Mud & Magnolias March 2020

Mud&Magnolias October.2020 November 2013 March

HOME & GARDEN

Spring Recipes•2020 Home Trends•The Farmstead•T. Puterbaugh Gill Pottery

CONTENTS

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53 60 20

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RECIPES

For this issue, we focused on light flavors mixed with classic favorites. These foods are the perfect way to welcome spring!

T. PUTERBAUGH GILL

Originally, he was studying to be a dentist, but one art class changed his mind. Now, he’s a renowned potter.

DIY MACRAME HANGER

Nothing says spring quite like plants. These pot hangers are the perfect way to upgrade hanging pots, whether inside or out.

ALSO:

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FROM THE GROUND UP

When Julie Douglas and her husband downsized, she knew exactly who to call: Her friend and interior decorator, Robin Waldrip. Read about both of their homes: Waldrip’s style is a collection of pieces that all tell a story, and Douglas’ home is all about the beach.

THE FARMSTEAD

An event venue, a flower and vegetable farm, practically a cooking school and a retreat getaway – The Farmstead in Oxford offers a little bit of everything.

LIGHTING

Whether you’re starting a new build or just thinking of an upgrade, it’s crucial not to overlook the importance of good light fixtures. We chatted with the experts at J. Britt Lighting & Interiors to bring you everything you need to know.

March 2020 ON THE COVER

A lemon poppy seed cake with candied lemon peel coils and a sweet lemon buttercream frosting.

Check out this month’s DIY at mudandmag.com.

GARDENING WITH SMITH’S NURSERY

DEWITT HARRISON: LOBLOLLY WOODSHOP

2020 HOME TRENDS

DIY: SPRING CLEANING // FOLDING

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A

ll the rain we have had lately makes me long for spring. The idea of finally shedding the sweaters and boots for t-shirts and flip flops puts a big smile on my face. There’s nothing better than riding around town with the windows down that first warm day of the year.

My family’s spring includes lots of baseball at Swayze Field, sitting outside playing with bubbles and sidewalk chalk on the driveway until the sun sets, and cooking on the grill. I hope I can add some of the delicious recipes, like the Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs on page 23 or the Bumbleberry Pie on page 20, to our menu.

For some people, I know spring means working in the yard and gardening. While I wasn’t blessed with a green thumb, I admire people who have that talent. Smith’s Nursery shared some great gardening tips with us (page 34), and I hope to try some some of their suggestions in my own yard. If you’d rather purchase your flowers straight from the source, The Farmstead (page 53) offers a variety of beautiful options.

However you enjoy the sunshine and spring, I hope we are able offer you some helpful tips to make it the best yet.

1242 S Green St. Tupelo, MS 38804 662.842.2611

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sarah Brooke Bishop

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lindsay Pace Kristina Domitrovich Robyn Jackson

FEATURED SALES CONSULTANTS Leigh Knox June Phillips Nick Boone Angie Quarles Darla Webb Teresa McDonald Shelley Ozbirn

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ginna Parsons

subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a monthly publication of Journal, Inc.

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RECIPES

Spring servings

Spring unifies. The season brings new life, long-awaited warmth and an abundance of fresh produce to share. And in Mississippi, we can’t get enough of the things that bring us together. We’re celebrating spring with bright, fresh recipes, perfect for a casual weekend gathering with friends.

Green Spring Pasta Salad recipe on pg. 20

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RECIPES

Peach Frosé

recipe on pg. 20

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RECIPES

Bumbleberry Pie recipe on pg. 20

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RECIPES

Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs recipe on pg. 23

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RECIPES

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake recipe on pg. 23

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RECIPES

Broccoli Salad recipe on pg. 23

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RECIPES GREEN SPRING PASTA SALAD

PEACH FROSÉ

BUMBLEBERRY PIE

Ingredients: 1 pound Fusilli pasta 1/3 cup sunflower seeds 2 medium zucchini 1 1/2 cups spinach 1 bunch asparagus 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 8 ounces feta Olive oil

Ingredients: 1 bottle rosé 1/4 cup sugar 5 yellow peaches 2 1/2 ounces lemon juice 2 cups ice

Ingredients: For the crust 2 1/2 cups AP flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, chilled and cubed 7-9 tablespoons ice cold water

Directions: Pour rosé into a 9x13 baking dish, and place in the freezer for four hours, or until it’s nearly frozen (it will not freeze completely due to the alcohol content).

Wash peaches and remove pits, cut into quarters; set aside two quarters for later. In a blender, combine all ingredients except for reserved peaches, and blend until smooth.

Pour in hurricane glasses, and garnish with a peach slice.

For the filling 3 cups strawberries 1 cup raspberries 1 cup blueberries 1 cup blackberries 2 apples 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup AP flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Dressing 1 large lemon, juiced 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt Directions: Rinse all vegetables. Cut zucchini into medallions and the asparagus in half. Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing for one minute. Add sunflower seeds to a dry medium-sized pan on medium heat, and toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring until evenly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside. Begin cooking pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is cooked, drain all water, add to a large bowl; place rinsed spinach on top of the still-warm pasta. In a medium pan, drizzle olive oil, and add asparagus, garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté on medium-high heat until fork tender, about 5 minutes, and transfer to the pasta bowl. Add more olive oil to the pan, then evenly spread zucchini medallions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on high heat for about 3 minutes on each side, or until light charring occurs. Transfer to pasta bowl.

