In the true spirit of Camp + Quarry, take off on a summer adventure, sleep under the stars and string nature’s beauty proudly around your neck.

Vancouverite and Calgary-expat, Sarah Rankin of Camp + Quarry debuts in the form of her one-of-a-kind raw material minimalist jewellery at Purr Fine Clothing & Accessories. My absolute must-have for this season is the stunning rough citrine pendant necklace.

Inspired by the unpredictable romance of the West Coast’s wilderness, these unique designs are created using striking gem fragments collected throughout Rankin’s travels from coast to coast. These designs would provoke even the most seasoned glamper to get out and really camp. —Kait Kucy

$35 at Purr, 601 17 Avenue S.W., Calgary, 403-244-7877, www.purrclothing.ca

Kensington Palace, Will and Kate, the Summer Olympics: Great Britain has plenty for us to be jealous of, but nothing gets us itching for a cross-Atlantic sojourn more than the promise of quality pubs on every corner.

The Pig & Duke is a pub that has the comforts that draw us to the pub scene and enough quirks to lure us from our regular haunts. Think pig fat popcorn as a snack, sausage stuffed with black truffle cheddar as a sandwich topping and spiked desserts such as the Irish Car Bomb with chocolate cake, Guinness ice cream and Irish cream chocolate sauce.

Toast a taste of England with a flight of beer. —Jaelyn Molyneux

1312 12 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-966-2244, www.pigandduke.com

Word on the street is that Scrabble is cool again. Not that it was ever uncool.

Now we can show off our love of the letter with Scrabble mugs by Wild & Wolf. The ceramic mug in simple cream has a black letter on the front and the complete letter distribution chart on the back. Treat it like a monogram and gift a mug to a friend or yourself. Or, if you have open shelving in your kitchen like I do, buy a collection and put your favourite word on display.

High score! —Jaelyn Molyneux

$14 at Steeling Home, 1010 17 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-245-0777, www.steelinghomestore.com

We the people support the Commonwealth and not just the one that will eventually be ruled by Wills and Kate.

We also plan on throwing our support behind Commonwealth Bar & Stage, the club that has moved into hallowed ground once occupied by the Warehouse. The 25,000-square-foot party space is the brainchild of HiFi Club owners Smalltown DJSs and as such is built for a good time. There is a main stage level, a downstairs DJ room and a street level lounge. The Cafeteria serves finger foods including beer nuts and meatballs all created by Una Pizza + Wine chefs to be eaten quickly during brief breaks in the dancing beats.

It’s a bar where commoners are treated like kings. —Jaelyn Molyneux

Commonwealth Bar & Stage, 733 10 Ave. S.W., Calgary, www.commonwealthbar.ca

It’s time to cleanse our palate from bulk purchased mini-sized candy bars with some serious sweets.

Organic dark chocolate and salted caramel spread from
Wild Sweets is some serious chocolate. It comes from Vancouver-based chefs Dominique and Cindy Duby’s kitchen lab where they combine molecular science and gastronomy to get the flavours and textures just right.

Those of us with restraint can drizzle the sauce over brownies, spread it on toast or serve it warm over ice cream and fruit. The rest of us can just pick up a spoon. —Jaelyn Molyneux

$9.50 at CRMR at Home, 330 17 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-532-0241, www.crmr.com/athome

Every time we think we might try to reduce the gluten in our diet, lunch rolls around with its bread-basket of choices.

The answer is Big Star Bake House, the new gluten-free bakery from the owners of Milk Tiger Lounge. Loaves of Italian, cheese, cinnamon raisin and banana breads are baked without a hint of gluten, along with brownies, butter tarts, scones and other daily specials. Grab pizza doughs and hamburger buns from the freezer or a bag of flour and prepare a meal at home.

Now, about those carbs... —Jaelyn Molyneux

Big Star Bake House, 1510 6 St. S.W., Calgary, 403-452-6572, www.gfpatisserie.com

If you build it, we will come and eat.

The renovation dust has settled at the Community Natural Foods 10th Street location and from the sawing in hammering the Community Café has emerged. In keeping with the grocery store's nearly 35-year tradition, the café takes organic, all-natural ingredients and whips them into ready-to-serve meals. The wood-fired pizza oven cranks out pies sold by the slice. There’s a build-your–own burrito counter, a smoothie station and a salad bar with all the fixings. Hot entrees include artichoke lasagna and butter chicken, all of which can be packed to go or eaten in at the café’s smattering of tables.

Letting someone else do the cooking just moved to the top of our grocery list. —Jaelyn Molyneux

Community Natural Foods, 1304 10 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-930-6363, www.communitynaturalfoods.com

Make room for another a restaurant that does your social life good.

Model Milk is Chef Justin Leboe’s new bistro-style restaurant that’s loud like the best house party you’ve ever been to only better with art deco décor and food. Named for the building’s original 1930s dairy factory, Model Milk has exposed bricks, reclaimed wood beams and lighting made from vintage milk bottles. The restaurant has been renovated for people watching and offers a menu that rotates often on the whim of the kitchen, with everything from shrimp and grits, oysters and fried chicken to meat slow roasted in a Japanese wood smoker.

Recommended serving is two to three times a week, with friends. —Jaelyn Molyneux

Model Milk, 308 17 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-265-7343, www.modelmilk.ca

Forget cupcakes, crepes and cream puffs; these days, doughnuts are on everyone’s lips.

Thanks to Jelly Modern Doughnuts, the new "It" dessert has gone gourmet. Choose from hand dipped (think Valrhona chocoate and classic honey-dipped), hand-filled (raised doughnuts filled with lemon curd or coconut crème, for example) or cake donuts (pictured, the carrot cake doughnut topped with cinnamon marscapone glaze). And the most talked about treat in Calgary lately: the maple bacon hand-filled donut dipped in brown maple glaze finished with crumbled Valbella bacon that is surprisingly (or not really, I guess) delicious.

As for the lifetime on the hips, we’ll worry about that later. —MG

Large donuts $2.25 (minis are $1.95) or six large ones for $14.18, a dozen, $24.95. Jelly Modern Donuts, 100 1414 Eighth St. SW, Calgary, 403-453-2053, www.jellymoderndonuts.com

A big shiraz, a cuddly koala and a box of delicious Tim Tams—there are so many things we love about Australia, and now we can add fashion designer Natasha Gan to the list.

The daughter of a dressmaker, Gan cut her teeth in London designing for H&M and TopShop before launching her eponymous label in 2003. The line has been featured in the Australian editions of Vogue, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan magazines and is now available throughout Canada.

Her Aussie beach influence shines through with flirty dresses, patterned cropped pants and flowy frocks and tops that could easily go from the beach to a night out. Our favourites include the loose, cropped jackets and the fitted dresses with detailed shoulders.

Best worn when sipping a glass of Penfolds Grange. —MG

At Mealan, 1518 Fourth St. SW, Calgary, 403-457-4020, www.mealan.com