This week marks the official start to the fall season and it is the perfect time to update your home!  Whether you wish to simply add an accessory or completely redesign a space, we highly recommend visiting SummerHouse, a gorgeous interior design showroom in Ridgeland.  SummerHouse says, "With over 6900 square feet of light filled, airy showroom space, our style is classic, clean and never fussy.  Timeless...but always so - now."  The SummerHouse staff is friendly, talented and always a delight!

Today we are thrilled to share SummerHouse's Inspirational Interior Board for Fall.  Neutral colors, cozy furs, gorgeous textiles, rich leather and natural accessories will surely add warmth to any home.  

For more information on SummerHouse, visit their beautiful website here!  

A special thank you to Adam + Alli Photography for capturing these pieces so perfectly!  Visit their website here! 

The legendary B.B. King was born on September 16, 1925.  Inspiration Mississippi Magazine proudly named Mr. King the Most Inspirational Mississippian in our 2016 publication.  In honor of his birthday, we are thrilled to share incredible artwork of Mr. King by H.C. Porter and an inspiring article with you today! 

He was a tremendous talent.  With a beautiful roar in his voice and fingers that effortlessly slid along his beloved guitar strings, Riley B “B.B.” King became one of the most influential artists in the world.   For decades, The King of the Blues tirelessly charmed fans.  Each night, B.B. King would sit down, lean back, tap his toes, and begin to play. His music could set your soul on fire.

The Mississippi native picked cotton as a child, and had a warm and gentle spirit.  Orphaned at a young age, King was raised by his maternal grandmother.  He taught himself to play guitar, and strummed the Blues on the street corners of Indianola.  He was like an old friend,” reflects Allan Hammons, who serves on the Board of Directors of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola.  “I think that served him well through life.”

Mr. King’s Blues are riveting.  You can sense pain, sorrow, and joy wrapped into one song.  “He was a tremendously talented musician, a gifted singer and phenomenal guitar player.  Eric Clapton once called him ‘The Grand Master,’” recalls Hammons.  “I became very fond of Mr. King.  Once you met him, you felt like you had known him forever.  He was so down to earth it is almost hard to describe.  The only thing I knew greater than his talent was his humility.” 

Hammons met King in 2007, while building the B.B. King Museum.  One particular memory stands out in Hammons’ mind.  He and Mr. King were riding along with a few friends, listening to Riding With the King, a record featuring duets with Eric Clapton. “It dawned on me.  We were actually riding with the King,” Hammons laughs.  “When I asked everyone what we were doing, they all seemed confused.  I said, ‘Come on, we are riding with the King.’  B.B. fell out laughing with a big old belly laugh,” reflects Hammons.  “He was just one of us, and he liked it that way.”  

“I don’t think there is a more humble person you will ever meet,” reflects attorney and friend, Carver Randle.  Randle was born in Indianola in 1942, and spent much of his childhood fascinated with Mr. King, watching him getting in and out of his car.  The two finally met in 1978 and quickly became friends.  “He warmly related to his audience from the stage, but individually, he was even more down to earth.  Having a coke or meal with him, you got the impression that he was a tremendous man with a very pleasing personality, who could relate to anyone.” 

Carver had an experience with Mr. King that left him in tears.  “We went down to Bossier City to see him perform.  I went backstage and said hello, but when the show started, I took my seat in the audience with my wife and family.  Mr. King came out and started his concert, but all of a sudden, he completely stopped the band and stared out at the sea of fans.  He spoke into the microphone, and said his lawyer was here from his hometown.  He asked me to come down front, shook my hand, said a few words, and asked the people to give me an applause,” marvels Carver.  “Here I was admiring him, and this world-renowned man stopped his show and asked people to give me a hand.  I sat back down and could not control my sobbing.  It was truly the dearest moment I have ever experienced.”  The audience erupted in a thunderous applause, seeing how highly King regarded Carver.  He sweetly says, “That moment stays with me.  That is just the kind of person he was.” 

King won 15 Grammy awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a Kennedy Center Honor.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and granted a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.  Even with his extraordinary success, King never saw himself as a celebrity.  He could not fathom that people actually loved listening to his music. 

Dion Brown served as the past Executive Director of the B.B. King Museum, and came to the job without knowing King.  However, Brown quickly viewed King as family.  “He was a father to all of us,” smiles Brown. 

For over three decades, King returned to Indianola and gave a homecoming concert for his adoring fans.  “One year, he played for Homecoming, then gave a private concert at the museum.  Then Mr. King went to a club and played until 2:30am.  Instead of leaving, he shook every hand of those 300 fans in the audience, and had a personal conversation with each person.  Who else does that?” says Brown.  “It was so important for him to give back to his community. Everybody who met Mr. King had a great story.”

Mr. King passed into eternity just months shy of his 90th birthday, but he leaves behind an incredible legacy.  “He has inspired me tremendously.  My attitude, disposition and outlook on life are similar to his.  No matter where I go or what I accomplish, I will always try to be like B.B.,” says Randle.

Brown concurs.  “To be in the business as long as he was, you cannot find anything negative about him.  That is a testament to his character.  I miss him.  I miss his friendship.  I really and truly miss him.  Just like the world does.” 


