Southern Lady March/April 2020

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Phyllis Hoffman DePiano EDITOR Lisa Frederick MANAGING EDITOR Marie Baxley ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley Shaw ASSISTANT EDITOR Elizabeth Bonner Czapski SENIOR COPY EDITOR Rhonda Lee Lother COPY EDITORS Meg Lundberg, Barbara McCarthy EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Dorothy Walton CREATIVE DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHY Mac Jamieson SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER John O’Hagan PHOTOGRAPHERS Jim Bathie, William Dickey, Nicole Du Bois, Stephanie Welbourne Steele CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Marcy Black Simpson SENIOR DIGITAL IMAGING SPECIALIST Delisa McDaniel DIGITAL IMAGING SPECIALIST Clark Densmore GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR Deanna Rippy Gardner SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Tracy Wood-Franklin CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Judy Jamieson SENIOR STYLIST Sidney Bragiel STYLISTS Caroline Blum, Courtni Bodiford, Lucy Finney, Mary Beth Jones, Melissa Smith TEST KITCHEN DIRECTOR Irene Yeh FOOD STYLISTS/RECIPE DEVELOPERS Laura Crandall, Kathleen Kanen, Tricia Manzanero, Vanessa Rocchio, Elizabeth Stringer, Taylor Franklin Wann ASSISTANT FOOD STYLIST/RECIPE DEVELOPER Anita Simpson Spain CONTRIBUTING RECIPE…

There is nothing shy about a Southern springtime! This most gorgeous of seasons fairly explodes with sights, scents, and sounds, from brilliant azaleas and crisp white dogwoods to the gentle chirp of finches and chickadees. I especially love Easter time, which in childhood meant a pretty new dress, baskets of goodies, and rejoicing in favorite hymns at church. Our Easter egg hunt on page 81 makes me smile—it calls to mind the joy of looking for eggs as a little girl and, years later, watching my boys and my grandchildren carry on the tradition. Between baby showers, bridal luncheons, and impromptu porch parties, celebrations abound throughout the season. In addition to the egg hunt, our special entertaining section in this issue includes a floral-inspired fête with friends on page 63…

BLOOMING INTO LIFE Spring in the South is short and sweet, so when it arrives, I’m ready to make the most of it. Despite the abundant occasions and warm-weather escapes this time of year—more on those in a moment—I treasure the simple joys of home above all: snipping daffodils from the backyard to bring inside; potting a new crop of herbs; basking in the first mild days on the porch. Perfection! In Texas, there’s extra cause for celebration as the state's glorious bluebonnet season is upon us, and I am enjoying it vicariously through our piece on these blossoming beauties (page 13). The region where they flourish is tailor-made for a leisurely road trip, with stops in bustling Austin and smaller towns like Fredericksburg and Marble Falls. Be sure to…

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? WE’D LOVE TO SEE—TAG US IN YOUR PHOTOS! Get a glimpse of the beautiful images our social media friends have shared with us, capturing their own inspiration from the pages of Southern Lady. Top row: Arranging seasonal tablescapes is a creative outlet for @un.de.once. Landscapes come to life in the spring, and blooms offer inviting curb appeal in this shot by @gdouglasadamsphotography. Apple-green notes add intrigue to @haintitpretty’s outdoor table. Middle row: Patterned chairbacks are almost as alluring as @mrssouthernsocial's stunning Easter place settings. As @modernmeetsfarmhouse reminds us, flowers aren’t just for centerpieces and look striking on a lattice-top pie. Bottom row: Pink and green are a cheerful sight in @vintageandgrace’s picture from St. Augustine, Florida. Hydrangeas and a weathered bench invite passersby to linger in this…

While the old adage of stopping to smell the roses rings ever true, this time of year flower aficionados follow the scintillating perfume of the Lone Star State’s most prized—and photogenic—bloom, the bluebonnet. “People are fascinated with them,” says Kim Winkler, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce in Burnet, the official Bluebonnet Capital of Texas. “It’s just the fields of blue that are breathtaking.” Every spring, thousands of visitors flock to the Highland Lakes region, distinguished for the area’s pristine lakes, to glimpse the rolling countryside swathed in the state flower. These blue-violet beauties take their name from the shape of their sunbonnet-shaped petals. Easily visible as you drive along scenic byways winding northwest of Austin, bluebonnets blanket the Texas Hill Country landscape between mid-March and mid-April when they…

Let these fashionably dainty eggs proclaim the Easter season on your tabletop, nestled in moss beneath a spectacular floral array of midnight purple stock, deep pink tulips, and mauve lisianthus. Speckled faux varieties are encircled with lacy ribbons, tiny flowers, and other accoutrements affixed with a hot glue gun. Scatter them upon a crisp linen or under the blooms atop a wire pedestal reminiscent of a white wicker basket. Just beware young fingers that might mistakenly pluck them up amid the joy of an egg hunt!…