Diana Warner Giveaway

I cannot tell you all how excited I am about today’s post. First of all, I had a chance to interview the fabulous Diana Warner whose jewelry has garnered international acclaim. Her designs have been featured in tons of magazines and adored by celebs from coast to coast. You’ve probably seen them on Gossip Girl too! She is a fabulous belle (from my sweet southern town!) and is as committed to giving back as she is to spreading style in the world.

SBS: Did you always know you wanted to become a designer "when you grew up?"

DW: Yes, well I wanted to, but I just did not always think it was possible. But the dream never ever left me. Growing up I used to draw women in dresses and then draw detail boxes highlighting their accessories! I would staple all the drawings together and give them to my mom---I called them magazines…I was always making my mother magazines.

SBS: What is the best thing about being a designer?

DW: UM…. freedom to dream while you are at work. Most people feel guilty if they day dream at work…or even get in trouble. I get to dream a good bit---and use my imagination! I know this will be what keeps me young, and I know that it is what keeps me laughing.

SBS: When you feel a little less than creative, how do you get inspired?

DW: Well. I never really force myself to design; I try to design as I go. It is like breathing for me some days and some days I have to put all my efforts other places. You know how writers tell you to write from life, when I was in art school a really amazing artist was in my studio. She told me I was a story teller, and for me making art was a simple as telling my story…So I just had to find the courage to tell my own story...and that is what I did. Sometimes my art, my designs just simply tell a story or speak of where I am in my life. Sometimes I feel like I am telling someone else’s story. Often I get inspiring letters from customers or I am lucky enough to spend time with amazing southern women, I do what I can to tell their story through my art too in a way that I think will honor them.

SBS: What is your favorite spot to get away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life?

DW: I live on the East River in New York City. It is my escape. I am in a pent house 40 floors about it all. I can look out my window or stand on my roof and see the entire NYC skyline. My home is a gift from God. It is my retreat; it feels like a vacation from it all (the hustle and bustle) every day. To me East Tennessee (my original home) is the perfect mix of city and country, and lucky for me the area just north of New York City reminds me so much of East Tennessee. So I do have dreams of having a weekend home in the country some day (north of NYC). I have made myself a goal of finding and purchasing a little cottage in the next two years, a place where I can get my hands in the soil and make a garden, and make a home. I am also very lucky to have so many friends and so much family in the south, so quite often I go to Tennessee and spend time at my parents’ Lake House, or spend nights on my good friend’s farm.

SBS: My friend bought a pair of your earrings to wear on her wedding day. It must be an amazing feeling to know that people want something you created to be part of their most special days! How does it feel to know that people everywhere are wearing (and loving!) your designs?

DW: You know that feeling when you have a crush, and you see them (your crush) and your stomach drops? That is how I feel. I feel embarrassed, but excited, honored and humbled, and nervous all at once! Those are little parts of me that they are wearing, and sometimes it feels vulnerable, similar to how an artist feels when they hang a painting for the world to see. However I love love love it, I have the greatest job in the world and to help people feel beautiful and express themselves is incredible. I also do feel a huge connection with my customers because I do get to be a part of the big days in their lives, it is such an honor to be there with them on those days.

SBS: I'm really proud of my southern roots...what is your favorite thing about the south or being southern?

DW: I am proud of my southern roots too. Um…sometimes you don’t know how fabulous being southern is until you are in a place where you are all alone in your “southern-ness” like here in NYC. My favorite part about being southern is that we are all characters, somewhat freer to be ourselves than any other culture I have encountered. I think this comes from our rich history of rather eccentric people in the south. I also love that southern women are kind, hospitable, loyal and feminine--- but we are also capable of saying anything and we generally get away with it --- because we do so with a sweet southern sound and a smile. A smart southern woman knows how to use her charm for good…. it is like having a super power!

SBS: Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers?