{Artwork by H.C. Porter.  See more of H.C. Porter's incredible Blues @ Home series here!  Article by Mitchell Walters} 

{Name}  Lindsay Martin-Nez / Daughter: Kylie Martin-Nez
{Event Site} St. Paul Catholic Church – Flowood, MS
Reception following at our house

{Tell us about the occasion for the event?} We were especially excited to celebrate Kylie’s baptism because we knew it was an occasion that would bring our entire family together.   I grew up in Buffalo, NY and my family is spread out all over the country.  Jason, my husband, grew up in Vicksburg, MS so his family is mostly in Mississippi and Louisiana.  It’s a rare occasion that we get all of his family and all of mine together in the same place at the same time so we wanted to make it an extra special day.

{What’s your favorite event detail? Is there a story behind it?}
My favorite detail of the entire event is Kylie’s dress.  I wanted to create a special dress that had been previously worn by me (or one of our family members) and I knew my wedding dress would be perfect!  I reached out to Fashion Post in Jackson and worked with them to come up with a design that would be age appropriate but still pay homage to the look and feel of my original dress. 

I loved that she had a miniature version of my wedding dress on her special day!  I also loved that we were able to incorporate other details of my wedding look in her outfit.  For example, we affixed my hairpiece to the waistline of her dress for a little extra flair.  And she wore my garter as a headband. It really turned out perfectly and she looked absolutely precious!

{What was your favorite moment of the event day?}
My favorite part of the event was having everyone together to celebrate Kylie.  She is an incredible blessing to us and having our entire family, and God, together to share our love for her was truly amazing.

{Your favorite picture from the event day?}
My favorite picture is the one of me helping her put her dress on.  There’s a very similar picture from my wedding day where my mother was helping me into my wedding dress and I think it was so special to get to share that moment with Kylie.  (Of course I think I was a lot more patient putting my dress on than Kylie was for me!)

Vendors:
Baptism photos by friend Dana Wilson
Wedding photos :  Chao Photography (March 2013)
Florist and Catering: Fresh Cut Catering and Floral
Cookies: Cuppycakes and Cookies by Josie
Custom Gown: Fashion Post
Church: St. Paul Catholic Church

Are you dreaming of building a custom home?  Imagine working with a warm, intelligent and humble builder, who will guide you through the entire process.  Nick Bradshaw, the impressive owner of Iron Point Construction, designs innovative, functional and exceptionally beautiful homes.  

"Building a home CAN be a daunting task for sure, especially with no direction," admits Nick.  "Iron Point can make it easy and enjoyable by providing information to the client from the beginning to end and 'hand-holding' them along the way.  One of the most important things Iron Point does is ideally to meet early on with the client to provide clarity on the various things that need to happen to begin their dream home.  Some of these discussion points would be initial design wants, bank funding process, and budgets."


Taking the first step toward building your family's perfect home might seem intimidating.  We asked Nick to share his expert advice on how to get started building your dream home.  We are thrilled to share his tips today:

~ Start earlier than whatever you are thinking if you want to build a custom home!

~ One of the first things that needs to happen is a meeting with the bank to discuss loan options and financing approvals.

~ We all like a good price, but remember the old saying, you get what you pay for.

~ When looking at or drawing up house plans, always start smaller - it is MUCH easier to add on than to take away.

~ When selecting an architect and builder, you should feel at ease with them as you will more than likely have a lot of interaction with them and need to feel comfortable.

~ If you feel very anxious about making design decisions within your home, it may be beneficial to look at hiring an interior designer to help in this realm. The amount of stress relief may be well worth the money.

~ Use a media source like Houzz or Pinterest to stockpile pictures of "looks" or designs you would like to implement in your house.

~ Talk to multiple builders, architects, designers to get a feel for who you gel with.

Thank you, Nick, for your wonderful advice!  To learn more about Iron Point Construction, please visit their website here.  Photos courtesy of Iron Point Construction.

It's time to drape your little ones in princess gowns, glitter and tiaras!  Imagine a whimsical afternoon, filled with tea, live princesses and ballet dancers.  The annual Once Upon A Fairytale:  A Mother Daughter Princess Tea will take place on Sunday, October 9 at The South Warehouse in downtown Jackson.  

Presented by Ergon, Exmark and Regional Enterprises, this precious tea party is sure to delight any little girl!  More importantly, it will help raise money for Eagle’s Nest Children’s Home in Guatemala, giving its residents the extraordinary opportunity to attend school.

Jenny Blount, founder of Once Upon A Fairytale, says, “I have always had a special place in my heart for adoption.  God used adoption to build our family and it has been one of the biggest blessings in my life.”  After adopting her precious child, Blount realized the great need to care for children in countries where adoptions are not possible.  “International adoptions are closed in Guatemala, so in most cases, the children at Eagle’s Next will live there until they turn eighteen.  A solid education is incredibly valuable in preparing them for adulthood.”  She smiles, “The goal of our event is to raise enough money to send every child at Eagle’s Nest to school for an entire year!”

At this year’s magical event, tiny guests will have the opportunity to mingle with ten live fairytale princesses, sip tea and lemonade and enjoy a three course afternoon tea menu provided by Fresh Cut Catering.  Ballet Magnificat! will dazzle the crowd with beautiful choreography, and the Followell FOTOBOOTH will be on hand snapping “mommy and me” photos! 

What a perfectly magical afternoon for you and your favorite little princess! Tickets are $25 per person, and seatings will be at 1:00p and 4:00pm.  For more information on this sweet event, please visit www.fairytaleprincesstea.com