I couldn’t get my June recap posted in time, but it’s been such a fun summer with so many things going on that I still wanted to share all the happenings, books I’ve read, and shows I’ve watched—this month I’m just jumbling June and July into one. I went shopping today for some summer tablescape pieces and all the stores had already switched their merchandise to Halloween! It’s too soon!

What’s New?

• What isn’t new?! This summer has been go-go-go, with only a few quiet weekends at home. My mom and I spent a couple of days in Connecticut in June to cross off another new state. I only have nine to go! We thought Mystic was really cute—right on the Mystic River, a very coastal feel—and two days was just the right amount of time there. A highlight for me was the Mystic Seaport Museum, a living museum with a recreation of a 19^th century whaling town. New Haven, on the other hand, was not our favorite. We finished the trip with less than 24 hours in NYC to see Mariska Hargitay make her Broadway debut in the play Every Brilliant Thing. Both she, and the play itself, were indeed brilliant. Law and Order: SVU is my favorite show, and on the night we went Ice T was in the audience! The play is interactive, so she called him on stage as one of the participants. Afterwards we waited outside the playhouse for 45 minutes to get her autograph on our playbill. So cool!!
• Right after getting home from the East Coast my brother, sister-in-law, cousin, some friends, and I drove to and camped in Kansas City to see the Algeria vs. Austria World Cup game. Such a bucket list item! And we were treated to a very exciting match, ending in a 3-3 tie with two of the goals scored in the final minutes of extra time! I also went on two camping trips to Rocky Mountain National Park and Conundrum Hot Springs near Crested Butte, attended my first Renaissance festival, and helped my brother and sister-in-law move—only 10 minutes away from me now! It’s been so much fun to have them so close.
• And lastly, I finally made a breakthrough in trying to bring out the natural texture of my hair. Since May I had been avoiding brushing my hair, instead only using a pick on it right after getting out of the shower and scrunching up the ends. This gave me some texture, but it also made my hair stringy and wet-looking. I did a little more research and was told to comb my hair with the conditioner still in while I’m in the shower, then rinse the conditioner out and not brush it. After the very first try my hair looked amazing! No more stringy clumps and it had the most wave to it yet. I’m so much happier with how my hair naturally dries now compared to the uneven poof it was before.

Today’s Outfit

This is one of the “East Coast summer” outfits I styled when my mom and I went to Connecticut. I shopped my closet for the look and I think I nailed the coastal vibe! The red and blue together just scream summer. If you look closely you can see my blue sea glass earrings that I got in Maine last year and a seashell anklet. How stinking cute is the crab purse?? It was my souvenir from the trip, purchased at the Mystic Aquarium.

Top Performing Blog Posts from June and July

• May 2026 Month in Review
• What I Wore in Puerto Rico
• Six Ways to Wear Houndstooth Pants

Top Performing Social Media Posts

• Percent Worn: Week 30
• Putting Together my First Ren Faire Costume
• Making my Favorite Dress Work Appropriate

Favorite Outfits from June and July

• I needed to wear this magenta dress (yes, it’s a dress!) but I decided to style it as a skirt to make it more wearable, since normally I would wear this dress to a wedding. I didn’t think I liked the t-strap shoes with it in the moment but looking back I think the ‘fit was super cute! Very vintage-feeling.
• My aunt recently gave me some of her hand-me-downs (so fun!) and this sweater was among them. My hair was dirty this day so I covered it with an embroidered pink and green headband that paired perfectly with my clay flower earrings. I’m still a little on the fence about the sheer polka dot socks with the jeans, but otherwise I love how this outfit turned out.

Percent Worn Update

As of today, August 6, I have worn 83% of my closet, compared to 69% this time last year. The main categories of items I still have to wear are dresses (20), purses (11), heels (9), and belts (8).

