Photo Credit: Lulu Lovering

Finally, it’s here. Summer Solstice signals the kick-off to the most celebrated time of the year. The weeks between June 20th and Labor Day mean beach picnics, garden parties, convertibles, ice cream cones and lakeside retreats.

We eat, play and meet outside whenever possible, and look for excuses to extend the evening’s warm dusk for as long as we can. We get out of our layers – physically and spiritually – and connect with the people we love. Today on the blog, we’re thinking about ways to celebrate this sun-drenched season. Here’s to marking this auspicious date – and the strawberry full moon that comes with it this year!

Gather Gather, and do it often. For those of us in the northeast, we spend a good six months of the year inside – so summer means BBQ’s and cookouts, croquet and pool parties. We especially love bonfires. There’s something ceremonial about a burning fire, whether on a pristine, sandy beach at the edge of a deep, unending ocean or under the stars at the base of a mountain. Pack a few textile beach blankets, a thermos of something tasty, a lantern or two – and you’re set.

How to Build a Bonfire by @artofmanliness

1. Place your tinder bundle in the middle of your campfire site.
2. Above your tinder bundle, form a teepee with some kindling. Leave an opening in your teepee on the side the wind is blowing against. This will ensure that your fire gets the air it needs and will blow the flames onto the kindling.
3. Continue adding kindling to the teepee, working your way up to pencil-sized twigs.
4. Create a larger teepee structure around your kindling teepee with your fuel wood.
5. Place a match under your tinder. Because this lay directs the flame up, the flame should rise to the kindling and then on to the fuel wood.

The teepee structure will eventually fall, and at this point you can simply add some fuel logs to the fire.

Celebrate Celebrate everything! Lot’s of people let the Solstice go by like any other day, but this year, unlike most, we have a Full Strawberry Moon to light our path to summer. The Algonquin’s used this as a signal to gather ripening fruit – and they were wise. Summer berries are the sweetest when they’re local. Embrace the celebration – even using a few simple party decorations to make it special – giving everyone a space to acknowledge this passage into a new season. Want more? Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll send you more great looks!

Globe String Lights
Globe string lights shine on their own or pair well with paper lanterns. Most people use them for patios and outdoor environments, but they work wonderfully indoors, adding a romantic vibe that’s not too bright – nor too dark. They are the secret weapon of many an event designer.

Tapestries
Tapestries add desirable dimension and texture to tables, windows and walls. They also make the ultimate picnic or beach blanket. Hang them. Eat on them. Wrap one around your bare shoulders. They multi-task like nobody’s business, all while looking chic and effortless. Hand wash cold, shade line dry.

Paper Lanterns
Our paper lanterns come in an adventurous assortment of shapes, sizes and colors, pack flat for effortless transport and are easy to assemble. If you’re off the grid, illuminating them with our efficient LEDs will add mystique to your outdoor celebrations.