monthly wrap-up: July

Hello there lovelies! I'd like to thank the lovely ladies who helped keep the blog going while I was off camping: Annabel, Kitty, and Jessie. Their contributions were amazing and a pleasure to read. I'm back here on the blog for a super short time -- in fact, tomorrow I'm heading out for the last vacay of the summer! Universal Studios, in fact! I'll be gone Wednesday through Sunday and I know I've been gone for quite a bit lately with all the little vacations I've taken and this one was a bit of a surprise actually and I hadn't expected it. But no worries, this is my last one...

Sorry for all my chit-chat. Anyway, July's been an awesome month and although I haven't been posting as much, I promise to post a bit more next month with some nice high quality posts. I really want to create a nice little corner on the internet for you to visit and I strive to make it nice for you all, my readers.

Here's a few of my favorite posts this month:

Scalloped edge purse DIY from Scathingly Brilliant

Brights. from Paper Crowns

10 places to get inspired from A Beautiful Mess

A new blog I've found this month and just loved:

Deer Circus - this blog is so lovely and the photos are beautiful. Not to mention how nicely the posts are written! I'm so glad I found it and a new reader. Make sure to check it out!

Something exciting that happened this month:

I found my little Brownie vintage camera! Yay! I thought I had lost it -- and where did I find it? In my little craft cabinet, out of all places. Unfortunately, it doesn't take any photos, but I plan on looking for one that does. Perhaps next month's venture?

Thanks again for such a great month, I promise you August will be better! I'll be back Monday with a post with pictures from my vacay and week's worth of fabulous posts!

Guest Post: Go for a hike

Hello! My name is Jessie and my blog is My Mod Style. Nat asked me to do a guest post while she is off camping! At first I thought I would post something related to camping, but realized since I haven't gone since I was a child I better not. If I went camping today I probably would forget to take all the things I needed. So I will stick to blogging about outdoor activities I know! I love hiking and biking! I hope to get into camping next summer. I live in the state of Wyoming and my husband and I love to visit National Parks! One of our favorites is Vedauwoo National Park...

Vedauwoo is beautiful! Full of trees and cool rock formations!

The altitude is around 8,000 feet high! We love to take our little dog Chloe with us to hike! It's so much fun.

I highly recommend enjoying National Parks throughout the country. Take advantage of the natural beauty.

Here we are being happy about hiking...

Summer is my favorite season and I am going to be very sad to see it go!

I love packing a lunch and just being outside all day! I also love taking tons and tons of pictures.
Photography is important to me because I love to capture moments in life so I can hold onto them forever!



Like my dog being cute. I always catch her sticking her tongue out!

Isn't that rock huge? I am small, but the rock would make anyone appear tiny.

With only a few more months of warm weather I hope you take advantage of it!
Go for a hike! Hop on a bike and pack a picnic!

Stop by my blog and see all my summer adventures! Thanks Nat for having me!

Guest Post: Art Appreciation

Hello you lovely people! Annabel from Fragmented Splendour here.

Just popping in today while Nat is off having a jolly good ol' time. I thought I'd give your eyes a treat with a bit of arty goodness, because art is good for the soul (or so I hope seeing as I plan on getting my degree in all things fine art!).

Peony Yip

Shane McAdams

Pakayla Biehn

Dan Mountford

Isn't it nice to just look at art, just art, nothing else getting in the way? These artists are seriously talented. Illustrations, mixed media, paintings and double exposure photos, wow. You should click their names and get lost in more of their work :)

Thanks for letting me steal a few minutes of your time on Nat's blog today, If you fancy, take a peek at my blog - it's very different to Modern Buttercup, but hey, variety is the spice of life :)

seeya around,

xo Annabel

Guest post: Inspiration from Moonrise Kingdom

Hello to you, lovely Modern Buttercup reader. I'm Shell and I normally blog over at Kitty & Buck, but today I have the pleasure of hanging out here while Nat is off camping. I thought I'd do a Moonrise Kingdom themed camping post, since I love that movie, and it has some great looking camping scenes to draw inspiration from!

1 // Cute Orange Dress (sleeveless for summer, and it's on sale!)

2 // Knee High Socks (To protect your legs while trekking over mountains)

3 // Saddle Shoes (Good for trekking over mountains and kicking sand on the beach)

4 // Binocular Necklace (just because)

5 // Binocular T-Shirt (for when you need to remove your real binoculars for swimming or sleeping)

6 // Picnic Basket (or something to carry your kitten in)

7 // Vintage Suitcase (To carry your book collection and record player)



Now that you look fabulous, you need some light entertainment for sitting around the campfire and resting under some shady trees.