DW: Challenge yourself to remember your dreams and try to make them a reality. Love who you are and where you are in life even when it hurts. Love well the people put in your life, they are there for a reason. Celebrate your culture (mine is southern), but remember one day you may fall in love with a Yankee, and that is okay too.

The Giveaway:

Ok loves, Diana has something else she’d like to share with you all and I’m simply blown away with her generosity. 1 lucky reader will receive a Diana Warner design, and not just any piece of jewelry…one created exclusively for this giveaway!

I’m so not kidding. This piece didn’t even exist until I contacted Diana! How fabulous is she? And one of you darlings is going to win it! Of course you’ll get your own initial charm…the “K” was just so I could swoon over it! The tag was specially stamped with all you belles in mind! Made from antique brass, gunmetal and pewter on a 16” gunmetal chain, this necklace retails for $138! And you can win it!

The Rules:

1. You must be a follower of Southern Belle Simple (via Google follower/friend connect).

2. Become a fan of (Like) Diana Warner on facebook

3. Visit Diana Warner Studio and take a look at all her lovely items.

4. Come back and leave a comment telling us about something fabulous that you found!

These 4 things count as ONE entry.

For Additional Entries (1 each):

Follow sthrnbellesimpl on twitter and Tweet about this giveaway

Follow Diana Warner on twitter and Tweet about this giveaway

Include this giveaway in a blog post and leave a comment with a link

Become a fan of (Like) Southern Belle Simple on facebook and tell me you did

Leave separate comments for each entry. The Giveaway will be open for entries until Sunday Sept. 26th at midnight. I will announce the winner Monday Sept. 27th so make sure to leave a way to contact you in case you win. Best of luck to you all!

A Genuine Heirloom

{Whitesnake}

What do Banana Legs, Great Whites, and German Pinks have in common? No, they aren't 80s cover bands that you sang along with during your college days. (Egads, some of you gentle readers are in your college days! Sweet babies). These funny sounding names are all varieties of tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes to be exact! If you're familiar with this trend, you know that growing heirlooms is a bit of a different process.

 via

To be an heirloom, the tomato must have been grown from seeds that were saved from a parent plant. This ensures that the offspring remains true to its type (remember genetics in science class and Mendel's sweet pea tests?). So why does this matter so much and why are folks so obsessed with antique tomatoes? Apparently there is a great risk for losing thousands of varieties of veggies and flowers because of the reliance on commercially sold 'hybridized' seeds which lead to watering down the gene pool.

My home state of Tennessee is the originator of one famous heirloom tomato variety, Cherokee Purple (pictured below). I recently bought a couple of this type and made a sort of Ratatouille with them. It was delicious.

My Sort-of Ratatouille

• 2 large Cherokee purple tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 3 or 4 yellow squash, roughly chopped
• 1 can of green peas, drained
• 1 package frozen cheese ravioli (optional)

Steam and drain the squash. Add tomatoes and peas. Simmer. Add ravioli if you wish (prepared according to package directions). Season with garlic, salt & pepper, and any other Italian seasonings you prefer. Very yummy end of summertime meal. Feel free to change it up if you don’t like peas! We ate this with some homemade bread dipped in a little olive oil.

{I also had a good little lunch salad of chopped tomatoes drizzled with a bit of balsamic vinegar.}

Do you have a favorite heirloom variety? What’s your best tomato dish?

Keep Calm & Carry a Handkerchief

I was reading a recent interview of author Jancee Dunn (her memoir is hilarious  if you aren’t familiar!)  and though I cannot for the life of me remember where I read the article, one item lodged itself in my mind. Ms. Dunn shared some bits of advice that her father had imparted to her since childhood and one of them was “always carry a handkerchief.”

