I’m not quite done telling you about our South Carolina adventure! After we left Beaufort, our next stop was Bluffton, and the Inn at Palmetto Bluff. Y’all, this place is magical. It’s 20,000+ acres of natural, wild beauty set on the May River marshes and interspersed with small pockets of exquisite luxury. We visited for just about 25 hours, but we packed in absolutely as much as we could! I don’t think I’m going to give you the hour by hour recap, but I did want to tell you about a few highlights. One of our favorites? The treehouse!

Isn’t that cool??

In my opinion, what sets a truly luxury resort or hotel apart from just an expensive one is two things:

1) A luxury resort has not just impeccable, but truly friendly and gracious service. No one is snooty, and no question or request is dumb.
2) They also remember to incorporate whimsy. Sometimes this takes the form of a special, unexpected treat, sometimes it’s a purely decorative detail, and sometimes — sometimes, it’s a tree house.

I love that the Inn didn’t forget its youngest, and young at heart, visitors! John and I had a great time exploring this three-story beauty. It had a ramp, a slide, several ladders, winding stairs, several balconies, and an incredible view at the top. AND it had a mini zip line! (Yes, yes we did try it out.)

The tree house was built into a huge old live oak, and the coolest part is that at no point does the tree house structure actually touch the tree – it’s held up by entirely by secondary supports, helping to ensure that the tree will remain healthy for many years. Like everything at the Palmetto Bluff, the tree house was both beautiful and thoughtful!

P.S. More tree houses

Ladies (and gents – I know you are out there), I have lately been hearing the call to accessorize. The most recent nudge was seeing this article featuring the adorable ladies of Ritzy Bee, but really, this has been going on for at least a few weeks.

Abby Jiu

Oh, hello, most stylish people ever. Also, I would like Ms Kelly’s hair, please and thank you.

I have never been a shoe person, and I have really never been a jewelry person. I wear my engagement ring, pearl studs, a silver link bracelet, and a Dogeared necklace day in and day out, without fail. (In fact, I sleep in everything but the earrings.) Yes, I have a few necklaces hanging in my closet, and a few earrings and bracelets in a bowl in the bathroom, but we’re talking very few. And they’re all pretty much neutral pieces. My clothing budget is so tiny that allocating money on accessories always seemed like kind of a waste to me.

But THEN. I bought a belt. A fairly simple, fairly wide, caramel-colored leather belt. From Old Navy, of all places! I bought this belt kind of on a whim, after I pinned a particular outfit on Pinterest that featured a similar piece. And ladies, the ability this belt has to make an outfit feel put together is nothing short of incredible. White v-neck tee, greige shorts, and Jack Rogers? Basic. White v-neck tee, greige shorts, Jack Rogers, and belt? Instantly super stylish (at least in my easy-to-impress opinion). I don’t know what it is, but it’s sure changed my thinking on accessories. Also bold color and tunic-style tops – see below for evidence:

Clockwise from top left: Trina Turk Suzette dress ($248), from What She Wore 365, Boden Long Island top ($78, but I got it for 15% off and free shipping by Googling for a coupon code – whoo!), Rikshaw Design Classic Kurta ($70), Trina Turk Brecita blouse ($228), Kate Spade Kati cardigan ($298)

Sorry about that, y’all – I don’t usually like to dangle so many expensive and awesome things in front of your (our) eyes, but I couldn’t help myself.

And unfortunately, my budget has not changed alongside my thinking, so the truth is that in all likelihood I will end up purchasing maybe one of the picks below. But I had fun dreaming, and perhaps one piece below will be just what you’ve been looking for to put some pep in your step! I hope so!

A. Kendra Scott Allison earrings ($65), B. Kate Spade bangle ($128), C. Design Darling studs ($32), D. Kendra Scott Cassie bracelet ($130), E. Kendra Scott Carly earrings ($55), F. Trina Turk Sao Paulo sandal ($165), G. Target enamel bangle ($18), H. J.Crew Tessellate necklace ($85), I. Target gold and coral bamboo bracelet set ($14), J. Bridier Baubles Campbell Chandelier earrings ($23), K. Target Gold Square enamel bracelet ($15), L. Target enamel bracelet ($15), M. J.Crew Classic link bracelet ($88)

Tell me: If you could only pick one piece from this post to add to your wardrobe, which one would it be? I am having a VERY hard time choosing between the link bracelet and the coral and turquoise studs…

Such fun to have my cupcake flags included in this bridal shower inspiration shoot! A big thank you to Sarah Tucker for asking me to take part. You can see the full feature and all of the vendor credits on The Everygirl right here!

Photos by Naomi Chokr, styling by Sarah Tucker Events

P.S. If you’d like to order your own cupcake flags, I have sets of 25, 50, and 100 available in the shop right now, or you can convo me to request a custom number!

You know how sometimes you enter a store, and you just want to live there? That’s how I felt about Lowcountry Produce, the market and cafe we visited while in Beaufort. To me, everything about this place was just perfect. To start with, the interior design decisions were spot on, including but not limited to the beautiful green trim, the pendant lights, the black Tolix stools, the soaring ceiling, and the marbled white and gray subway tile.

Then, of course, there’s what they actually sell: fresh produce (naturally), delicious-sounding local and organic goods, and the most perfect selection of entertaining accoutrements. And by perfect selection, I mean it was like someone got in my head and chose exactly the cocktail napkins and serving pieces I would have chosen for myself if I was having an exceptionally good day of aesthetic judgement.

Lowcountry Produce is also a cafe, and we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of homemade donuts and fresh-squeezed orange juice with the sun pouring in those tall windows. John pretty much had to pry me off my stool when it was time to leave.

If you’re in Beaufort, SC, or Lobeco, SC, I would highly recommend a visit to Lowcountry Produce!

P.S. While in Beaufort, we also ate at Wren and Panini’s, and enjoyed both!