Let Me Show YOU more ANTIQUE Wrought IRONWORK from Charleston, SC

Here we go with more shots I took of antique wrought iron work from downtown historic Charleston, South Carolina. I took a little more close up pictures of some of this, and some full shots of gates and railings. The ironwork is such a staple here in Charleston, it is a element that men and women both like in their gardens and encircling their homes.

I believe there are feminine and masculine garden elements, plants, and even styles. Ironwork is one of those masculine elements , representing strength , fortitude and uppermost security.

It looks it's best with draping vines or greenery peeking through it...softening it some.

Psy. 101 lesson on masculine and feminine elements in your garden by a surely shady source...my own ever deducing brain.

Take it or leave it for what it's worth.

Ok, let me show you around hot and humid Charleston...

Upper balcony railing balustrade or balcony.

Always peeking in, that's me.

I loved this old timey bicycle behind this front entarnce gate.

I believe I showed this in my last post with the shadows, but I love it so much I'm making you look again.

I worked a bit for this shot. See the gorgeous. draping Spanish moss on the trees ? It was a hot, but beautiful morning when I was walking around that day. 90 degrees.
190 % humidity.

These were some pictures of some large gates to a bed and breakfast that I like to sneak back and look at the garden. I remember these shots, because I stopped to take a gulp of water from my plastic water bottle...and it made that silly crunchy noise that I believe cheaper water bottles make, very loud...and a man sitting under a  patio jumped reading his paper beside me.

Tough tiddlywinks for him, as I had to go back and see this garden again...and I was thirsty.
We all need someone to wake us up now and then.

 Problem was for Mrs. Tough-T...many people were back there enjoying their breakfast still...so I retreated and left them to listen to the birds and drink their coffee.

Out past the man I scared earlier and back to hunt down more ironwork.

 These photos were all taken off the Battery by the way. The really, REALLY expensive area of town.
Anywhere is pretty pricey in downtown Charleston though.

My beloved blue plumbago peeking through some iron. Feminine, masculine elements in perfect harmony.

A porch railing.

Very Victorian don't you think ?

Outside of a church.

More hearts.

What a stunningly artistic shot ! I really like this one.

Hey...see the heart at the very top ?

All of this old ironwork makes these gardens complete...I also like vintage woodwork around gardens. Picket fences are terribly charming.

I just realized this is too long of a post, so I will do another one tomorrow with the last of the ironwork , some statuary and some more of Charleston, SC.

At present, I need to go finish cleaning up around here and preparing a Father's Day dinner for my dad and my husband. For all you cooks and chefs out there that include recipes in their blogs....I am not going to include a recipe, as I know you all know how to make this meal.

But I will tell you my simple menu for the dinner:

Father's Day Dinner

Grilled marinated Italian

chicken ( I'm always the griller-barbecuer lady here )

Strawberry-spinach and pecan salad

Homemade potato salad made last nite and chillin'

Chocolate cake for dessert

( courtesy of my oldest beloved daughter )

Sounds good right ?

Happy Father's day to you men , bless you and your families,

Gina

" Therefore if any man be in Christ , he is a new creature ; old things are passed away ; behold, all things are new. " 2 Corinthians 5:17

Wrought IRON Shadows from CHARLESTON, South Carolina

We went to Charleston , SC...one of my very favorite places in the world, if you have followed my blog before. If you are a newer follower, a warm welcome. Or a hot one as it was 95 degrees in Charleston , a city with possibly the highest humidity on the face of the planet. I was in an artsy type of mood , melancholy...contemplating -my- life type of mood for the last few days ( wait, make that a good couple of decades ), but it is more profound of late.

That in turn has caused Mrs. Profound-over-thinker to notice even more than I already notice, which is too much for my own good.

But here , I will show you the shadows of some gorgeous, heavy, chunky antique wrought iron gates and ironwork I noticed reflecting  on the ground in the early morning sunlight of Charleston.

I hope you enjoy these pictures...

 I love the heart in this gate. I saw many hearts in gates here...once I stopped and looked at them more carefully.

 See...lovely shadows.

Artwork outlines courtesy of God and His sunshine.

I will throw in this shadow on a sidewalk that I was walking down, I loved the crape myrtles draping heavy with their blossoms, creating outlines for anyone who could truly notice. That morning I walked was full of birds singing , clip-clopping of horses hooves from the carriages that give tours, and lots of going around construction crews renovating homes.

