Welcome to June, friends. Though we’re waiting for bigger (and better?) acts to come through in the other summer months, June has something to offer too. Here are some lesser-knowns that might be fun to check out:

Calling all dreamers. I think you’ll like Ramona Cordova, coming on June 13. Singer-songwriter Ramone Vicente Alcaron comes from Arizona where he began writing songs at a young age. His most story-telling stint is his latest release, “The Boy Who Floated Freely.” Listen closely to the lyrics.

Listen here. Suggested track: “Giver’s Reply”

Old 97′s are back with their 2008 release “Blame It On Gravity”—and it’s their seventh in just four years. (These guys know how to stay busy.) The album adores with inspired vocals and a dance-worthy alt-country sound. Revisit them at The Palladium on June 11.

Listen here. Suggested track: “Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue”

Pull on your dancin’ shoes: it’s time for Tilly and the Wall. Renowned for creating percussive beats with tap shoes and clapping, there’s no way you’ll be sitting down at this show. Case in point: “Beat Control” from their latest EP. This record will get you motivated to work it on out—even at the gym. The fun goes down on July 2 at In the Venue.

Listen here. Suggested track: “Rainbows in the Dark”

Also pencil in:

• Aside from Feist’s visit on July 17, be sure to jump on tickets to see Aimee Mann at Deer Valley on July 12.
• And for those of you who got your hands on Wilco tickets (the show’s already sold out!), up-and-comers Fleet Foxes will be the opening band. Lucky us. If you didn’t get your tix, keep your eyes peeled on Craigslist.

Any other shows you’re looking forward to? Here’s the long list:

Usually when we step inside a castle, we keep our eyes peeled for treasures like William and Harry. When we visited Draper’s Castle Couture last week, there weren’t any prizes of the princely kind, though we did behold enough handsome treats to hold over our initial craving.

Only a shy two months old, Castle Couture is serving up a collection of L.A.-worthy high-end apparel for girls and guys. We spied shelves of cool denim and racks of breezy button-downs for dudes, but naturally, it was the vortex of women’s designer jeans, colorful tanks and feminine jackets that we got sucked into.

An almost-frilly, deconstructed Da-Nang blouse greeted us at the door, along with a table paved with tattoo-esque Ed Hardy tees. We rifled through racks of Kowboy & Co. T-shirts and mini trenches by Twill 22. We got a crush on a group of patterned scarves by none other than Lucky Brand. (Who knew Lucky was getting so stylish?)

But what really stole our hearts was the big ol’ rack of denim housing pretty stovepipes from People’s Liberation, Blue Tattoo and Joe’s (our personal favorite). There was even a nice selection of capri and knee-length varieties in hip washes and flattering cuts, ideal for your summer beat-the-heat arsenal.

You’ll also see some jewelry, some belts and some girl-centric items for boudoir. Like we said, when we need a handsome treat in the form of apparel—or maybe just a new pair of designer duds—this might be the place we’ll go. No British accents necessary.

{Fit For a Queen}

Castle Couture
715 E. 12300 South
Draper, Utah
(801) 501-9111

OK lads and lassies. This one’s a biggie. We know you’re excited. You’ve gotta be. And we know we certainly are. So without further adieu, here are the winners to our second-ever Jonathan Canlas photography giveaway:

• Winner of engagement session ($500 value): Meredith (and Cody), courtesy of her fiance (Cody)
• Winner of bridal session ($600 value): Michelle N. (who is getting married in October)

Ladies (or Cody, our man of the hour), send an e-mail to ali@yourheartout.com for further instructions on arranging your sessions. You guys are going to have some seriously awesome photographs coming your way. Everyone will drool over them. Take our word for it.

A few specials from homes in the greater Salt Lake City area, all courtesy of our friend Craigslist:

The price on this storage piece is a bit steep, but we still think it’s pretty stellar. See it here.

We Love Chunk: You know summer has arrived when the outdoor movie series starts up. Yee-haw! Head to the Utah State Fairgrounds tomorrow night at dusk to enjoy “Bee Movie” as the Friday Night Flick. We might be holding out for next week’s: “Goonies.” Schedule here.

Art in P-Town: Hit the streets of Historic Provo tomorrow night for the monthly Gallery Stroll. Get some gelato at Maestro’s (and check out the photography exhibit), then stop by places like Mode, Gallery One Ten, Terra Nova or the new Sego Art Center for the latest and greatest from local artists. More details here.

Long Live SLC!: Celebrate your Salt Lake City-ship at Viva SLC, a live concert featuring local bands like Royal Bliss and our personal favorite, the Metal Gods, this Saturday night at the Gallivan Center. Check it out here.

