Flags and Donuts.

Happy (belated) 4th of July! Something came over me this year, an appreciation for summer kitsch I'd tried to shrug off for something more refined finally took over, and I rang in the start of July with all kinds of Americana paraphernalia, hot dogs almost every day, soft-serve ice cream cones of almost every kind except actual ice cream, fireworks, sparklers, and actual fire. Last night I rolled into bed with hair reeking of chlorine, skin tingling with sun (these are two activities I would normally always remedy with sunscreen and cleansing but, sometimes who can be bothered?), finally feeling that particular brand of summer exhaustion that I've been chasing all spring.

Vintage Playsuit: Laura's Vintage, Shoes: J. Crew summer 2012, Pin: Laura's Vintage
This romper has been at Laura's Vintage for a little while; I had probably tried it on half a dozen times, but left it behind until it dawned on me that it's really totally perfect for 4th of July (and honestly, most of summer). I wore it on the actual 4th despite grey skies and rain, but knew it needed to be in sun for a real post! I wore it again at the end of the weekend for a BBQ to send off the 4th, complete with giant flag on the garage, and my current pride and joy: my pool donut.

I love this thing. Generally speaking I love pool toys and load up on them every year (dollar stores are one of my favorite places for weird pool inflatables), but when I saw this one on Modcloth my heart skipped a beat and I needed it.
I ended up getting mine at Zumiez, a store I had never actually been in but then saw this in the window. I maybe also purchased some heart-shaped aviators with american-flag printed glass and some donut printed socks but hey, maybe not. You can also find the donut on amazon, but I hate waiting for things to ship.
It doesn't end there.

These magical peace-sign sunglasses (totally impractical for wearing as you can barely see a thing in them) were a dollar-store find back in the early days of spring, when the 4th of July was a long-off dream. Now we're here, smack in the middle of the summer, and I am not going to complain about the heat or sun one bit (out loud anyway).