1 // Pierrot Le Fou (A great film by Jean Luc Goddard, definitely an inspiration for Moonrise Kingdom - you should watch before you go camping, no DVD players at the campsite please!)

2 // Franny and Zooey (To read by the fire)

3 // Portable Record Player (For listening to Britten and Francoise, of course)

4 // Francoise Hardy (Listen when it's time to dance by the campfire!)

5 // Benjamin Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra record

(for image credits, click on number alongside items)



Thanks so much for having me Nat, and anyone who wants to come say hi over at Kitty & Buck, I'd be really happy to see you! I love meeting new people, so come say hi :)

I'm going camping!

I'm going on yet another adventure this week (I guess you could call it a vacation) off in the midst of beautiful trees... Camping. I'm more than ready to unwind and spend 4 glorious days in the shade of the trees away from human society and the world of staying connected (in other words, no wifi). But no worries, I won't leave you all hanging this time! I have 3 lovely ladies who are guest posting while I'm away: Shell, Annabel, and Jessie. They have some amazing posts planned and I can't wait to have you all read them in the upcoming days!

a splash of color: yellow blooms

I thought I'd share a photo from one of my little flower bushes and what better way to do that than with a color palette? The colors are so beautiful and I love the way they look together.

would you like to sponsor Modern Buttercup in August?

August is almost here and ad spots are now available! In August I'll be working hard the blog, and getting it to it's full potential. I'll be introducing a new weekly feature and a new post series -- August is definitely the month you won't want to miss!

And to celebrate the coming month, there's an ad sale! $8 for any large ad spot today through July 27th. Feel free to contact me to book your spot!  Reserve your spot, ads are going fast!

To see available ad sizes and rates click here.

meet July's lovely sponsors!

I have a group of some amazing sponsors this month, and I'd like you to meet them! Make sure to check out their blogs!

Hi my name is Kelly! And I blog over at hellomisskelly.com! I created a lifestyle blog to show emphasis on all my life passions such as photography, art, fitness and health and anything else that might spark my interest! Come over and say hello! <3

 blog... facebook... pinterest...

Hi there! My name is Shell, or Kitty if you'd prefer? When you visit Kitty & Buck, you'll find a new post every day on lovely things that interest and inspire me - and you too I hope! There are lots of pretty pictures showing my adventures around my hometown, Sydney as well as the rest of the world. You'll also discover some fabulous dress-ups and other tidbits like thrifting, baking, books and film. I'm a designer by trade and I try and make my blog a relaxing, thoughtful, creative and inspiring place, come by and say hello! p.s. I'm launching my Etsy shop selling handmade accessories with vintage materials in a few days, so be sure to check my shop link on the blog!

blog... twitter... bloglovin'

Hello there! We are Stefanie and Erin of the blog Oh So Lovely Vintage! We are also the proud owners of a 1956 camper trailer that we converted into a mobile vintage shop named Olive, and a brick-and-mortar vintage boutique called Rhymes With Orange! If you are as obsessed with the 1950's and 1960's as we are, be sure to stop by our blog for posts about vintage fashion, home decor, DIY's, and other lovely things! XO

blog... twitter... facebook

My name is Chloe and I blog over on Lazy Explorers, my lifestyle blog about my outfits, inspiration, and DIY. Stop by and say hello!

blog... twitter... bloglovin'

Aizzing (pronounced as "icing") is a twenty something media house diva based in Dubai who eats candy-colored shoes for breakfast. Icing and Write is her online vision and personal diary — a collection of pretty things, sweet sugarcrafts, and wonderful people who inspire her, along with colorful sneak peeks of her daily life in the desert.

blog... twitter... bloglovin'

        Ziza Vita... Calico Skies... Paper Crowns... AW Photography... Laughing with broken eyes... Her Library Adventures... Little Tranquility... Happy Pretty Things... Fragmented splendour

a trip to Murphy's

Hello there! Today I figured I'd share some photos of my small vacation. I visited the small town of Murpy's and absolutely loved it! The town itself is pretty and the locals are always so nice and friendly. The weekend just flew by!

a final french macaron monday

{via}

I have a feeling I'll regret this, but I'll type it out anyway. I've decided to retire my weekly feature French macaron mondays. I know I've said it before, but this time, I think it's over for good. While I love those little cookies and they'll always have a little place in my heart, I've been feeling a little tired of them lately. *gasp* It's true.

