The Sentimental Twist

Summary
What does it really mean to care for the things we inherit? In this episode, Brittany and Melissa share a listener email about savoring summer, documenting the stories behind meaningful belongings, and making time to listen while loved ones are still here. During Porch Talk, they swap stories about habits inherited from their mothers, their most delightfully “old lady” tendencies, and the ordinary objects that hold extraordinary meaning.
Then Melissa sits down with fifth-generation family members Dawn Hagerty and Dianna Leinen of Hagerty to explore the story behind one of the most trusted names in silver care. They share how their great-great-grandfather created Hagerty Silver Foam in 1895, how family traditions preserved the company’s history, and why caring for silver is really about caring for the memories connected to it.
They also answer common silver-care questions, including how to distinguish sterling from silver plate, which products to use, how to store silver, and which cleaning methods can cause permanent damage. Plus, Melissa shares an organizing event and nostalgic new venture, Brittany introduces her newest Storykeeper resource, and the episode closes with a toast to the things that carry our stories.

Highlights:
Guests: Diana & Dawn from  HagertyUSA Follow Hagerty on Instagram: @hagertycare 
Find a retailer: Where to Buy Hagerty Products

Brittany’s Birmingham Event Reconnection: Rahab’s Rope
Beautiful Table Settings Bash in Vicksburg
Melissa’s Bless It: Get Organized HQ Virtual 2026 (Get the All Access Pass for freebies and recordings)
Brittany’s Bless It: Seasons of Story: A Storykeeper’s Guide to the Rituals of Home
***Hagerty Silver Care Kit Giveaway:
Email thesentimentaltwistpodcast@gmail.com with your name, address, and a short story explaining why you would love the kit or what silver means to you.
Takeaways
Savor each season, document meaningful belongings and family stories, and make time to listen while loved ones are still here.
Ordinary objects become precious through the stories, relationships, and memories attached to them.
Family history survives when people gather, share stories, write them down, and intentionally pass them along.
Hagerty began in 1895 when William Joseph Hagerty created a faster, easier way to polish the family silver.
Sterling silver is generally marked “925,” while silver plate may still hold value because of its maker, craftsmanship, provenance, or sentimental history.
Use the right silver-care products and tools: Hagerty Silver Foam is a helpful starting point, while tarnish-preventive polish and a soft horsehair brush can protect frequently used or intricate pieces.
Avoid damaging cleaning methods and storage: skip baking soda, aluminum foil, vinegar, boiling water, toothbrushes, dishwashers, and plastic wrap; instead, store silver in breathable, tarnish-preventive bags or cloth and use heirlooms often so their stories continue.

Contact The Sentimental Twist:
Follow The Sentimental Twist on Instagram @thesentimentaltwistpodcast.
Email: thesentimentaltwistpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow the Co-Hosts:
Brittany: @brittanyshepard and www.thesentimentaldecorator.com and YouTube.
Melissa: @homewithatwist and www.homewithatwist.com and YouTube.
Chapters
00:05 Welcome to Season 4, Episode 7 of The Sentimental Twist!
07:39 Reader Email: Slowing Down & Becoming a Storykeeper
11:02 Porch Talk Speed Round: Quickfire Questions
32:19 Guest Interview: Dawn & Diana Hagerty of Hagerty Silver USA
33:21 Guest Interview: Dawn and Dianna from Hagerty USA
33:21 The Legacy of Haggerty Silver
01:19:56 Silver Care Set Giveaway from Hagerty!
01:22:26 Bless It, I Had to Share It
01:32:35 Toast to Sentiment: Something About an Heirloom

Summary
What makes a home feel like yours? In this episode, Brittany and Melissa share a sweet listener email and get a little sentimental during Porch Talk, reflecting on how home changes over the years, what their mothers taught them, and the clothes that still feel like a hug from someone they love.
Brittany sits down with Erica from Dogwood Interiors to talk about the joy of vintage and antiques, why younger generations are drawn to old things, and how to discover your own decorating style. Erica shares four elements she looks for in every room, advice for beginning a collection, and the story of a china cabinet she became the next caretaker of.
Plus, we’re sharing cake-themed table linens, a colorful necklace find, and a toast to the comfort of home. It’s a conversation about collecting what you love, using what you treasure, and letting your home tell your story.