Forever Young: Like “Young@Heart”? See the real real live cast of one of the year’s funniest and heart-warming documentaries when the Young@Heart chorus takes the stage at Capitol Theatre on Tuesday. Old people are cool. Tickets here.

You can also swing by Abode’s outdoor flea market this Saturday to get your antique on. On deck for next weekend: Downtown Farmer’s Market! Springville Art City Days! And more…..

As we’ve said, when it comes to wedding and portrait photography, we think Jonathan Canlas is the bomb. The bomb dot com. (Jonathancanlasphotography.com, actually.) He’s one of those super-talented dudes with unique vision who’s continually making Utah proud—always being featured in national mags and websites like The Knot, and showing off how Utah brides know what’s up when it comes to wedding style. Hoo-ra! (We said that in one of those football-ish voices. Very lady-like of us.)

We also dig Jonathan because he’s keeping all of us happy as a YHO sponsor, and he likes to give away free stuff to our totally awesome readers. So, let’s cut to the chase here. We’re about to tell you what’s up for grabs. Remember to tell your friends and your friend’s friends to visit YHO and leave a comment. Everyone in Utah knows someone getting hitched sooner than later, right?

{Doorprize!} Come one, come all! To Utah. Jonathan Canlas is about to make two soon-to-be-brides very happy. He’s offering one engagement session to one YHO bride, and one bridal session to the other. He’s also throwing in online proofing for six months, and a free 8×10 for both winners. Those are $500 and $600 values, respectively! If either winner ends up booking the entire wedding package with Canlas, which already include either engagement or bridals, he’ll just add a $500 credit for prints to your package. Not bad, eh? We say not bad at all. Leave one comment below! You have til midnight on Friday, June 6 to make it happen.

{Wedding Bells and Bonuses}

Jonathan Canlas Photography
(801) 358-3151
www.jonathancanlasphotography.com
www.canlasphotography.blogspot.com

Only a few places on the stretch of Highland Drive north of 3300 South still make our hearts pitter patter. Even the classic Villa Theater took a hit, and succumbed to walls covered with rugs rather than moving pictures. What we wouldn’t give to watch Pixar’s latest on that big, old screen.

But just next door there is a little diamond in the rough still holding strong. A place that oozes with the appeal of yesteryear with its old-timey neon sign and paned windows. Though some slight remodeling has occurred (mostly interior), Glaus Bakery or “Frency Pastry Shoppe” refuses to modernize too much … especially when it comes to its menu. We love them for it.

Glaus has been around for nearly 70 years and the crew is still using the recipes that made it a favorite treat spot back in the day. Here, you can sample a wide selection of pastries and sweets like Danishes, cupcakes, petit fours ($2.09 apiece, and our favorite), eclairs (94 cents apiece), butter wafers, thumbprint cookies and freshly-baked bread.

Or go for a full-on cake, made with raspberry or pineapple filling. It’s the Chocolate Rum Pineapple that made them famous. Though they seem a little on the pricey side ($15.95 for a 6-inch), you’ve got to remember that Glaus is still using the ingredients your grandma used to bake with in her kitchen like real butter and fine sugar. Does a better combination exist? We think not.

{Glaus & Found}

Glaus French Pastry Shoppe
3100 S. Highland Drive
Salt Lake City, Utah
(801) 486-5908
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Remember that adorable shop Meg Ryan’s character owns and operates in “You’ve Got Mail?” (Also, remember the popularity of her haircut?) The Shop Around the Corner, as we think it was called, reeked with charm: the wooden floors, the bookshelves, the selection of cute reads … and then-cute haircuts.

We think we found Utah’s Shop Around the Corner. It’s not exactly around the corner as we ventured north to Bountiful in order to check it out, but you definitely feel at home when you’re there. It’s a warm and neighborly place full of fashionable and functional doodads and knicknacks.

All Tucked In carries a little bit of everything, which makes it ideal for gift shopping. Somewhat simultaneously, you can browse a handful of European shoes for ladies, scan jewelry from local designers, spy gorgeous satin ruffled dresses for little gals, shop for popular children’s games, find a cute frock for you, and thumb through lots and lots of books for the kiddos in your life—you’ll even get recommendations from resident experts.

Cute clothes for the likes of us came from lines like Free People and Hazel. We also spied the cutest pair of brown leather boots by Jeffrey Campbell on sale … but you had better hurry, there were only two pairs left!

{Cozy Up}

All Tucked In
115 S. Main Street
Bountiful, Utah
(801) 298-7262
www.alltuckedin.net