Happy Independence Day y’all! Our nation’s birthday is traditionally celebrated outdoors and in the South, that means we all flock to the water. Of course this means that we must have a well stocked beach bag! Check out the essentials we are packing this season:

1) Gotta start with a great bag! We like the pattern on this one from 12th St. by Cynthia Vincent

2) Sunscreen is an absolute must! We all know too well the damaging effects of too much sun. We use Tizo’s mineral sunscreen. It won’t run into your eyes in the water and it comes in a tinted version which you can use instead of base makeup if you are in a hurry to catch a boat!

3) Tara loves a big hat…I mean LOVES! We found this one on shopbop and liked the natural color.

4) A great set of shades goes a long way. Rayban Aviators are a classic and look good on every face shape. Everyone in our office owns a pair!

5) Who doesn’t love a snuggly towel? We found this one with the fab Moroccan pattern at Target…a steal for under $15!

6) Some light reading is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon on the beach. While every other woman on the planet is reading 50 Shades of Grey, we opt for scoping Elle Decor Magazine for lots of design inspiration!

7) The perfect suit. Wow, we could put lots of suits on this list, but we always come back to anything designed by Marysia Swimwear. This one-piece is absolutely adorable!

8 ) The MOST IMPORTANT thing…treats!!! We would never go anywhere without having a good snack packed. Instead of weighing down our bag with heavy snacks, we stop by the King of Pops popsicle stand on Folly and grab one of their fresh creations! Loving their mojito flavors with fresh basil…YUM!