Staycation 101

by Shopify APIJun 16, 2022

Staycation 101

Who said Staycations have to be boring?

1. The first step to a beautiful staycation is to plan your days out. Act as if you were leaving your city and had a list of new places to see and a mid day nap on the beach scheduled in. You have to play a little bit of a mind game to get in the "vacation state of mind." Unplug, relax, check something off your bucket list! Grab your calendar and start planning!

2. Ready for your next step? Plan your outfits (yes, even for a staycation)! I don't know about you guys, but athleisure wear is the only thing I have in my closet and when I plan to leave town, I feel like I need an entire new wardrobe! Anyone else?!! Well, if your budget is tight (those insane gas prices, right?!) get creative with what is in your closet instead of splurging on new clothing. Hike that skirt up, wear it as a tube dress and sling a belt around your waist, or steal a large t-shirt from your hubby and pair it with biker shorts for a cute, casual look. We also love to mix patterns and colors that wouldn't be obvious. Red and purple, green and teal, plaid and floral, are just a few options to get your wheels turning. If you do have some money to spend on new outfits, make sure and check out some of our favorite partners Lauriebelle's in South Dakota, Flourish Market in North Carolina or Purpose Boutiques in Seattle to name just a few! Don't forget the most important part of your outfits... your accessories!! Layer your necklaces and as the day turns into evening, keep layering more and more. I start my day wearing the snake chain Lyra necklace and Fern Star necklace (don't tell, but I never take these off) I work out in them, shower in them and then when I get dressed for the day, I add a pendant necklace like the Lady Queen or Geo Double Layer necklace to make more of a statement (but not too much, don't want the girls at work think I'm headed to prom or anything!) Our new Lucille beaded necklace collection is another current obsession of mine. They all look so amazing layered with our gold waterproof line. As I'm writing this, I'm currently wearing the gunmetal Lucille and 2 no 3, well maybe 4 or 5 other gold necklace, ha! I told you, just keep layering them up- it's so fun! Don't wait, get creative and wear the outfit! Hitting the pool? Girl.. wear that swimsuit that's been sitting in your closet since last year. Don't let any insecurities creep up, just put a cute cover up on (or your oversized Hawaiian shirt from the early 2000's), your hat and throw your shoulders back. Confidence is beautiful and we know you will rock it.
You no longer have to leave all your gold jewelry behind if your headed to the beach or pool! Our waterproof jewelry can go with you and it won't change colors or tarnish! Stack it up... all the way up and GO! Adding hoop earrings, ear cuffs, cuban chain bracelets and layering necklaces with your swimsuit takes it to the next level and will make you feel a little bougie while on your staycation. We love this collection because, well like I mentioned earlier... we never take it off! Your friends will be asking where to get it, so make sure and send them our way or gift them some to kick off their summer. The Rory Ring, Bowman Chain Bracelet, & Blakely Emerald Stone Chain Bracelet are a few others we are loving around the Béljoy HQ that will take your staycation style to the next level.

3. WTF? Where's The Food?! This last step is all about the flavor flav, and if you're like me, food (good food) is what it's all about. You can still have amazing food & drink on a staycation, don't worry. Some of our ideas would be... try out a restaurant in your local town that you haven't eaten at or splurged on or take a picnic to the park. Get out that dusty cookbook (or Pinterest) and get creative in the kitchen with new recipes. My kids love to play their version of the show "Chopped." We come up with 3 special ingredients that everyone has to use in their recipe and once the dishes are done, we all present what we made (in British accents, of course) and vote on 3 categories... the most creative, best tasting and prettiest dish. We always have a blast and it's so much fun to see how competitive my kids get!
One thing on my list to do this summer is to organize a progressive dinner with our friends. Our family did this years ago and we had such a good time doing something unique! It's something fun to do with just couples or with the entire family. If you haven't done a progressive dinner, it's simple... grab 3 friends and plan an evening where you go from one house to the next (start early!) eating a full course meal. The first house provides drinks (cocktails or mocktails) and appetizers, the next house you eat the main course together, the third house you have dessert and finally at the last stop, you have coffee and play games! It takes a little more time out of your day than a normal dinner because you all have to move locations, but it's great for getting everyone involved and changing things up!

4. Sometimes the thought of a staycation can bring on the fear of getting bored, however, there are tons of fun activities to do! Besides the obvious of playing board games, miniature golf, going to the trampoline park or painting pottery, we have some "outside the box ideas". Plan a scavenger hunt with your kids, there are so many great ideas on Pinterest for this, but a fun one is to make a list of 10-15 places or people they have to take photos with. My kids have done this with their friends and it's always so funny to go through everyones photos when they're finished! Another harmless, but fun thing to do is T.P. close friends (make sure they are friends that like jokes). We taught our kids at a young age how to toilet paper a house because, well, that's what we did in the 90's! HA! One thing we like to do throughout the year, especially around holidays is to visit a nursing home... this is an amazing experience for children. You would think kids would be turned off by this and they might be, but whenever we go to the nursing home my kids leave feeling so filled up. It's a win-win for them and the residents. Another idea is to serve your local homeless shelter or Ronald McDonald House. Our family serves breakfast a handful of times throughout the year at our local homeless shelter and my kids always leave saying, "I really enjoyed that." Serving others and the community gets your focus off of yourself, and helps you love people you never knew you would love.

^{Our waterproof jewelry was made for the woman on the go. The staycationers and the vacationers. These pieces provide ease and help you to not have to hassle with taking off your accessories when heading to the pool, ocean, and even your shower afterwards. Shop from a variety of trendy earrings, dainty rings, and gold layering necklaces.}