I’ve attempted some sort of ‘favorites’ list with every blog I’ve started, but I always tried to do too much. There was a specific prompt I wanted to follow, or I intended to send it out every week. And I just don’t have time for that! So, since I’m starting fresh with just about everything here on Mongan Moments, I’m going to start fresh with the ‘favorites’ idea, too. These posts will come out once a month and go through some of my favorites for the last month. There isn’t necessarily a category that each of my favorites will fall under; rather, it’s just going to be the 5-6 items that stand out in my mind when I think of that month.
So, without further ado, let’s talk about June. June went by so fast for us, starting with our long weekend in Loch Lomond and ending with final wedding preparations. As I’ve said to many people over the month, our house has turned into a wedding factory. There is wedding stuff everywhere. However, that will all be over soon and we can go back to a somewhat normal household. June was also the nicest month I think I’ve ever had in London weather-wise. There were so many beyond beautiful days spent outside in the sun. We don’t get that often in London, but I’m hoping it’ll stick around through July. I’m savoring every moment over here!
1 // Dining Alfresco at Home
At the end of May, we purchased a garden furniture set from IKEA and it’s been a total game changer. Our small flat doesn’t have room for a dining room table, so we often eat our meals on the couch with our plates on our laps. It’s not ideal, but it’s how we make the most of space in the house. However, since the weather’s been so nice recently, we’ve been taking every opportunity to eat outside. It’s so nice to sit at an actual table and enjoy our meal. I’ve been plating our food in a nice manner, serving on actual serving platters, and (gasp!) we’ve actually had friends over for dinner!
The IKEA set we purchased is absolutely perfect for a medium-sized patio garden – the set is setup for 4 chairs, but can extend on either side for a total of 10 seats. Sean keeps joking (not so jokingly) that we are going to invest in an outdoor heater so we can host Thanksgiving outside this year! For perfect al fresco meals, we’ve been turning to Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals.
READ MORE: Our Favorite Cookbooks for Weeknight Meals
2 // Dermologica’s Gentle Exfoliator
As part of my wedding makeup practice run with Claire Nicole Beauty, I received a complimentary Dermologica mini-facial. I had heard all the rave about Dermologica previously, but never really tried any of the products. After the facial, I walked away with Dermologica’s Daily Microfoliant. Exfoliating was something I’d been meaning to get back into recently, and this seemed like the perfect product (it felt so good on my face). Because it’s a gentle exfoliator, it can be used daily and it never leaves my skin feeling raw – just smooth. I’m absolutely loving using this daily. In fact, it has inspired me to completely revamp my entire skincare routine (more on that soon!).
3 // DIY Wedding Decorations
June helped me remember just how much I love arts & crafts. While I don’t see myself going through another scrapbooking phase anytime soon, I am totally feeling the DIY concept in every area of my life right now. I spent the latter half of June DIYing everything I could for the wedding with my friend Megan. We’ve painted bunting and signs, hot glued together cork letters, and debated fonts and colors more than I ever thought I would in my life. I’ve also spent hours on Canva designing every print product for the wedding. It’s so fun to see the final result and be able to say, “I did that!”.
4 // Madewell’s Thea Crisscross Sandals
In the future I’ll try to be better about loving things that are actually still available, but I can’t help but give a shoutout to Madewell’s Thea Crisscross sandals this month! I purchased these last May and wore them a couple of times but didn’t love them. However, now I think they’re finally fully broken in and I can’t take them off. I wear these sandals with everything from jeans to dresses, and on lazy days or when we are going for a nice meal. They’re so comfy, match everything, and the crisscross adds a little detail that makes them stand out without being too crazy. I think they’re finally starting to show signs of some overloving, but I have my eyes on this year’s Leila sandals as a potential replacement.
5 // ‘Legends’ – Kelsea Ballerini
Summer calls for feel good songs, and ‘Legends’ is exactly that. Similar to Taylor Swift’s ‘Long Live’, ‘Legends’ is bound to leave you reminiscing about the glory days. I’ve been listening to it on repeat over the past week and I expect that to continue for at least a couple more. It’s such a beautiful song, and it’s definitely on my list of Songs of the Summer 2017! Warning: The video doesn’t leave you feeling quite as good as just listening to the song *sob*
July is a big month for us, with our wedding week and honeymoon spanned across the middle of the month. I am so excited to see all of my family and friends that are coming over from the US – and to finally reveal my wedding dress, of course! Keep an eye out for my July favorites next month (hint: they will likely include wedding photos!).
