A quintessentially southern story

As summer draws to a close, a curated selection of 15 unique items from Southern brands and retailers is presented, offering ways to refresh both home and wardrobe. This collection, referred to as "FINDS," aims to capture the essence of late summer with a blend of transitional pieces, outdoor accessories, and home goods suitable for entertaining. For home and garden enhancements, the collection features a floral frog vase from Petrichor + Gold, priced at $48. This hand-thrown ceramic vase, accented with 22-karat gold inlay, is designed for effortless floral arrangements due to its watertight and weighted construction. Another item is a large rattan lantern from The Paris Market, costing $108, which includes a glass insert and is versatile enough for both indoor and outdoor use, whether for lighting or decorative floral displays. A notable piece for outdoor spaces is a sculptural bench from Homesoule in Jackson, TN, priced at $5,095. This unique bench, crafted with a wooden branch design, is suitable for social gatherings in an al fresco setting. To add flair to interiors, Tart by Taylor offers a large "Outlaw" tray for $140. Handmade from acrylic in Dallas, this tray features a bold, striped cowboy design by artist Emma Katherine, perfect for ottomans, countertops, or tablescapes. For entertaining, an $28 mini brie baker from Adelina Social Goods allows for convenient oven-to-table serving of baked brie, complete with a wooden spreader and available in white or stone. Finally, The Horseshoe Crab provides a striped beach blanket for $160, measuring 60 by 80 inches, designed for durability against shrinking, pilling, and fuzzing. The desk category includes notecards by Charleston artist Sarah Schools, available for $28. These environmentally conscious cards, made from sustainable materials and recycled paper, come in a set of eight die-cut wavy cards with matching blue envelopes. Celadon offers a "Letters from Camp" kit for $30, a charming stationery set designed to encourage campers to write home, featuring five fold-over cards with prompts, two postcards, and a sheet of stickers. Accessories for personal style include a mini Tropez tote from Goldbug for $245 by Lorna Murray, known for her sun hats. This playful yet polished tote, in the "Lake Como" color scheme, is compact but spacious enough for essentials. Hermosa offers rattan headbands for $12 each, available in three neutral colors, providing a lightweight and textured hair accessory suitable for various casual occasions. Statement earrings from Fallen Aristocrat, priced at $298, are artfully mismatched with 15 vintage charms like cameos, intaglios, coins, and colored glass, flash-plated in antiqued gold over brass and designed in Savannah. Fox & Hen presents a scarf necklace for $55, which combines a striped scarf with five nautical charms made of golden sea creatures and real shells, offering a playful and lightweight accessory. For bath and beauty, Keep Shop features a creamy, blendable contour stick by 1999 for $34, available in two tones (tea and kave). This lightweight formula is designed for various skin textures and tones and can be used on lips and eyelids. The Loomia offers a kimono robe for $149, woven from 100% long-staple Turkish cotton with delicate handwork, providing a relaxed one-size fit and a snug waist tie in three colors. Lastly, Blackjack Wax Co. offers a "Mermaid" soy candle in a glass jar for $24. This Mississippi-made candle evokes nostalgic oceanic notes, blending salty sea spray and coastal florals. #SouthernStyle #HomeDecor #FashionAccessories #SummerFINDS #GiftIdeas #SouthernRetailers #LifestyleProducts #EntertainingEssentials

