JULY 2025: An Elegant Month in Review
This post contains affiliate links and ads. Affiliate links and ads support my work at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your ongoing support!JULY — Filled with wonderful moments, elegant events and a family vacation spent at the beach, we did everything we could to soak up those quintessential days of summer.
In this journey to craft a more elegant life, I’ve found that it’s helpful to plan out out different activities, events and hobbies I want to try or experience. I strive to plan something that will bring beauty, joy, art and connection — whether that’s a nature walk with my family, meeting a friend for lunch, traveling, or taking a class. So while our days may be busy with growing children, there’s still (a little) time for me to connect, create and continue to build a life I’m proud of.
If the idea of crafting a more elegant life sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to revisit this space often. You may also be intrigued by my annual Elevate Your Everyday Challenge. What is that? It’s my signature 31 day new year challenge focused on creating a vision for your most elegant year yet.
I am fortunate to share this time with wonderful likeminded women from around the world — it’s a special time I look forward to each year. Together, we define our personal values, set smart goals toward accomplishing our dreams and identify small, ingenious habits we can add to our day to create what we all strive for: a more elegant life.
If that sounds interesting to you, send me a quick note to join the waitlist for next year.
I want to take you on my journey to create my most elegant year yet, and I hope the things I share inspire you to create an elegant life you love!
Join me and take a moment to reflect on JULY: An Elegant Month in Review.
Building on the foundation that was set during the Elevate Your Everyday Challenge, June brought the opportunity to continuing practicing good habits while striving to embrace new experiences and make progress toward my personal and professional goals.
July is such a special month. We celebrated my cousin’s wedding and spent time with my extended family in our favorite place: South Haven, Michigan. Living in Michigan is such a blessing — we are surrounded by water and nature which brings constant inspiration — and the summer months is when our wonderland of a state really shines. Some might say we wait all year for this moment!
July is the one month of the year where things truly slow down. There’s no school, minimal sports, and our schedule allows for flexibility not found throughout the rest of the year. It was also a month of time spent with family. From my cousin’s wedding, to spending time with my brother who was home from France and a week on the beaches of Lake Michigan with my 93 year old Grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins, we relished in the special moments that come from simply spending time together.
The highlight of the month was, of course, celebrating my dear cousin Ellen’s marriage to her new husband and the fabulous wedding to celebrate this wonderful milestone!
I had the privilege of serving as the Matron of Honor, while Alice was in her element as a Flower Girl. Conor did a great job of helping Henry down the aisle, while Henry undoubtably stole the show as a tiny ring bearer and a dancing machine at the reception!
There are so many traditions as well as modern trends that come into play, but an understanding of etiquette can help smooth the planning process while helping to create a strong foundation for new relationships as two people bring together one, new family.
As the Matron of Honor, I was able to rely on my etiquette training to help the Bride enjoy a perfect day and also bolster my confidence when it came to giving a speech!
Weddings are defining milestone in life and by incorporating modern etiquette, you’ll have the tools to make the most of every moment.
Do you have questions about wedding etiquette? Need tips on how to embrace your role as a Maid of Honor or Bridesmaid? Drop your questions in the comments below and check back for more wedding etiquette advice!
July began with a trip to the farm and a night of Cocktails & Crafts with my Junior League friends! My dear friend Michelle planned a wonderful event where we were able to catch up and enjoy time together over cocktails and a simple craft — painting fans!
Fourth of July brought the opportunity to celebrate with our favorite traditions. We went to a neighboring small town to enjoy the Independence Day parade and enjoyed the annual fireworks show on Portage Lake with our family.
What’s summer without a trip to the ballpark? Conor had a great opportunity to celebrate America’s favorite pastime with a trip to Tigers Stadium to celebrate Scouts Day! Conor and his fellow Scouts wore their uniforms and were able to parade around the bases prior to the game. We had a great time with our extended Pack enjoying the game, hot dogs and cold lemonade!
While my brother was home from France, we caught up over family dinners and a garden party at the historic Whitney in Detroit. The city of Detroit is celebrating it’s 324th birthday this year and The Whitney held special celebrations throughout the summer. We also spent time planning our itinerary for our upcoming trip to visit him in France. While it’s always hard to say “au revoir” it was much easier to say “à bientôt!”!
In between, the kids and I kept busy with playdates, trips to the pool and splash pad, and catching up with friends whenever we had the chance.
As July came to a close, we packed up our bags and headed west to Lake Michigan where we spent a week soaking in the summer sun in South Haven, Michigan. We look forward to our annual trip each year, and having grown up visiting South Haven every summer, it’s so special to be able to make new memories in the same place with my own children.
In the moments I can spare to myself, I have been enjoying spending time in the garden. Towards the end of the month, the garden really came into its own and I was able to begin harvesting shishito peppers and cherry tomatoes. The zinnias began to bloom along with the roses and black-eyed susans, making for lovely little poseys to share with friends and decorate our table.
As for books, I picked up “The Last Bathing Beauty” at our vacation home and made it my mission to finish it while we were in South Haven (reading a book in a week is luxury these days!) The book takes place in South Haven and recalls many iconic spots along the shores of Lake Michigan. The story follows the protagonist between the past and present as she makes peace with a pivotal decision made in her youth. It’s a story of true love and redemption and underscores that just because life doesn’t turn out as we might have once imagined, it doesn’t make our experience any less sweet.
QUINTESSENTIAL (adj.) : the most perfect or typical example of its kind
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QUINTESSENTIAL (adj.) : the most perfect or typical example of its kind |
This month I tried my hand at a new creative hobby — watercolors! I’ve coveted these gorgeous watercolor workbooks from Emily Lex Studios for a long time. I ended up buying a workbook for Conor and Alice for their Easter baskets, and added one to the cart for me, too!
We finally had time to open them up this month. On a lovely morning, we took our workbooks out to the deck and spent time painting together.
I chose the garden themed workbook for myself, while Alice worked on the animals book and Conor’s book had a nautical seaside theme.
It was a relaxing way to spend the morning and I thoroughly enjoyed mixing the paints and bringing the sketches to life.
I think I may have found a new hobby to enjoy!
As you look toward the year ahead, remember that elegance is a state of mind; a simple and ingenious approach to a charmed life. If you desire it, you can create a life filled with beauty, elegance and connection. It simply requires a bit of intention, effort and a willingness to try something new.
Take time to plan out a few things just for you to enjoy next month. Maybe lunch at a new restaurant, meeting a friend for coffee, or trying a new hobby. Whatever it may be, an elegant life is yours to create!
What was the highlight of your month? Did you experience something new? I’d love to know!
Leave a comment and share your most memorable moments of July.