In the pasta bowl, add sunflower seeds, feta and dressing, and mix until evenly dispersed.

Serve warm or chilled.

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Directions: In a food processor, pulse together flour, salt, sugar and butter. Gradually add in ice water, until a dough forms. Gather into a ball, divide into two equal parts, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare the filling. Wash all berries, and remove any stems. In a large bowl, combine cored and diced strawberries, and halved raspberries and blackberries. Peel, core and cube apples. Add lemon juice, cinnamon and vanilla, followed by flour, salt and sugar. Stir until well combined, and set aside. Roll out half of the pie dough to fit one nine-inch pie dish. Add filling. Roll out the remaining crust to top the pie as desired. If using a solid sheet of pie dough instead of a design, be sure to cut slits to ventilate the pie. Mix egg and water together, and brush pie crust with egg wash; sprinkle with sugar. Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.

THE ONLINE VOICE OF BUSINESSS

THRIVE.MS

RECIPES BLOODY MARY DEVILED EGGS

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

BROCCOLI SALAD

Ingredients: 1 dozen eggs 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon mustard, heaping 1/8 teaspoon celery salt 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon chili powder Tabasco sauce, to taste

Ingredients: 2 cups AP flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 2/3 cup olive oil 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Ingredients: 3 heads of broccoli 3/4 cup craisins 1 8-ounce block of cheddar cheese, cubed 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Topping Baby dill pickles, sliced 3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning Directions: In a large pot, cover the eggs with water and place on high heat. When boiling, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath.

Peel eggs, slice in half, and extract the hard yolks. Use a zester or a very fine grater to grate the yolks into a small bowl. If there are egg white halves with excessive impurities from peeling, grate them in with the yolks.

Add mayonnaise, mustard, tomato paste, and all spices, combine with a fork. Add Tabasco sauce to taste. On a plate, pour Old Bay seasoning; dip open-facing egg white halves. Pipe yolk filling into each egg half.

Garnish with a slice of baby dill pickle.

Lemon Buttercream 4 sticks butter, room temperature 1 1/2 lemons, juiced and zested 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 8-10 cups powdered sugar Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 9-inch circular cake pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and poppy seeds, and stir until just combined. By hand or using a mixer, combine eggs, olive oil, vanilla, sour cream and lemon juice. Combine wet and dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.

Divide batter among pans, and bake for 2530 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack. Using a mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add in salt, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, and beat until combined. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Decorate as desired, and top with candied lemon peel.

Dressing 1 cup greek yogurt 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 2 tablespoons honey 1 large lemon, juiced Directions: In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing until combined. Wash and cut broccoli into small florets. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, craisins, almonds, sunflower seeds and dressing. Toss until evenly coated. M

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by GINNA PARSONS photos by LINDSAY PACE

T. Puterbaugh Gill

I

n the late 1970s, George Terry Gill was a pre-dentistry student at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

He was starting his senior year when he decided to take a pottery class.

And he got hooked. In fact, he got so hooked, he switched his major to art.

“That first semester, the teacher took me aside and said, ‘You know, you can do this for a living. You’re very disciplined. And you’re very good at it.’”

The teacher was right.

Gill has been making his living as a potter in Red Banks, Mississippi, for 40 years.

“I use T. Puterbaugh Gill as my artist name,” Gill said. “Puterbaugh was my mother’s maiden name. My grandfather had no sons, so I wanted to carry on his name.”

Gill and his wife, Diane, also an artist, moved to a little house in Red Banks next to the post office in 1985.

They practiced their art together for 26 years, until her death eight years ago.

“We met at an art show in Nashville, Tennessee,” said Gill, 63. “After we married, we picked the best art shows to show and sell our work, from Buffalo, New York, to Tampa, Florida, to Tempe and Tucson, Arizona. We did that until about 1993, then we started tapering off.”

In college, Gill wanted to learn to throw on a wheel because that’s what he’d seen potters do when his family would travel every October to Silver Dollar City in Missouri.

“Wheel throwing wasn’t taught right at first so I taught myself to throw at night,” he said. “I would go throw before a big test and it would relax me. I was still taking organic chemistry, physics and calculus because I was still in pre-dentistry at that point. At the end of the semester, we had to turn in five finished pieces for a grade. I had, like, 130 pieces.”

Next, Gill got into making unique pottery wind chimes. He’d take impressions of faces from old statues and add chimes to the bottom.

“I kind of had a following with the wind chimes,” he said. “I kept them at art shows because they’d draw a lot of attention to my booth. Wherever I was doing a show – Houma, Louisiana, or Little Rock, Arkansas, or Rome, Georgia – I’d take an impression of a statue if I saw one I liked.”

When the Gills were about to have the first of their four children, he decided he needed to get off the road and be at home more. He told Diane he wanted to start wholesaling his pottery. She told him he needed to pray about it.