Highlights:
Guest: Erica from Dogwood Interiors — https://dogwoodinteriors.co/ Follow Dogwood Interiors on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogwoodinteriors/ 

Lisa’s Fragrance Recommendation: Bewilderment https://bewilderment.com/ (her favorite scent is Simmer Pot)
Content Repurposing Tool: Repurpose.io https://repurpose.io?fpr=739592 
Melissa’s Bless It: Lesley Evers cake-print napkins and placematsPlacemats: https://lesleyevers.com/collections/cakes/products/placemats-set-of-4-cakes 
Napkins: https://lesleyevers.com/collections/cakes/products/napkins-set-of-4-cakes 

Brittany’s Bless It: Colorful beaded necklace from Amazon https://rivr.link/tSd-QA_BUZ 
Meme’s boutique in Perry, Georgiahttps://memesperry.com/ 
Picture-Hanging Reel: The measuring-versus-eyeballing debate https://www.tiktok.com/@cindymchor/video/7230058198672117034 

Takeaways
What home means to us can change with each season of life.
Comfortable guests don’t need to be entertained every minute.
Our mothers’ everyday ways of making a home can become part of our own.
Vintage finds can connect us to the past while giving us something well-made to enjoy today.
You don’t have to inherit an heirloom. You can adopt them and become their next caretaker.
Shopping vintage helps you discover what you love beyond what’s currently on trend.
Start small, explore, and give your taste room to evolve.
Try Erica’s four room essentials: something warm, something from nature, something porcelain or ceramic, and something shiny. Then add art that speaks to you.
Use and display treasured pieces now, even if you give them a different purpose.
Whatever the day brings, home can offer comfort, peace, and a place to rest.

Contact The Sentimental Twist:
Follow The Sentimental Twist on Instagram @thesentimentaltwistpodcast.
Email: thesentimentaltwistpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow the Co-Hosts:
Brittany: @brittanyshepard and www.thesentimentaldecorator.com and YouTube.
Melissa: @homewithatwist and www.homewithatwist.com and YouTube.

Chapters
00:05 Welcome to Season 4, Episode 6 of The Sentimental Twist!
00:05 Home and Personal Connections
02:15 Listener Email: LIsa's Memories of Mott's
06:31 Porch Talk Speed Round
21:01 Guest Interview with Erica Vevurka of Dogwood Interiors
59:49 Bless It, I Had to Share It
01:05:54 Toast to Sentiment: No Matter What Happens

Summary
In this episode, Brittany and Melissa read a sweet listener note, debate everything from mayonnaise brands to overrated foods during Porch Talk, and share a few things they’re loving right now.
Brittany sits down with Sarah Peterson, author of Dish and Tell: Recipes from the Heart and creator of Vintage Dish & Tell, to talk about why family recipes deserve a place alongside our photographs, letters, dishes, and other treasured heirlooms. Sarah shares how her love of vintage, storytelling, and tried-and-true recipes grew into a passion for preserving not only the dishes families make, but the people and memories behind them.
It’s a conversation about gathering around the table, asking the questions now, and remembering that recipes are more than instructions for making food. They’re heirlooms that connect us to the people and places that made us who we are.
Highlights:
Guest Sarah Peterson of Vintage Dish & Tell:  https://vintagedishandtell.com/Instagram: @VintageDishandTell https://www.instagram.com/vintagedishandtell
Dish and Tell: Recipes from the Heart https://rivr.link/tSd-BU6Ufj 
Sarah’s Substack/Newsletter https://vintagedishandtell.substack.com/ 

Melissa’s Bless It: Swedish Candy Culture https://swedishcandyculture.com/
Brittany’s Bless It: Amaryllis & Caladium Bulb Company https://www.amaryllisandcaladiums.com/
Vintage Southern Living at Home Thermal Carafe on eBay https://on.ltk.com/+EUu2I1fBraq8D5o4iYdyXA 

Takeaways
Recipes are heirlooms, too.
Don’t wait to ask for the recipe—or the story behind it.
Start small: preserving one meaningful recipe is enough.
Whenever possible, make the recipe alongside its “keeper.”
Write down the little details that never make it onto the recipe card.
Take photos, record video, and date the day you learned the recipe.
A lost recipe doesn’t have to mean a lost tradition.
Recipes can bring people we’ve lost back to the table.
Gathering around familiar foods gives younger generations a way to know the people who came before them.
The best family recipes are about far more than what’s on the plate.

Contact The Sentimental Twist:
Follow The Sentimental Twist on Instagram @thesentimentaltwistpodcast.
Email: thesentimentaltwistpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow the Co-Hosts:
Brittany: @brittanyshepard and www.thesentimentaldecorator.com and YouTube.
Melissa: @homewithatwist and www.homewithatwist.com and YouTube.

