photograph by rinne allen
sandcastle
in Daily Beauty
dead lakes
in The Country
we just returned from an inspiring beach trip to cape san blas florida. one day we headed inland and explored. my daughter has always loved (and me too) cypress forests. we both love how the water is like mirrors, and the trees are the perfect homes for little forest fairies. they always seem to allow our imaginations to run wild!
we were obviously pretty excited to stumble upon the dead forests in wewahitchka. we just marveled at their stillness for an hour or two and my daughter may have seen a fairy or two!
photographs and words by kristen bach
sunset
in Daily Beauty
photograph by rinne allen
a few years ago, a friend gave me an old blueprint from a job that her father worked on in the 50's. It was for a building at florida southern college and was designed by frank lloyd wright, so the blueprint was extra special. at the time I had never heard of florida southern but I knew I had to visit one day, to see the buildings in person.
a few weeks ago we were passing near lakeland, florida and we stopped to visit the school, which comprises the largest collection of wright-designed buildings in the country. we self-guided around and were able to go in most of the buildings. my children especially liked the glasswork in the chapels and the formed patterns in the concrete...
wright's architecture always makes me aware of the space as I move through it, and I consciously, and sometimes unconsciously, think about the interrelation between what is inside his spaces and what lay outside. if you find yourself near this campus, and are interested in wright, make a point to stop & explore.
frank lloyd wright's florida southern college
words and photographs by rinne allen
ombre sand
in Daily Beauty
photograph by rinne allen
marsh landscape
photographs by rinne allen
loquats
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
harvesting kumquats
while we were in florida we took advantage of taking in lots of fresh citrus. we spent one afternoon at the tupelo honey homestead which had a kumquat tree that was bursting at the seams with ripe fruit. they let us go wild and pick a big bag.
i know that eating kumquats raw can be pretty tart but these were so sweet! i couldn't wait to get home and make something delicious....and we ate quite a few straight from the tree!
i will be sharing a yummy kumquat recipe next week... in the meantime check out this yummy candied kumquats recipe!
photos and words by kristen bach
japanese maple
in Daily Beauty
photograph by rinne allen
studio visit: willaby
i recently visited the studio of kim woods, designer and owner of the children's clothier, willaby. located just down the street from my own studio, kim's space is in an old general store near downtown and is a sunny spot, full of her lovingly-made pieces, works in-progress, sketches, & simple toys for her young son. kim, her husband and young son, henry, recently moved to athens from atlanta, and have quickly settled in as one of the many creative businesses that makes athens so unique. during our visit, i took a few photographs of kim's space while she worked, and later i asked her a few questions about her company, running a small creative business, and being a mom...enjoy!
Where did the name willaby come from?
When I was a child, I had a favorite book called Willaby. It's not very well-known, but it's a sweet story about childhood innocence in the form of a girl who loves to draw. I connected with the character and loved the illustrations. After I asked to read the story over and over again, my dad started to call me Willaby. When I was creating my brand, it came to mind as another name for myself, as well as a symbol for the spirit that I wanted to convey. I made my logo lowercase and cursive, like a little girl who is perfecting her signature.
Tell us a little bit about your background...it is in art, yes? How does that influence your work?
Yes, I went to school for fine art, mostly drawing and painting. Prior to that I was a law student who left for art school. And prior to that I got a B.A. in political science. It's a been a process of unpeeling layers to get back to my core and the things to which I'm most devoted. I went to SMFA, which is a multi-disciplinary fine arts program. My teachers encouraged to see the connections between all forms of art and design, and to dabble in everything. I tend towards that way of working anyhow, so it suited me well. Alongside my classes I sewed at home, which I've done since my early teens. There wasn't a fashion design program at SMFA, and I wasn't thinking seriously about that, anyhow. However, once I graduated and my interests shifted to having a family, I started looking at children's fashion and sewing children's things.
I definitely think that being trained in fine art influences my work. I'm oriented towards color, and gained a solid understanding of it in art school. I was the student who happily mixed paint for hours. Now that I work with fabrics, color is of the same importance. And honestly, everything is transferrable. The basic principles of shape, color, line, value, texture, and composition carry the same importance in painting as they do in fashion. And having a vision is as equally vital whether you're a painter or designer. Mine has been one of simplicity, and I transferred that vision over when I started designing.
If one thing was impressed upon me in art school, it's this: not being formally trained in a task should never prevent you from trying it. This became a mantra that was repeated to me over and over again. I'm sure that I subconsciously carry it with me whenever I enter into uncharted territory. It becomes part of the fun, not knowing exactly what I'm doing, because that means that I'm learning. And if I can learn it, that means that I can do it.
