Crew Love

J. Crew email from Monday, August 17:

Last night at 11:42 p.m. I caved to flashing yellow declaration. A follower of the "only buy it if it's love and bonus points for on sale" mantra, I knew that their were a couple of items that I'd been clicking over to more than once.

Won't this be a nice surprise when I get back to the campus mail room? Too bad that wraps up my back to school budget allotted by my parents.

Images courtesy of J. Crew

Hey J. Crew fashionistas, have you seen this?

• Article about creative director Jenna Lyons in August's Town & Country.
• Follow J. Crew on Twitter: JCrew or JCrew_Insider
• Or Facebook.
• J.CrewAholics and J.Crew Afficionada. Am I just finding these blogs?!

Break for Ruffles

Back at college, there is a crew of four best girlfriends I claim as my own. Two are tomboys, two of us are, well, definitely not tomboys. (I'll let you take a gander at which category I fall under.) Nicknames quickly ensued to label each pair: ruffles and cleats.

Eating Freeze Pops on the quad last May

So I'll admit: In all my ruffle splendor, and after my first May to August summer of working 8 to 5 (and many a late night) at Southern Living as an unpaid intern, I was in need of a reward.

With dad's worn oversize Polo t-shirt on my back and Greek letter flip-flops on my feet, I sleepily trekked over to Montgomery's L'Esprit Salon Da Spa this morning for a hot chocolate pedicure and manicure. (Can't explain, you'll have to believe me.)

With Essie's ballet slippers pink on my pampered nails and toes, I'm back and ready. Return to the blogosphere? Starting senior year? This ruffle's ready.

September Issue of Southern Living

Alas. Three days and counting until I take down the photographs, birthday cards, notable Words-of-the-Day hanging in my Travel and Livings department cubicle here at SL. But before I depart, here are my top 10 reasons to get excited about the September issue of my favorite magazine Southern Living (hey, what can I say? I feel a little ownership.) Can I get a "go team South?"

1. Kentucky’s Bourbon Country guide written by an editor/fellow ADPi three doors down from my cube. As a new 21-year-old, I could stand to learn a thing or two.
   
2. Best hotel lobbies in D.C. I was actually in Annette’s office yesterday and she mentioned that The Williard’s claim to fame is coining the phrase “lobby.” Learn something new every day...
   
3. Designer of Hotel San Jose Liz Lambert spills creative décor tips. “I think of the Rolling Stones in the early 1970s. It’s beautiful decadence,” she says.
   
4. Maybe I’m just fresh off the shrimp-boat from visiting my friend on Plash Island (victory picture with a catfish to prove it), but Wanda McKinney’s story about the Alabama Gulf Coast nudges nostalgic pride for Stallings summers in the South.
   
5. A list of walks through D.C. compiled with help from yours truly, le intern.
   
6. In Homes, two antique chandeliers hang from a swoon-worthy pristine white kitchen’s celing. This page shall be torn out and preserved from when I’m out of college.
   
7. A list of 12 divine salvage ideas for your home—cue old barn matierials, antique lanterns, and the like.
   
8. Stunning photography from a Roswell, Ga. home where weathered meets sleek.
   
9. Six New Ways With Corn Bread? The baby chef within me delights. And then I found a Spiked Arnold Palmer recipe. I’m anxious to try as I’m always the girl at the restaurant: “Can I have half lemonade, half sweet tea, please?”
   
10. A guide on how to start a running career on the right foot. (Sorry. Had to.)
    

If you are a reader in one of these states, look forward to some homegrown stories:

Mid-Atlantic Living The architecture-lover in me was thrilled about a blurb on FLW’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pa. (snaps for Katie my fellow intern for writing it)

Carolina Living Wilkes County residents turned a underutilized space into Yadkin River Greenway—grab your Chacos and check out this green mecca.

Florida Living Colombia native Beto Perez launched a new Miami work-out trend: Zumba. Now where can I take a class in Birmingham?

What sounds appealing to you?

Bromberg's: The Perfume Diaries

On my dresser in a monogrammed tray, no less than eight perfume bottles stand like a skyline of personalities. Out my door, down the street, and after one left turn, a selection of dazzling perfumes similarly stands proudly, guarded by another perfume aficionado.

