The ibu Cocktail + A Preview Tour of The Gibbes Museum of Art + More Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale Picks

 
On Tuesday evening, I attended an ibu trunk show at Zero George (one of my favorite restaurants in town), to kick-off ibu’s pop-up, running through the final day of the Spoleto Festival (on June 15th).  Zero George will also be offering a yummy ibu cocktail during the span of the Spoleto Festival, with a portion of the proceeds to support Aid to Artisans.  For those of you who want to concoct it at home, here you go…
ibu Cocktail
2 oz Casamigos Tequila
¼ oz Saint Germain
½ oz Aperol
½ oz Habanero Infused Simple Syrup
Top with Club Soda
Garnish with a lime wedge
I must tell you it’s super yummy, with a spicy little kick!  There are a few other cocktails I love at Zero George with the habanero simple syrup.  If you like your cocktail with a subtle kick, it’s amazing!

ibu, meaning a woman of respect, is “a movement of women around the world growing into economic self-sufficiency through the art of their hands, bearers of both textile tradition and social change.”  It was such a pleasure to meet Susan Walker, founder of ibu in 2013.  Her story is amazing, I honestly could’ve chatted with her for hours!  She was a minister for 18 years, went back to school to study fiber arts, and became a weaver.
With her new skill, she worked with women’s cooperatives around the world to tell the story of their region and began searching for textiles that she could sell for them.  ibu was then founded in 2013.  Some items are sold exactly how they’re made by these women, other textiles Susan finds are given to ibu weavers and made into the most beautiful pieces, such as gorgeous kaftans and fun little tops and pants.  She also makes sure that the women that create these textiles receive their profits rather than giving it to the male of the house.  She stated that women use 90% of their profits to provide school funds and food for their family.  If you’re in the area, you should stop in.  ibu is located at 183B King Street.  To read more of Susan’s story, head over here.
After happy hour, the girls and I headed out to dinner at The Watch, a rooftop restaurant atop The Restoration a new hotel in town.  The views are unbelievable!
And the food was absolutely delicious!  Hushpuppies, truffle fries, oysters…I’m already ready to go back!  I ordered the shrimp and grits and tried the falafel too.  All so good!  Next time I’m making it a date night!
What I Wore

Dress // Wedges (now over $100 off) // Crossbody // Ring
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Yesterday morning, I had the opportunity to visit The Gibbes Museum of Art a few days before it opens to the public.  Couldn’t pass that up!  After being closed for renovations for the past two years, I was anxious to check out every square inch of the oldest museum building of the South!
Absolutely stunning, right?
The first floor will have an education center where art classes will be held.
Summer camps will start on June 6th!
Across from the Education Center are two separate studio spaces for visiting artists.  These artists may range from those working on exhibitions carried at the museum in the future to local artists working on one body of work.  The museum chooses artists that are good with interacting with the public, as they’ll have set studio visiting hours.  This allows visitors to come in and chat with the artists and answer questions they may have.  I think this is such a cool concept!
The rear of the museum lends itself to entertaining.  Where events and receptions were held before the renovaion, this will stay the same.  But the venue is much more open and spacious!
The museum houses the largest miniature portrait collection, telling stories of many Charleston families.
The ones on top are two of the earliest miniatures painted in America.
The ones below are of Mr. and Mrs. Gibbes.  Look closely at Mrs. Gibbes.  It’s a miniature within a miniature.  She appears to be wearing a miniature of most likely one of her four children.
The anti-glare cases are unbelievable.  You wouldn’t believe these books were under glass.
A view from the top.
The monumental staircase leading up to the third floor has been completely restored.  Curator Pam Wall who’s been working at The Gibbes for 12 years was so helpful in describing each space so well.  You could tell how excited she was that the museum would finally be opening soon!  The third floor houses specially curated exhibitions installed for a 3-month period.  Pam says she has exhibitions for the third floor planned already for the next two years out.
Loved the Porgy and Bess exhibition.
Mary Jackson, the nation’s most celebrated maker of sweetgrass baskets, has a gallery named in her honor at The Gibbes Museum of Art.  Her private collection is on loan, and the one above took her three years to create.
To give you a better idea of how large this basket is in person, I found this pic of Mary standing next to her masterpiece (spanning 3.5 feet).
Mary Jackson and her family visited the museum early to see her collection in all its glory (she had no idea at the time that they named the gallery after her).  After she and her family looked around at her installation, she finally looked a little higher and saw the name of the gallery, The Mary Jackson Gallery.  I’m sure you can imagine her surprise.  Tears.
Mary will actually be at the museum on Saturday from 11-2 when the museum first opens to the public.  This is a rare opportunity to get to meet her, as she rarely makes public appearances.

The biggest difference from the museum two years ago to today is how much clearer, brighter and more open the space is. From everything to the floors (dark carpets switched to light wood floors) to the fonts, descriptions and clear, anti-glare cases, it’s worth visiting. I can’t wait to visit again soon!If you’re here this weekend, the grand opening is on Saturday at 11am!

The Gibbes Museum of Art
135 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401
What I Wore
Tory Burch Dress (now on sale) // Wedges (sold out, similar here) // Crossbody

All sale items are an extra 30% off at Anthropologie, for a limited time!
Discount applied at check-out.  

This makes my sweater poncho, only $42 now!

Scroll through and check out some of my faves…

Shopbop just came out with this color in my favorite tassel cover-up.  Pink on pink – I’ve been waiting for one like this!

More Nordstrom Sale Faves

**Click on items to shop or links below.**

Crystal Flower Flat Sandal // Black One-Piece // Kate Spade Clutch // Kate Spade Watch // ghd Straightener // Tassel Bag Charm // Tory Burch Miller Sandals // Stud Set (only $10!) // Ring Set

Happy Thursday, Y’all!

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