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So he did.

And then one day, there was a knock on his door in Red Banks and it was Paul House, the silent partner of John Simmons, who had a gift store chain in Memphis.

“He said, ‘I’ve been looking at your stuff for two years now. Let me ask you a question. What do you want out of life?’”

Gill told House he wanted to start wholesaling so he and Diane could homeschool their kids. House placed an order for $1,600 worth of pottery pieces.

“I started selling to him, but what I didn’t know was that shops all over the area went to John Simmons to see what was new and hot,” Gill said. “Within nine months, I had a waiting list of shops wanting to sell my stuff. Since then, I’ve never had to contact anybody. They all contact me.”

Today, he supplies 17 shops in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. In Mississippi, the shops that carry his wares are Mississippi Madness in Oxford, Ginger’s in Corinth, Jennie’s Flowers and Gifts in Holly Springs, the North Mississippi Medical Center’s Auxiliary Gift and Floral Shop in Tupelo, the Paisley Pineapple in Olive Branch and the Pineapple Shop in Blue Mountain.

He used to ship his products to stores, but after Hurricane Katrina hit, the cost to ship sky-rocketed, so he started delivering pieces in person.

“I really enjoy that,” he said. “I like the drive. I’ve become friends with shop owners. I’m not just a piece of paper with a name on it.”

He does miss selling his pottery at art shows – he does still show at the Memphis Potters Guild show – because of all the good feedback that’s available.

“Shows are (a) good way to bounce new ideas off people,” he said. “I can tell by

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Opening page: Gill fashions clay on the wheel. Previous page: Many of his pieces are intricately designed, such as this platter.

This page, clockwise from top: Bowls decorate the patio of his pottery studio; Gill sits beside his pottery wheel; Vases show a blend of paint-like colors, a trademark of his work.

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their reaction if they like something or not. You have to keep changing what you make to attract new customers.”

Gill works six days a week in a little three-room shop behind his house. The front of the shop is the showroom, and he also has a space where he mixes and stores clay, and a room where he throws on his wheel. A separate building houses six kilns for firing the pottery.

“I go through 2,000 pounds of clay every month and a half,” he said. “I probably throw 250 to 300 pieces a month.”

Popular pieces include his loving cup, friendship bowl and thank you bowl.

He also makes soup bowls, mugs, plates, platters, vases, covered soup tureens, covered casseroles and little whatnot bowls. Everything is safe for the dishwasher, microwave and oven. Prices range from $3 for a small bowl up to about $225.

“I’m not getting rich, but I make a good living,” Gill said. “I don’t have set hours.

I work until I get tired. I may get up at 5 in the morning and get started, but take off at 2. At some level, I think I’ll do this until I die. But I don’t want to always have to work this hard.” M

This page: Many of Gill’s pieces, like the vases and mugs shown here, are standard, since they are sold at various gift stores. Despite this, visitors can always expect to see something new and creative.

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Diy: Macrame Hanger Check out this month’s video to make yours by visiting mudandmag.com. M

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GARDENING

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

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mith’s Nursery in Saltillo is celebrating its 10th year of being in business. Founded in February of 2010, this nursery focuses on setting its customers up for success: Answering any questions, making sure its customers know the best care for their plants, etc. Now with a local following, they have started delving into the world of education. By offering classes, they’re showing that different gardening techniques can be mastered by anyone, and that everyone can, in fact, garden.

Owner Bill Smith said many nurseries are steering toward this new mentality of fostering a love for gardening, and he couldn’t be happier about it. For him, he has found great satisfaction by opening the world of gardening to anyone who is interested. Kimberly Courtney often leads the classes, like her gnome gardening class that utilizes a lot of succulents, or the pot arranging class, which is focused on teaching which plants will bode well together. Not too long ago, Courtney said she knew nothing about plants and gardening. Initially, she fell in love with gardening because of how therapeutic she found it; she said she loves watching the plants grow, and is surprised everyday when she learns something new.

Gardening Guide for Northeast Mississippi: Late Winter

Deadhead and trim trees like crepe myrtles before it gets too warm and they start taking their sap back up into the limbs; don’t trim or deadhead bushes until after the first frost.

Fertilize for the first time of the year. Apply pre-emergent treatments before the first sign of any growth to reduce weeds later on.

Early Spring

Start planting trees, like fruit trees, so they can get their required chill hours. Begin watching for any sign of insects, especially on new growth.

Late Spring / Early Summer

Think about replacing mulch (especially if it is in a bed with crepe myrtles or roses that have any black spots), followed by a systemic drench.

Summer

Apply fertilizer to trees once more. Plants, especially those in containers, are going to need watering every day.

Fall

Begin winterization: Do not fertilize; continuously remove dying leaves and water until the first freeze.

Smith and Courtney said it’s best to water plants in the morning, as opposed to late afternoon/evening. This way, the soil has a chance to dry out slightly, which Smith said is better for the plant than waterlogging and it helps avoid fungus issues.

“I love to plant late winter through the spring, that way stuff gets its roots established before we get into that summer drought that always happens late summer,” Smith said.

