Welcome back to week two of 2021, in which various storylines continue where 2020 left off, by bringing us more political strife, additional pandemic back phasing (I just made that up, but it seems to work so I’m going…
For years, my “things to try” list has included attending a yoga and meditation retreat. Countless times I’ve found myself perusing the retreat schedule at Flowering Lotus Meditation Center in Magnolia, Mississippi, ultimately unable to make it work with…
Bon Vivant is on a break for the holidays and will return on Jan. 8. If you are on the hunt for something to read, catch up on missed posts or revisit favorites in the archives. Meanwhile, from my…
This year, more than any other year in my lifetime, my mind is on giving to those in need and gifting to or tipping the people who have kept us in touch with the rest of the world and…
As I near the finish line of my six-month alcohol-free adventure, which is Jan. 4 for those following along, the holidays — aka mulled beverage season — are upon us. Deprivation is not part of the Bon Vivant lifestyle,…
If like me, you aren’t fond of constantly getting up to forage around in your bag or medicine cabinet to find lip balm, this pro-tip is for you. Quick and dirty: Put them all over your house. Longer version:…
Happy Day After Thanksgiving. I’m off today, but wanted to post at least a little something, in case you dropped by the blog, to tell you how grateful I am to each of you who follows Bon Vivant. Thank…
We moved into a new place in October. It is a fabulous little double shotgun and I love countless things about it. The back of our front door is not one of those things. The plain, white expanse of…
There are certain made-up holidays I can get behind, including but not limited to National Taco Day, National Cat Day, International Yoga Day and, most recently, World Kindness Day. The latter didn’t even come on my radar until yesterday,…
This week I hit month four of my six-month alcohol-free challenge. (It’s going well, I don’t miss booze and I feel great, thanks for asking!) I celebrated by mixing up and hoisting an ice-cold Michelada. That is, an ice cold,…
Until a few days ago, our mask and hand sanitizer “station” was a one-gallon Ziplock bag hanging on a decorative clip near the door. We filled it as needed with the essential safety accouterments and, while a great visual…
A few weeks ago, my husband and I moved from the Victorian-era apartment in Uptown, where we’ve lived in for nearly seven years, to a charming circa-1900s shotgun not far away. What we gave up in turn of the…
I know what you are thinking: What’s the point of a zero proof French 75? It is said to have been created not long after World War I and named after a French 75mm field gun, precisely because of…
As New Orleans tiptoes into phase three, there are both in person and virtual events going on in the coming days and weeks. Here’s what’s up: Makin’ Bakin: Daniel Robert, curator of the meat science programs at the Southern…
Thanks for stopping by the Bon Vivant blog. I haven’t really gone fishing. But I am out for a long weekend and will be back next week with your regularly scheduled bloggery, so stop back Friday, Oct. 9. Meanwhile,…
Due to several past Bon Vivant posts about tea, many of you don’t realize I’m actually a fiend for coffee. It’s possible that I signed something early in my journalism career legally binding me to never turn down a…
My husband Mark and I lived in Texas for 12 years, and sometimes we are nostalgic for our favorite Austin barbecue joints, tacos and Tex-Mex from every corner of the state, Texas honky-tonks or lazy river floats. One recent…
In Sophia Coppola’s 2006 film “Marie Antoinette,” there is a scene in which the ill-fated queen is having tea with her brother, Emperor Joseph II. In it, she serves flowering or blooming tea, which is made by wrapping a…
Due to the weirdness that is our year of the pandemic, the 146th Kentucky Derby did not run on the first Saturday in May. Rather, it is running tomorrow — the first Saturday in September. My husband and I are…
This week began with a long-anticipated announcement from Leblanc+Smith, the New Orleans restaurant and now hotel group, that its chic The Chloe on St. Charles Avenue is accepting bookings for October. The 14-room boutique hotel is housed in a…
Thanks for stopping by the Bon Vivant blog. I’m out for a long weekend, but will be back next week with your regularly scheduled bloggery, so stop back on Wednesday. Meanwhile, since you came here for something to read,…
Before moving to New Orleans, there was a period of four years in which we lived part time in Houston and part in Austin. If it was predicted that a hurricane would affect Houston, we’d plan to the condo…
As a rule, I’m a routines and rituals type of gal. However, I’ve discovered a certain capriciousness in my nature. For example, every few weeks, I get downright consumed with certain people, places and things for a bit. Then…
Cartier, Chopard and Tiffany are known the world over as creators of the finest fine jewelry, timepieces, gifts, accessories and, in the case of the latter, items for the home. On Aug. 20, pour yourself a cocktail and hop…
Among the various design and lifestyle topics often explored here on the Bon Vivant blog are entertaining and social etiquette. The pandemic has rendered the former irrelevant for the past few months, but with slightly loosened restrictions and friend…
It’s day 2,345 of New Orleans’ “Safer at Home” adventure and, well, I’ve gotten homesick. No, I don’t mean I’m pining away for the place of my birth, Kentucky, or — though I do of course miss them —…
Born into a family of landscape and floral designers, Kim Starr Wise comes by her love of flowers and nature naturally. For more than 20 years, she learned the ropes of floral design and event planning in New York…
If you’ve ever abstained from alcohol for longer than a few days to a week, you likely know how limited the choices are locally for non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits. After doing the Eat Fit Alcohol Free for 40…
Originally from New Orleans, Chad Graci has a background and education in both architecture and design, which gives him a well-rounded approach to his interiors. After graduating from LSU and studying at the New York School of Interior Design,…
Four weeks ago, my husband Mark was losing it. Which is understandable, given he’s an extrovert and we are 20 weeks and 139 days into this COVID-19 dumpster fire. (I’m an introvert — content to spend every single day,…
For 20 years, Melanie Warner Spencer has covered news, lifestyle, design and entertainment at various publications, including as the design columnist at The Austin American-Statesman, a senior staff reporter at The Houston Chronicle and as the editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Houston Brides magazine. Her work also has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Huffington Post and Reuters in the United States and across the globe. Melanie is also an award-winning fine art and editorial photographer. She has been honored by the Texas Press Association for her editorial photography, by the Press Club of New Orleans for writing and editing and by the International and Regional Magazine Association for writing, editing and photography. Melanie is currently serving as the President of Press Club of New Orleans. When not making magazines, Melanie enjoys cooking, trying out new restaurants and best happy hours and taking road trips. Click here to like Spencer's Facebook page and follow her on Instagram @MelanieWarnerSpencer.
