Working for the Weekend: Outdoor Adventures!

Outdoor Adventures! by elbonner featuring outdoor home decor

Summer makes you want to go outside and get all up in nature. I've slacked on the outdoor trip planning lately (always), but I want to make a change and start taking the time to go on more weekend camping trips. It would be ideal to go once a month because I really do love being outside. I'm not someone who minds not showering for a few days in the name of fun and since I just got a brand-spanking new REI membership, I'm ready to get my head in some trail maps and make some memories! It also makes me want to peruse the internet for cool new camping gear. Here are some tried-and-tested, as well as some camp-wants that I've been enjoying/eyeing!

Patagonia Fleur Tank- Super soft and nice for day hikes and keeping cool in the summer. Also comfy for nights under the stars!

Prana "Halle" Pant- Stretchy, flattering, articulate, great for hikes and walks alike. Comes in a bunch of colors too. I tend to stick with pants when it comes to hiking, even in the summer, because of ticks. I would rather be a little warm than get Lyme disease, and I can do that all while looking pretty cute for the trail!

Patagonia "Overcast" Shirt- UPF 20 rated and very lightweight, this is a great shirt to wear in the summer to keep you protected from the sun and creepy crawlies! Comes in plaid and solid colors and good in case it get cooler in the evenings.

Osprey Ariel 65L Backpack- The best backpack EVER! This is the backpack I have used for the past two years and my boyfriend has the male model (hehe!). There's great mesh ventilation on the back, lots of pockets to hold all of your gear, lots of adjustments to make hauling things as comfortable as possible, and super tough and sturdy. 10/10 would buy again and again!

Danner Mountain Light Cascade Hiking Boots- Ok, I saw Wild, it was a great movie. And one of the best characters in the movie were Cheryl's BOOTS! How gorgeous are those things with their sexy red laces? They are apparently the real deal and a modern take on a 70's classic, made for the trail. If I somehow found $300 and my other boots fell apart, I might make these mine one day. For now, it's just boot lust!

Evrgrn Campfire Rocker- What a great chair for sitting around the fire, enjoying a burger and a beer with your friends? I really can't think of many things that are better than that. If I had an ice cream, too, I could die a happy lady! These chairs come in super cute prints and colors and are super portable, making them great for your next car-camping adventure. Enjoyed best with friends or just the wilderness!

Patagonia Lightweight Synchilla Snap-T Pullover- Sometimes you just need a fleece. It lets a little bit of the breeze through to keep you comfortable, but is also snuggly enough to enjoy on a cool night. Fleeces are so useful, and Patagonia makes their out of recycled plastic. Save the planet and your evening chill!

Patagonia Barely Baggies Shorts and Bottom Turn/Paries Bikini- Spending your summer days beach camping? Lucky you! Make sure you bring a great pair of shorts to take you from the campsite to the water and look cute doing it. These Barely Baggies from Patagonia (I know, I just love them so much) are fast drying and lightweight so you can wear them anywhere. They also have prints that are cool enough to wear out to eat if you just don't feel like cooking. You also need a swimsuit that stays on while you play in the water and this one isn't going anywhere! No nip-slips here!

Biolite Wood Burning Camp Stove- Need to charge your phone and boil some water at the same time? With the Biolite, you use sticks, leaves and pine needles to fuel the stove instead of lugging around fuel. The leftover energy is converted and store so that you can hook up your USB chargable devices and keep watching Netflix on the trail!

Big Agnes Rattlesnake SL3 mtnGLO Tent- This tent is unique in the fact that it has LED lighting sewn into the seams of the roof so you don't need to fumble with lamps smacking you in the head when you need to get up and pee. I don't know how durable the track lighting will be in the long-run, but this is a really cool idea that I hope will be made available on other tents! The body is mostly mesh so there's lots of ventilation and has two doors so you don't have to crawl over your buddy to get out.

