how to have a dreamy creamsicle summer
it's a science (and an art)
i’m a big fan of summer, generally speaking. but for me, the real magic lies in the beginning and the end; early-mid june, when the world starts feeling warmer and sunnier, the days extend, and there’s a palpable feeling of anticipation for all of the adventures and fun to come, and late august/early september, when there’s some breezy relief from the sweltering dog days and you’re motivated to check the final items off of your seasonal bucket list.
the perfect way to describe the feeling that these experiences and moments give me is “dreamy.” and over the years, i think i’ve gotten fairly good at identifying and cultivating the activities and items that really bring out the best, most dreamy summer vibes. and i’d love to share my favorites with you!
buy a box of creamsicles
this is perhaps the easiest way to get a quick and satisfying summer nostalgia fix. of course, there’s the classic good humor bars, but i’m partial to the friendly’s orange cream bars, myself. for some reason, i had completely forgotten about creamsicles for several years until i rediscovered them in 2022, and i never want to go back to that dark time again!
have a glass of white wine and a pizza on a patio
or red, if you prefer, but there’s a specific something about a crisp, chilled glass of sauv blanc that just perfectly complements a saucy, cheesy slice and hits the spot for me. one of the best parts of this is that it’s an activity you can do with a group, with your partner, or by yourself! if you’re solo, i also recommend bringing a journal with you to jot down any thoughts or ya know, start writing the great american novel or whatever. sometimes this combination is JUST that inspiring.
go on long, winding “storybook” neighborhood walks, both with and without a purpose
i try and do this in the wintertime too, but i have much less motivation, and everything is just so much more romantic this time of year. when i say “with and without a purpose,” i mean that sometimes i find it fun to give myself an excuse to walk an absurdly long distance — like, for example, picking up lunch or dinner takeout from a restaurant i’ve been wanting to try, or running an errand at a specific store i haven’t been to in a while. shakes things up and helps me get my steps in! and of course, it’s a beautiful exercise in noticing: who’s sitting on their front porch; the kitschy lawn ornament someone has; a sweet cat sitting in a window; that gorgeous ivy crawling up the side of a cottage.
make alison roman and ina garten recipes
my summer recipe queens!! especially alison for the actual food; ina’s more about the ~vibes~ since as much as i adore her, the recipes are sometimes a little too involved for me when i just want to throw something together with little effort on a weeknight but still feel put together. alison, on the other hand, focuses on minimal and usually more accessible ingredients. here are some of my summer faves:
watch summer-centric shows, movies, and old-school stuff + found footage videos on youtube
guyyys, i have you so covered here. in addition to these shows and movies, i find that for some reason, throwing on an old episode of MTV’s 120 minutes or an ‘80s mall documentary or ‘90s found footage or a concert just really fits the vibes of a hot summer evening with the windows open.
tv
the hills
laguna beach
the summer i turned pretty
the OC
cruel summer
broad city
privileged
the real world (pre-2004/2005)
surviving summer
emily in paris
being erica
daisy jones & the six
desperate housewives
movies
don’t tell mom the babysitter’s dead
now and then
dazed and confused
adventureland
call me by your name
mamma mia & mamma mia: here we go again
paper towns
blue crush
the sisterhood of the traveling pants
kings of summer
grind
lords of dogtown
something’s gotta give
the birdcage
encino man
cheaper by the dozen
whip it
wear lots of linen
it’s light. it’s breezy. it’s low key, yet chic. and i feel like nobody told me just how much i would come to love linen in my 30s! and it doesn’t actually need to be linen, either! i probably shared this set before that’s technically a “cotton blend” (and i know, i know, it’s from amazon), but i bought it a few years ago and i’m still wearing it every summer because it’s so comfy and easy to throw on for a colorful, cute look.
make s’mores
no, contrary to popular belief, you do NOT need a bonfire to satisfy your s’more craving. a microwave is much less charming, sure, but it certainly does the trick in a pinch and helps you recreate a cute summer camp moment in the comfort of your own home, minus the mosquitos! simply place the marshmallow on one graham cracker half, zap it for precisely 12 seconds (i’ve perfected this), add your chocolate, and smush that sucker down with the other graham cracker half. ALSO! a few summers ago, my cousin suggested i swap the hershey bar for a reese’s cup for a fun little twist on the classic s’more, and y’all…game. changer.
find your summer fragrance(s)
i’ve confessed to my perfume addiction before, but the power of fragrance should not be underestimated. it’s a total mood-setter (and sometimes mood-lifter) that i can’t get enough of — my mom was recently over and caught a glimpse of my insane collection and was like “do you wear every single one of these?” and i was like “well, yes!” anyway, for this summer, i’m rotating through a few, depending on my mood:
sol de janeiro cheirosa 62: pistachio, almond, heliotrope, jasmine petals, vanilla, salted caramel, sandalwood (funny story — i discovered this one by being creepy and asking a waitress what she was wearing last year because it smelled so good! and not that this one is super expensive, but the anthropologie “summer vacation” perfume is basically a dupe of this and i also have that, lol)
a dupe of another sol de janeiro scent (40), that i found at TJ maxx called sunkissed plum that’s kinda sexy, yet casual enough for daytime wear (and i hate florals, so i’m surprised it’s so floral-forward because i don’t detect that much at all when i wear it — the woods, amber, musk, and plum stand out much more): dew-kissed rose petal, sheer jasmine, vanilla orchid, peony, lily, mirabelle plum, vanilla woods, golden amber, silky vanilla musk
another generic TJ maxx one called “ginger and oakmoss” that makes me feel like i’m a cool ‘90s grunge girl and/or a character in the original party of five for some reason (please do not pay $45 on ebay for this): fresh ginger, bergamot, green tea, clary sage, oakmoss, cedarwood, musk
bath and body works’ strawberry poundcake: fresh strawberries, golden shortcake, whipped cream
i’ll throw candles in this section too, because i’m nearly as obsessed.