Nestled in Mountain Brook Village is an art deco building known statewide as one of Alabama’s finest luxury brand since it’s 1836 founding. Now at Bromberg's, tucked alongside the glittering diamonds and pristine china patterns is a new endeavor for the store: Eight women’s scents and five men’s scents dance behind glass cases, all hand-selected by Bromberg’s consultant Howard Koch.

“Fragrance is a fulfillment of wishes and dreams,” Howard said. “We already fulfill dreams of couples, so this is a natural addition.” Yes, I nodded in understanding with glazed-eyes. This makes perfect sense indeed...

Continue reading my story on MyScoop.us.

What's In a Name

A few weeks ago, I posted about surnames doubling as first names--common in the South among other places.

Never one to read the end of the book to see what is going to happen, I surprised myself and skipped around in my Word-of-the-Day calendar. I ran across the word "fletcher" which had a fascinating meaning:

On of a number of English words that once commonly referred to occupations but are now better known as surnames, “fletcher” comes from the Anglo-French noun fleche, meaning “arrow.” (Our verb “to fletch” can mean “to furnish [an arrow] with a feather.”) Other names for occupations that are now used as surnames include “cooper,” a person who makes or repairs wooden casks or tubs; “collier,” a coal miner; “chandler,” a person who makes candles; “sawyer,” a person who saws wood; and “wainwright,” a person who makes wagons. Of course, there are names such as Baker, Carpenter, and Miller whose origins are more or less self-explanatory.  

Heard in the Halls: "They just killed Southern Accents."

Today it was announced that Southern Accents will close. The Septemeber/October issue of the magazine will be the last luxury Southern glossy publication of its kind.

While the beautiful website will live on, news from Sylvia Auton about the sophisticated bi-monthly magazine's news arrived in my work inbox this morning. Already, media websites are a-buzz with reporting. 

Newsday
Baltimore Sun
Gawker
The New York Post

It's a harsh lesson in Southern Progress Corporation interning when the magazine the floor above you closes due to the economy. And this is the industry I'm trekking into...

Photo courtesy of Southern Accents

You think this is just a magazine?

"You think this is just a magazine? This is not just a magazine. 

This is a shining beacon of hope." 

I adore magazines. You're talking to a girl that had the above Devil Wears Prada quote written on an ecru monogrammed stationary card and taped above her desk. A girl who catalogues magazines under my bed by publication and date.

Obsessive, yes. But I like what I like. And I can't wait to see The September Issue whenever it may come down to the sweet south. The documentary chronicles Anna Wintour and Vogue staffers as they prepare the mouth-wateringly thick September issue for print.

This article published on NYMag.com yesterday fed to the excitement. And by excitement I mean Condé fascination.

If you haven't seen the trailer for The September Issue yet, watch it. And circle September 11 in your calendar.

Photo courtesy of Vogue

Southern Living on the TODAY Show

Yesterday, the beloved Al grabbed a minute with SL contributing editor Elizabeth Mayhew to talk about high-style, low-cost decor tips. How great is this segment?

And fun-fact: The travel editor who created the rust colored chest is none other than my fabulous office neighbor Amy Bickers. She is ever-so crafty and we were in hysterics when we found out how much that puppy cost to ship to New York from her abode here in Birmingham. Hint: It's a lot.

SL has another segment this week that Katie the Intern and I researched--Tips for traveling with your kids! Look for the spot, but you'd better bet I'll post it here, too.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bottling the South

Yet again the low country seeps in and steals my heart. Latest culprit? Low Country Luxe, an eco-friendly, gorgeous line of candles crafted by Southern hands. Making my LCL crush even stronger, my friend Amy at MyScoop told me that not only do they smell divine, but leave no grimy soot around the pristine glass edges. Cleaner burning is a result of the soy-based product.

Monikers like High Cotton, Gullah, Spanish Moss, and Charleston dance around the edges of the exquisitely packaged candles. Safe to say I've pretty much designated a spot on my desk for a LCL candle. And in the kitchen. And on the coffee table. And I'm kindasorta plotting how to illegally smuggle a candle into the sorority dorm (Just kidding Samford.)

Everyone from Southern Accents to Coastal Living (shout-out to Southern Progress pulications) and Oprah Magazine to InStyle Home gives the candles a stamp of approval. Take a gander at their website--Do they win yours? Find retailers near your nest.

The Printed Word

William Hatch made his mark and opened Hatch Show Print in Nashville in 1879. The first posters off the pristine new press: Announcing that the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, Harriet's brother, was coming to town. 

