The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is about to make its return to stores and online, and that means it’s time for some back-to-school shopping (even for those of us who haven’t been to school in…decades). 

As a fashion editor, it’s part of my job to know what is landing at retailers each week. While there are plenty of fashion websites I frequent, I always shop at Net-a-Porter, Matches, and Frwd—especially when I’m interested in making investment purchases that I’ll be wearing now and for the years ahead. I have plenty of new finds sitting in my cart that are too good to keep to myself, so I’m spilling the details on what I’m into right now.

Right now, I’ve been on the hunt for quality, versatile staples, so you’ll find pieces like tailored button-downs, strapless dresses, and sleek heels in my edit. As an editor, I also can’t resist some of the more trend-forward pieces and newest designs from buzzy designers, so I’ve sprinkled in pieces from Christopher Esber, Balenciaga, and Aisling Camps. Ahead, see my edit of the best items to order for summer.

4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. We go up to my family’s cabin at the lake in Montana every year with my extended family and we’ve made years of memories spending time together, so it’s always been a magical holiday just knowing it will be family time together, keeping up years-long traditions and making new ones. Every year we do a tea party and charcuterie board, this year I wanted to attempt one before we left for Montana with some of our friends and family here- it’s been on my bucket list to do a counter charcuterie board  (savory and sweet!), so we went all out with festive drinks, and a s’mores bar.

Here are some of the best hacks I found for pulling off the ultimate 4th of July party. Don’t feel like you need to incorporate all of them! Even just adding 1 or 2 will add a fun, festive touch to your holiday weekend.

DETAILS: RED CROPPED TANK (under $30 – S) | DENIM (under $40 – size 25) | STAR BOWLS

Hack #1: Color-Coordinated Cuisine

To create a festive spread, I knew I wanted to stick to a red-white-and-blue color-scheme for all the snacks. It made it so much easier to make everything flow together and stick to the festive 4th of July theme. I went to Sam’s Club and knew the fruit would be easy with all the red and blue berries, but I was surprised at how many other red/white/blue snacks and candies they had for the upcoming holiday – especially when it comes to the ‘sweets’ spread which I’ll share later. 😉

Hack #2: It’s All In The Details

MINI ALPHABET CUTTERS
STAR-SHAPED CUTTERS
TREATS: SAM’S CLUB

I’m always a sucker for the details at any event I attend, so I knew I wanted to include some cute, festive details wherever I could. Try using mini cookie-cutters to spell out words in watermelon or cheese. We also used the star cookie cutters from this set for the cheese and sprinkled them throughout the 4th of July charcuterie. I had a local company from Utah help me and they made the most beautiful salami roses! My aunt actually tried to teach me a couple years ago at the lake, just use the rim of a glass and stagger them while layering them around the rim to get that perfect round shape.

Hack #3: Sparklers, But Sweet

We made some fruit sparklers for the kids out of watermelon stars and blueberries for some healthy treat options. They look so cute on their own but we also added to the red-white-and-blue drinks we made for an added festive touch.

Hack #4: Let the Festivities Flow

DETAILS: GLASSES

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Whether kid-friendly or adult beverages, drinks are a great excuse to go big for the holiday. We set up a drink table for the kids where they got to assemble their own drinks. I set out red, white, and blue Gatorade and Sprite for the base and then set out Kool-aid ice cubes, cotton candy, popsicles, licorice straws, and fresh fruits so they could get creative.

Hack #5: Don’t Skimp On The Sweets

My kids would eat candy all day every day if I let them so they were in heaven when they saw this full candy spread AND the decadent s’mores bar. I’m glad my affinity for going over the top with these sort of things won me some points. 😉 They kept saying it was the best 4thof July spread ever. 😂 We did a candy charcuterie board with all the red, white, and blue finds from Sam’s Club and was so simple to put together. We also did a s’mores bar for our new fire pit area and did a mix of different chocolates – milk chocolate, cookies and cream, Reese’s, Andes mints, and more. The dessert boards were such a cute addition and were super popular with the whole fam!

Let me know if you guys have any hacks or hosting tips you love for 4th of July!

Also this red top, I’m obsessed with the square neckline on it! It comes in lots of colors and its under $30!

Also shout out to Beck & Noelle Board Co., if your in utah and want a big charcuterie board, or want to learn how to they can help you set up or do the whole thing for you. I love learning and being a part of the process but they do both!

You can also see past holiday charcuterie boards I’ve done here.

xx, Christine