June Monthly Faves

It’s official. It’s summer. As much as we love the winter (and #beanieseason), we finally made it. As we are entering the peak summer month that is July, we say goodbye to June.  Here at the STIK HQ, we also bid-adieu to June by rounding up another post of our monthly favorites. Check out our faves below and let us know what you have been loving this past month, too. 

Sarah: This month, I have been LOVING following @thetinytassel on Instagram. The Tiny Tassel is a Charleston-based jewelry, accessories, and garments brand founded by Mimi Striplin. Much like her Instagram feed, Mimi’s pieces are colorful, happy, and totally my summer vibe. The Tiny Tassel is known for its signature tassel earrings, but Mimi also sells beautiful beaded earrings and clutches, as well as colorful garments (made by her mom!). It’s been fun to follow Mimi as an inspirational small business owner. She’s seen such success the past few weeks that she’s barely able to keep things in stock! She just restocked these fun flamingo earrings and I had to get my hands on them. I can’t wait for them to arrive so I can rock them all summer long!

Franny: My monthly fav has probably been homemade gnocchi. My brother and I have made this beet gnocchi recipe from New York Times Cooking soooo many times over quarantine.  It is so good and normally I’m not a beet person, but the color is amazing and it tastes even better. My brother even has celiac disease so we subbed gluten-free flour and they are still perfect - a great bite and they totally hold their shape. We made it so much that we got sick of the tedious process and one day just quadrupled the batch and froze the rest for later use. After grating 2 pounds of beets I looked like I had slaughtered a small farm, but it was worth it. 

Tessa:  By far my favorite thing about June has been the arrival of my Callaway golf clubs! Last summer I started taking lessons and semi "playing" (translation: walking nine holes and hitting when I felt like it, always off the tee), and this summer I'm getting serious. I'm very dedicated to improving my golf game, meaning there's A LOT of practice and hard work in my future. I already have a schedule set up for myself over the next few months, which includes a mix of 1:1 lessons, driving range sessions, and eventually a few *real* nine-hole rounds. My fiance and I also have a mini putting green set up in our living room, so it's turned into a nightly routine to make three puts in a row before going to bed. Whatever it takes right?!

Meg: Warm summer nights are usually accompanied by a hoppy IPA, a spicy margarita, or a crisp glass of vino. While the days are indeed getting hotter, at almost 7 months pregnant, I've come to terms that my summer won't include the iced cold beverages that I'm used to. I've been drinking lots of seltzer - but sometimes I just want to crack a beer on the beach. That's where Athletic Brewing Company comes in. With five different brews to choose from, none of them taste like a generic (read: yucky) non-alcoholic beer. The ones I've tried are all hoppy, refreshing, and flavorful - and almost as good as my favorite IPA. 

Tory: Last month was my daughter, Kennedy’s birthday - she turned 2 (which is CRAZY to think about). But her big present from us was this Little Tikes Climb and Slide trampoline, and it’s literally been the best thing ever. It’s awesome for several reasons - the 2 best being that 1. Kennedy LOVES it and 2. it keeps her busy for a LONG time. As a parent, I never thought I’d get my kid a trampoline, but to be honest, with the parks still closed, this has been the perfect outdoor activity during the quarantine. It’s really safe - we can zip her in once she’s in there so she can’t bounce herself off the side (which she would totally do if she had the opportunity.) Any parents out there looking to find a fun, safe activity for their kids - highly recommend this one.

Claudia: From Tessa’s recent blog, “Must-Have Accessories for the Beach,” I learned about a new swimwear brand called Jade Swim. The brand was founded by Brittany Kozerski in 2016 and as a former editor at Marie Claire Kozerski definitely knows a thing or two about swimwear and fashion. This suit hasn’t arrived yet, but I know it will be my fav already for the month (even if it arrives on the last day of June -- still counts right?). This one-piece by Jade Swim looks perfect for summer beach days ahead. I love the bright colors they offered but, I ultimately went with a classic navy. 

Christina:  The 4Moms rockaRoo. I am slowly emerging from maternity leave during a global pandemic, which really threw a wrench in my whole nanny search. Having a nanny come to our apartment while we both work from home doesn't seem like a good idea, so for now, 30 minutes here and there in the rockaRoo (and mornings with her grandmother) is Campbell's nanny. She loves looking at the mobile while she smoothly glides around, cooing the whole time. It allows me to hop on a zoom with my team or quickly bang out a few emails without her in my arms. The only thing I don't like about the rockaRoo is that I miss her when she's in it!! 

Peter: My favorite thing in June is that I discovered how much I enjoy making a few things from scratch. I have successfully created my own sourdough starter and used it to make homemade bread. I still have lots of work to do to perfect my bread making skills, but it is very rewarding (and also tastes pretty darn good!). I also have started making my own pasta (I think I shared my Mercato pasta machine purchase last month.)  Making my own spaghetti and then mixing it with my homemade pesto is amazing. Any ideas on what homemade skill I should pursue next?

What are some of your favorites this month? Let us know in the comments.