So for now, french macarons and I have parted ways. I'll make sure to keep you posted on my latest obsessions and hoping to debut my newest weekly feature soon. Au revoir french macarons!

another mini vacay

Hello again! I just wanted to drop by and let you know that I'll be gone today through Sunday on another mini vacation. But no worries-- I'll be back here blogging on Monday and will share some photos of my trip on Tuesday (perhaps a mini post series?). This summer I'll be taking little vacations instead of a big one, so expect maybe 2-3 more of these :)


I hope you have a lovely weekend!

3 ways how to enjoy your summer

Summer is upon on us, and there is beautiful weather along with lots of free time! I've put together a little how-to on how to enjoy your summer...

Make a to do list

Each month, write down 15 things you'd like to get done that month: 12 little tasks and 3 bigger projects (organizing a craft area, canning peaches, eating a lemon a day, etc.) Trust me, if you write it down, you're much more likely to actually do it.

Get out of the house!
What makes summer so favorable? The thrill of adventure, the beach, eating ice cream. Make sure to take some trips out, and even plan a vacation sometime. It doesn't have to be a big thing, even if you just go to a local cafe with a few friends, you'll create lots of memories!


Chill
One of the best parts of summer is the excuse to just do nothing. Just make sure not to be a couch potato! It's okay just to relax a bit -- go to the spa, paint your nails, or just take a nap on the hammock. You'll feel refreshed and energized.

french macaron monday

{via}

Hello again! And happy Monday :) This week, I'm putting my mind to it that I make some marshmallows as I didn't get to it last week. I was thinking vanilla ones and strawberry lemonade? I'm trying to choose one that's tasty but still simple. What do you think?

Who knew choosing marshmallow flavors could be so difficult?

where candy, retro, and kooky combine: meet Missy Munday

Missy Munday is one of the best etsy sellers I know (and definitely one of the sweetest), and an artist of all things retro and unique. She owns the shop Boopsie Daisy, and has over 2000 sales. It's an honor to have her as one of my sponsors this month and today I'd like to introduce her to you! I've done a little Q&A with Missy, and enjoyed reading all of her answers. Read below for an interview you won't want to miss!

Describe your shop to us:

 Disneyland’s (inarguably deserved) slogan / motto is “The Happiest Place on Earth”. Somebody once described my shop as “The Happiest Place on Etsy – for eyeballs” 

Since my biggest reason for doing what I do is to infect the planet with joy, I don’t think any other description could have made my day more than that did.

It’s my hope for ‘Boopsie Mart’ that with it’s parade of candy colors, familiar retro faces & constant kooky goings-on, nobody leaves not having smiled at what they saw, better yet, if a mood was changed from bad to good, that is worth far more to me than any sale.

What's your main inspiration? 
My main inspiration is the marriage of toys (primarily dolls) and food. Both things are universally recognized & triggers for memories of childhood & the best days of our lives. A simple trip to a grocery store can add a dozen must-take pictures to my mental list. I’m also strongly motivated by color & word play. Sometimes a new print is born first in name and then brought to fruition later on.

What's up next for your shop?

 It’s always up in the air. I get side tracked too easily, so what I’m planning now may never come to pass if another idea is suddenly thought up and takes precedence. Right now I’m feeling really impatient for Halloween to get it’s sweet ass here, therefore I’m in spooky mode to try & help ease my anxious mind. That and I’m on a mermaid kick that just won’t seem to quit. There’s no time like summer for mermaids :)

How do you come up with all those doll designs?                                        I usually make things that, as a collector myself, I wish were available to me as a buyer. If something doesn’t exist yet, I make it exist. I keep a notepad handy and jot down literally any hare brained notion or crazy concoction that comes to mind and just make it happen. 

Now for an odd question -- what's your favorite french macaron flavor?            I can’t believe I’m even admitting to this, but I’ve never eaten a French macaroon. I’ve photographed them in Quebec, but I’ve never actually partaken of one. I would imagine my favorite kind would be any with peanut butter or cream cheese flavoring. Yum!

And right above, you can see a picture of my own Boopsie Daisy doll! She's so lovely and smells great too! Missy has handcrafted her so well, and I'm proud to have this dolly sitting on my shelf.