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For those with killer instincts — a.k.a. without a green thumb: Smith said it’s easy for beginners to go into gardening with high hopes – they plant a massive vegetable garden, multiple indoor plants – the whole shebang. However, he said when the summer’s heat finally hits and those outdoor plants need to be watered every day, it can be so easy to let them die out in the sun instead. But, by starting moderately, either with indoor or outdoor plants, he said people are far more likely to see it through. Just a few potted tomato plants on a back porch are the perfect starting point, especially for people who have young children.

Smith said it’s really fun for the kids to watch a plant grow, and eventually be able to eat the fruit of their labor.

Container size plays a huge role on a plant’s success rate. “Some people fall so much in love with the container itself that it sometimes is the wrong container for a plant,” Courtney said. “If there’s no drainage, then you have no release for that extra water, so you’re looking at fungus or root rot because of the water that it’s holding inside the pot with the roots.”

Courtney said that if a plant is showing signs of mold, it’s likely best to repot.

Smith and Courtney both agreed that the first step in gardening is picking the plant. They said gardening can be as easy or as complicated as one wants to make it, as some plants are very fickle, while others are as close to indestructible as a plant can get (looking at you, succulents). These plants are low maintenance and can withstand the summer heat without needing a lot of care, yet can usually last inside during the winter, too.

Courtney said that tropical plants, while usually just an annual in the Mississippi climate, are also great starting points.

Container size is key: “Those roots just form one huge mass in those pots,” Smith said on root-bound plants.

“There’s not enough soil for the water, so when you water, the water runs right through and it doesn’t really have the chance to soak it up.”

If a plant doesn’t look great, talk to your local growers to see if there is a solution. “When they start looking bad, that doesn’t mean throw them in the Dumpster: you can baby them a bit and get them looking pretty again,” Smith said. M

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A Household

of Faith

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

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W

hen Robin Waldrip and her husband Ken first toured the Saltillo lakeside home in 2015, there was one moment when she knew “we’re supposed to do this.” Written in the concrete, by the backdoor, read, “Welcome, Holy Spirit.” For her, that was all she needed. They put their house in Tupelo on the market, and placed an offer on the house.

With Ken away on business, Waldrip came back to take another look and meet with its then owners, the Browns. The Browns told Waldrip about opening their home up to people, using it for a house church, hosting weekly Bible studies; they prayed over her. That day, they handed her the keys. The Waldrips had not closed on the house yet, and they hadn’t received any offers on their Tupelo home yet either; but the Browns had faith that she was “the person for this house.”

That same day, they told her they can “‘Just tear it up; do whatever you want to do,’” she remembered.

The house was empty — except for a card table — so with the Browns’ blessing and their current house still on the market, they started renovating the home. Waldrip couldn’t believe how crazy it all seemed.

“We came into their house that was still theirs, and started tearing out walls and the kitchen. So yeah, they put a lot of trust in us because we definitely devalued it before we added value,” she said, laughing.

The renovations took about a year and a half; all the while, the Waldrip’s Tupelo home didn’t budge.

“I was thinking, ‘Our house isn’t going to sell, and now we need to fix this up and give it back to the Browns so they can sell it.’ It was just kind of a panic, and I wrote verses on all the walls,” she said. She remembers thinking about the story of Lazarus, keeping faith even up until the last minute. “So I was like, ‘OK, it’s just not going to happen, but I’m just going

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Previous page: A seating area in the master bedroom overlooking the backyard and lake; This spread clockwise, starting bottom left: Waldrip’s breakfast nook houses a table with a bench and settee on either side for seating, set with blue and white dishware; White plates surround a mirror-finished sconce light in the corner of the breakfast nook; The kitchen is white with stainless steel accents and appiances; Waldrip has photos of family surrounding her and Ken’s wedding date on the laundry room’s door; the kitchen island has shelves on the side for conveniently storing cookbooks.

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to keep on praying that it does.’”

The day the Waldrips said “no more” and took their house off the market, the Realtor called with a couple wanting to take a look.

They were doubtful and thought to themselves it would be another pointless peek, but in the end, that couple bought it.

“It was down to the wire,” she said.

The Waldrips made a slew of changes. The outside brick used to be painted yellow; the backyard was overgrown; there was no patio or pool; they expanded, turning the carport into another room; overhauled the kitchen; removed all the popcorn from the ceiling themselves. They knocked down walls – walls that were covered in three layers of wallpaper, like the rest of the house. She said it was like looking back at the decades.

“The last layer was hunter green and a maroon, so I’m thinking maybe they stopped in the late ‘80s,” she said laughing. “But before that, it was pink and light blue.”

Originally, the master bedroom was what is now the guest bedroom; but the couple realized they wanted their bedroom to overlook the lake, so it was back to the drawing board. From upgrading her closet to overhauling the master bathroom, she put a lot of thought into what’s coming down the road. Knowing this is their retirement home, they planned ahead: She insisted the shower be walk-in, just in case wheelchairs come into play later on.

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They moved into the home in 2016. After just two months of living there and having completed the remodel, Waldrip said something was missing.

