Touring and Shopping the Low Country - Beaufort, SC

This is the last in my series about touring and shopping in the Low Country - that area of the Southeastern United States along the Atlantic Ocean coast distinguished by flat areas of sandy soil, barrier islands, and distinctive southern charm. My husband and I spend a week in late November on Hilton Head Island and scouted the nearby areas.  A partial day trip to Beaufort was on our agenda.

Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, USA.[4] Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan Area.

Beaufort is located on Port Royal Island, in the heart of the Sea Islands and Lowcountry. The city is renowned for its scenic location and for maintaining a historic character by preservation of its antebellum architecture. The city is also known for its military establishments, being located in close proximity to Parris Island and a U.S. Naval Hospital, in addition to being home of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. Link to Site.

We have been to Beaufort before and took advantage of some of the many tours available to see the historic district and hear about Beaufort's unique history - including the fact that it was one of only a few southern cities not destroyed during the Civil War (or War of Northern Aggression as it is still called here in the South).  This was a shorter stay and included a quick drive around (and stop at an historic church), lunch, and shopping in downtown Beaufort.  We found a great local seafood place for lunch on Lady's Island called "Steamers" which we highly recommend!

Beaufort is a very charming city and well worth taking the time to get to know it better.  It is about an hour's drive from Hilton Head Island.  Here are several websites with information about tours, places to stay and nearby attractions - Tourist Information and City Information.

Here are some photo highlights of the trip - I will be returning for a longer stay in June of 2013 when we are having a family reunion on Hilton Head Island.

Pinterest Dreaming in Green

I love pinterest and have been actively saving/pinning now for almost a year. One use I make of my boards is to keep track of color trends and combinations. I have set up boards to reflect varying color options. Here's the link to my "green" board.  I also like to juxtapose my own Wydeven Design refurbished furniture (link to my website - also sold on Etsy and eBay) with these settings and this posting is a pictoral of some of my green pieces into settings saved on pinterest - all sources are on my green board.  BTW, I just read that "emerald green" is Pantone's color of the year for 2013.  I don't know if any of my pieces are exactly emerald but it is nice to see the color green honored!

Love this chair and love combination of blue and green!

Same chair with green console - very refreshing!

I have used this fabric for about six pieces - last of the roll from Calico Corners.

Sweet chairs in apple green linen - like the fresh combination options.

These linen-covered vintage chairs were refurbished with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP).

Ahhh - Pinterest Dreaming!

December Visit to Scott's Antique Markets - Atlanta

Outside sign at Scott's Antique Markets

This is the second weekend of the month and an opportunity to visit one of my favorite Atlanta marketplaces - Scott's Antique Market link to website. Today, I was checking out my newly arrived January issue of Architectural Digest and saw an article called "Insider Secrets of the AD100".  These designers discuss travel, inspiration and sources secrets.  One of the designers interviewed, Atlantan Suzanne Kasler, provided the following source secret:

Every time I go to Scott's Antique Markets in Atlanta ... I find unique items: maybe a fabulous wood sphere, great art fabric, or custom-made pillows.  Really anything you can think of."

How timely! My normal companion on these trips (friend Bette) and I, however, were somewhat disappointed in this month's market. The booths were less crowded with wares for sale and less populated with buyers. We discussed this with several vendors who said that this is a low-volume sale month for many vendors and some have just stopped coming. Here we were hoping for a huge holiday extravaganza and opportunities for last minute gift shopping. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful warm day and we enjoyed our visit including the highly-recommended ice cream cones in the Southern building.

Here are some of the red and green items we saw - all would work well in a holiday setting.

One of our favorite South Building vendors - beautiful floral arrangements - a little pricey but one of these days we plan to buy!

I bought five of these hand-made reindeer and added bows. Three of them are proudly displayed in my foyer.  My plan is (was) to give them as holiday dinner favors to my family but I may just keep them!

Scott's Antiques Market Chair and Ottoman - ASCP Project!

I have now been using world-famous Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (ASCP) - link to website - for over a year and am the proud owner of the following colors and have used all but the sample size:

Old White

Old Ochre

Cream (new)

CoCo

Graphite

Duck Egg Blue

Chateau Grey

Paris Grey

Napoleon Blue (sample size)

My most recent project was a country French style chair and ottoman which I purchased in October at the Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta (every second weekend of the month).   As with every project, I learn something new and am delighted with the outcome!