Hydroflask Insulated Wide Mouth 64oz. Growler- Did you stop at a cool mountain brewery or cider press on your way to the campsite and get stuck with a clunky, breakable glass growler that will keep cold for like 10 minutes? You should've invested in the whopping 64oz Vacuum Insulated Hydroflask Growler. Created to keep your favorite beverage cold (or hot) for multiple hours. At least enough to enjoy after a long day on the trails. You could even put a fresh batch of chicken noodle soup or hot chocolate in it if you're craving something warm in the cooler weather!

Camping is so much fun and these goodies can be enjoyed on or off the campsite. Summer is when everyone wants to get together and hang out outside, so whether you're camping on the beach, backpacking in the mountains, or just spending the night in a tent in the backyard (seriously fun!), make your time more enjoyable with some good friends and good equipment! You'll thank yourself for years to come! Get outside!

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Best of British: Tea Towel Edition!

Best of British: Tea Towel Edition! by elbonner featuring pink kitchen towels

I've decided to do a little series about my British favorites: food, clothing, home wares, the whole lot of it! I usually spend a lot of time talking about faraway tropical beaches and forget the cold, rocky beaches I played in as a baby. They're as much a part of my love for the ocean as all the other beaches I've been to, so I want to show a little more appreciation for what makes me love Britain so much! It also gives me an opportunity to share with you some cool things I have discovered on my travels that I think the readership (you people!) would enjoy!

This week, we pay homage to the tea towel; not a total British invention, but the ones you find in the UK, whether it be from a home store or a tourist shop, tea towels are anything but just a dish rag! My favorite place to get really cute and clever tea towels are from a website called To Dry For. They stock some of the most adorable, smile-worthy tea towels on the planet and every time I go there I find myself wanting all of them! I have a few from them and they are going on five years of heavy use and show little signs of wear. Some of them are so cute I'd rather frame them than use them!
The designs feature themes like classic British foods like fish'n'chips, biscuits, and cakes. They also have super cute, very British sayings, and fun things to brighten up any kitchen! They are your typical cotton, sort of flour-sack material which makes them super absorbent and easy to clean! They do a great job of drying up your dishes and also hang and iron nicely. They ship worldwide and the prices range from £9-£13, which some would say is a bit much for a tea towel, but they do stay bright and fun after many washes and anything that makes doing the dishes more fun is totally worth it!

The above selection is only a small fraction of what's available on the website, so check it out! Whether you're looking for something fun to add to your kitchen routine, or if you want to frame one and put it on the wall, To Dry For is my ultimate spot for the cutest tea towels either side of the Atlantic! Dry happy, now!


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Off On Holiday

Some dumbass defiling Hadrian's wall in Northumberland 2010

After the longest work week in recorded history, I'm finally off and ready to go on one of my summer journeys on Saturday! Unfortunately, this means I will be limited as to what I can post while I'm gone since I'll only have access to my iPad and my cellphone and honestly, I just want to relax and enjoy my first scheduled day off since September. But do not fret, I will be periodically updating you on the cool places I'm going and expect a photo/video montage once I come back and get everything edited. Everyone needs a break from their home and/or work life; it gives you something to look forward to and live for. I'm so excited to see my family in the UK and to have some Parisian adventures with them! Traveling is in my top two things I love (after the beach). I even hold it above food! Get out and see something different, even if it's just an hour away, and remember why it's good to be alive. Adios Amigos!

Maypril Favorites!

Maypril Favorites! by elbonner featuring evening makeup

All right x3 like Matthew Mconaughey, it's time for some Maypril favorites! I'm calling it "Maypril" because it's too late for April's and too early for all of May's. Here we go!

Insanity- HOLY SHIT THIS IS HARD. For real, if you're not dying by the end of one of these workouts then you're a ubermensch or you're just watching them on the sofa eating pizza rolls. This is a 60 day program that is full-on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) which is what I love, but have never pushed myself to this level of workout commitment. There's lots of jumping around, so those with joint problems, heart,problems, and any problem that could cause you to die during intense exercise should think long and hard about starting this program. I've started my third week and I've lost 5 lbs. without a huge change in diet. If you want to fit, get this!