Their old home, which was quite old, had a lot of height and majesty. She missed that height, so the couple installed a skylight with beams.

As far as furnishings, she likes to tell people that every piece in her eclectic collection has a story. She said they didn’t buy anything for their new home, they just moved it all in from their last one. In one of the guestrooms, the furniture is the same that used to be in her childhood room. There are paintings all over the home; some were commissioned, some were gifts. One painting hangs in the living room, and was commissioned when their youngest left for college. It is an empty nest, but resembles a crown of thorns. Another is a painting of the chapel at First Methodist in Tupelo, where she and two of her close friends met every Wednesday for 24 years.

Commonalities throughout her home are bold Oriental rugs, metallic and mirrored pieces, natural elements and her favorite colors like teal and aqua.

For her, their home serves a purpose and needs to be functional.

“We just use it a lot, we literally open it up a lot,” she said. “I think it’s pretty, but it’s really just comfortable.”

When she met with the Browns, they spoke to her about their faith and how the home had fostered that faith in others; the Waldrips clung to that, and have since hosted “a zillion” Bible studies and a singles’ group from their church.

The two met at Auburn University, where they both studied, and have been married for 38 years. While their home is seemingly a large design project to take on, she wasn’t worried — she’s done it all before.

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Previous page: The master suite features two mirrored nightstands, gold accents and blue sconces; The master bathroom vanities have mirrored surfaces with a circular window above the sink, and a walk-in shower; This spread clockwise starting on the bottom left: Waldrip sits in one of the armchairs in her livingroom; A painting gifted to Waldrip when her daughter, the youngest, left for college – an empty nest meant to resemble a crown of thorns; The ottomon in the livingroom was once a table that Waldrip had reupholstered when they moved into the home; Blue and white plates add a halo effect to a lamp on a bedside table in one of the two guestrooms.

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This spread clockwise, starting bottom right: The Douglas house features an open floorplan with wooden beams; Remi is the couple’s 3-year-old Golden Retriever who calmly waits for her mother at the door when she gets the mail each day; The master bedroom has nuetral linens – Douglas’ favorite style – and will soon have a reading nook equipped with a bed, which Waldrip suggested would be the perfect place for eventual grandchildren to sleep; Coffee table and side table decorations feature wooden elements and beach themes; The under-the-stairs shelving nook was an afterthought to the home’s original design, and displays McCarty Pottery pieces; The kitchen island has a large piece of marble that reminds Douglas of the beach, and has three hidden storage drawers where the kickboard is.

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At Auburn, one of Waldrip’s areas of study was interior furnishings and equipment. At night, she doodles floor plans and exterior designs.

She designed a home for their family from the ground up; when she had her son she did not want to work every day, but instead liked to have a schedule she could control. So, when people approached her about designing their homes from the ground up, too, it all lined up perfectly for her to start a business designing homes.

When Julie Douglas and her husband Jay looked into downsizing their home as their two sons were going off to college, they knew exactly who to call: Robin Waldrip. She and Waldrip have been close friends for more than 25 years, and Waldrip actually designed the Douglas’ last home, too.

For that one, the Douglas’ son really wanted a secret room, and Waldrip was able to include one in the floor plan.

“She found a place for the things that were important to us,” Douglas said. “Things that I wouldn’t have thought about, she thinks about.”

For their current home, Waldrip brought Douglas a few mockups, and she really liked different aspects of two sketches. They took the plans to an architect, who mashed the favorite pieces together, and got started on the build.

Douglas was born in Gulfport and spent her summers there with her grandparents. Each year, family vacations and trips are spent somewhere on a beach.

“I guess it just becomes part of you,” she said.

To no one’s surprise, the beach is her favorite place; naturally, she wanted to bring those elements into her home. So, with Waldrip’s help, she did. The two took a trip to Memphis, and as they were looking at countertop options, one slab stuck out. For Douglas, it was the perfect swirling of colors to remind her of the beach. Douglas and Waldrip joked that the rest of the house was essentially designed around that one slab for the kitchen’s island.

Light, clean colors with a lot of neutrals are what Douglas naturally prefers, so Waldrip leaned into it.

“The most incredible thing about her is color — she is so good,” Douglas said of Waldrip. “There’s nobody better with color.”

When Douglas was visiting the beach and shopping for a couch fabric, she FaceTimed Waldrip to get her opinion, and she knew exactly what color would work best. Waldrip picked other colors for the home, too, like the walls, shutters and doors. From light fixtures and fans, helping direct furniture and décor on move-in day, Waldrip is hands-on with her business to ensure her clients have their version of their perfect home.

The floor plan is incredibly open, which is what Douglas loves. She

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Clockwise starting at the left: One of the two matching armchairs in the livingroom, both can be swiveled; The painting above the table is an interpretation of the Mississippi Coast; On the livingroom’s coffee table sits a five-gallon glass jug with a string of oyster shells.

said she loves when her boys are home or she hosts guests, and she can still be a part of the conversation, even if she’s cooking in the kitchen while they’re in the living room.

