Halston & Hampden & Fashion...Oh My!

Last week brought the Halston Fashion Island store opening to Orange County and the Hampden Clothing fall fashion show to Charleston.

It also brought cooler temperatures to much of the country, a giant diamond to Kim K., and Baby Nathan to two of our favorite new parents in Seattle.  What did last week bring for you?

Hope this week brings only the best!

Home is For the Dogs

Dorothy is THRILLED to be home and reunited with her family after a week at daycare...

Otto, on the other hand, seems bored by his weekend at home.

Hope your weekend was as exciting as Dorothy's and as relaxing as Otto's!

Happy Monday!

By Land or By Sea?

Hope you had a beautiful weekend!

Follow Rebecca on Instagram to see more of her trip to St. John!

Prohibition Comes to Charleston

Photo by Mitchell Scobie

A tin ceiling, reclaimed wood walls, moody lighting, and a jazz band set the scene for prohibition era drinks, and a menu full of creative twists on local favorites.  Welcome to Prohibition!  The newest addition to upper King Street here in Charleston hosted its grand opening party this week and I was thrilled to get a sneak peek.

The food and drinks were wonderful, the service was friendly and accommodating, the space is beautifully finished and layered with carefully curated details, and the jazz band created an upbeat, sophisticated atmosphere!  The event was a success and I can't wait to go back for dinner, drinks, or brunch.

My lovely date for the evening, Eliza, and I were commenting on our way home that it's the type of place where you could go to enjoy dinner and drinks and end up staying for hours talking, laughing, and tapping your toes...or dancing should you be so inclined (they will be featuring dance demonstrations and live music on a regular basis).  

Photos by Paula Jean (unless otherwise noted)

Welcome to Charleston, Prohibition!  I'll be back soon!

Executive Chef:  Stephen Thompson

Bartender:  Jim McCourt

Architecture by:  Neil Stevenson

Interiors by: Benjamin Kay

Social Media by:  The Modern Connection

Prohibition is located at 547 King Street, and is currently open seven days a week from 5pm-2am and Saturday and Sunday brunch from 11-3.

Welcome to Charleston!

I was so thrilled to be invited to last night's grand opening party for the new C. Wonder store here in Charleston!  As expected, the King Street store is gorgeous and the turn out for the event was wonderful!

For all of you Charlestonians, be sure to stop by the store this weekend to partake in some of the grand opening festivities...free gifts with purchase, lemonade from 1:00-3:00, and chances to win C. Wonder products!

If you're not in Charleston you can shop for some of my favorite things from the store here, here, here, here, and here!  Oh, and all sale items online are an additional 50% off right now!

Welcome to Charleston C. Wonder!  We're thrilled to have you!

PS:  If you ever decide to sell those dachshund ring holders, Rebecca and I would both like to be on the list to buy one!

3-Day Weekend, 5-Star Views

"Life's a climb, but the view is great!"

--unknown

Happy Labor Day!

Take some time today to enjoy the view!

Danger on the Horizon: Dinos and Dark Clouds

Hope you had a good weekend!

Seth G.

If you haven't yet heard of Seth G. let me introduce you...

He's a contemporary violinist who covers Usher (below), Alicia Keys, Justin Beiber, Black Eyed Peas, and Ne-Yo among others.  Since he's a Charleston local I had the pleasure of stumbling upon one of his performances a couple weeks ago when meeting a friend for happy hour.  I left with a CD and hope to stumble upon another performance soon.  

Enjoy!  You can find more of his videos here. 

Paula's Perfect Porch

Charleston does porches better than anywhere I have ever lived. Can you imagine a better way to enjoy a warm southern summer night than laughing with friends, sipping a cocktail, watching the sky turn orange as the sun goes down...all while sitting on a sprawling shutter-lined porch?
I can't...

