a flower with love

i love this little book. i am a big fan of bruno munari; he created so many things that i love, many of them for children...this little book sits near my desk in the studio and i flip through it often. where else can you get a sunny dose of color as well as ikebana tips, complete with instructions for using a half of a potato as a kenzan (flower frog)? i also love the section at the end where he invites the reader on a woodland walk...it isn't until 4 pages later that you realize that the woodland is actually a terrarium of moss and rocks...but the point is clear: bring nature inside and enjoy it.

words and photographs by rinne allen

sky drawings

all the leaves are gone now, just bare branches against the grey sky. they almost look like energetic drawings. I may make some like this soon...

words and photographs by rebecca wood

more giving ideas...

the last few fridays we have featured places or organizations we love, with the hopes that some of you reading may want to support them over the holidays...by spreading the good word or donating to the organizations themselves...

there are so many worthy organizations out there, both close to home and further afield- it makes it hard to choose which one to feature today...but, we decided that we would talk about an organization that helps some of those who need help the most: the hungry children of our community.

the Food2Kids program through the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia provides food over the weekends for children in our local school district, and across the wider Northeast Georgia region as well. through this program, the neediest children are given backpacks of food to take home each weekend, to insure that they will not go hungry from the time they leave school on friday to the time they return on monday morning. the backpacks are filled with food that is nutritious and also food that does not require cooking, so that nourishment is easy. while the food bank receives food through donations for its other programs, the Food2Kids program does not accept donation of actual food, therefore it depends on monetary donations to purchase the food that goes in the backpacks each weekend.

please consider a donation to this worthy cause this holiday season.

the r.e.m. steeple + nuci's space

Athens' music history is deep and wide. People from all over the world come to our town to learn about it and visit the hallowed grounds of the early scene. One of the most iconic sites, the steeple of St.Mary's church, is the place where many r.e.m. fans begin their visit, as it is all that remains of the site of the band's first show in 1980.

The steeple still stands tall, but is in need of repair. Luckily, it has a good neighbor. Nuci's Space, the musician resource center, lives next door and they have launched a campaign to raise funds to repair the steeple in order to integrate the structure into their space, and their mission. Their campaign is in it's last few days (or, even hours!) of fundraising.

Please consider supporting this good cause, whether you love r.e.m., or you just love Athens, or because you want to support Nuci's Space's amazing mission.

the ultimate inspiration

there are so many things that we consistently return to for inspiration around here. for me, one of these touchstones is the work of walter anderson, the late artist who spent most of his life living along the coast of mississippi. his work is so vivid and so evocative. words don't do it justice. but, his life story is even more amazing. rather than trying to sum it up here, i invite you to please visit the walter anderson museum's website to read more about him and see his work. in the meantime, take a moment to look through these images of his Little Room. they were taken way back in 2004 on a visit to ocean springs. the Little Room was a space where Anderson would retreat to paint. it was a private space, hidden from his family until after his death...they had never been inside until then. what a wonder it must have been to cross this threshold. if his work moves you, please consider donating to his museum or to Realizations, run by anderson's family, to support the preservation of his legacy.

words & photographs by rinne allen

foraged flower collaboration with mandy

this week, mandy and i did another collaboration for terrain. i have worked with terrain since they began many years ago, and this is the second time mandy and i done an arrangement for them; in the spring we did an arrangement with spring flowers and this week we did one with flowers that mandy had harvested earlier in the fall and dried...once again, mandy created some serious beauty! enjoy!

backyard oyster roast

local athens writer andre´gallant recently began working on a book project about georgia oysters and the people connected with them- those who work in the field, and in the water, everyday. In celebration of his project, and also to raise funds for it, andre´ held a backyard oyster roast with the help from his friends at seabear and the national, and many, many others. it was a rare treat to get a taste of fresh georgia oysters, both roasted and raw. we wish andre´ the best of luck on his exciting project.

photographs by rinne allen

foggy morning

i love waking up to fog.  the other day we had the best foggy morning and i didn't want to stop wandering through it!

photos and words by kristen bach

fall colors

when i first met rebecca in 1995, she was making leaf arrangements similar to these...she would gather leaves of a similar shape or hue and make little compositions that filled the frame of her photographs. when i recently found myself surrounded by beautiful leaves, i decided to do the same...enjoy!

