Hanging Out At…The Old Village Post House Inn

September 5, 20162 Comments

Like I mentioned in my post last night, I really wanted to try the Old Village Post House. I saw it featured somewhere and I felt like it was the kind of place I would want to try.

Here’s the menu:

I ordered the Burrata Salad and added Grilled Shrimp. I know it doesn’t really go together, but I really wanted the salad and I really wanted grilled shrimp. I also ordered the Reisling. Everything was absolutely incredible. I mean, how good can a salad and shrimp be? Well, the salad dressing was already mixed into the arugula. Typically, I don’t love arugula and I also ways like my dressing on the side, but I can help it-this was good! And the prosciutto was all crispy, like bacon. Oh yeah, my bill, including tip was $41.76. Eeeeeeeek! The most expensive salad and wine. Ever. But worth it. YES!!! This is one of those meals that I might need to go back for.

And here is the lovely patio where I sat. The breeze was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold.
And the waitress was SUPER nice and let me walk around AND photograph as much as I wanted! Now you get to reap the benefits 🙂

This looks exactly like what I imagine South Carolina to look like before anything was built.

And since the restaurant didn’t open until later, I had some time to walk around first! Count on me to be the Camera Creeper. People must think I’m crazy, or a restaurant reviewer…

This one looks like it wants to be loved!

❤

Hanging Out At…Mt. Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island

September 4, 2016September 11, 20162 Comments

Today I slept in (way later than I’ll ever admit to), then finally made my way over to Mt. Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island.

I wanted to find a restaurant that was recommended online (future post to follow), but I had some time before they opened back up for dinner, so I stopped at the Antiques Market.Upon walking in, I realized that it was one of those “antique malls” that my Dad likes to say is “mostly filled with junk!” He really does have a way with words, doesn’t he? 🙂
Well, amidst the junk, you know I was able to find some treasures!

Some Asian furniture, that were pretty good prices, considering I bought something similar to this for work and it was 3x the price…

Didn’t love the piece below for my personal home, but I had to admire the ornate detail of the mother of pearl carving 🙂

I thought the hardware on this piece was one of the prettiest things about this piece. It’s so delicate! Look at this campaign style dresser for only $169!! In my mind, I had repainted it a beautiful lacquered black. Or sweet lavender. Or kelly green. Or coral pink.

Here are some metallic pieces

This reminded me of a miniature Ark of the Covenant…

I’m just LOVING these traditional mirrors, like maybe over top of an acrylic console?

All polished up, this wooden bead chandy could be lovely!

These are curtain tie-backs, which I have already mentally “installed” in my Charleston apartment’s living area, when I redid the place. LOL Look at these mini candlesticks. Aren’t they cute? They were only $14.50 each!

This XL copper bucket would be beautiful filled with firewood. It was only $50, which is a steal! If I had a fireplace, this may have come home with me.

More trunks:

Imagine this wood tool chest opened and filled with sky blue hydrangeas!

Some fun animal inspired trinkets: This little fox hook would be perfect in a little boy’s room for jackets and hats 🙂

Several ginger jars:

And more generally cool stuff…I would just LOVE to host a party where all of the glasses were this rich plum shade!

That’s an old tobacco basket!

A beautiful NARROW 33″ wide farmhouse dining table

Cool doors and windows:

Sometimes, the best pieces are actually display pieces, like this cool bamboo shelf. I mentally put it in an all white bathroom, complete with mosaic marble tiled floors. I cleared off all of the crappy things and placed fresh, fluffy, white towels rolled up, next to artisanal soaps and glass apothecary jars filled with cotton balls. On the walls are small, framed John Audubon prints. If that didn’t give you a visual, I’m not sure what will! Sometimes, the display pieces are not for sale…like this beautiful mantle.

Headboards:

How cool are these old scuba masks? The kind of thing I would just love to incorporate into a kid’s “underwater” themed room!

Sometimes you see funny things too, like this rope chandelier:
HA!

