Every yard sale, antique store or market, you catch my eye. Amidst the piles of trash turned to treasure, you cause me to pause. Oh vintage bottle crate, you are indeed a favorite. How I’d love to show you off as the star of my living room coffee table.

My favorite:  fill it with old coke bottles and flowers!

What a dream. Take home a bundle and stack them high? Yes, please.

I am, in fact, partial to the Coca-Cola crates. And these colors would match my living room so nicely.

How sweet.

I think it’s high time to buy one (or two or three)! What do you say? What would you do with your vintage bottle crate?

All this week, we’ll be highlighting some of our favorites from the Fall issue! First up, we want to highlight the gorgeous work of floral designer Beth and her team at WildFlowers. If you need flowers for any reason in Charleston, we highly recommend this talented lady! You know who else we love? David Despeaux…he shot all of the gorgeous photos from the cover story.

How fantastic do the flowers look next to the invite created by Sarah?! If you love this invite as much as we do, you may want to head over to Sarah’s etsy shop and grab one of your own!

I see pretty fall weather approaching through my window. I love the idea of peering through these dainty flowers and collection of vases. What do you see through your window?

The lovely blogger over at Down and Out Chic has me feeling inspired. With the help of her delightful article in the SF Fall Issue, I am ready to face all the blank walls in my house and cover them with an array of the prettiest plates I can get my hands on! I’m hoping this will even give me motivation to finish up these fun projects I began ages ago…

Plate clocks! So easy and so fun! This gives an excellent excuse to buy that eye catching plate at Anthropologie or to scour the thrift store for hours in search of delicate plates with an intriguing history.

You will need:  a plate of your liking (a ceramic plate works great!), a power drill, a clock parts kit found for $6 at Michael’s craft store, and batteries.

Once you’ve secured that pretty plate, go ahead and pull those power tools out. That’s right, drill a hole right through the middle of your new plate. This step will require a little patience and time, but you can indeed use an electric drill (who knew?). To aid this process, begin with a little bitty drill bit to create a small hole, and once you have drilled all the way through the plate, expand the hole using a larger drill bit to fit the size of the clock parts. All that’s left is to assemble the clock pieces, feeding the central piece through the hole in your plate. (The kit comes with simple instructions.) Insert the batteries and watch the pretty hands dance around the clock face! Go ahead. Give it a try. Fill up that wall space with a collection of plate clocks.

Our issues are full of so much great content that we’ve decided to start posting our greatest hits to the website, too! Here’s a favorite from our Summer 2010 issue.

Text by Liza Graves | Photography by Bridgett Ezzard

Jake and Luke Herring like to refer to their hand crafted furniture as Modern Rustic. This also happens to perfectly describe where they have set up shop in the beautiful rolling hills of Williamson Co, TN, just south of Nashville.

The Herring brothers, both in their 20’s and originally from Oklahoma, had a dream: to open an eco-friendly green construction company and call it Natural Design. They did just that but the downturn in the economy had them searching for ways, outside of construction, to add more green projects to the books. Fate intervened with a chance drive-by of an old barn slated for burning. Immediately inspired by all the repurposing possibilities this old weathered wood could accomplish, they bought the barn, saving it from death and giving life to a new side of the Natural Design company: TN Barn Project furniture.

(more…)

If you thought we loved the monogram around here, you’re right. (Remember this post?) And now this timeless adornment has shown it can indeed keep up with the Jones’s. With a new iPhone app called 3initials, not even your iPhone can make it through Southern hands without surfacing with a monogram.

And VOILA!!

Our issues are full of so much great content that we’ve decided to start posting our greatest hits to the website, too! Here’s a favorite from our Spring 2010 issue.

Photos by Bridgett Ezzard. Text by Kate Hash, Editorial Director.

“I HAVE A ROOM FOR EACH MOOD AND TIME OF DAY,” SAYS BETH HALEY, INTERIOR DESIGNER AND OWNER OF BETH HALEY DESIGN.

“First thing in the morning, it’s my white bathroom—everything feels fresh. Mid-mornings are best in the living room next to the east windows, and afternoons by the garage door, particularly in the spring and fall with the door open and kids playing outside. In the evenings, I love being in the den/media room/office with a good movie, a blanket and my family.”

When you take a tour of her home, it’s easy to see why she can’t pick just one: each room exudes a distinct personality.

Immediately upon entering the charming bungalow, you feel like you’ve taken in a breath of fresh air. The color palette in the LIVING ROOM—much like the rest of the house—balances fresh, organic colors with warm neutrals. The furniture includes a mix of high-end investment pieces and budget-friendly steals, like the armchairs from Ikea—“They’re so comfortable,” gushes Beth.

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I’m feeling the itch coming on for a creative project. What’s inspiring me these days? The basics. We’re talking pulling out the middle school craft box and see what goodness we can create.

(a little inspiration)

Can’t go wrong with some colorful tape and ribbon.

There was always something so intriguing about those lacy paper treats. Bringing ‘em back.

Buttons. So much you can do with them.

Pom poms are a must.

Alright, go. Got any ideas? What can we create?

There’s something exhilarating about making a fresh antique find. Hard to describe, but it’s almost comparable to the satisfaction of pulling a good weed out of the yard. A sense of accomplishment for sure. And these days, we’re loving anything that adds a nice pop of color…

Cool down with a little robin’s egg blue.

A pretty pink flamingo.

I bet these make your food taste better.

Hello, sunshine.

You won’t miss this lovely at baggage claim.

Do tell us, friends:  what are some of your favorite antiquing habits?

Oh, mason jar. You’re so simple yet so faithful. You’re so plain yet so beautiful. You’re so elementary yet so complementary. You’re a trusty old friend, and I’d like to say thank you.

You make lovely place markers.

And what a delightful centerpiece you provide!

You don’t even cry out for attention. You just step right in and fill your role exquisitely.

You’re always keeping me on my toes with new uses at the ready.

What, dear reader, have you thought of to do with a trusty set of mason jars?