The handkerchief was supposedly ‘invented’ by King Richard II of England when he used a square of cloth to wipe his nose. My Pe-pa (a southern grandfather) has carried them my entire life. I even have a handkerchief  that he once gave me, tucked away in my nightstand. I can think of so many times that I have had a need for one, but instead was forced to scramble for a scrap of paper towel or piece of toilet paper.  Besides the traditional use, a handkerchief could come in quite handy as a makeshift bandage, place to wrap up a leftover or two, an ice pack, a headband, or a white flag of surrender. Granted, don’t put your food where you blew your nose, but you get my drift.

{Surely we should all learn from the mistakes of that famed southern belle}

I think I’ve decided to embrace this tradition. There are so many lovely styles you can carry that would definitely be considered a fashionable accessory. Of course classic linen will do fine too. Etsy has a plethora of cute hankies with the option of personalization.  What about y’all? Maybe you already keep a hanky handy at all times? If so, is it trimmed out in fancy embroidery or just plain white? If you don’t carry a handkerchief, are you thinking about it?

If I were, I would be…

I was tagged by the lovely L.A.S. Lowcountry for a fun set of questions…check out her blog if you haven’t already. You will not be sorry! She is a wonderfully sweet belle living it up in the lowcountry and she’s always in high style!

-If I were a month, I would be October because it is gobs of fun, but also mysterious

-If I were a day of the week, I would be Saturday because it’s everyone’s favorite day!

-If I were a time of day, I would be a sunny afternoon…hopeful for what the rest of the day holds

-If I were a sea animal, I would be a mermaid so I could comb my gorgeous hair with a fork  (is this cheating?)

-If I were a direction, I would be southern as southern could be 

-If I were a piece of furniture, I would be wardrobe…full of hidden treasures

-If I were a gemstone, I would be a sparkly one

-If I were a tree, I would be tall with deep roots…able to bend without breaking…providing a comfortable spot for a friend to sit and visit

-If I were a flower, I would be a perennial with a long life of blooms to look forward to

-If I were a kind of weather, I would be the calm before the storm

-If I were a car, I would be a Cadillac, a bit awkward to maneuver but classic all the same

-If I were a place, I would be a side porch…a little hidden with a perfect view of the street

-If I were a fabric, I would be denim, timeless and durable

-If I were a scent, I would be strawberry shortcake

-If I were a song, I would be Amazing Grace

-If I were a pair of shoes, I would be red patent leather mary janes

Now I’m supposed to tag some other cutie to answer these same questions…so, I’m tagging one of my favoritest blog pals Angela over at Slaughterhouse Rules because she is a real live writer and I bet she has great answers for all of these! (no pressure). 

Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week! Get mondo excited about a jewelry giveaway that I have coming up. You will not be able to contain yourself. That’s all I’m going to say.

A Steal of a Deal!

I have blogged about my tendency to buy a signature pair of earrings as a souvenir on each trip that I take. My recent New York excursion was no exception as I scored a couple of wonderful finds (some chunky gold hoops and a dangly turquoise pair). One thing I returned home with regrets about was not buying a gorgeous silver ring I spotted at a street fair booth. Thankfully I grabbed the designer’s card and upon returning home, promptly contacted her.

Designer Katie Thompson is a Virginia belle now living and working in New York City. Her designs are so lovely and she has graciously offered the readers of Southern Belle Simple a sweet treat! Use the code KTBELLE on any purchase from her site (through the month of September) and receive 25% off your total!

 

This is the fabulous sterling ring that I’m going to get! You can wear it facing either direction so it’s really like having two different rings! Plus it is totally adjustable and comfortable on your finger. Trust me, I stood in front of her booth for quite some time trying to talk myself into buying it! Now I can make it my own (minus 25% yay!).

  {Two pals of Chuck Bass wearing KT’s creations in an upcoming episode of Gossip Girl}

 

Now everybody hop over to her site and get to ordering! Her prices are very reasonable and with the 25% discount, you just can’t lose! And I promise I won’t be mad if you want to copy me and order that lovely ring! There’s enough style to go around! Huge thanks to KT Collection for this generous offer!

