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The idea of a bucket list is no new phenomenon, but I personally love to make one every summer to help me get creative about fun, and different things to do. It makes summer special for me, and helps me fill my time in meaningful ways (because Nick does the majority of his work for the year during the summer).

But, there’s one rule around a good bucket list, in my opinion. The rule is, if, by the end of the summer, everything doesn’t get completed, there can be no guilt involved. Last year, I made a bucket list and I only completed about a third of the things on it. But I am still thrilled I did it, I tried so many new things, and had fun experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Some of those included: learning to make sushi, a road trip to the beach, and reading a few new books.  The point of a bucket list is to stretch grow, try new things, and have fun. So now that we have that out of the way…

Here’s my Summer bucket list this year..

And I’d love to know, if you make some variation of a summer bucket list, whats on yours?

I made this summer floral arrangement a couple of months ago with one of my best friends, Lindsay, and have been dying to show it to you ever since. If you missed the spring arrangement we made  back in March (and to read more about Lindsay’s floral genius, click here. If you are hosting a backyard party, baby shower, bridal shower, or just want a pretty something in your home or for a loved one this summer, we have the perfect arrangement for you. And all it takes are four easy steps.

Here they are:

Step 1: Start with the greenery. We created a base of greenery for the arrangement with two types of eucalyptus leaves. Trim them as you go to make maximize their freshness, and place them in a vase full of water (be generous because the hydrangeas will use a lot of it). We placed them all in the vase in one handful, then adjusted them to what we thought would look nice. I love the asymmetrical look, but it would be hard to go wrong no matter what you do! We used my favorite pitcher from the Hearth and Hand collection at Target as a vessel, but any pitcher or tall narrow vase would work.

Step 2: Add the mass flowers. Here we used white hydrangeas. I love a muted color palette, so these were the perfect choice for me. We placed them right in the center, to fill up the space, and add bulk. Arrange them to how they visually appeal to you. For me, this was one in back and spaced a little to the left, and one in the front and space a little to the right.

Step 3: Add the focal flowers. The focal flowers we used here were beautiful golden ranunculus. These are one of my all time favorite flowers, and the color screams summer to me. Add them around and in between your mass flowers and your greenery. These are a focal point so let them stand out and be seen.

Step 4: Add the filler flowers. We used feverfew, little flowers that look like tiny daisies. Add these to complete the arrangement, filling in any little holes, or empty spaces that seem like they need something.

I mean how gorgeous are these ranunculus??

And that’s all there is to it! Let me know if you end up trying your hand at a summer floral arrangement. I’d love to see how it turns out. Using the four steps mentioned above (greenery base, mass flowers, focal flowers, and filler flowers) you are sure to end up with a stunning arrangement.