This is the set as purchased from Scott's - a nice size and shape but with a finish that is a little odd!

My friend, Ouida, was trying out ASCP for the first time with a sweet table that she had purchased on one of our estate sale outings.  I did a first coat of Old Ochre.  

I achieved the distressed look by using a first coat of clear wax and then going over it with dark wax.  I find that using an old stiff-bristled toothbrush works particularly well to get into the crevices.  Next stop - Upholstery Shop!

I selected a heavy linen striped fabric which coordinated beautifully with the finish color. 

Nice neutral look!

Detail on arms and closeup of fabric.

TA DA -  Finished and enough fabric left over to do a small bolster pillow!  This set is available on Etsy and eBay and will soon be listed on my website - link to website.

On to the next project!!  This project was linked to this Annie Sloan Chalk Paint link party - Shades of Amber

More Touring and Shopping in the Low Country - Bluffton, SC

This is the second posting in a series about shopping and touring in the "Low Country" - that area of the Southeastern United States along the Atlantic Ocean coast.  It is distinguished by flat areas of sandy soil, barrier islands, and distinctive southern charm.  My husband and I just returned from a week-long visit to Hilton Head Island and spent time exploring areas off island as well as on.

Gallery in Bluffton

We stopped by the town of Bluffton, South Carolina, on two occasions.  On our first visit, we visited an historic house and participated in a walking tour of the historic district.  On the second visit, we returned for the weekly farmer's market and spent time visiting the shops and art galleries.  Bluffton is a wonderful town in a great setting!

Link to Town Website

The Town of Bluffton is located in Beaufort County, the southernmost coastal county in South Carolina.  It is situated on a high bluff overlooking the May River, a pristine waterway that has strongly contributed to the Town's history and continued success.  Bluffton is located just 12 miles west of Hilton Head Island, SC and approximately 20 miles northeast of Savannah, GA. 

Great old church on the bluffs overlooking the channel and harbor.

Our walking tour started at the Heyward House - link to website.

The walking tour was charming and our guide was very informed about the official and "unofficial" stories about the history of Bluffton.

Returned for the Thursday Farmer's Market.

I had a long conversation with the ladies at this shop.  We discussed various finishing techniques and I described my experiences with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - something they had not tried.  Their work was beautiful!

We will be back!  

Lowland Country Traveling and Shopping - Daufuskie Island

Arial Map of Daufuski Island

 My husband and I just returned from a week in Hilton Head, South Carolina - we had glorious weather and explored new sights and locations. One of our visits was to Daufuskie Island - located between Hilton Head Island and the South Carolina/Georgia coast - it is actually quite close to Savannah, Georgia. There is no bridge to Daufuskie, but there are several public ferries as well as tour companies that can take you there.

Most of Daufuskie Island is largely undeveloped.  The Island was originally the home of several huge rice and indigo plantations. Slaves were the primary residents for years. After emancipation, some stayed behind and found ways to make a living through fishing and agriculture.  The remnants of this group are called "gullah" and few remain on the island - most have migrated to other parts of the low country and beyond.  Here are several sites with information about Daufuskie Island - link to official website and wikipedia.

Daufuskie Island offers a glimpse of what other sea islands were like before bridges and causeways opened them to development. Most native residents of Daufuskie Island are decendants of freed slaves, who have made their living oystering and fishing for decades. The subject of Pat Conroy's novel, The Water Is Wide, Daufuskie Island has a timeless quality and is still accessible only by boat.

This posting illustrates some of the structures found in the Historic District which includes artisan shops and older structures.

Our guide "Charlie" told us that the owner/artist at the shop had sailed around the world in this blue boat - parked outside of his shop.  He also built the chalet structure on the property - available as a vacation rental.

The First Union African Baptist Church is the oldest building on the island and is used today for multi-denominal services.

We were fascinated by the huge tree.  The Mary Fields School is the schoolhouse where author Pat Conroy taught and he wrote the book - The Water is Wide - based on this experience (I read and enjoyed many years ago).

Some of the oldest structures are Gullah Houses.   My husband was one of the golf cart drivers - a common way for visitors to get around the island.

One of two well-known restaurants on island - not open day we were there. 

Dock on Daufuskie Island

 We enjoyed our stay and plan to come back with our family when they join us on Hilton Head Island in June of 2013 - this was a very interesting journey!