Remembering

{tiles for America project…greenwich village, ny}

Weekender Bags

Since I just got back from an extended weekend trip, I’ve had travel on the brain, especially weekender bags. I learned very early that it is my lot in life to be blessed with taste that is très cher (very expensive!)…however I haven’t made my fortune so I’ll keep plugging away until I do. In the meantime, I think we all want to look chic and stylish when we travel and these cute weekend bags might be just the thing! I am aware that a rolling suitcase is best for airports and ease of transport, but these bags are so cute! {click on images for shopping links}

{A couple changes of clothes, minimal toiletries & a good book is all you need}

{this graphic dog bag is oh so cute…bet you can’t guess where it’s from!}

Now the question is, where are you going this weekend?

Pink & Green NYC!

While I was in New York last week, I kept seeing all these gorgeous things to photograph…so what better way to showcase some of them than with a Pink & Green Thursday post (linked up with the fabulous Miss Trish…what can I say, we’re pretty fond of each other).

{frou frou dresses in a shop window in the garment district}

{bryant park grill where we lunched with the city’s elite}

{pink paper flower at lee’s art supply store}

{chairs outside john derian’s fabulous shop on bond street}

    {daisies, and roses and cockscomb, oh my!}

{shop window on the upper east side}

   {flowers for sale a’ la street vendor}

{ceiling sconce at the plaza hotel}

{foyer of the plaza}

{a famous lady} 

Hope everyone’s Thursday is wonderful!

Sideboards: What’s your style?

A sideboard is a type of furniture that became popular in the 19th century when folks’ homes were afforded the luxury of rooms used strictly for dining. Used for storage of dishes and silver as well as buffet-style food service, sideboards currently abound in antique shops. You can also find their reproduced counterparts in retail furniture stores. The first image is a traditional sideboard in its original state. I wanted to include it as a reference.

This is my sideboard, painted black by my grandfather because the wood was not in very good shape. It is one of my favorite pieces of furniture and serves as a wonderful storage space for my collection of dishes. I love how he left the top unpainted. {picture taken last year during Halloween…I love the holiday, but I haven’t decorated quite this early!}

 

This is a sideboard I photographed in a quaint restaurant in New York’s Little Italy. My mom spotted it as being very similar to mine, except painted white. Sorry it’s a bit cluttered, but clearly this piece is fully functional as a serving station. I love the distressed look of it, but I can’t see myself doing this treatment to my beloved sideboard any time soon. How do you feel about furniture such as this? Do you prefer it left in its original state, painted a dark color (like mine) or distressed in a light color? I’m curious as to what you think.

A real doll

I know a lot of folks feel strongly about this lady (either they love her…as I do! or they don’t), but I had to share a little homage to Miss Dolly that I spotted while in New York over the weekend. We popped into a lively eatery for dessert and the restaurant bathrooms were all decked out in themes paying tribute to different stars! I, of course, chose the Dolly one.

 

Each door had a star bearing the name of the featured personality. Once inside, the only music you could hear was Dolly…quite impressive considering that the music playing in the main part of the restaurant was really loud. I took care of business while humming along to “Coat of Many Colors.” (forgive the full disclosure!).

{A shadowbox in the wall held a Dolly doll in her festive Opry costume}

{the opposite wall was covered in a mosaic depiction of Ms. Parton in all of her physical…ahem…glory}

Dolly is known for her music and her theme park, but she also does many wonderful things for the residents of her birthplace in East Tennessee (my stomping ground). Her Imagination Library puts books into the hands of children who wouldn’t otherwise have them and her tourist attractions stimulate our local economies as well as provide jobs. I think she’s great. I wonder if she knows about this bathroom that is in her honor? How do y'all feel about themed rooms? I think themes can be oh so fun in small doses!

**I don’t want to blow up this blog with stories and pics from my NYC trip, so I’ll be doing some strictly New York posts on Saturdays for the next few weeks…if you’re interested! xoxo