Summer Afternoon Relaxing + Evening Entertaining
It’s that late-June time in the summer where it’s nice and warm outside, but not yet the muggy August season that makes it hard to entertain outdoors. So I’m taking advantage of the weather while I can, whether it be a wine night with the ladies, a backyard barbeque with my family, or just a peaceful afternoon reading a book in the shade.
Wine Night
It’s a wonderful night to have a glass of rosé with my friends! I’ll be whipping out my Coral Beach Fish Wine Glass Set designed by Zodax. My favorite is the long stemmed glass. It’s elegant and beach-y, and perfect for summer.
One essential for an outdoor wine night is a wine bucket. It is no fun to be running in and out to grab wine out of the fridge, and it’s even worse to drink warm rosé. Luckily, Coco Blanca has the beautiful Pasha wine bucket designed by Roost. Just fill the bucket up with ice, place your favorite rosé inside, and chill for 20 minutes! Voila!
In order to create a calming atmosphere outside, there has to be ambiance. Our Tea Light Log by Roost comes in a three-light log, a five-light log, a seven-light log, and a 10-light log. A combination of a few of these tea light logs creates a creative and eclectic centerpiece. Tea lights are great this time of year, and you can even purchase citronella tea lights to keep away the bugs.
Family Barbeque
There is nothing better than a nice evening in the backyard with your family, while the smell of grilling mixes with the smell of the grass and the air. It’s such a pleasant experience to be with the ones you love in the place you feel the most comfortable — at home. However, the experience can be ruined if you don’t have the right tools. This beautiful Laguiole carving set makes all of your meat-cutting needs simple. It was spectacularly handcrafted in France, and has gorgeous white handles that will mesh well with all your table settings.
Relaxing Afternoon
For those summer days when there isn’t much going on and you just want to curl up with a good book under patio shade, we have the perfect summer reading for you.
To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion by Philip Greene is one of my favorites. In a style similar to Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, quirky narrative is combined with recipes that correspond to characters, places, and scenes. Excerpts from Hemingway’s famous novels are followed by fresh and fun cocktail recipes. Plus, it creates a great story to tell potential guests when you tell them what inspired their drink!
My second favorite book we have here at Coco Blanca is called The Bee Cottage Story by Frances Shultz. It is a memoir that is all about a woman redecorating her cottage, which is really a manifestation of her personal life. Her life was a mess, and so each area of her cottage that she redoes helps restore order to her life. The photos of her home are charming and the book is a wonderful story about a woman using this project to get her life back on track. It’s a fabulous summer read!
This summer is going to be one for the books!
- About the boutique
Using the soothing color palette of a coconut by the sea—whites, neutrals and splashes of turquoise—Coco Blanca has created a trademark look. Her lifestyle boutique offers expert solutions for home design and women’s fashion—blending a clean, fresh, sophisticated, feel-good style.
210 South Union Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.535.8002
