Southern Lady March/April 2019

What fun it is to watch the South wake up from its winter slumber this time of year! Daffodils and tulips are my passion—I plant an abundance of bulbs in the fall so I’ll be surprised by all the colors come springtime. It’s so rewarding to see the first shoots poke their heads through the ground and watch the leaves and blossoms unfurl day by day. I’m ready to swap my sweaters for linen blouses, pour a glass of lemonade, and head outdoors to enjoy Mother Nature’s show. “WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS WOMAN? FOR HER PRICE IS FAR ABOVE RUBIES.” PROVERBS 31:10 If you just can’t get enough of the fresh air and spring sunshine, you will find page after page of inspiration in this issue. Set a delightfully dainty table…

Of all the issues we produce each year, March/April is the one I look forward to most. With its brilliant spring colors and exquisite flowers, it feels like one big celebration, and indeed, entertaining is the thread that ties these pages together: hostess gifts, elegant fare, glorious table settings. Our traditional Southern Lady Party Time section (page 51) is a particular highlight; I hope you’ll get as much joy perusing it as we did from planning these three get-togethers that mark some of life’s sweetest moments. As all Southerners know, a special occasion calls for the good silver, and we take pride in laying out our freshly polished luncheon forks and demitasse spoons for family and guests. While our staff was chatting one day about tabletop décor, Editorial Assistant Dorothy Walton…

Get a glimpse of the beautiful images our social media friends have shared with us, capturing their own inspiration from the pages of Southern Lady. Top row: A soft palette of blue creates a lovely Easter table for @mrssouthernsocial, while magenta blooms snapped by @kbkisses brighten sidewalks in Beaufort, South Carolina. Oranges add cheer to @gracefrederickdesign’s alfresco fête marking winter’s end. Middle row: The splendor of the season’s bounty is on full display both outdoors and inside with these images by @stephencaton and @ofelia_olga_living, respectively. Bottom row: Carrot cake cupcakes made by @goingforgrace serve as a delightful Easter dessert. On the wisteria-lined streets of Charleston, @cannonboroughcollective’s dapper dog poses for the perfect picture of springtime in the South. Lush and inviting, this baby shower arrangement by @bethhartdesigns makes a festive…

When Marie Chamberlain and Leslie Harris crossed paths as vendors in a multimerchant design center, the two mothers bonded over returning to work after years of raising children. Marie’s interest in fashion and Leslie’s passion for interior décor ultimately became the foundation for a fruitful retail partnership, one in which helping others exude Southern style is top priority. Their shop, The Southern Nest, makes its home in quaint Indian Land, South Carolina, and offers a distinguished, ever-evolving mix of décor, apparel, and gifts carefully curated for Southern tastemakers. “The name is reflective of our vision for the store,” Marie says. “We wanted something that communicates the charm of living in the South and the comforts of home.” Marie, who had previously managed a Williams Sonoma store in New Jersey before making her…

As the sun ascends and paints the morning sky with watercolor strokes, rays twinkle on the salty surface of the May River, while marsh grasses filter the briny blue-green water just like the delectable oysters that line the river’s bottom in staggering heaps. We drift into a circle with our knowledgeable kayak tour guide, where a mother dolphin and her hungry calf rise to the surface for what we wholeheartedly interpret as a friendly “good morning.” This is one snapshot among infinite picture-perfect opportunities at Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina, a luxury resort with a distinctive connection to its waterfront and woodland environs. “There’s something really special about it,” says Public Relations and Marketing Director Christine Wrobel, whose ideal day commences after a peaceful sunrise rendezvous with nature. In 1902,…

Antique frames too beautiful to discard and swarms of gilded bees, combined in au courant works of art, have sparked quite the buzz for Louisville’s Trace Mayer. “The small bees were one of those things sitting around the studio for years,” says Trace, who collects artifacts in his role as owner of Trace Mayer Antiques. What began as a way to use a lovely frame fragment has turned into Museum Bees, one-of-a-kind wall medallions that include custom designs for clients. Through crafting these pieces, Trace says, he aims to “give voice to things which we frequently take for granted.” Having begun his eponymous antiques gallery in 1997, after earning a master’s degree in fine and decorative arts from Sotheby’s, Trace didn’t fashion his first Museum Bee until 2012. That first piece…