Did the inspiration for willaby come from your experience as a mother? Or, had you thought about designing children's clothing before you had your son?
It was a little bit of both. Prior to Henry's birth, I'd been designing and sewing baby toys and accessories under my current brand name, but with a different logo and identity. This was all out of personal interest; I was fascinated with things for little ones. Then the clothing took off after I had my son. That is when I changed my branding and went in a completely new direction. I'd been looking at children's fashion for a few years and knew what I wanted to contribute in terms of philosophy. I'd sewn some clothing for him while I was pregnant, but strongly felt that I needed to have firsthand experience with sizing and functionality. Once Henry was born, I learned all of that, and I felt much more confident to delve into clothing. I knew exactly what I liked and why, why certain pieces worked and others didn't. Aside from all of these reasons is the simple fact that birth changed me. I became a stronger person with a clearer vision, with an intent focus on what I wanted to do.
What is your favorite part (or parts) of the designing process?
Oh, definitely the start of something new. It's the excitement of gathering all the fabrics for a new season and freely sketching designs, then honing everything down to a balanced collection. I love the honing process equally as much, probably more. Making decisions about what will be the very best designs and fabric selections, and the "why" of it all, is well-suited to my analytical nature.
You are one of the many creative working mothers we know...do you have anything to share about finding balance?
Well, first, I challenge myself not to think in terms of separate categories of life that all need their appropriate time and energy. Instead, living in a way that acknowledges these categories as fluid changes the whole equation. It helps to free me from the guilt that I'm neglecting one thing for another. For me, this takes the form of including my child as much as possible in my process. Sometimes I need to work alone, and this is deeply beneficial to me, but sometimes he can be there. I've taken him to business meetings, he comes along to my office, he helps me mail packages. He's starting to help me sort and count stock, and he loves it. The fact that I don't always have to exclude him is one of the reasons why I enjoy my work so much. Because I create my own schedule, 9 times out of 10, I can usually drop something I'm doing to be with him or answer a need. Is this always convenient? No. But it's my first responsibility, and it's an exercise in patience. I want to be there for him, and for him to know that he's more important than my business. At the same time I want him to value living into your purpose and working hard. I see my work as an example to him, and as something that he should be a part of, so that he can learn these values. I remember being alongside my parents' work as a child. It made me feel useful and proud of myself, and I hope it does the same for him. I want him to remember me as a woman who was led by her deep desires: to be a good mom, wife, friend, and businessperson. If I achieve these goals, I put him closer to achieving his.
thank you, kim, for sharing your time with us!
words & photographs by rinne allen
branches
in Daily Beauty
overcome by thorns
in The Country
lots of times, when you spy an old house on the side of the road, you can't get to it to explore because it's gotten so overgrown. usually privet and thorns are the culprit. gradually, the house will get taken over, and then covered up by vegetation. probably a nice habitation for animals!
photographs and words by rebecca wood
buds
in Daily Beauty
photograph by rinne allen
cannon, georgia
the south is full of deserted little towns, where commerce in cotton used to flourish, providing goods and services for whole communities. when cotton left, there was not much to replace it, and the people gradually shuttered their businesses and moved away. this old downtown was in good shape, and some industrious townsperson had painted all the boarded up windows blue. plenty of parking and move in ready!
photographs and words by rebecca wood
pink spring
in Daily Beauty
photograph by kristin karch
golden hellebores
photographs by rinne allen
lichens
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
Indian pass raw bar
my family and i just got back from spending our spring break in florida. we have a tradition of camping in a different FL state park each spring break.....exploring florida's beauty bit by bit.
our latest trip was spent at st. joseph peninsula which is in cape sanblas florida. one of our highlights of the trip was eating at indian pass raw bar which has been serving fresh and simple seafood for over 100 years! we ordered just about everything on the menu and enjoyed every bit! my favorite part was their honor system....every drink you take from their cooler you tally up....at the end of your meal you bring up your list and pay up.
it was a gem of a place to find!
photos and words by kristen bach
patina
in Daily Beauty
the mardi gras indians
one of my favorite places on the planet is new orleans, and one of my favorite things is the mardi gras indians. this sunday, they will be out in full regalia at their annual parade...i will be there again, in a haze of feathers and beads watching their beautiful handmade costumes parade down the street. each costume is handmade by the wearer, sewn by hand and beaded by hand, with a new costume being made each year. please enjoy these images from last year's parade.
words & photographs by rinne allen