For Douglas, family is important, and that’s why most of the wall décor in the her home is family photos instead of art.

“I’d rather see the pictures of my boys’ faces and the memories that those hold instead of just plain artwork,” Douglas said. M

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Sugar Magnolia 1919 University Ave., Oxford, MS 662-234-6330

The Farmstead on Woodson Ridge

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

Tucked away off of County Road 2086 is “Oxford’s best-kept secret.” A flower farm, vegetable patch, soon-to-be beehive, and retreat sanctuary, The Farmstead on Woodson Ridge has a little bit of everything.

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irca 2005, the 130-acre plot that is now known as The Farmstead was nothing more than a cattle ranch, a “gash in the earth covered in kudzu,” remembered Katherine Sharp, 25.

Her parents, Sandy and Anne Sharp, purchased the property in 2005. With her father’s “gift for vision,” the ranch has been overhauled into a blooming, nearly self-sufficient community.

“We just need a grocery store and a post office and we’d be set. Maybe I need to open up a little general store,” joked Susan Tullos, who serves as the venue’s event coordinator and property manager.

STAY FOR A WHILE Sharp and Tullos live on The Farmstead full time, along with four other residents. With 14 cottages and plans to grow that number up to 33 in coming years, there’s plenty of room to spare for visitors, so they rent. With renting in mind from the beginning, each cottage was designed to include lockout floor plans to accommodate multiple separate parties. A whole cottage includes three queen and two king beds, along with full amenities, like a kitchen and a back porch equipped for an evening of fun, like watching sporting events.

These cottages-for-rent were designed by Anne Sharp, who loves patterns and colors.

Some designed cottages were bought “box, stock and barrel” according to Tullos, but a few residents have purchased their cottages and brought their own designing elements and furniture; some residents have chosen to build their own. For those wanting to reside on The Farmstead in their own cottage, there is a Homeowners’ Association with outdoor requirements, but the inside is customizable.

But the vision for this rentable hiatus didn’t come to fruition until the first cottage was built in 2012. Before that time, the Sharps spent time curating the image Sandy had in mind.

That image has always been a big picture, but is still detail-oriented.

“He’s told me before he loves it because it’s hilly, yet it’s flat – it gives you some terrain to look at and admire the beauty. And with the flower farm and the vegetables and then all the lakes, they’re placed just right,” Tullos said. “I mean, he put a lot of effort into plotting out each lot per se for all the cottages, so they all could have a pretty view.”

Working his magic, albeit a patient process that looked to the long game, The Farmstead

A variety of flowers bloom annually at the Farmstead, and many are placed into Mason jars for selling.

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got kicked off with overhauling the barn. In it, a full kitchen equipped for a caterer’s needs, knowing events would come further down the road. In the meantime, renowned chef Elizabeth Heiskell and her husband were Farmstead residents, and she used the kitchen for her catering business. Later, a vegetable garden came into play, too.

“Everything has thought behind it. He’s kind of a magician in that way,” Sharp said. “I don’t know how he sees it, but he sees it and it works. It works.”

From there, it all snowballed. Sharp, who broke the mold her brother and father had set by attending Ole Miss, graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South.

With a perfect patch of land, she decided to try her hand at farming, “with the possibility of who knows what.”

“Because my parents were vegetable farmers, I started the flowers here to see if I liked farming with the flower farm,” she said. “I loved farming, I loved Oxford, and the flowers were going to be something I could support myself with.”

The flowers play perfectly into the long-term vision for The Farmstead, adding to the landscape. With “woodies” like curly and pussy willows, limelight hydrangeas, forsythias and snowball viburnum, the goal is to have “little orchards of woodies” scattered about, in addition to the annuals like zinnias – Sharp’s favorite flower, and the type she grows the most of – snapdragons and sunflowers.

All in all, there are about 300 woodies planted, and closer to 30 different flower varieties. Without greenhouses on the property, Sharp plants many flowers from seed, but she will also reach out to local growers to acquire transplant trays of different varieties. Each year, her seed list grows longer and longer.

“There’s great satisfaction in planting a seed in the ground, and watching it grow, and it’s wonderful to do that,” Shaep said. “It’s truly, it’s very rewarding. And I think anybody who plants for the first time will see how rewarding it is.”

With an ever-growing list of flowers and demand, she

has to have her helpers. Each season, she hires a staff of about five workers, usually Ole Miss students. She trains them carefully, and is most particular when it comes to picking the flowers for buyers. Her market is spread out, mainly florists and grocers in Memphis and Birmingham; locally, she sells to Oxford florists and farmers markets.

Through the years and growing her business, she has learned the old farming adage rings true: If you’re farming you’re not selling, and if you’re selling you’re not farming. This year, she was excited to hire a driver to transport the goods to and from her markets. This way, she can get back to more of what she loves: farming and flower arrangements. Most notably, she arranges bouquets for retail on the self-serve honor cart.

“The self-serve was born out of a community that would make it work, and the community

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Previous page, from top: The Farmstead offers comfortable lodging; An open dining area encourages community between guests. This page: One of the full-time resident’s cottage, a bedroom suite is decorated in blue; adjacent to the dining room is an open bar.