What I Watched

• Heat—My boyfriend wanted to watch this movie, but I found it incredibly boring. Such a guy film.
• The Boys Season 5—This show got so ridiculous by the final season but I had to see it through. I’m glad it’s over and honestly have already forgotten how it ended!
• Beef Season 2—I loved this season, more than the first one. It’s so uncomfortable to watch but impossible to look away. It was less of a slow burn than the first season but I did think the ending was a bit anticlimactic.
• Mystic Pizza—My mom and I watched this coming-of-age movie from the 80s before our trip to Mystic, Connecticut, which is where the movie takes place. It was Julia Roberts’ breakout role! It was a fun watch, especially to scope out the town before visiting ourselves.
• Pretty Woman—After seeing her first film I had to watch the movie that made Julia Roberts famous. Of course, I loved the fashion! But it was a bit silly. Her character really hit the jackpot.
• The Bear Season 5—Another show that I just watched to see it through. I was surprised to like this season more than I thought I would.
• People We Meet on Vacation—A couple of people told me to watch this rom-com. It seemed so cheesy at first and, I mean, it was, but I still thought it was really cute. Her outfits were also super fun and unique!
• The Odyssey—We saw this in “limax” the week after it opened. I never had to read The Odyssey in school so I can’t comment on how accurate the movie was. But I did enjoy it, and it was especially cool to watch knowing that it was filmed primarily using practical effects instead of CGI. I thought the dialogue was kind of bad and Tom Holland isn’t the best actor but… still enjoyable.
• Widow’s Bay—This is the best show I’ve watched in a while! It was the perfect mix of comedy and horror that kept me hooked ‘til the end. I was hoping it would just be one season (so they don’t ruin it) but I am looking forward to part two.

What I Read

• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch—This book was my pick for book club, and I ended up liking it. I think it was just on my to-read list so I could watch the show, but I found the concept really intriguing and fruitful for discussion.
• The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn—I read a physical copy of the first Bridgerton book and listened to this one on audio. I liked the first one more than I thought I would, but I felt kind of “eh” about this one! I think it’s because I listened to it. The narrator with her funny voices for the different characters kind of took away from the romance for me.
• An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn—I listened to this one too (they are really good audiobooks in the sense that you can zone out a little at times and not miss much). I’m not sure I feel strongly about any one of them more than the others—so far all the books kind of feel the same! I do think the show is way better. The books are very one-dimensional, and the show did a good job of fleshing out the characters and giving more depth to the plot.

June and July Spotify Playlists

June’s playlist has some songs from Glee (I finally finished rewatching it) and quite a few tracks I heard while either at or driving to/from the World Cup. And in July I was really intentional about listening to new music for once!

What I’m Looking Forward to in August

• After trying multiple times during past concerts, I finally secured Zach Bryan tickets! I’m seeing him next week at the football stadium—which isn’t the best venue, but I’ll take what I can get. The question is, of course, what should I wear??
• The day after the concert my boyfriend and I are heading to Grand Junction for my friend’s annual summer party and water balloon fight. We also just decided to go to some cosplay scavenger hunt event downtown, which means it’s already time to make another costume!! I’ve been brainstorming what I can do with one of the dresses I haven’t worn yet… Stay tuned.
• The following weekend my parents are coming to visit, and I’m hosting a big brunch with them, my aunt’s family, and my brother and sister-in-law. I’m so excited! I’m going to make a Sandra Lee-inspired summer tablescape, including sewing my own placemats. That’s kind of my last summer hurrah before things finally calm down in September.

What You May Have Missed from July

• Favorite Outfits from June
• Shopping my Closet for East Coast Summer
• Percent Worn: Week 27
• Blogiversary Outfit Transition
• A Stroll Down Memory Lane
• What I Wore on the East Coast
• Get Ready with Me for my Boyfriend’s HS Reunion
• Putting Together my First Ren Faire Costume
• Making a Last-Minute Ren Faire Costume
• Ren Faire Costume Reveal
• 7 Days 7 Dresses
• Cost per Wear of my Ren Faire Costume
• Summer Sausage Sandwich Tribute
• Percent Worn: Week 30
• Making my Favorite Dress Work Appropriate
• 5 Things that are Worth the Money
• 10 Years of Grace per Wear

As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today. What are you looking forward to in August?

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace

 

Red Top: Mango Pop, $20 ($5.00 per wear) | Button-Down: JCPenney, $20 ($0.83 per wear), last worn here | Shorts: JCPenney, $22 ($2.00 per wear) | Sandals: Amazon, $17 ($0.36 per wear), last worn here | Purse: Mystic Aquarium, $40 ($20 per wear)