Southern kitchens are characterized by unique customs, culinary practices, and linguistic expressions that reflect the region's rich cultural heritage. These kitchens are often bustling social hubs where meal preparation is a communal event, involving family members and friends. The atmosphere is typically welcoming, though guests might find themselves enlisted to help with kitchen tasks. One common phrase, "Measure with your heart," highlights a flexible approach to recipes. While professional test kitchens advocate for precise measurements, Southern home cooks frequently rely on intuition and taste, especially when using cherished, often smudged, family recipe cards. This allows for improvisation and a personalized touch in dishes, emphasizing flavor over strict adherence to instructions. Another saying, "Stay close and stay clean," serves as a polite but firm instruction for guests to prepare for a meal, often implying a need to wash up and assist with table settings, particularly when beautiful weather might tempt people outdoors. A foundational element in many Southern kitchens is the practice of saving bacon grease. Stored in various containers near the stove, this rendered fat is considered a valuable ingredient, not to be discarded. It is repurposed in numerous dishes, from cocktails to salad dressings, showcasing a tradition of minimizing waste and maximizing flavor. Similarly, margarine containers and other plastic tubs are routinely saved and reused as makeshift food storage, reflecting a practical and resourceful approach to kitchen supplies. The emphasis on homemade food is strong, with the phrase "Mama would roll over if she knew you used the boxed stuff" indicating a preference for scratch-made dishes. While boxed mixes might be used in a pinch, the culinary pride in Southern cooking generally favors preparing meals from basic ingredients. Flavor is paramount, and comments like "Honey, that's not near enough sugar in the tea" or "It's not seasoned until you're sneezing" underscore the generous use of butter, salt, and sugar to achieve desired tastes, particularly in sweet tea and spicy dishes requiring Cajun seasoning. The term "mess of greens" refers to a bountiful harvest of garden produce, such as collard greens, implying enough to feed a large gathering. This phrase illustrates the agricultural roots of Southern cuisine and the tradition of sharing food with extended family and community. Conversely, the heat of Southern summers influences cooking habits, leading to exclamations like "It’s too hot to turn on the oven," prompting cooks to seek recipes that minimize indoor heat or utilize fresh, lightly prepared seasonal produce. Butter is a revered ingredient, with Southern cooks believing that dishes like macaroni and cheese are incomplete without a generous amount. This commitment to butter is evident across a wide range of recipes, from appetizers and casseroles to desserts. A "good scald" refers to a well-cooked, flavorful dish, indicating that the culinary effort was successful. Communal activities like "shucking" corn signify seasonal traditions where everyone participates in preparing fresh produce. The concept of preparedness is evident in the "secret mayo stash," highlighting the importance of keeping essential ingredients on hand. The invitation to "Go ahead and fix yourself a plate" reflects the open-door hospitality of Southern homes, where large-format meals with multiple choices allow guests to serve themselves. "Potlikker," the flavorful liquid left after cooking greens, is also highly valued and repurposed in various dishes. While hospitality is central, practical considerations like refrigerator space during large family gatherings might lead to food safety concerns, with some cooks leaving covered dishes on counters or screened-in porches. This is an older practice not recommended in modern homes. The inclusion of store-bought items like Sister Schubert's yeast rolls, "just in case," points to a practical side of Southern entertaining, ensuring there's always enough food. The self-deprecating but optimistic phrase "But it’ll eat" acknowledges that not every dish will be perfect but will still be edible. Post-meal expressions like "I’m full as a tick" vividly convey satisfaction. The strict rules around cast iron care, such as forbidding dish soap, are deeply ingrained, though modern soaps are less harmful than historical lye-based ones. Finally, unique traditions like eating cornbread crumbled in buttermilk before bed illustrate creative ways to utilize leftovers and evoke nostalgia, even if the taste isn't universally acquired. #SouthernCuisine #KitchenCulture #CulinaryTraditions #SouthernExpressions #HomeCooking #BaconGrease #CastIronCare #FamilyMeals #FoodTraditions

Wicker furniture, often associated with a nostalgic 'Grandma' aesthetic, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity within interior design. While some consider it a returning trend, many Southerners argue that wicker has maintained its timeless appeal and never truly went out of style. Historically, wicker weaving dates back to the Neolithic Age and gained significant popularity in English homes during the Victorian era before becoming a staple in American design for items ranging from porch furniture to shabby chic decor. Its enduring presence is attributed to its versatility and ability to adapt to various design trends, from Coastal Grandma to Boho styles. The article clarifies that wicker refers to a weaving style, not a specific material. Materials like rattan, bamboo, willow, reed, and synthetic options such as resin and plastic are commonly used in wicker weaving. This distinction is crucial for understanding its adaptability and durability, especially when considering outdoor use with weather-resistant synthetic materials. Interior designers emphasize wicker's classic status, noting its consistent integration into projects to introduce natural elements and a sense of nostalgia. Modern approaches to styling wicker furniture involve incorporating it in unexpected ways and spaces to create fresh, layered looks. For instance, wicker can be used as sculptural lighting in formal dining rooms or as unexpected textured accents in powder rooms. Designers also recommend seeking out whimsical or oversized wicker pieces, such as animal-shaped side tables or large decorative sculptures that can be repurposed into unique lamps. This contemporary use focuses on unique shapes and surprising placements to highlight the material's aesthetic appeal. To further elevate wicker, pairing it with diverse textures and fabrics is key. Small wicker accents, like lampshades or cane side tables, can complement modern pieces. The contrast between wicker and other materials, such as lacquered wood, plaster, soft upholstery, worn leather, or even glam elements like vintage crystal lamps, enhances its warmth and sophistication. Additionally, painting wicker furniture a bold color, such as saturated blues, leafy greens, or terracotta, can make it stand out and integrate it into contemporary spaces with layered prints and botanicals. The goal is to treat wicker as a complementary element rather than the sole focus of a design, avoiding the dated look of matching sets and instead mixing it with other styles for a balanced and modern aesthetic. #WickerFurniture #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #SouthernStyle #TimelessDesign #WickerStyling #HomeFurnishings #DesignTrends