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This page, clockwise from top: Tullos and Sharp rest in one of the suites on site; A stocked, inset bookshelf decorates the living room; Flowers grow together in the field.

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proved it: it totally works,” she said.

The concept is simple: Sales are based on the honor of the customer. The stand houses the bouquets in Mason jars with water. Attached to the stand is a lockbox, where visitors can pay for a bouquet they would like to take home. Located in the alleyway by Uptown Coffee, Sharp stocks the cart every day from mid-May up until the first frost.

Other than bringing “something bright and pretty to look at” on the Square, The Farmstead is more than willing to share their views with visitors. Aside from offering the gardens up to bridal parties for photos, Tullos said they open up The Farmstead to the community regularly, on specified days. One of their more regular visitors are gardening clubs, whose members come to make a floral bouquet and stay for lunch at the kitchen.

In addition to open-visiting days, The Farmstead hosts a slew of other events and retreats for people to come experience. Tullos and Sharp both agreed that a huge hit is the cooking classes. Featuring local chefs and some bigger names, The Farmstead offers classes ranging from macaron lessons, threeclass series delving into Cajun cuisine, and BBQ lessons with national champion pitmaster Rod Gray. Aside from that, they also host corporate and artist retreats. At The Farmstead, everything can be customized, and the options are limitless.

“It’s a create-your-own adventure out here,” Tullos said. M

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Lighting

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

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. Britt Lighting and Interiors has been on Tupelo’s business scene for more than 15 years. We sat down and chatted with Connie Vandiver, a lighting specialist trained by the American Lighting Association, to learn the first steps in your home’s lighting – whether it’s an upgrade or starting from scratch with a new build.

What to know going into it Surprisingly, good lighting involves a lot of math. It’s important to know the dimensions of the room before even considering light, as there is a formula to determine how large of a fixture is needed, along with how much light is needed.

Lamps, explained “Everybody has a different style,” Vandiver said. “They’re wanting rustic to very dressy – some gold, some gold with concrete.”

While lamps are all about personal preferences, a lamp should serve as accent lighting – never a main light source.

Lampshades come in all shapes, sizes, colors and textures. One thing to keep in mind about lamps: The “guts” should never be showing. The solution? Get a taller lampshade, or simply get a different harp (the piece that attaches the shade to the lamp)

Think about the long game

Sure, LED bulbs may tout that they won’t need changing for 20-some-odd years, but Vandiver said no one knows for sure, because LEDs are so new in the field. She suggests taking the following into consideration when choosing fixtures: Who will be changing it? Who will be dusting it? Does it require a ladder to reach it, and can a ladder be used in that space (think: stairwells)?

Trending looks

Forego a ceiling fan in the bedroom, and opt for a fixture and a wall-mounted fan instead.

However, if choosing a fan for say a large living room, go big or go home.

“You used to only do the average 52-inch – I’ve done several lately where they’re doing 72 to 102 inch,” Vandiver said.

Vandiver said she is seeing more clients opting for sconce lights on either side of a mirror instead of overhead (or over-mirror) lighting.

This prevents accenting dark circles and shadows, and instead fills the face with better lighting.

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“The big style right now is to just do something unexpected that really looks good, but is unexpected,” Vandiver said.

watts

The amount of energy a bulb uses.

lumens A measurement for the amount of light emitted (brightness).

kelvin

The warmth of a bulb’s color. Typical indoor lighting is 2,700k - 3,000k, which is a warm-soft white; anything below runs the risk of appearing orange, and anything above may seem blue. M

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DEWITT HARRISON: LOBLOLLY WOODSHOP

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

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hen visiting his home, it’s hard to imagine that at one point in his life, Dewitt Harrison didn’t enjoy woodworking. In fact, he came rather close to hating it. His father built houses for years, and as Harrison puts it, he was a bit of a perfectionist; so when he was growing up, he said working on projects with his dad was too torturous of a task to be enjoyable. About 25 years ago, that feeling changed.

“He’s hard to work with – he’s such a perfectionist,” he said. “Growing up, I didn’t like doing that. But now, now I enjoy it. We work together a good bit now.”

His house, which Harrison began building with his father in 1997, started off as a weekend retreat. He and his wife, Kathy, were living in Corinth with their two daughters. The cabin was built in the couple’s hometown, Coffeeville, directly behind Kathy’s parents’ place. Originally, the cabin wasn’t all that large: it had a kitchen, a living area, and enough rooms for their family.

After completing their home, they eventually moved in 2007. In the next two years, he added on the next addition – more

bedrooms and a large living area with a custom entertainment piece. He rearranged the first portion of the home to make it all flow: changed a bedroom into a dining room, swapped a window for a door. Later, he built his woodshop, too.

Though he just retired in April of 2019, the 56-year-old has already found he needs to keep himself busy.

“If I sit still I get so bored,” he said. “If I’m not doing something I’ll go nuts.”

He worked for a gas pipeline company for 27 years, and said it was a pretty fast-paced gig. Though a self-proclaimed busybody, Harrison said as long as he has a project he can tinker with for two or three days each week, that’s enough to keep him occupied.