brooklyn candle co.’s santa fe: orchid cactus, piñon, palo santo, spruce, woodsmoke, sage, cedar
scentsational’s midnight woods: green, bergamot, berry, blackcurrant, iris, wood, tonka, amber, lemon, black pepper
shy wolf’s edge of seventeen: sweet orange, patchouli, lemongrass
shop at farmers markets, flea markets, and farmstands (and bring a fun tote bag)
i am admittedly spoiled for choice when it comes to farmers markets; i have three within walking distance of my apartment! but i love wandering to one on a weekday and cobbling together a fun, summery lunch: like, last week after picking up some pasta salad from one of my favorite cafes, i got this berry-vanilla artisan iced tea and a pulled chicken empanada from the davis square farmers market and it was perfect. i also try and make at least one farmstand visit, during which i buy some plums and a pie and maybe some sweet corn, and frequent outdoor flea markets (brimfield is my holy grail) to hunt for treasures.
oh! and as for totes: my staples are this baggu one with embroidered hearts and this cool terracotta one from merci paris.
do outdoor yoga
one of my favorite life hacks, because i’m too cheap and lazy to commit to a yoga studio membership. :) the studio near me does free community yoga nearly every sunday morning during the summer at a town park. it’s so lovely and makes me feel so productive when i walk home at 10am with my chi all harnessed and shit!
drink root beer floats
self-explanatory. for me, they’re the perfect summer treat. but also! if you want to branch out, try orange soda and vanilla ice cream instead for a lil’ makeshift creamsicle float.
seek out twinkle lights
preferably at a cool backyard dinner party, but a restaurant works too. it immediately elevates and adds sparkle to any summer situation.
(if possible) work outside as much as you can
obviously, this all depends on what you do. but i’m #blessed with an almost-completely remote job, so that means that on most nice days, i seek out coffee shop patios or even just work on my deck for a little change of pace. something about sitting on my laptop, keys clacking as the birds chirp and other folks chatter around me really amps up that “main character in a rom-com” energy.
open your windows
fresh air ftw!
go to outdoor movies and concerts
i’m still in mourning that one of my absolute favorite boston summer traditions, movies by moonlight at the boston harbor hotel, is no more. the hotel was right on the water, and i’d meet a friend for dinner on a friday night to enjoy a screening of a (usually) classic movie while having cocktails and a delicious meal. it was truly perfect, but alas, nothing can last forever, and there are plenty of other outdoor movie situations to choose from. i’m eyeing pretty in pink at the kendall square urban rooftop park. oh, and it doesn’t get better than live music outdoors, does it? i want to catch a show at my favorite outdoor concert venue, leader bank pavilion, but haven’t seen anything that’s jumped out at me yet.
visit bakeries in the morning
sure, you can go in the afternoons, too, but taking a quiet morning stroll to a cute little boulangerie or cafe and picking up a coffee and croissant or danish while inhaling that distinctive, delicious aroma of buttery pastry is just…yes. yes.
go fruit picking
i love my annual tradition of strawberry picking in early june! sometimes i get a bit more ambitious and do a cake or crumble, but not always — this year, i just picked up some angel food cake and whipped cream and called it a day with strawberry shortcake.
visit an old-school ice cream stand
hard serve ice cream might have a monopoly on the flavor game, but the charm factor of the retro ice cream stand is unmatched. vanilla with rainbow sprinkles? c’mon, man. near my hometown in new hampshire, king kone is my must-visit (especially now that they usually have creamsicle flavor!), but i haven’t quite found one close to me in massachusetts that i’m loyal to yet. i’m hoping to check out the broadway dairy maid in everett this year, as i’ve heard a rumor that *at one point* they had a dunkaroos flurry! i’m there, man.
have a picnic
sometimes more fun in theory than in practice, depending on the grass, weather, and bug sitch, but always worth a try. i also read a suggestion a few weeks ago to do an INDOOR picnic, which like, ya know what? hell yeah! kind of defeats the purpose of a picnic, but hell yeah!
find a pool
reminder that you do not need to know anyone with a pool orrrr even stay at a hotel with one orrrr deal with annoying children at a public one! swimply — like airbnb for pools — has satisfied my needs multiple summers in a row.
buy fresh flowers
i know i have suggested this about 20 (zillion) times, but i have to add it. truly the lowest-effort, lowest-cost decision that improves your life (or at least mine). $3.99 at trader joe’s. seriously.
make a playlist to last you the whole season
i’ve been faithfully making summer playlists every year since 2012, and much like the monthly playlists i make throughout the rest of the year, it’s a great way to cement your memories through songs. and also like my monthly playlists, i listen back to all of my past ones throughout the summer, so it’s a fun way to reminisce! as a bonus, my best friend and i come up with a fun joint theme/title every year so we have matching names for our individual playlists. here’s mine for this year if you’d like to check it out!
have a solo matinee movie or mall date (or both) on a super hot day
me and malls, man. but also, me and movie theaters. is there anything better than escaping into air-conditioned bliss and eating candy and popcorn and potentially gaining a new lease on life in the process if the flick is particularly feel-good? personally, i’m looking forward to seeing materialists and freakier friday soon! something about both the experiences of wandering a mall and sitting in a dark cinema on a sweltering day just brings me back to my carefree summers of childhood.