Southern Lady Celebrate Fresh & Easy Outdoor Parties 2013

Summer is my favorite time of year because it is the season to take it easy, enjoy the family, and get outdoors for some sun and fresh air. There is nothing more refreshing than the warmth of the sun on my face—even if it’s just during the morning drive to the office. It makes me happy. But lately, I have found it hard to slow down and relax. Keeping up with home-decorating projects, family (especially the grandchildren!), and the beautiful magazines we are producing here at Hoffman Media keep me quite busy. This year, however, I am making it a priority to feel the sand between my toes, picnic by the river, and relish some family time by celebrating with a patriotic-themed gathering at some point—if not the Fourth of July,…

Summer is here, and we hope you are ready to party. We have the most innovative celebrations to inspire you in this issue. It’s amazing to look back and remember the long days we spent—but the fun we had—capturing each event. I attribute so much of the incredible photography to Sidney Bragiel, our photo stylist, and the talented team of photographers here at Hoff man Media. Sidney’s keen sense of style, positive energy, and attention to detail weave these pages together beautifully. She will be the first to tell you that it is not all glamorous, but day in and day out, she is living her passion. She sets the style, the color palette, and the ambience we want jumping off the pages. Her days include meetings with editors, food developers, and…

TERRARIUM GARDEN Create a centerpiece that can extend down the entire table. Begin by filling glass cylinders with a layer of pea gravel for drainage. Transplant small potted succulents into the vases, and cover roots and soil. Add splashes of color by placing stems of flowers in floral tubes and inserting into the gravel. Finish the look with a few votives. DRIFTWOOD DÉCOR Get onboard with the driftwood trend by scouring the shores for a fun mix of shapes and sizes. Combine your pieces with succulents, planting in available pockets or placing in plastic bags covered with Spanish moss. ARTFULLY ARRANGED Here, succulents are incorporated into a gathering of warm-colored roses and ranunculus, white Hydrangeas, and sprays of wax flower. The unique appearance of succulents adds a sweet surprise to traditional blooms. Antique inkwells complete…

When I was a little girl, summertime meant sleepovers at my grandmother’s house in Guntersville, Alabama. All my girl cousins would gather there, and when it was bedtime, we’d pile into two big beds in the front room and swap stories until we fell asleep. When morning came, we were given a mission: to collect strawberries fresh from my grandmother’s patch in her orchard. With large woven baskets in tow—you know, the kind you get with a bushel of peaches from the farmers’ market—we all hurried to the patch to pick berries while they were still cool from the morning dew (the best time of day to pick them, my grandmother always said). Of course, we would make a contest out of it: Who could find the biggest? The strangest shape?…

Standing at a worktable in her Seattle studio, McKenzie Powell pulls together a combination of Clematis vines, dahlias, peonies, and garden roses. The sweet, subtle fragrance brings back memories of Bellingham, a coastal city in Washington, where she grew up. She remembers summer days of her childhood spent barefoot near the family garden. While she played with pinecones, leaves, and pretty flower petals, creating a pretend “stew,” her mother cut flowers from the garden and then grouped and placed them around the home. “My mom has beautiful gardens and has always created casual arrangements for the house,” she says. “So when people ask me about my training, I just have to smile. I got the best training out there.” Watching her mother and spending time in nature gave McKenzie, now 27, the…

When friends gather around a table in the open air, enjoy each other’s company, and feast on fine fare, life is wonderful. Warm summer weather makes the ritual of dining together all the more perfect. So host a dinner party, and let a coastal Mediterranean menu of pure ingredients, such as fresh seafood, olives, herbs, and whole grains, take center stage. To enjoy dinner at the beach, place the dining table out on the sand, then breathe in the salty air and watch the waves wash up on the shore while you sip white wine and savor bright, bold flavors. Or simply move the table anywhere there is a lovely view, and set it to feel as light and seaside-inspired as desired. Long, flowing white linens provide the perfect backdrop for…