“I don’t want to work every day doing it, but I like staying busy,” he said.

Two outdoor chairs, which Harrison makes by tracing and cutting patterns on planks of wood, takes him about a day and a half.

He built their home, his garage, the outdoor furniture, the kitchen cabinets, the entertainment center, birdhouses – he does a little bit of everything. Aside from

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“I like to do a lot of work with recycled wood.”

Previous spread: Harrison built his workshop from scratch; He often builds porch swings for clients. This page, counterclockwise from top: Adirondack chairs are a frequent project of Harrison’s, and he often paints them; Tools hang in his shop; Harrison built an entertainment center for he and his wife’s home.

He built their kitchen cabinets, too.

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his own home, his daughters probably have the second-largest collection of his work, as he makes several pieces for them.

As far as commissions, he does a little bit of everything for those, too. Harrison said his customers will often bring him two photos, say they like different elements from each, and he will “mash” the two together.

From dining tables, outdoor chairs, benches, baby cribs and outdoor side tables with coolers in them, it all seems fairly cut and dry, but each piece keeps practicality in mind. For his grandson, he crafted a toy chest with a sliding tray inside to keep the small toys at the top of the box, instead of getting lost in the mayhem at the bottom.

However, there are a few outliers and oddball requests. He’s crafted chicken tractors, cabinets for hatchlings, and a possum pin – a pin his daughter uses to

rehabilitate possums.

As far as materials, Harrison says he has about everything he could need in terms of equipment. He loves to recycle wood. While he’ll get pine, cedar, cypress, or other specific woods from local lumber mills, he tries to use planks from old barns, furniture, or whatever else he can get his hands on.

Maybe it’s because of his tinkering nature, but he personally prefers painted furniture over stained. He joked that stain is more fickle, so paint is easier to work with; but mostly he said he gets tired of looking at the same thing, so he likes having the option to repaint various pieces.

“Measure about five or six times, and then cut once,” he said, sitting in his kitchen surrounded by the cabinets he built – currently painted white. M

Counterclockwise from top: Harrison works in his shop cutting wood; This side table, which Harrison built, doubles as a cooler. The antique lid lifts to reveal a cool place for drinks; This tray is a smaller project of Harrison’s, and it sits on his porch between two chairs he crafted.

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BUYER ’S GUIDE

2020 home trends

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

I don’t think I have to tell anyone this, but the world we’re living in is a pretty crazy place. Because of that, it’s important to have a place to call home; and that place needs to feel like, well, an actual home. These safe havens are nothing to knock on, and should be a place of comfort and relaxation. Luckily, design trends are startng to curve that way in 2020.

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Touch everything

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it one hundred times: 2020 is the year of the tassel.

While you’re at it, pay special attention to collecting varying textures.

Focus on bringing wooden elements into your home. Pair it with a lot of live greenery and a few metallic accents, and you’re par for the course.

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Bring the outside in, and make it shiny

Out with the drab, bring in the fab To replace neutrals, in stomps an array of colors like earthy and jewel tones (particularly blues like navy). You may think these colors are too bold to be a new neutral; well, hold your hats, it’s about to get crazy: Go for a bold monochromatic look. I’m talking a bright sofa with matching walls. Do something crazy. With accent walls on their way out (if you like a bold color enough to paint one of the walls, why not splash it on all four), daringly dive into the bold look.

And that reminds me, what lived-in home has karate-chopped pillows? A chopped pillow is a punch-in-the-gut reminder of past thoughts that designs can be seen but not touched and enjoyed. A pillow should be welcoming and comforting, not a static, cold-shoulder reminder that a home is not in fact a home, but a design floor instead.

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Ease into your safe haven 2020 focuses on lived-in features; an on-trend home no longer has to look like a museum. That means you can bring down that box of memories from the attic to find your perfect balance of new and old – personal touches that tell a story about you, where you’ve been and your personality/preferences. This lends way to the accepting of maximalism.

Opposite to minimalism, maximalism capitalizes on the collection of things.

Think: bold colors, bold shapes and styles, and “more is more.” Having a tastefully “cluttered” bookshelf or coffee table is no longer something to scoff at. So long as the items are a collection of well-curated things, these little clumps of fun items should be in the clear. M

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Tidying Up With Marie Kondo

by LINDSAY PACE You’re probably familiar with Marie Kondo. She’s known for her books and Netflix series on tidying. Her method relies not on minimizing items, but on keeping only the things which spark joy. Once finished tidying, it’s important to fold clothes in a way that maximizes drawer space and visual interest, creating calm, happy dressers. We’ll teach you!

Head to mudandmagnolias.com for the video.

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TIDYING TIP #1:

TIDYING TIP #2:

TIDYING TIP #3:

Note which clothes spark your joy.

Before you can organize your closet, you must declutter it.

Prepare to fold clothes by laying them on a flat surface, like a bed or floor. Smooth them out—you’ll fold them origami-style.

Once clothes are folded, they should sit straight in a drawer. They’ll be filed like paper, so you can appreciate the items you love.