Through the years, Nashville has been alerted of circuses, minstrel shows, vaudeville acts, and of course, music concerts by the classic designs of Hatch Show Print.

Tours of Hatch are free, and the posters aren't so bad either at around $16 a pop.

Top Ways to Thrill-Seek in the South

The latest from Southern Living's Tales from the Road blog:

Maybe it's the Spanish moss dripping eerily from live oaks in the moonlight, the hushed secrets multiple cultures, or the imaginations of a thousand storytellers--the South is a born-and-bred backdrop for intrigue. The region is fertile ground for folklore and secret societies (that old Greek fraternity/sorority handshake counts for something), and mystery is bound to entail. Similarly, we're home of the famed phrase: "Hey y'all, watch this!" A Southerner will try anything once.

I strung together a little listing of ways to get your heart a-racing in the South. What are some other ways to get thrills below the Mason-Dixon?

Continue reading my story on SouthernLiving.com.

Photo courtesy of Southern Living

Southern Wedding Magazine

At the risk of being overtly girly, I must say that Southern Wedding Magazine is a pretty fun deviation from checking email, devouring newspapers online, Facebooking, and writing yet another story on Microsoft Word.

Wooden Horse Magazine Database is a great source for publication news (heads up, fellow journalism nerds). Here's what they had to say about Southern Weddings Magazine:

April 22, 2009 - SOUTHERN WEDDINGS positions itself to be the ultimate resource for the savvy modern Southern bride, who wants to take age-old traditions and make them her own. The bi-annual launched in January 2009 and it distributed US-wide with emphasis on the South. Lara Casey is the editor-in-chief and their website can be found at http://www.swsmag.net.

By nature, I haven't been the type to plan out my wedding since age 10, but this kindamaybesorta makes me consider starting.

Photo courtesy of Southern Wedding Magazine

SL and Tucker Blair's Where to Wear Guide

The latest from Southern Living's Tales from the Road blog:

Look down deep inside yourself. Is there not a miniscule iota that appreciates your first-grade teacher's precise selection of seasonal sweaters? Now, I'm not advising us to trot off and go crazy with Santa and shamrocks, but let's be honest: Sometimes dressing appropriately just feels so right. And, oh yeah--it looks so good.

Enter Tucker Blair. This fabulous fledgling company out of Washington D.C. whips up hand stitched needlepoint items in evocative designs. "We want you to find the item that reminds you of the places and times you love most, whatever and wherever that may be," says founder Taylor Llewellyn. 

Is there anything more Southern than working under the tagline "Classically Casual?" Taylor gave me some thoughts about some of Tucker Blair's threaded items, and where they would shine the brightest on-location around the south. 

Continue reading my story on SouthernLiving.com.

Pictures on Parade

I keep pretty labels, bedeck my cubicle with photographs, and scour art and fashion websites daily... I just appreciate visually appealing things in the most un-shallow way, right?

Enter my new favorite blog: All the Best. Read in over 75 countries, you'll quickly see why reading this blog is like flipping through a gorgeous magazine.

Photos courtesy of All the Best

Tales From a Southern Belle's Kitchen

At the Stallings residence, my mother reigns queen of the kitchen. Relocate to my grandmother's kitchen, and you'll see a similar state of affairs. These women with their spatula scepters are happy curled up at night with a cookbook in hand, look for reasons to throw together a certain dish ("Oh, it's the cat's birthday. I think I'll make a pound cake."), and I don't think a summer Saturday has tolled when a farmers market visit wasn't involved. Come to think of it, I've also never seen one of them squinting down at a recipe in frustration. In my mind's eye, mama's always listening to me run my mouth or nudging the dog out of the way with her manicured foot. 

Once upon a time, I made Tollhouse cookies by dumping all the ingredients into the mixing bowl at the same time. Note: This does not produce cookies. Another time, inspired by Rachel Ray, I seasoned my pasta with so much pepper that I rendered it inedible--thus wasting a family size worth batch of ingredients. Where was my southern cook extraordinaire gene? I felt so left out--there must be something wrong with me. There is no way I can just not know how to cook. I mean, you follow a delineated recipe. I have "helped" in the kitchen for years. I think textbooks are fun and watch CSPAN, yet can barely decipher how to get past boiling water all by myself...

Continue reading my article on MyScoop.us.