flora

photograph by rinne allen

workshop recap: learning & inspiration

one of the best things about our spring beauty day was how much learning and sharing took place. we are always endlessly inspired by our friends and were thankful that mandy o' shea, paige french, erin & lindsay, and rebecca wood took the time to share their craft with us. we were also so inspired by our participants with all of the beauty and creativity they displayed - i mean look at those bouquets! 

from learning flower arranging and foraging, to photography and drawing, this workshop was full of excitement and beauty. 

words by kristin karch, photographs by kristin and rebecca wood

porcelain

photograph by rinne allen

workshop recap: rebecca's drawing lesson

rebecca draws flowers constantly. flowers are her signature subject. plus, the way she talks about drawing them is so great. first, she instructs you to just look at the flower...for a long time. at the workshop she said this may be the most important thing you do all day and she was right. taking the time to really look at something- in this case, one of mandy's beautiful booms- is a great way to slow down and appreciate the moment and the flower. by the time you are ready to draw your mind has already spent time looking at how the flower comes together and its structure and form. your mind has had time to work out where to begin and where to end. after that, there really is no wrong way to proceed, so you just begin.

photographs and words by rinne allen

spring beauty

photograph by rinne allen

workshop recap: sweet olive farm

we were so happy to have our workshop at sweet olive farm. we have been going to this property for over 20 years, and have made many wonderful photographs and memories here. our friends kat & susan have lived here for the last 4 or 5 and have slowly added animal after animal to now have a full-fledged (and official non-profit) animal rescue program. their menagerie of animals and the beautiful landscape were the best backdrop we could ask for; i mean, who doesn't love hearing a peacock call or rooster crow when they are learning a new creative skill on a sunny spring day? and, their barn is such a good spot for workshops with plenty of room to spread out and stay cool. 

thank you, sweet olive!

photographs by kristin karch, words by rinne allen

horse hair

photograph by rinne allen

workshop recap: mandy's floral lesson

 this week we will be sharing glimpses from our weekend workshop, spring beauty day...enjoy!

our friend mandy and her husband steve of moonflower design/3 porch farm grow or forage all of the flowers they sell at local farmer's markets and use in their flower arrangements for weddings and other events. they are at the forefront of the flower-farmer movement, along with a handful of others across the country. we are lucky to have them nearby!

mandy led the first activity of our workshop this past weekend: a foraging walk through the woods at sweet olive farm and flower arranging lesson in the barn. since mandy only uses seasonal ingredients, walking the woods with her was great because everyone got to see how and what she finds interesting...wild muscadine vine, pods, and winged elm came back in her basket and were later used in her arrangements. mandy also brought buckets and buckets of cut flowers from the farm.

when we returned to the barn from our walk, everyone just jumped right in and began making their compositions, while mandy gave guidance and tips...each person made something totally unique with their ingredients- some were low and wide, others were tall and narrow...all were beautiful!

photographs and words by rinne allen

peacock

photograph by rinne allen at sweet olive farm

workshop recap: foraging food

this week we will be sharing glimpses from our weekend workshop, spring beauty day...enjoy! 

our food was so delicious at the workshop...! everything was seasonal and most of it foraged for the day by our friends Erin & Lindsay of Wild Food. they prepared pickled bamboo, a wild green salad with local strawberries & bee pollen dressing, a backyard chicken egg salad, fresh sassafras leaves for tasting, and the most delicious honeysuckle sorbet! they also made a wisteria cello for guests to take home...

in addition, Kristen (who handles the recipes for beauty everyday) made a delicious rice dish and brought bread from our local fave, independent baking co.

Wild Food also illustrated a little booklet that shared info about their ingredients and a few recipes...it was a lovely surprise...!

words and photographs by rinne allen

dried roses

photograph by rinne allen

doll houses

Last week, I stopped by Neat Pieces in Carlton, GA for my usual once-a-month look around the amazing collection of vintage clothing they have there. I can sometimes get myself into trouble here by buying too much stuff, but this time a very detailed collection of vintage dollhouses caught my eye.....

