Cat Studio Keeneland and Kentucky Derby Pillows
Yesterday, I attended an event at Keeneland, and simply fell in love with the new Keeneland embroidered pillow designed by Cat Studio and available exclusively at the Keeneland Gift Shop.
Photo via Keeneland Gift Shop.
Cat Studio pillows have always been a decor #goal of mine. There are so many great designs from which to choose!
If you're a Derby fan, the Kentucky Derby pillow is available at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
You can order the Kentucky state pillow here.
This UK Pillow is available locally at Two Chicks & Company!
Cat Studio has the Cards fans covered, too!
A Cat Studio pillow would be such a fantastic housewarming gift or a nice reminder of home for a Kentucky expatriate. Which design is your favorite?
herPaducah: A Paducah Summer List for Adults
Summer fun in Paducah!
Welcome to the first installment of herPaducah!
If you read bluegrass redhead, you know Paducah is having a MOMENT (and you've entered yourself in the #PaducahProud giveaway!). Here at herKentucky we decided that Paducah was having SUCH a moment we wanted to create a special section where we can explore all this little river town has to offer.
Summer is a perfect time of year to go exploring so we're going to kick things off with a summer list for ADULTS. We've made a list with lots for little ones. Inspired by You Are My Fave's "How to summer" categories, this list is for the big kid inside us all. Click here to download a copy!
GO
- To the Paducah Farmers' Market and stock up on homegrown food, handmade crafts, and pickled everything.
- On a tour and stop for a tasting at the Purple Toad Winery.
- Hear music at the river, MAC, the Coke Plant ... you've got options.
MAKE
- Something new during an Ephemera workshop.
- Something inspired at MAKE.
- A new goal, a new business, a new dream at SHARE.
DO
- Bike the Greenway Trail.
- Take your taste buds on a tour of the Coke Plant with Turkish Coffee from Piper's Tea and Coffee and/or a flight of beer from Dry Ground Brewing Company.
- Try Stand Up Paddleboarding on Kentucky Lake.
EAT
- The pasta carbonara at Italian Grill on Broadway... you can eat anything there but start with the pasta carbonara. Just trust us.
- Anything from The Freight House - the restaurant doesn't open until August but don't miss the pop ups!
- At Happy Chili's Parlor. Rib tips. Brisket. Fried Chicken. You won't go wrong.
I Hope to Have God on My Side, But I Must Have Kentucky
Previewing July's My Kentucky Tee and the historical significance of a famous Lincoln quotation.
It's no secret that I LOVE My Kentucky Tee.
I wear my tees all the time, and I always get such lovely compliments on them! I'm so excited to wear the June tee for Independence Day celebrations.
What I'm really, truly excited about is the July My Kentucky Tee. I mean, how cute is this?
I've always loved that quote from Abraham Lincoln, "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." It sounds like a pithy exclamation of Bluegrass State pride, but it's an important history lesson. President Lincoln wasn't just invoking sentiment of love for his home state. (We've been over this before: Kentucky is the ACTUAL Land of Lincoln. You can't have him, Illinois.) He was making a policy statement about keeping border states from seceding from the Union. Kentucky's population, resources, and strategic location were invaluable to the U.S. forces during the Civil War. Losing Kentucky to the Confederacy would have been a tremendous blow. What a great reminder of Kentucky's vital role in the Civil War, and our amazing heritage!
“I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we can not hold Missouri, nor, as I think, Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us.
”
Remember, sign up for the July Tee by July First, and you'll get the Starter "1792" shirt as well as the Lincoln shirt in your mailbox in early July. The subscription is only $15/month; you can learn more here!
(Thanks to My Kentucky Tee for continued sponsorship of HerKentucky!)
Day Trip To Jim Beam American Stillhouse
Jim Beam's American Stillhouse is a fantastic place to play Kentucky Hometown Tourist!
Yesterday, I attended a lunch and tour at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse. I figured it would be a fun working lunch where I had the opportunity to learn a little more about the production of Kentucky bourbon whiskey. I was pleasantly surprised to feel like I'd taken a mini-staycation quite close to home!
The Jim Beam Stillhouse is located in Clermont, just outside Shepherdsville. It's really hard to believe that such a gorgeous landscape is only two miles off I-65! It only took me about 25 minutes to get there from Louisville's East End!
The tour takes you through the entire process of bourbon production -- from grain to bottle. No matter how many distilleries I visit, I'm always fascinated by the idea that a handful of basic grains can be transformed into so many different flavor profiles!
The Beam tour is firmly rooted in the history of both the company and the founding Beam family. I even had the opportunity to chat with Fred Noe, Jim Beam's great-grandson, who had some hilarious and larger-than-life stories to tell!
Barrel head from the very first barrel of Jim Beam bourbon
Bourbon warehouses are always a fascinating visit. Here, we learned that the iconic Jim Beam white label -- the world's most popular bourbon -- is produced in such volume that the distillers don't rotate the barrels for climate control, opting instead to create each batch from a cross-section of barrels that have been stored in different areas of the warehouse.
The tour also includes a trip to the bottling line. Here, the single-barrel bourbon Knob Creek is being bottled. (Fun fact: before the bottles are filled, they are washed out with "leftover" bourbon!)
One of the tour's most fascinating sights is this liquor cabinet, where two bottles from each batch are held back for control purposes. After two years, these bottles will be given to Beam employees.
