Experience: Derby Days at The Mint Museum

Derby Days, an annual event hosted by the Young Affiliates of the Mint Museum brings together young professionals outfitted in seersucker and big hats to celebrate the Kentucky Derby. The event has been named  "Best Party for Young Socials" by SouthPark Magazine and takes place at the Mint Museum Randolph. This is one event that should not be missed, it is not your average gathering! Just imagine, the landscape of the beautiful Mint Museum and the many guests watching the "most exciting two minutes in sports", enjoying a live band, food and drinks from local restaurants--and to put the mint in the julep--all these extras are included in your ticket price! Did someone say all-inclusive?! Love that!

There will also be a silent auction featuring everything from jewelry to fly-fishing. In addition, if you are feeling lucky there will be a raffle where you can try your hand at picking the winning horse of the race.

Bzzz: Be sure to purchase your ticket to this fun event this week, as tickets will not be sold at the door.

source: derbydayscharlotte.com

HoneeBee Quote

Drew Barrymore likes to give goodies from eco-friendly company, Essential Oils (EO) to family and friends.

Drew Barrymore

source: thefrisky.com

Mother's Day Gifts: Show Mama some Love

Mother's Day is coming up and you do not want to be caught out there with no gift for your Mom.  That would not go well! She is that special someone who deserves to be treated well...every day and May 13th will only bring about some extra special treatment! Here are a few gift ideas on how you can celebrate your Mom on her special day through cupcakes, tea and jewelry to name a few.

Cupcakes for Mom
Have kids visit one of my all-time favorite cupcake places, Polka Dot Bake Shop on Saturday, May 12th between 10:30am-1:00pm to decorate a gourmet cupcake for their Mom. Each child will have one-on-one time with expert decorators to create their cupcake masterpiece. Once completed, their cupcake will be placed in a box with a bow, ready to be presented to their #1 Mom. To  reserve your spot or for more information, call 704-523-5001. Spot must be reserved by May 11th.

Chocolate Afternoon Tea
Everyone is familiar with the tradition afternoon tea but The Ritz Carlton-Charlotte takes it up a notch by adding chocolate from their infamous Bar Cocoa. In addition to a selection of loose-leaf teas, the world's greatest Mom will enjoy tea sandwiches and sweet treats like chocolate and salted caramel tart and white cholocate and orange scones.

Cooking with Spices
Treat your Mom to a cooking class at Savory Spice Shop in Southend. The classes vary but the main ingredient is always--you guessed it--spices! Some upcoming classes include How to Make Mustard (May 4th) and Healing Spices (May 17). During the Healing Spices class, you will learn about spices that have a healing effect and Chef Karen will teach you how to make a delicious pizza. These classes book up fast so be sure to secure your Mom a seat soon.

A Day at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens
For Mother's Day weekend, take your special lady to Daniel Stowe Botantical Gardens to enjoy beautiful flowers and fresh air. To honor Moms, their entrance fee will be waived and the first 250 Moms will receive a potted plant from Rountree Plantation Garden Center. Other special activities going on that weekend include a tiffany style stained glass demonstrations by artist Bob Yost and mosaic art demonstrations by artist Pat Groome. These demonstrations will occur on the hour starting at 10 a.m. You can also snag artwork that day and  picnic baskets created by Best Impressions can be pre-ordered (do so by May 7th) to enjoy during your visit.

Jewelry
This may sound cliche but jewelry for Mom never goes out of style. While keeping Mom's style in mind, pick out a small gift at one of the many local jewelry stores around town...and to add a twist to this gift make sure she creates a "wish list" so the next time you want to gift Mom something special you have a few items to choose from. You can have her create her own by writing it down on the spot or most jewelry stores will help you create a list and keep it on file for future purchases.



sources: Polka Dot, Savory Shop, Ritz Carlton, DSBG, prettythings.tumblr.com

HoneeBee Gifts Guest Post: Charlotte Mom Favorites

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for Charlotte Mom Favorites where I shared my top 5 picks on gifts, specifically books for the new Mom. I tried to pick fun, informative books that any Mommy-to-be (MTB) could appreciate. My book picks ranged from the original crowd pleaser (What to Expect When You're Expecting) to the unique (Fortune-Telling Book for Moms-to-Be). Please click here to see the entire post.

Recap: Giftapalooza event at The Boulevard

Giftapalooza was a hit at The Boulevard at South End for Charlotte's Day of Style benefiting the Ronald McDonald House charity. I was able to help people choose stylish gifts and introduce some HoneeBee'ers to The Boulevard (can you believe they had never been?). The hot ticket item of the day was jewelry--and the person people were most looking for a gift for: themselves! Hey, I don't judge! Here are a few pictures from the event. You can find more here.

Me and Jennifer of The Boulevard

                                       

My top gift picks from The Boulevard which included a "Produced Locally" onesie, a DNC mug, candles and more

The bright and beautiful Mar y sol bags

Shoppers enjoying all that The Boulevard had to offer

Happy shoppers: Marcia, her hip son and Portia

Bzzzz:  Be sure to stop by the HoneeBee Gifts Facebook page to see more pictures. Also, stop in to The Boulevard to check out their great gift items. Now is the time to begin thinking about Mother's Day gifts and hostess gifts for upcoming summer parties.

Happy (Event) Weekend & Media for Giftapalooza

We are one day away from Giftapalooza and we have been receiving great coverage announcing the event! I wanted to share a sneak peak of the store (not my gift picks--you'll have to stop by to see those!) and some of the media coverage.  

The Boulevard at South End features jewelry, clothes, candles and more in their shop

There's so much to see in this beautiful gift boutique and new items arrive regularly

We have received coverage from the following media outlets. Just click the link below each logo to see why you should come out on Saturday!

Giftapalooza is featured in the Dusk Till Dawn



Sales and Events not to miss week section











HoneeBee Gifts to host Charlotte Day of Style with The Boulevard Gift Boutique

Charlotte's Day of STYLE (CDS) is a new addition to the Charlotte STYLE Week collection this year and takes place on Saturday,April 21st. CDS is a free city-wide shopping and dining soiree and I am very excited about this new initiative that is the brainchild of Bridgette West, Publisher of Charlotte Style Magazine for three main reasons:

• Charlotte Day of STYLE is a great way to support a great cause, as well as the local shopping and dining community
• Bridgette West is such a doll and I enjoy being able to support her efforts

And last but not least.... I have the honor and privilege to act as a host for The Boulevard Gift Boutique's Day of STYLE event! I simply love The Boulevard so when the opportunity to work with them came up, I jumped at the chance! The Boulevard Day of STYLE event will take place from 12-3pm on Saturday, April 21st.

The event is appropriately called, Giftapalooza (guess who made that up?!) and I will be on hand sharing my top gift picks from The Boulevard and helping attendees pick out the perfect gift (personal gift shopper, anyone?) In addition, Charlotte stylistas will enjoy a Mar y Sol handbag trunk show, check out the Spring Spice handcrafted jewelry collection from Moondoonie and indulge in delectable treats & wine.
While enjoying these activities, you will be able to shop the latest finds at The Boulevard where over 20 local artists are featured and new merchandise arrives daily. Remember me mentioning something about a good cause--well 10% of the day's sales will be donated to The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. So, there is no need to feel guilty about picking up a little something for you, your stylish friend or your Mom (Mother's Day is coming up!).

For more information on the event, please visit The Boulevard at Southend's website here.

Bzzzz....The first 25 guests will receive a gift bag filled with goodies from HoneeBee Gifts, Escape Spa, Common Market, Arrichion Yoga and more!

I hope to see you on Saturday!