Cozy Vibes for May, A Guide 👒

A stroll through Regent’s Park on a sunny afternoon in May is perhaps one of my new favorite things. Fountains, flowers, dogs wagging their tails, picnic blankets, wine in paper cups. We don’t have parks like this at home, and it truly feels like this is the place to enjoy the last few bits of spring. It’s May!

Many call May “summer lite”, but I prefer to think of it as the most spring-like of months. The temps continue to creep up, but there are flowers still lingering and the sun isn’t blistering yet. Sun dresses and woven totes emerge and cozy Taurus eventually turns to playful Gemini—two vibes I’m completely obsessed with. Not to mention, May is my birthday month. I can’t help but think about sprinkling celebration throughout the entire four weeks. I’m so excited to share this guide with you! The theme is for sure springtime celebration, and I hope it encourages you to bake a cake, hang with the girls, and give yourself permission to play.

I live for a cute coffee shop. My friend Sadie and I started an Instagram called Mani Meets Coffee—simply because we enjoy scouting out the best little cafes and taking adventures to try them (with cute nails, obvi). And wow ok. Cafe culture in Europe? Stunning. Gorgeous. A vibe.

London has tons of cafes and bakeries, and I walk by cutie Londoners enjoying their coffees and sipping espresso in the sunshine everyday. My friend Brandon and I got drinks at Gail’s in Marleybone last weekend and there’s just something so nice about sitting outside and enjoying the view—with a healthy amount of sugar and caffeine, of course. I got an elderflower matcha, and later got an iced latte, with a honey cake on the side and it was gorg. I’ve officially asked my RADA friends for a cafe crawl birthday, so I’ll have so many more drink and pastry recs coming sooooon! And of course, you can cafe crawl anywhere. Or even just try one new-to-you spot! Getting out of your routine and your bubble works wonders, especially during a sunny and spring-y month like May.

My one and only needlepoint canvas with me is a key fob from Needlepaint.com. The Needlepaint team very generously asked if I’d like to create a custom canvas on their website, and it was a very easy YES! Designing couldn’t have been easier (or more fun!) and they even rushed the order so I could have it with me while living abroad. A dream! I haven’t been needlepointing as much as I’d like recently, but I was reminded earlier this week that it’s truly one of my favorite ways to practice self care.

Needlepoint offers structured, meditative, creative time away from a screen and nothing chills me out more than even just a few minutes of stitching. My new goal is to start or end my day with at least 10 minutes of stitching three times a week. Yay! If you’re new to needlepoint, or if you’re looking for new canvases or supplies, I’ve linked all my essentials and favorites here!

Ok, so I admit, I haven’t done much actual cooking since I’ve been here in London. My kitchenette is literally a closet and I don’t have an oven, which means I can’t bake any treats. But May is my birthday month, and there will be cake.

Julia Child said a party without a cake is just a meeting and I whole heartedly agree. I love cake and I love even more that cake means celebration. How wonderful to have a food dedicated to celebrating life’s big and small moments! Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, a holiday, a graduation, a life milestone or maybe you just got through a really tough week—there should always be a cake. Here are a few cake recipes I love!

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake: I made this cake for my birthday last year, and it’s essentially the blue print for chocolate chocolate cake. This is, of course, a recipe from the queen herself, Ina Garten and it does not disappoint. The secret is the hot coffee. The bitterness from the coffee cuts through the sweetness of the cake, leaving you with a perfectly balanced chocolate flavor. Yummmm!

Strawberry Shortcake Cake: This cake is so good, it was one of my favorite recipes from the entire year last year. I made it twice! This recipe feels like cake got mixed up with a biscuit in the very best of ways. You use your hands to mix in cold butter, and it bakes like a dream. Super simple (beginner baker friendly!) and absolutely delicious. I’ve actually never had it with strawberries though—I swapped for peaches twice! That’s the beauty of a recipe like this, you can put whatever fruit you want on top of it. This would be so good with a mix of berries too I think. Highly highly recommend.

Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake: Another Ina recipe, this is the second cake I made twice last year. It’s that good. Ina says this is an intermediate recipe, but I have to kindly disagree—I think it’s entirely beginner friendly! The hardest part is making the espresso whipped cream, but all you have to do is add the ingredients to a bowl and use an electric mixer until your cream is whipped. Then it’s just assembling chocolate chip cookies and cream, which is the most fun part. Make it the night before your event and let it sit in the fridge overnight. This is a recipe that gets better with time—the more you let it sit, the more the flavors meld together!

Since I’m working with a teeny tiny kitchenette and a very busy schedule—I don’t have any dinner party plans (yet!!!) for my time in London. Even just writing this makes me realize this is perhaps an excuse (am I now determined to host in my teeny little flat?!) but gathering with friends should never be something you put off. Here are a few ideas to help get you started.

Picnic in the Park: On an especially sunny day, grab a friend, a bottle of wine, some cheese, crackers and fruit and go chill at a park. The parks in London are completely gorgeous, and while it’s not exactly the same at home, I still have access to grassy, picnic areas close by, and love a picnic! Enjoy the mild temps before they swing into summer!

Tea Party: Ok so maybe my time in the UK is already rubbing off on me, but an afternoon tea this month sounds so lovely, doesn’t it? Whether you go somewhere fancy or make your own cucumber sandwiches—gather with the girlies, wear cutie dresses and have some tea! Flowers are a must for a gathering like this, as well as finger foods and sweet treats. A dream!

Craft Night: There’s nothing more relaxing than a craft night with the girls. Doesn’t have to be bananas—maybe just print some coloring pages and throw some markers in the middle of a table, or perhaps you grab a few paint by number kits. Or, alternatively, if your friends are already crafty, have them bring over their current WIP (work in progress!). This would be perfect for a stitch night if you have girlies in your life who needlepoint. Snacks, drinks, crafts. Perfect.

The spirit of this month’s playlist is celebration. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, or something else, this is the playlist to put on as you’re getting ready for a party. It’s the perfect vibe for when you’re having fun with the girls—or at least that was the aim. It’s fun, frilly, girly pop! I hope you love it.

I think I say this every month, but I’m really looking forward to May. There is so much to celebrate, it’s the last hurrah before summer, and it just feels like an extra special time. I hope you enjoy it and are properly inspired to make it the best month yet. See you next week!!

xx, Kristen

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