But the funniest thing happened when I was looking at these old photographs:There weren’t a ton of people in the store, so it was strange when this elderly woman came right up to the small corner where I was standing looking at these photos. She remarked, “Wow! I’m sure all these people are dead!” Then picked up one of a woman in Victorian clothes and said, “Well, I know SHE’S dead!” And then proceeded to thumb through the stack of photos proclaiming, “Dead…Dead…That one’s dead…” So I actually started to walk away when she called out, “That’s where we’ll all end up…in an antique’s shop!” HA! Well, that made me chuckle!

This alabaster lamp base was the one thing that I really hated to leave behind. It was a little bit more than I want to spend when I’m on a limited budget. Especially when I don’t really need a lamp. But it was SOOO cute. Such a sweet size, so perfectly carved. I was worried about the wiring, but that’s something that could easily be fixed, right?

Next door was a shop called Steven Shell Living.It very much reminded me of Nadeau in Manayunk, Philadelphia (which they also have a location in Charleston!)

I thought these little whale bookends were so classy for a beach house.

In person, this chandelier was HUGE! Look at the scale of it next to the barstool behind it!

And who couldn’t be pleased with this scalloped edge dining table??

And obviously, this posts includes what I wore!

White Lace-Trimmed T-shirt: J Crew Factory

Pink Scalloped Shorts: Monteau via TJ Maxx

Bag: Kayla Striped Crossbody via Francesca’s

Until next time! ❤

Hanging Out At…McCrady’s Tavern

September 4, 2016September 4, 20163 Comments

I have a list of several restaurants I want to hit up while I’m here. On the list was McCrady’s. The original McCrady’s is moving to a new location and undergoing a renovation, so it’s new sister restaurant, McCrady’s Tavern opened in the original location (got all that?)

Anyway, I was really craving a burger, and McCrady’s Tavern had one on their dinner menu. S0, I wore The Charleston Dress and some Nine West Outlet wedges (similar) and went to get my feast on.

First, it’s located in the sweetest of alleys, 2 Unity Alley to be exact. Stupidly, I didn’t take any photos of the outside. I was a girl on a mission, OK??

source

Since I was alone and didn’t have a reservation, I did have to sit at a communal table. It felt slightly awkward, since you’re sitting with other couples. But the uncomfortableness faded once I started drinking the McCrady’s Cobbler. It was OK, maybe I’m just not a fan of bitters. The shaved ice was delicious (yes, much to my friends’ annoyance, I always choose “crushed ice” when using their automatic ice makers in the fridge door…) But the real treat was the handleless copper mug. Divine.

Interestingly, I’m reading Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner right now. And just this afternoon, I was reading about one of the characters eating Parker House rolls at a fancy restaurant and I wondered what that meant. So, imagine my smirk when the waitress made it a point to explain that the bread that evening would be Parker House rolls. Well, I quickly realized why they are so notable. They are freakin’ amazing!! They are so soft and light *dream* The butter had a weird bite to it, which was probably for the better, so I enjoyed ~~half the loaf~~ a few pieces plain.

And I did order my burger:

As soon as I cut it in half, bernaise sauce came overflowing out of the melted cheese! Heaven! And the fries…Oh.My.God. They rival my favorite at Seasons in Williamsburg 🙂

Just as I was finishing up my burger, the alcohol kicked in, with a loud, “It’s time to start making bad decisions…”

For me, this doesn’t mean making out with strangers, this means making out with a fork smothered in lemon lime curd with torched meringue. And it was totally worth it. The portion was so big, I had enough to bring home with me and indulge tomorrow.

On my way home, I took a different route and passed by this sweet gift shop called C’est La Vie. It had the typical things you see in all boutique-y stores like this, but, in true Huntress fashion, I did some digging and rummaged through the clothing racks. I found this little beauty for $32, which I’m positive would have sold for 4x the price at boutiques down the street:

It’s kind of hard to see, but the top layers are all tiered lace, and the bottom is a linen peplum. Nothing like an unexpected bargain!

Hanging Out At…Charleston Farmer’s Market and Antiquing

September 4, 2016September 4, 2016Leave a comment

The Charleston Dress made her debut today. Here’s where I showed her off.