Organix Moroccan Surf Paste- Beachy hair is all I've ever wanted and this product does the trick. It has moisturizing argan oil that doesn't make hair dry or brittle when using it. It has a little salt for texture, but is a lot more gentle than some beach sprays.

Veggie Straws-Dump the chips and get some of these! At 130per 37 straws, there's really no reason to even go back to greasy, nasty chips. They're lightly salted, taste like potatoes, and super crunchy. If you've got a chip craving and just can't shake it, get some Veggie Straws.

Under Armour "Amour" Sports Bra- because Insanity requires me to jump around more than I ever have, I needed to replace my crappy, unsupportive sports bras with something that holds shit down. This bra, designed by a bunch of female scientists was heavily tested and made for extreme activity. Great for running too; there is not a lot of bounce and keeps yo' boobies from getting soaked, because no one wants that (perverts)!

Cut-Off Shorts- not just for Never Nudes (May 26th!), it's the summer of cut-offs and I've been hastily making all the shorts I hate, but can't afford to throw out custom cut-offs. DIY post is coming soon!

Suki Exfoliating Cleanser- Smells like Lemon Heads, foams, exfoliates, cleanses; it does the lot. On nights where I just need to scrub I use this super face and earth friendly cleanser and waft in its lemony goodness.

Burts Bees Cocoa and Cupuacu Butter Richly Replenishing Body Moisturizer- Damn, that's one long name! My Aveeno was getting too thick for the warmer weather and picked this up at Target to try. Mostly all-natural ingredients and moisturizes without feeling like you're wearing liquid latex. And most importantly, does not make your butt sweat for half an hour after you put it on!

Fake Bake Flawless Sunless Tanner- My new tanning love; this formula comes with a mitt and nitrile gloves to help evenly distribute the tanner. THE MITT REIGNS SUPREME, even above my own hands in tanner application and this formula makes you dark instantly. It stays on for days and doesn't give me an allergic reaction like Xen-Tan does. And get this, IT'S ONLY $14. Just buy it, stop being dumb and just buy it already!

Lean Cuisine Five-Cheese Rigatoni- So much cheese, so well-portioned and friggin delicious. Any more cheese and it would have been fartmageddon. Viva los Lean Cuisines!

Rainbow Sandals- I wear these pretty much every day that the weather allows. They're supportive, soft, comfortable, and are great for walking in. Rainbows are, by-far, my favorite shoe.

MARGARITAS- They are my favorite drink, I make them all the time, I get them all the time.If I wasn't freaked out by their calories content and had access to them 24/7,  I would be an alcoholic. Don't do that, just appreciate at the right times: out celebrating with friends, relaxing after a long week, or when you hand-squeeze everything and take the effort to make them yourself!

Hope you liked my Maypril favorites. I'm going to do a "misses" post about stuff I hate. Prepare for the bitching! Later Gators!

Vicariously Through You: Video Escapism

The seasons are in the longest goddamn transitional period ever. It can't make up its damn mind whether I need a coat, light sweater, or nothing at all and it's making me CRAZY! That means a lot of wasted outdoor spring opportunity spent inside which leads to me getting lost in the internet for hours upon end. Get lost, it's fun!

Roxy Spring/Summer videos always get me excited for the beach/jealous of Roxy models. Damn you and your ridiculously frequent trips to Tahiti!

The video may scream female objectivity, but all I want to do is dance! I mean, T.I. is having more fun in this video than anybody.

If I could have one ability that wasn't fantastical, like mind control or flying, it would be to sing. If I was given this ability, I would want to sing like Nadine Shah. Just Listen and you'll agree!

A 1960s home video of a surf trip from Northern Virginia to the Outer Banks and then down to Florida. Love stuff like this!

If I could sing in French, I would want to sound like Francoise Hardy.

It's well-known that I just don't care for Ohio, which is why I think this video is hilarious!

After the success of the first one, they outdid themselves with a new one that is even funnier than the first.

Okay, Okay. I've suckered you into a lazy post full of a bunch of random crap that I like, but hey, I probably killed like 45 minutes of your time. And if that's work time, even better! Surrender to the internet!