words & photographs by rinne allen

a world away

this is a repost from december 2012...our friend nancy is having her world away market this weekend...tonight from 5 to 9 p.m. and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m....enjoy!

our friend nancy held a special market on the grounds of her new home. it was nestled in the piney woods at the rear of her property. there were ornaments hanging in the privet; holiday lights tangled in with the vines; and friendly faces everywhere. friends like tin cup, rachel sleppy, leslie snipes, kenneth kase, capman, zack & anna belle wood, and of course, nancy, were there selling their beautiful things. and, catie adams was icing a cake, and emily hall set up her tin type photo booth in the woods too. our friend james & others helped nancy create the space for the market over many months, and part of the proceeds went to her neighbors kat & susan's sweet olive farm. hopefully this will become an annual event. it was not to be missed.

words and photographs by rinne allen

Magnolia Fairy

this year for halloween, my daughter maypop chose to be a nature fairy.  i have to say i was waiting for the day to make a fairy costume.  this week we have been collecting ingredients to make her costume with.  this southern nature fairy is going to be covered in magnolia leaves and handing out acorns.  i can't wait! happy halloween y'all!

photos and words by kristen bach

old friends

a few weeks ago, rebecca, kristen and i spent the day with our friend nancy. we wanted to visit and catch up, but, also, nancy was writing a piece for the bitter southerner about her path southward, and also about beauty everyday. we spent the day going to each other's spaces and talking and reminiscing, over tea and homecooked food.

nancy was really one of our early connectors...i discovered rebecca's pottery in 1994 because nancy carried some pieces in her shop, frontier, in downtown athens. i have vivid memories of the early days of frontier; it was like stepping into another world, full of beautiful items all lovingly curated by nancy. it was more than just a shop; there was so much to be inspired by. also, i will never forget the first time i went to nancy's house. seeing the space that she had created for her family made a huge impression on me.

in 1995, i returned to athens after college and had my sights set on working at r.wood studio...and eventually i started working there. there were only 3 employees back then...no one knew how much it would eventually grow; we just enjoyed it for what it was at that moment. i learned more from my time there and from knowing rebecca that it is impossible to sum it up in this space here.

but, now, all these years later, i feel lucky that we are all still close and that we get to spend time together and collaborate and create. everyday.

enjoy these photos from rebecca's house and r.wood studio, and from treehouse kid&craft, kristen's shop, and 1 or 2 from our lunch break at my studio. you will see a cycle of inspiration running throughout. they all inform each other and all come from and back towards each other.

words and photographs by rinne allen

fall walks

l o v e fall walks in the woods! I found this patch of some kind of tall tall weed unknown to me. but the stalks and leaves were glowing so purple in the late morning light. . . another thing to try to do a painting of. . .

words and photographs by rebecca wood

end of the season

the other day i was wandering through a friend's garden that was lined with once brightly colored sunflowers. he had left them in the ground for birds to graze on. i always love admiring the silhouettes of the dark and dried stalks and blooms against the white of the sky...a true reminder that fall is here.

photos and words by kristen bach

the alabama organic cotton project

We've written about our friends at Alabama Chanin here many times; They are continually doing great things. Recently, alongside their friend and frequent collaborator Billy Reid, they've seen the launch of their first line of garments grown from their very own organic cotton.

Over two years ago, members of the Alabama Chanin and Billy Reid teams planted seeds for a 6.9 acre organic cotton crop, and tended the field with the help of friends & family. In the fall of that year, they celebrated the harvest by hosting a picking party for the 150+ friends who came to help pick this first batch of organically grown cotton. The cotton was then delivered to a nearby gin, and then traversed the south to various mills where it eventually became yards & yards of cotton jersey fabric.

Rinne documented the harvest and the crop's journey to becoming clothing designed, made and sold by Alabama Chanin and Billy Reid. Her work, alongside more photographs and details about the harvest can be found in the first installment of her New York Times series on harvests across the South.

photograph by rinne allen

shrimpers

recently, i was at the coast, north of charleston. i wandered over to the docks and checked out the shrimpers. i love all the colors & textures of their nets and bins. coastal living...

photographers by rinne allen

3 porch farm's pepper drying

i was out at 3 porch farm earlier this week. i wandered into one of their greenhouses and smiled when i saw all of their peppers hanging up to dry. enjoy!

words & photographs by rinne allen