Pendant  |  Chair  |  Double Chaise  |  Zinc Table  

My perfect porch has plenty of comfortable seating for family and friends. It's filled with furniture that combines traditional lines with more contemporary materials and accent pieces. Here are a few of my favorites...now, if only I had that sprawling porch...

Oh, how great is this bench?!  Maybe I'll find room for this on my porch too...

Classic Combination: Blue and White

Clutch  |  Throw Blanket  |  Espadrilles
Coasters  |  Bowl  |  Bikini
Ginger Jars  |  Pillow
Rug  |  Bag

Views From the Weekend

This weekend...and always

Photo by Paula Jean, taken on Kiawah Island

Build Your Bar

'Tis the season for long days, short work weeks, and entertaining!  Is your bar ready for guests?

One  |  Two  |  Three  |  Four  |  Five  |  Six  |  Seven  |  Eight  |  Nine

My Weekend in Photos

1. Cocktails and burgers at the Husk Bar...oh and some fried pickles!
2. Used my new handbag for the first time.  Perfect camera bag if you are looking for something much cuter than a camera bag...and SO well priced for the size and quality!
3. Sunset stroll with my boys.  It was a beautiful weekend in Charleston!
4. Got a new tripod for my camera!  So excited to start taking interior photos!
5. Blue Bell ice cream.  So delicious!  Why don't they sell this stuff on the west coast?
6. Turkey meatloaf with sriracha glaze (Thank you Natalie for the idea! Sriracha really does make everything better.)
7. Found a new iPhone game and wasted plenty of time playing it with Rebecca.
8. Discovered the best dog deshedding tool ever! (Thank you Karen for the recommendation!) A bit pricey, but totally worth it!

What were the highlights of your weekend?

Happy Weekend!

Photo by Paula Jean, taken in Charleston, SC

More Monogramming

Last Friday I wrote about monogramming and showed some fun examples of traditional and more contemporary monograms.  Monogrammed linens, barware, jewelry, even leather goods make great gifts (for someone else...or for yourself)!  But, before you put a monogram on something it's important to think about the style of that monogram and who it represents.

There are varying schools of thought about how and what to monogram and like most rules of etiquette, the rules of monogramming have been updated over the years. The style of your monogram should reflect you and there is technically no right or wrong.  

Traditional monogramming standards are rooted in a bride bringing a dowry to a marriage—items included in her dowry would be marked with her unmarried monogram. Things like linens and china would be considered to be property of the woman. The man's monogram would be used on barware, glasses, and silver.

Also, traditionally a woman would not be given a middle name with the assumption that her maiden name would then become her middle name. With this in mind, a woman's monogram most traditionally consists of her first, maiden, and married names. Many women choose to keep their middle name now, so in this case a woman can choose to use her middle name or her maiden name in her monogram.

There is definitely some grey area and the rules are open to a bit of interpretation and a preference for traditional or modern monogramming standards. With that said, it's always good to be aware of current etiquette about how and what you monogram.

So, who better to school us on the current monogramming etiquette than Emily Post's Etiquette, 17^th Edition? Here is my summary of the most commonly used monograms (using the initials of a couple named Jane Anne Bowen (married name Jane Anne Noel) and Thomas Ryan Noel)... 

For more information about more complicated monograms, such as hyphenated last names, women who keep their maiden names after marriage, and last names with capitalized articles send me a note or reference Emily Post's Ettiquette.

Sorry for the wordy post...hope you learned something new!  Happy Friday!

Monogramming

Leontine Linens

I've heard it said that in Charleston, if it stops moving someone will monogram it.

Charlestonians LOVE monograms! And why not?  They're classic, timeless, and personal.  They show a pride in who you are and the family you are from.  And they can be personalized in style, color, and font to reflect your personality and taste.

Here are a few of my monogrammed favorites...

Succulent Monogram | Soap | Door Knocker | Napkins | Pouf

Robe | Phone Case | Golf Ball

Bracelet | Clutch | Stationery | Necklace

We could all use a little classic southern style, right?  What do you monogram?

I spent my weekend...