I did not have my headphones on this time, as I had to bring water it was so hot, and I had my camera and key as well.

A gal only has some many hands right ?

The evening before I got caught in a torrential downpour about a mile from the hotel, with way too much to carry and to get damaged if they got wet.
I went under someone's porch for awhile, but did not want to appear to be a vagrant...a wet vagrant...so I made my way out into the rain again.

I looked like a drowned rat when I walked back to the hotel.

So this time, I edited my carry-on items for my walk.
Not in case of rain...simply to make my walk lighter.

That afforded me the added benefit of Charleston's own daily sounds.

Nice.

 The sun started to get too high overhead, which meant time was passing and I had to head back to our hotel.

 Here is me and my love-bug  later, getting ready to go out for some dinner at a restaurant that had a live jazz band , and then off to walk around Charleston at dusk at the water park. It was still 95 degrees at 6:30 PM.

Our son's favorite thing at this hotel was racing up the elevator to beat me, who always takes the stairs here, to get to the room first.

I won 90 % of the time . Only because it was only 1 flight of steps up, and he had to wait frantically pushing elevator buttons, the joy children derive from elevator buttons !

I have more entries I will post with many more pictures of wrought iron accents , and some gardens and miscellaneous shots around Charleston.

More later,

Gina

 "Be still, and know that I am GOD. " Psalm 46:10

14 Ways to Make YOUR Home Look Like a CHARLESTON , SC Home

I am a Charleston, South Carolina lover. I live close to Charleston, so have been able to visit quite often and take lots of photos of yards, gardens and outside of private homes there. In this short guide I will show you what I have deduced that will be fourteen SUREFIRE ways to make your home more like an authentic historic Charleston style home for the New Year.

All of these elements can be reproduced in your own yard and on the outside of your own home.

Let's start:

No. 1: Wrought iron fencing surrounding home and garden.

One of the biggest defining characteristics of Charleston is their wrought iron fencing and gates. Most are painted black. 

 No. 2: Cement fountains or cast iron fountains in the FRONT yards.

Most of these are inside round cement basins like this one. 

Backyard , grand fountain, painted black

No. 3:

Large cement planters all almost all painted black, if not black then left natural and aged by the elements.  But predominately black.

Just like the door.

 

No. 4:

Clipped boxwoods and small hedges with meandering paths.

 

Geometric designs with many knot gardens.

No. 5:

Black WOOD ( not wood composite ) shutters. Some of these are painted dark green ( Charleston green ), which is almost black it is so dark.

No.6:

Brass doorknocker for your door. Most doorknockers here are lions, they are usually not polished, leaving the old , natural patina is best here.

No. 7: 

Brick pathways all around the homes, to me the biggest indicator of a Charleston style home. Try to get old brick if you can, or brick that looks beat up a little, new brick does not look as authentic. Also try NOT to make your paths perfectly straight and perfect ( I have no problem with this ), as most of the paths are a little ' off' , which makes them more charming.

No. 8:

Thick, heavy wrought iron gates, even if you have wood fencing around your home, if you can put a wrought iron gate at the entrance of your garden or yard, it gives it an authentic Charleston look.

 

No. 9:

Large wood ( not composite fiberglass wood ), doors painted black.

Also a natural wood stained door was popular, but not as much as the black doors. 

 

No. 10:

Climbing ivy and topiary , ivy was rambling up many steps, brick walls , doorways.

Up the steps, very common here.

No 11:

I love these authentic Charleston benches. Wood and wrought iron, no aluminum here. These are a must !

No. 12:

Window boxes with overflowing flowers. Most are wood, painted black, some are wrought iron. Anything will help your home look like a Charleston home, wood is just the original ones here.

 

No. 13:

Original , old cement statuary, beat up  looking is the best way to go here. Not too many in your garden, just sprinkled about and usually you want them to be in the same theme ( Victorian, angels, cherubs, animals, women, etc. ).

No. 14:

You'll need a dog , of any breed, lounging either on your front porch or through your wrought iron fencing. I swear most residents in Charleston have dogs !

My youngest daughter petting a spoiled one here.

See, told you.

Please check my archives in September and October especially where I have many more photos of homes and gardens in downtown historic Charleston, SC.

Blessings to you,

Gina

" ...And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. " 1 Corinthians 13:13