Of course, no tour is complete without a little taste! I sampled two of my favorite craft bourbons from the Beam line, Basil Hayden's (clean, soft, and complex) and Booker's (big, spicy, and robust).
This was perhaps my favorite view of the day: one of Mr Beam's original warehouses nestled between a Baptist church and a graveyard. It seemed so iconic of Kentucky ideology!
The tour was incredible, the food and bourbon were fantastic, and the Beam staff were so, so friendly. They really did live up to the distillery's motto: "Enter as friends, leave as family!" Thanks so much to Jim Beam Stillhouse for inviting me out to dinner; I hope to see y'all again soon!
If you're looking for a fun day trip to learn a little more about Kentucky bourbon while enjoying a gorgeous landscape, you should take some time to play Hometown Tourist at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse!
5 Things a True Kentuckian Will Never Let You Forget
Here in Kentucky, we talk about our homeland a lot. Here are a few things that we never let non-Kentuckians forget.
1. Real Bourbon is Made in Kentucky. Yes, we know that there's no official legislation that decrees this fact; however, THERE SHOULD BE. We just didn't have the foresight that the folks in Burgundy or Champagne had. But, bourbon is from Kentucky, and it's made with the limestone-rich water of Central Kentucky. And never try to hand us Jack Daniel's.
2. Tom Cruise Went to High School Here. So did George Clooney. We're probably going to tell you that pretty often. Just nod your head and act fascinated. You never know when you'll be on Jeopardy, and then you'll answer St. Xavier or Augusta High School really, really quickly.
3. College Basketball is the Only Sport Worth Following. It's the one thing that UK and U of L fans can agree upon.
4. Your Steeplechase or Horse Race Will Never Live Up to the Derby. Or Oaks. Or any race at Keeneland. Just take our word for it.
5. We love Kentucky. A lot. We never get tired of talking about the Commonwealth, and we'd better not hear you calling it a state. We have tons of favorite stores for Kentucky-themed gear, like this one, this one, this one... oh, and this one.
Five Unique Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day in Kentucky
Celebrate St. Valentine's Day with some Kentucky Favorites!
Love is in the air, y'all! Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and there are ways to celebrate within every budget. I've seriously seen advertisements here in Louisville for everything from a $300 prix fixe menu to a reservation-only dinner at the White Castle. This year, I'm seriously thinking about getting takeout from Feast BBQ in NuLu (Have y'all been there yet? It is seriously SOOO good) or a tray of chicken strips from Chick-fil-a. I'd far rather have a conversation, a nice meal, and maybe a glass of wine with my beau than fight the crowds.
Here are some other unique, off-beat, and thoroughly Kentucky-themed ways to celebrate St. Valentine and your loved one. I hope you have a great weekend filled with love and happiness!
Sundy Best Concerts: These are both sold out, but if you're lucky enough to come across a ticket, don't miss Floyd County's favorite country-rock duo live at Lexington Opera House (tonight) or the Mountain Arts Center (tomorrow). I've said it many times here on HerKentucky, but my hometown is so proud of these boys!
Nanz and Kraft/ Four Roses Flower Hour: Louisville's perennial florist (see what I did there?) and Lawrenceburg's traditional distiller team up to celebrate Roses (see what they did there?), bourbon, and love. For a $10 minimum donation to the American Heart Association, you can enjoy small bites, bourbon, and a visit with Four Roses' Master Distiller.
Visit the Louisville Stoneware Showroom: Have you been to Stoneware lately? I stopped in earlier this week to pick up a present, and it was all I could do to keep from leaving with all of these Valentine's Day-themed pieces. They're so cute and unique, and would be a fun way to make your special someone feel loved year-round.
Chocolates from Cellar Door: I'm kind of obsessed with these anatomically correct hearts. Of course, bourbon chocolates are always a welcome gift as well. Visit Cellar Door Chocolates at Butchertown Market or the Oxmoor Mall in Louisville.
Product Review: UncommonGoods Custom State Pillow
A customized pillow adds a touch of Kentucky to any home decor!
UncommonGoods recently offered me the opportunity to review one of their Custom State Pillows. This is such a fun process; you can choose your state, your favorite color, and your favorite city (over which a heart will be sewn!)
Of course, I wanted to make the absolute perfect Kentucky pillow. I chose this gorgeous shade of turquoise -- Caribbean Surf -- with a heart over Louisville. I waited not-so-patiently for my order to arrive and was simply thrilled with the results! It's a good size for a throw pillow, an office accent, or to add a touch of home anywhere you'd like the reminder! The felt appliques are stitched in contrast threads for a homespun feel. The quality of the felt is fantastic, and this piece really catches the eye!
This piece would be fantastic for a loved one who's headed off to a dorm room or first apartment in another state, as a dramatic accent in an office bookshelf, or anyplace a little touch of home is needed. In fact, UncommonGoods has an awesome assortment of gifts for just about anyone on your list. They have a great array of personalized gifts for just about any occasion. I love the Hand-Embroidered State Pillows and the New Yorker-style personalized wedding posters! With Valentine's Day coming up, you can find fun, quirky, and unique gifts for her (the anatomical heart pendant cracks me up!) or for him. (They have repurposed UK basketball court cufflinks, y'all!)
Thanks so much to UncommonGoods for the pillow, and for introducing me to their fun line of products!
{A customized pillow was provided for review. Thanks to Uncommon Goods for the lovely product!!}