Chapters
00:05 Welcome to Episode 5 of Season 4 of The Sentimental Twist!
08:06 Reader Email from Lynn!
14:06 Porch Talk Speed Round
31:24 Introducing Sarah Peterson: Dish and Tell
01:11:04 Bless It, We Had to Share It
01:16:00 A Toast to Sentiment

Summary
In this episode, Brittany and Melissa talk about the seasons we’re in...on the calendar and in life. A listener email reminds us that every season has a purpose, even the hard ones. Then Melissa talks with Shannon Howard, founder of Dear & Always and Heirloom Letters Studio, about preserving the stories through handwritten letters. Shannon explains how these letters can become heirlooms and how to get started simply. It’s a conversation about slowing down, writing things down, and recognizing that the stories we leave behind matter.

Highlights:
Guest: Shannon HowardDear & Always: https://www.dearandalways.com
Heirloom Letters Studio: https://www.heirloomlettersstudio.com
Instagram: @dearandalways https://www.instagram.com/dearandalways/
Instagram: @heirloomlettersstudio https://www.instagram.com/heirloomlettersstudio/

Melissa's Bless It: Friday Finds Vintage https://www.instagram.com/fridayfindsvintage/
Melissa's Bless It: Beautiful Table Settings Bash in Vicksburg, Mississippi — Brittany and Melissa will both be speaking in January! https://www.btsvicksburgbash.com
Brittany's Bless It: Beehive Meals freezer-to-slow-cooker meal delivery at https://www.beehivemeals.com
Listener Giveaway: Shannon is gifting one listener a keepsake letter-writing system! Listen to the episode for details on how to enter!

Takeaways
Every season has a purpose, even the ones we wouldn't choose.
The seasons of our lives deserve to be acknowledged, not rushed through.
An heirloom's story can be just as valuable as the object itself.
You don't have to document everything. Start with one meaningful object.
Handwritten letters can become heirlooms in their own right.
Don't assume the next generation knows the stories you've always known.
The words we write aren't only for someday; reflecting and writing them can be meaningful for us now, too.
Start with the story that matters most to you, not necessarily the most valuable thing you own.

Contact The Sentimental Twist:
Follow The Sentimental Twist on Instagram @thesentimentaltwistpodcast.
Email: thesentimentaltwistpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow the Co-Hosts:
Brittany: @brittanyshepard and www.thesentimentaldecorator.com and YouTube.
Melissa: @homewithatwist and www.homewithatwist.com and YouTube.

Chapters
00:05 Welcome to Season 4, Episode 4 of The Sentimental Twist!
03:27 Reader Email: Savoring Each Season
13:14 Porch Talk Speed Round
30:38 Guest Interview Shannon Howard from Dear & Always
01:15:09 Bless It, We Had to Share It
01:23:08 A Toast to Sentiment

Summary
In this episode, Brittany and Melissa answer a listener's question about making dinner parties easier when cooking the main course isn't your strength (spoiler: outsourcing absolutely counts!), take a nostalgic trip through childhood stores during Porch Talk, and share a few things they're loving right now.
Melissa sits down with Marieli, founder of Tiers of Joy, whose beautiful tiered stands give vintage, new, and heirloom dishes a whole new purpose. Marieli shares how her business began, the care that goes into transforming treasured pieces, and why meaningful entertaining doesn't require a cabinet full of fine china.
It's a conversation about using what you have, giving treasured things new life, and remembering that hospitality is less about having the “right” things and more about making room for beauty, story, and connection.
Highlights:
Guest: Marieli Cruzado from Tiers of JoyInstagram: @tiersofjoy.tx

Melissa’s Bless It: Southern Living Insiders
Brittany’s Bless It: The Storykeeper’s Shelf + Quiz
Renee from @lucybettynjune  
Melissa’s Poppyseed Chicken Recipe
Alexandra Stoddard’s Daring to Be Yourself
Takeaways
Hosting doesn't mean making everything yourself.
Time counts as an ingredient, too.
Old dishes can have a second act.
Beautiful entertaining can start with just a few pieces.
Use beautiful serveware beyond the table.
The stories behind our belongings are worth capturing now.
Create a home that “smiles” at you.

Contact The Sentimental Twist:
Follow The Sentimental Twist on Instagram @thesentimentaltwistpodcast.
Email: thesentimentaltwistpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow the Co-Hosts:
Brittany: @brittanyshepard and www.thesentimentaldecorator.com and YouTube.
Melissa: @homewithatwist and www.homewithatwist.com and YouTube.
Chapters
00:05 Welcome to Episode 3 of Season 4 of TST!
02:44 Reader Email: Entree Ideas When Hosting
11:28 Porch Talk Speed Round
25:18 Guest Interview: Marieli from Tiers of Joy!
26:21 Guest Interview with Marieli from Tiers of Joy
01:17:21 Takeaways from Marieli's Interview
01:25:21 Bless It, We Had to Share It
01:31:46 A Toast to Sentiment: Does Your Home Smile?