First stop, the Charleston Farmer’s Market in Marion Square (Every Saturday from 8am-2pm, if anyone’s interested!) I had a delicious lemonade that was made right in front of me, and then finished it off with the Thurman Herman roti roll from Roti Rolls CHS. It consisted of a light, flaky, chewy “pita” type flatbread stuffed with pulled pork, kimchi, and Creole mac and cheese. It was the first thing I ate all day, but was totally justified, since it was 1pm 🙂

Afterwards, I strolled down to Open Door Shop, which I tried to visit last weekend, but it’s closed on Sundays…I bought the sweetest pineapple bowl for all of my future soirees I plan on having…

Open Door is on Line Street and at an end of King Street (the main shopping street) that I never frequent. So as I was thinking I should turn back and go home, I spied a sign saying “Antiques”. Well, nothing bad ever happened at an antiques shop, right? I figured it would be worth it to find out. And I’m glad I did.

The kind ladies at Antiques and Interiors Market on King told me about a great Happy Hour event going on mid-October, where all of the design shops on one end of King will be having wine and cheese in the evening. As my cousin, Margot, would say, “Doin’ it!”

Here are some of the treasures there:

I imagine this fab antique chest with clean lined lamps and a modern mirror or colorful piece of art, to keep it from looking too “museum-y”
Can you imagine this with all white dishes like these from Open Door? Or some family heirloom china?
That bow in a preppy little girls room? Kind of Kate Spade, right? I imagined that chair reupholstered in a fun floral fabric with the frame painted a high gloss white 🙂 I just loved those ram candle sconces. I would seriously consider getting them wired and having maybe modern bulbs put in like these options. My imagination really does run away with me, but that’s the fun in antique shopping. You get to imagine that every piece has a great story, like this basket, which maybe held sweetgrass for baskets! And although that dining table seems a little country, it was such a cute size for a small apartment. Yes, just a new fabric, but keep the carved wood. Talk about a Throne!

And finally, 2 sweet cherubs that looked like they just needed to be loved 🙂

To my delight, an architectural salvage store called Encore was right next door!

Seriously, my grandmother has one of these in her basement and I totally called dibs on it (not that anyone was really fighting for it anyway…) It belonged to her grandfather and I like that it has some family history. These were going for $650! I would have loved somethign like this for my bedroom in Philadelphia. But at $1,600, it didn’t look like it was going to happen… And THIS little fellow! His human mother went into the back room and he patiently waited by the door. I tried to talk to him, and even requested that he trot over to me, so I could pet him. This was the response I got. No eye contact. As if he just pretended I wasn’t there, I’d go away! A shy guy 🙂

Next, I walked to Circa Lighting with features some realllllly beautiful fixtures at prices just as big as their chandeliers… Loved how they added more storage space by installing these sliding barn door displays!

I hope you had fun “shopping” with me!

Hanging Out At…Magnolia’s

September 2, 2016September 2, 2016Leave a comment

A few nights ago, I took myself out to a fancy dinner at one of my favorite restaurants anywhere, Magnolia’s. This may be the best meal I have ever had. I ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast the last time we visited and I have been craving it ever since! Here it is in all of its glory…fried amazingness, corn, mashed potatoes, 2 mini biscuits, collard greens (made exclusively for them by a local with a secret recipe, which is INCREDIBLE!)

And for dessert? Southern Pecan Pie 🙂 And, yes, it was just as good as it looks!

Obviously, I wanted to get fancy for fun, so, here’s what I wore:

I recently got this from Banana Republic. It was on clearance for $75ish AND I had a $25 gift card, so I ended up paying about $50 for this fab dress! Click here, here, here, and here for similar styles!

❤

Hanging Out At…Quirk Hotel

August 27, 2016August 27, 2016Leave a comment

I split my Southern journey into 2 parts.

Part 1 took me on a 5 1/2 hour drive to Richmond, Virginia, where I spent the night at the FABULOUS Quirk Hotel. This was generously made possible by Iron Man’s loving parents. So I have to give a shout out to them! E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about this place was customized, down to the pale pink ice bucket:

I originally heard of Quirk Hotel a few weeks ago when YoungHouseLove posted their photo on Instagram:

I didn’t read the caption, only the location, which I quickly investigated, since I was trying to plan my route to SC. Lucky for me, my route ran RIGHT THROUGH Richmond! Fast forward a few days, and I was lounging on the beach in Long Beach Island, NJ and reading the September issue of House Beautiful (I don’t usually buy magazines…) While reading the cover story, I realized that it featured the Quirk Hotel owner’s home on the cover! Had I read YHL’s caption, I would have known this, but after seeing all of these instances come together, I took it as a sign that it was meant to be!

