study the local foliage to make sure what you are picking is safe! With an app called INaturalist, you can post your findings of local plants and animals to share with the scientific community and receive feedback that will help you to know about your discoveries. Using the app will guarantee that poison oak and ivy doesn't cut your vacation short!

Taking an early morning hike to collect to local wildflowers is a great way to get your steps in and create a colorful centerpiece on the table! 

- Bedding - When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to jump into my sleeping bag at night, and listen to ghost stories or laugh all night with my friends. Now, as an adult, I want nothing more than a comfortable bed no matter where I go. So, with our inflatable mattress comes a mattress pad, sheets, blankets(one furry one!) and comforter to guarantee a peaceful slumber. You can also use sleeping bags as a mattress pad/topper to make the bed more cozy and sumptuous, bumping up to 5-star quality dwellings. I also include some full sized pillows and a few throw pillows from the patio that can also double as comfortable bolsters in our camp chairs as we sit by the fire in the evenings.

- Rugs - Laying a few rugs on the floor of your tent gives your feet a luxurious treat and provides further insulation from the cold ground. BE SURE TO LAY A GROUNDCOVER BEFORE YOU PITCH YOUR TENT, HOWEVER. Even in the summer, mornings can be a little chilly, and stepping out of bed onto a surface that isn't freezing is a welcoming way to begin the day.

- Mosquito netting - I bought a pack of mesh curtains from IKEA to creatively drape around our bed.  It was mostly for glam effect, but turned out to be useful when it came to fighting off those unwanted insects who managed to make it inside when unzipping our flap to go outside.

Bring all of your produce you may need for salads and healthy side dishes.

- Dishes...real ones - I did pack paper plates, but for evenings, I wanted our tablescape to be memorable, with the waves crashing and the sun setting in the distance. What could be more romantic than to have a well-appointed dinner table, complete with "china", flatware, linens and wine glasses? A jar with fresh flowers or other natural items from the day's hike, along with a lantern or our glass jar filled with fairy lights centered on the table reminds us that life is to be enjoyed, and turns an evening out on the beach into an elegant coastal meal!

-A "S'more Wine" box - curating special boxes for family vacations has always been my special way of making our time together fun and memorable. I place different ingredients for our S'Mores in a special box, along with a bottle of red wine. I also include games and a list of suggestions for making various types of S'mores from the recipes provided. Check out the S'more printables, located in the Family Camping Trip Kit from The Dating Divas. We sit by the fire, enjoying our tasty, chocolatey treat with a good red wine that brings out the flavors of the marshmallows, nut butters and chocolates that we have all created over the campfire.

Everyone loves to create their own special s'more, complete with gourmet marshmallows, berries, fruit or different nut butters such as vanilla almond and hazelnut. Keep convenient packs around so they can be easily grabbed and spread on cookies and graham crackers!

-Bluetooth Speaker - Yes, I know. Camping is about unplugging. But music is always welcome! My LG X-Boom Go PK5 Portable Speaker is a little powerhouse. With its sturdy, chunky design and

LG X-Boom Go PK5 Portable Speaker...big on sound, little on size!

colorful mood lights, I love it because it can go forever on a charge and is weather resistant. Oh, and did I mention the sound? Just be mindful of the noise ordinances in the surrounding areas, because this little dynamo really packs a punch with the bass and the strong volume!

All of these items are packed in the three pieces I put aside to get ready for our trip: Soft items are stuffed into the pillowcases and trash bag, while the additional supplies are meticulously labeled and placed within resealable bags to be packed away in the big, plastic bin. During our stay, we store our first-aid kit and any additional supplies in the bin to keep handy.

Once all creature comforts are in place, the main focus is to relax and enjoy being away from the bustle and day-to-day insanity of the real world. Taking the time to sit and do nothing, not follow a schedule. Eat, sleep, laze...as long as you want. Vacationing with loved ones is the only way to go!

But all glamping aside, camping on the shore does have its special circumstances that you must be ready for: First of all, coastal sites are much cooler than inland, which can mean grayer days and chilly, windy nights. Next, bringing warm clothes and extra blankets is a great idea, and using a cover for your tent to keep in the heat will mean the difference between sleeping with glam and an unpleasant, uncomfortable night wide awake. Finally, check weather reports and plan accordingly. As long as you are ready for all types of weather, camping by the beach can be an experience filled with glam and days and nights filled with fun memory making!

Have you ever turned your camping trip into a glamping experience? How did it work out? What are some things that you did to make your camping vacation extraordinary? Share in the comments!