passion flower

photograph by rinne allen

swamp colors

i found myself by a creek lately. as i wandered along the edges, i passed a swampy place with opaque waters and barely flowing streams. the surface was dark, but all colors of elements and fungi were creating a floating abstract art.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

honeysuckle

photograph by kristin karch

respite

lately, my head's been busy with cares, deadlines, inspirations, projects and concepts. getting to be a lot of static, so i headed out towards the country to clear my mind. i had far away in mind, but, on a whim, pulled into the nature center right outside of town. next thing i know, i found myself surrounded by a welcoming sea of green, relaxing and finding peace. there's nothing like being in the woods to clear your mind and reconnect with all your senses. it's like hitting a giant 'reset' button. it's why i will get back to the country one day…

words and photographs by rebecca wood

native azalea

photograph by rinne allen

church-wadell-brumby house

     the church-wadell-brumby house is believed to be the oldest surviving house in athens, built back in 1820 by alonzo church, a math professor at the university. the athens-clarke heritage foundation saved the home from demolition in 1967 and moved it to its present location at 280 east dougherty street. it now serves as the athens welcome center and a house museum, so all can appreciate its attention to historic detail.

photographs and words by kristin karch

two daffodils

photograph by rinne allen

spring beauty day!

we are excited to announce that we are hosting a creative workshop, in celebration of spring and flowers and beauty...it will be saturday, april 30, 2016 at sweet olive farm, just outside athens...with our friends from mandy from moonflower design, photographer paige french, wild food, & our very own rebecca wood...it will be a refreshing and rejuvenating day!

read below for more info,
and please, join us!
click here to sign up!

saturday, april 30, 2016 . from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
at sweet olive farm outside athens, georgia

spend the day with us, noticing and learning about the beauty around us on the grounds of sweet olive farm animal rescue in winterville, georgia, just outside of athens. we will walk the woods and the fields, gathering ingredients that we will use throughout the day as we learn new things from our friends: flower farmer & floral designer mandy o’shea of moonflower design, photographer paige french, the ladies from Wild Food, and artist rebecca wood of r.wood studio. no experience is necessary, just an open mind and a willingness to try something new and creative.

each participant will also receive a copy of our book, beauty everyday.

sweet olive farm is an animal rescue farm and event venue just outside of athens, georgia. in addition to their animals, they have a restored barn, victorian home and cottage, and woods and fields for roaming.  

flow for the day:

9 a.m. to 10 a.m.: welcome coffee & nibbles

10 a.m.: foraging walk and flower arranging lesson with mandy o’shea of moonflower design

noon: color & composition: photographing flowers & arrangements with paige french

1 p.m.: a healthy, fresh lunch using some foraged ingredients and other local goodies with the ladies of beauty everyday and Wild Food

2 p.m.: drawing from nature with rebecca wood: looking at flowers and learning to sketch them, simply

3:30-4 p.m.: closing

please join us!

spring green

photo by kristen bach

soy and sesame turnips

this weekend i picked up a couple of bunches of hakurei turnips at the farmers market.  we had dinner with friends and we all cooked up some korean tacos and veggies.  

hakurei turnips are my favorite, they are hearty and sweet and are great to eat raw or cooked.  my way to cook them is by braising them and then adding soy sauce at the very end.  

ingredients

a bunch of hakurei turnips from the farmers market

sesame oil

soy sauce

sesame seeds

directions

-slice your turnips in half, lengthwise

-over high heat, add your oil and place your turnips flat side down

-cook until turnips start to get color, remove from heat

-quickly add some soy sauce

-add some sesame seeds

-enjoy!

photos and recipe by kristen bach

veins

photograph by kristin karch

the goat farm

i recently visited the goat farm near downtown atlanta. it was such a treat! it is 20 acres of old factory buildings where machines were once made to gin cotton. now it is taken over by artists, farmers, dancers, potters, fashion designers, and all sorts of creative people. the old buildings are beautiful in themselves, but new creativity is blossoming everywhere you look. creatives live and have studios there. there's a wonderful coffee shop to hang out in, an organic garden, dance studio, and more. it feels like out in the country; no tall buildings in sight. there really are goats at the goat farm, too! it feels like a groovy commune. i loved it!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

cherry

photograph by rinne allen

wisteria

most southerners have love hate relationship with the wisteria vine.  when it blooms there is no smell that compares to the sweet and fragrant air that breezes throughout town.  it's lovely white and lavender blossoms coat the trees and sky which make is so easy to look up and admire the spring canopy.  when you have wisteria in your yard you tend to have a different take on the vine! it can take over a tree in no time and its large and strong vine is almost impossible to control.  i still can't help but love this time of year and the sweetness that it brings!

photographs and words by kristen bach

golden hour

photograph by kristin karch

crumbling history

this house is a favorite of mine and has been visited by rebecca a few times as well. it used to have a "for sale" sign that is gone now, so i am hoping someone is going to give some love to this ca. 1820 home. here are some photographs of the crumble before it all changes - for good or bad.

photographs and words by kristin karch

honeysuckle

photograph by rinne allen

spring flowers

photographs by rebecca wood

window beauty

photo by kristen bach

a simple foraged meal

they say that the morel mushrooms growing season is when the dogwoods are in bloom.  with foraging, you really never know if you will find anything on your hunt.  this year we have had a few plentiful hunts and many days where we came home empty handed.  it really is the fun part about going out to hunt! 

the nice things about morels is that they really need very little preparation.  they are naturally so flavorful that a little oil or butter, salt and pepper is all they need!  we love to pair them with some spring peas and toss them over a bed of buttery noodles.  so good! 

we are still hoping that we may find another patch of morels on a spring hike in the next upcoming weeks as our dogwoods are still in full bloom!

photos and words by kristen bach