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

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