I mean, the 'aged plaster walls' and tiles... Is this not crazy? 

I had to find out what the story was on these old dollhouses, so I asked.....

I was told that this artist couple made these several decades ago, and had even more that were just sitting in an old rotting storage building that had started leaking. The pickers at Neat Pieces were able to save them and now they sit on display awaiting someone to take them home.....

I mean look at this detail! The rugs, the upholstery, the windows!!! Can you tell my mind was blown?

This little adobe dollhouse was even more detailed! Check out all the tiny pottery - that was actual real pottery! Yes, teeny, tiny, and so beautifully detailed...... I took the most photos of this one, because as much as I thought my mind was blown with the other dollhouses, this one took the cake....

...so that was my distraction from spending too much money at Neat Pieces. As much as I am amazed at these little pieces of art, I don't think I would ever be one to need one, so I was amazed and went home without breaking the bank on too many clothes ;)

words and photographs by sandice thrasher

wisteria

photograph by rinne allen

canola fields

words and photographs by kristen bach

creek and bamboo

photograph by rinne allen

a week in between for brown parcel press

This week we are continuing our visits with some of our favorite creatives...our friend Megan from Brown Parcel Press in nearby devereux, Georgia shares a glimpse into her world...enjoy!

In Georgia, the months of February and March are shape shifters. Some years they are cold and wet, some years they are warm and dry, but most years they are both, and most of the time they are both within the same week. Depending on your mood this pattern can be playful or discouraging. The key to floating through these unpredictable patterns is flexibility and adaptability. I happen to love this time of year because it feels like a mirror of my home and work life.

I run a small letterpress and design shop out of my home studio in rural Georgia with my mom, Gaëlle. I am also a mom to two little girls, a 4 year old and a 9 month old. With the exception of three mornings a week, when my oldest goes to a preschool in a town close by, I am with my girls 24/7. This means my business is run in the cracks and crevices of the day (and of course with the help of my husband, grandparents and a fair share of night and weekend work too). This also means, each day and week is a bit unpredictable depending on who has a cold, whose teething, or which donkey got out of his fencing. Brown Parcel Press has been my love and passion for nearly a decade, and when I had children I learned how to balance one love and passion with another love and passion. This balancing act also means that I have learned how to accept that the pace at which my business grows is a relatively slow one, but as long as my family is happy and my business is moving forward creatively and financially I am happy to keep juggling these roles day in and day out. Slow and steady is the name of my game.

My printing partner / mom lives in Atlanta most of the time, but one week out of the month she comes to live and work with us. This has been the key to me not feeling overwhelmed, creatively frustrated, or unproductive. I design, ship orders, photograph products, and return emails during the weeks when she’s not here. When she arrives for a production week we try to hit the ground running. She and I have a pretty organized printing schedule, and we each take turns between spending time with the girls and printing new designs. It’s certainly not traditional and there is a lot of start and stop, but my girls get to be a part of what we’re creating, we get to eat all of our meals together, and somehow in the end it all works and we meet our deadlines. These pictures are from one of our production weeks together. This season we are taking a step back from our old work and putting a whole new line of stationery together. The line will feature a few designs from past calendars that we want to see in a new context, but there is a lot of new work we are releasing as well.  Pushing ourselves to really focus on the cohesiveness of the line as a whole has been more challenging than I thought, but it’s so exciting. This work feels more personal as we’re really trying to bring our own vision of simple beauty to life on paper.

pink rose

photograph by rinne allen

honeysuckle and fringe tree

photographs by rinne allen

utensils

photo by kristen bach

home.made

we are lucky to have such creative and talented friends here in athens, ga. we have collaborated with our good friend mimi maumus of home.made many of times.  she is the chef and creative force behind her restaurant and catering company and recently expanded her space and is open for dinner.  we are so excited for her and her team!

i recently spent some time at home.made and helped them get some fresh photographs for their new website. i always love to 'play' in the kitchen over at home.made.  just like beauty everyday, mimi is inspired by the seasons and creates lovely meals. enjoy!  

photos and words by kristen bach, food by mimi maumus