Check out my photos from my glorious stay 🙂

Lobby:

That beautiful “tapestry” is made of discarded coffee lids. Some of which still have coffee stains on them…

Maple & Pine Restaurant/Lounge:

I had the Ms. Crenshaw cocktail and the Roasted Chicken Breast. This was anything but boring-the pesto was amazing! And although the portion looks small on the plate, it was definitely filling and really, really good.

The Courtyard:

This may have been my favorite place! I would have sat out here with a book much longer if I didn’t have to drive 6+ hours the next day.

Outdoor Rooftop Deck:

My Room! I actually stayed in 301, but it was easier to take the photo of the door across from my room 🙂

Basement Elevator Lobby:

My only regret is that I didn’t check out the Quirk Gallery when I first checked in. I was so tired from driving! By the time I realized that it might be closing soon, it was closed. It didn’t reopen until 10 and I headed out at 9am. Lucky for me, I can order from the online store if necessary 🙂

Bottom Line: If you get the chance to travel to Richmond, then stay here

Happy Travels!

Hanging Out At…Terrain at Styers

February 27, 2016February 27, 20162 Comments

I realized that I have been checking out some cool places lately. So I’ve made a new category for all of my posts documenting the fun places where we can “hang out” at together!

I have been wanting to visit Terrain at Styers for a long time now. It’s owned by Urban Outfitters, so you KNOW it’s going to be amazing…Finally, I had my opportunity to get myself out there, so last weekend, I took myself on a nice brunch date there 🙂

First, I strolled around the greenhouses and outdoor areas:

The mantle with the greenery was such a sweet idea to bring some character to a weathered shed.The smell of a wood burning fire was so welcoming on this warm winter day. It stayed in my hair for hours after I left! And then I checked out the little Mushroom House: It was being set up for a private gathering later that day. A woman was setting up in there, so I could only snap a few clandestine shots before I snuck out of there 🙂

Then, it was off to the cafe! Again, sly photography-but you can see the beverage bar area made of what looked to be wood boxes. S0 garden-y…Even the way they used the white birch branches inside of a “house frame” was theme-y in a good way. It felt like a whimsical bird house!

Once I was at my table, I enjoyed the gnomey rustic-ness of the dining area. I was a little disappointed when I tried to order my meal. I asked them to substitute potato hash and bacon with apple fritters (obviously), and they got themselves into a kerfluffle just trying to figure out how they were going to do that. And when my meal came out, it was missing the hash browns and sausage, but came with bacon. Not too big of a deal, but the waitress said nicely, “Usually, we charge extra for custom orders, but since we’re not busy, we’ll make an exception”…When I read their menu, bacon, sausage, and apple fritters were all the same cost, so I’m not sure who it cost them more, but anyway…I ordered their Breakfast Board, which was 2 overlays eggs, a petite salad, 2 pieces of challah toast, bacon, and my apple fritters 🙂 I also got a cherry vanilla homemade soda. I splurged a little bit on my calories, so sue me…Loved the wood slice plate that it was served on, and the receipt came in this sweet vintage kite book. Overall, my waitress was nice, the food was good, and the atmosphere divine. Next, I visited their shop. Which was stunning. In fact, I was so inspired, that I created a whole model apartment concept after this polished rustic look for work…

Finally, I crept around the wedding pavilion.I did think that the ceremony spot looked a bit weathered, and I hoped for the spring brides’ sake, that they would repaint the structure…but right across the brick paved walkway was the reception area…Luckily for me, they were setting up for a celebration, so I got to see it in all of its glory. That is one lucky couple. It was gorg!

Overall, I thought it was beautiful! I have to say, I am REALLY looking forward to going back in the spring (which is mere weeks away!) when more flora is blooming. An updated post may follow…

I hope you liked tagging along with me on my weekend adventure 🙂

The Huntress Blog

Category: Hanging Out At…