Lauren and Jen's Excellent Adventure - Drayton Hall

Yes, I know....I'm a little slow in getting to these. My initial intention was to be finished weeks ago, but...not so much. There are a LOT of photos to get through.

So, this is a continuation of our first day "in" Charleston. In the morning we visited Middleton Place, and in the afternoon we visited DRAYTON HALL. It was one of my favorite places from the trip. What I love about this plantation is that it is preserved (not restored) from the date the Trust received it from the Drayton Family in 1974. Yes, of course there were updates up until 1974 to make it liveable, but it hasn't been changed since then. There was never a modern kitchen installed, nor central heating, electricity, or running water. We did go on a house tour with a guide, and I found it all fascinating!

We drove onto the grounds and I almost immediately slammed on the brakes so I could photograph this guy greeting us. He was pretty non-plussed about it all.


I borrowed Jen's fish-eye for this shot:


I took a ton of details shots, but I won't bore you with them all. However, isn't the woodwork incredible?





 

My other hobby. Ok....obsession

Making these wrapped cord bracelets is such a relaxing way to spend some time. I've been beading for a couple of years now....but so far these have been my favorite thing to make. I must have a dozen of them (or more) now....pretty much one to go with just about any outfit.

So I don't really need more, but I can't stop ;) Brett says I should start selling them...LOL. However, I not sure that I want to turn a hobby into a job. I did that once before with photography!

Anyhow, here are a few of the most recent ones I've made. These square beads (called Tila) are new to me, and I really like the look a lot!



This one I made with just random beads left over from other projects. It doesn't "sit up" nicely for photographs, but it looks good on, trust me ;)





Love this one, so light and bright...perfect for the summer!



Another made with leftover beads of varying sizes. I'm not a huge fan of the button I used though, so I may end up taking it apart and redoing it with a different button:



I get compliments on this one nearly every time I wear it. It's subtle, but I sprinkled in a few Swarovski crystals here and there to give it just a little sparkle:



I adore these stones. I can't recall what they are, but they are so pretty in real life!



Ok, last one ;)