magnolia drape

October 02, 2015 in Instant Inspiration

i tied a string of magnolia leaves and hung it at the top of a window...i love how it looks from outside!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

garden chaos

October 01, 2015 in Daily Beauty

photograph by rebecca wood

apple picking

October 01, 2015 in The Country

we have made it a tradition to go apple picking at least one time each fall. my daughter always gets to bring a friend and we have a fun day frolicking in the orchard, climbing trees, picking apples. this year we went to south carolina to bryson's orchard. it was a hot day but a lovely one at that!

photographs and words by kristen bach

mud daubber nest

September 30, 2015 in Daily Beauty

photograph by rinne allen

fort pulaski

September 30, 2015 in Homes & Habitats

i have a husband and two sons who love visiting old forts when we travel, especially when we are along the coast...i used to reluctantly tag along, but then i noticed how beautiful they are, mainly because of their tabby (or cocina) walls...they have so much texture! plus, i do love many of the interiors as they were so utilitarian and simple...there is no fluff to them, just the essentials...

recently, we were in savannah and spent the day out at tybee island on the beach...we stopped off at fort pulaski on the way and explored...

photographs and words by rinne allen

jewels of opar

September 29, 2015 in Daily Beauty

photograph by rinne allen

fall preview

September 29, 2015 in Seasonal Bloom

photographs and words by rinne allen

beauty berries

September 28, 2015 in Daily Beauty

photograph by kristen bach

spanish apple and rice salad

September 28, 2015 in Garden to Table

when i was in high school, i lived in barcelona for a summer. my host family would make this salad every week. there was so much that i loved about the spanish cuisine, but this salad was my favorite and i still to this day make it often. it is best when you use freshly picked apples which makes it a perfect fall salad!

ingredients

1 1/2 cup rice, cooked
3 apples, a tart variety is best(I used winesap's but granny smith are also great)
1/2 purple onion, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp salt (or more or less to taste)
1 tsp cumin

directions
-make the rice and let it cool for about 30-45 minutes
-finely dice the purple onions
-dice the apples, leaving the skins on for texture and color
-toss the apples, onions, and raisins with the salt and cumin
-when the rice is cool, fold in the fruit mixture
-serve chilled

photos and recipe by kristen bach

galax

September 25, 2015 in Daily Beauty

photograph by rinne allen

20 years with rinne

September 25, 2015 in Instant Inspiration

rinne came to ask me for a job at the studio 20 years ago. we couldn't afford to hire anyone, but when i received her handmade thank you note in the mail, thanking me for talking to her, i was sold, and knew i needed to have her around.

rinne and her photos are magic, and i knew right away i needed to let her follow her inspiration around the studio. rinne's photos always made us look good, and projected the beauty and creativity i tried to inspire. we sort of 'grew each other up'. we shared a lot of ideas, inspirations, and hard work. her insights and ideas always helped me to grow my business.

rinne took over 30,000 pictures (with a film camera!) at r.wood studio, documenting the process, people, and plates. she was able to hone her skills and vision before she left the studio to start her career as a photographer. she is now very successful. we still love to get together for brainstorming and flower arranging and photographing, and still collaborate together on our blog, beautyeveryday.

rinne IS instant inspiration, and i've been so lucky to have her in my life these 20 years!

photograph and words by rebecca wood

moss covered wall

September 24, 2015 in Daily Beauty

photograph by kristen bach

barn envy

September 24, 2015 in The Country

i see so much beauty on adrive through the country. every once in a while there is that thing you see that just takes your breath away and leaves you speechless. this barn did just that!

in the middle of a field, sat this vine covered beauty. enjoy!

words and photographs by kristen bach

echinacea

September 23, 2015 in Daily Beauty

photograph by rinne allen

sons of sawdust: schoolhouse demolition

September 23, 2015 in Homes & Habitats

i have really enjoyed following along with the gang from sons of sawdust on all of their fun adventures...if you haven't already, check out their instagram feed, as they chronicle these adventures in salvaging materials and repurposing them into tables and furniture...they are doing a great job of storytelling through words & pictures!

recently, i followed them for the day as they took apart an old schoolhouse outside of bishop, georgia. the owner of the building wanted to remove the building, but rather than just trashing it, he called in the guys to salvage what they could. there was lots of dust (and wasps!), but it was fun to watch them take apart the building, board by board. there was a beautiful patina to some of the wood, almost like milk paint, and a few remnants of the former owners remained like where they had scratched out a math problem on the wall or practiced their handwriting.

at the end of the day, the sons of sawdust guys hauled the wood back to their shop and will eventually turn it into furniture or they even had one request to turn the wood into flooring.

one of the highlights of the day was when a carriage pulled by two huge clydesdales pulled up and i was offered a ride around the neighboring fields...of course, i said yes!

it was a gorgeous day to be in the country!