peacock

photograph by kristen bach

friday favorites: objets

kristen: my daughter and i have been collecting feathers over the years. we keep a little jar on the window sill just as you come in from outside. i just love seeing them every day and they are memories of our walks throughout the years from different places.

all three of us have collections of favorite things in our homes & studios...we wanted to share some of them here with you and why we love them so. rebecca & kristen share some of their favorites from their homes; rinne shares some objets from her studio. enjoy!

rebecca: i got this porcelain bowl at a gallery on 'pottery row' in kyoto. it's made like a pinch pot; pressed very thin in places. it's made to mimic export porcelain, but all the designs are hand painted. i just love everything about it so much and i can't say why. just love it.

kristen: rebecca made this wood fired vase many years ago. it reminds me of my days at the studio which i oftentimes miss!

kristen: i picked up this piece of drift wood at my friend jimmy poss' junk shop in carlton, ga. it has been the centerpiece of our dining room ever since. we use it as a place to stick found objects, hand made puppets or flags, or whatever. we all love how it changes through the seasons!

kristen: my dear friend kathryn made this for me several years ago.  it's of a maypop flower which also is my daughter's name. 

kristen: as a parent you have to pick and choose what you hold onto. this little grocery list is one of my favorite things ever. it hangs a wall in our house next to a cluster of paintings. a couple years ago i had made a grocery list and laid it on the table. i went to pick it up and my daughter had copied the list.  there is something about the sweetness of the whole act that makes this one of my favorite objects!

rinne: my uncle made this for me for my 8th birthday and it hangs in my studio now. he used a woodburning tool and glued shells around the edges for decoration; some of the shells have been lost over the years. my uncle passed away years ago, but he always made me handmade presents and always remembered my birthday and i keep this near me to remember him.

rinne: we will be sharing some of our favorite books next week, but i couldn't help but share this book that has been with me a long time. i found it long ago, not long after i left college where i studied photography. the book is from 1899 and is one of the earliest manuals for photography. it sits on the mantel in my studio where i see it everyday.

rinne: one day, i found both this bird's wing and this piece of wood at different times. they sit side by side in my studio, mirroring each other.

rinne: i have a lot of handmade things in my studio, i mean *alot*. and many of them are very old, folky pieces made by anonymous makers. this carved wooden chain was one of the earliest pieces i remember finding. i often wonder who made it and when.

rinne: like kristen, i have a little note from my child that i keep close by, right near my desk. i found this note one day when my oldest son had been in my studio. he left me this note as a little surprise, but it was the first time i realized he knew how to write these words.

words & photographs by us

purple

photograph by kristin karch

oglethorpe county shack

winter is a great time to drive around hunting for shacks. they are much more easy to spot once all the vines and weeds have died down!

this one is right near a grand old house that is well kept. nine times out of ten, these old shacks are full of hay, like this one was. still, good bones and stories to tell, if we could only hear them. mysteries and beauty are all that's left.

photographs & words by rebecca wood

patched bluff

photograph by kristen bach

abandoned building, sheffield, al.

a few weeks ago, kristen and her family roadtripped to NW alabama and explored the shoals area. they stumbled into this old warehouse, which just so happened to be one of the same ones that rebecca and our friend susan explored here.

photographs by kristen bach

rust and vines

photograph by kristen bach

winter dried specimens

each winter, i look around my studio and i can see the remnants of summer around me...through the dried specimens in my studio. i keep them around me as long as i can, both because they remind me of when they were are their peak, but also because i love their forms & textures once they are past their prime, too.

words & photographs by rinne allen

moss and acorns

photo by kristen bach

making pasta

we had a really busy saturday, so on sunday my daughter and i were feeling like laying low in our warm house.  ever since she was about 2 she has always loved to be in the kitchen with me cutting veggies, measuring ingredients, and stirring. yesterday we decided to make some pasta together. we had such a fun day and i was reminded how easy it is to make.....and so exciting for the little ones.  i have a handy pasta attachment on my kitchenaid mixer which makes the process so easy.  

we used this basic pasta dough recipe and the pasta turned out great!

if you want to invest in a pasta making machine i recommend:

kitchenaid attachment or
imperia pasta machine

photos and words by kristen bach

lilypads

photograph by kristin karch

friday favorites: finding inspiration, in the digital realm

a longtime reader of beauty everyday asked us to share some places where we find inspiration...online.

while we do not spend as much time as we once did online (thankfully!), there are still a few places that we consistently go to for inspiration...and we have enjoyed finding small moments of inspiration in other digital mediums, like instagram, podcasts, etc....plus, it feels as if our community has widened because of the connections and inspirations we have made (& shared) through these new realms.

here is a list of some of our favorites, in alphabetical order, grouped by format...

ONLINE:
3191 miles apart:
the two friends behind 3191 were really at the forefront of the blogging movement, and all these years later, they still inspire, sharing simple everyday moments & ideas from their respective homes in california & maine. since i spend time in maine every summer, i love that i have gotten to know one of them contributors, maria, and i love keeping up with the life & seasons there through her pictures. and, 3191 will be publishing another book, soon! - rinne
http://3191milesapart.com/

alabama chanin's journal:
our friends at alabama chanin put so much into their online journal, with thoughtful new posts every day. i have learned so much from it, about the south, food, making and more! - rinne
http://journal.alabamachanin.com/

behind the scenes at the american museum of natural history:
i love just peeking at this page for inspiration about the specimens in their collection and the stories behind them. - rinne
http://www.amnh.org/explore/behind-the-scenes

archives of Bloom magazine:
when Bloom was in print, i felt lucky when i got to see to actually see it...which wasn't often. now that it is no longer in print, i love that they share part of their visual archive online. - rinne
http://www.edelkoort.com/editions/

my new roots:
sarah britton, of my new roots, cooks the way I want to eat. every recipe in her book and blog is mouth-watering to me, so when I need some food inspiration, i head over to her site! - kristen
http://www.mynewroots.org

orangette:
when I was expecting my daughter 6 years ago, I read molly wizenberg's first book, "A Homemade Life". Her book completely made me fall in love with her writing style, her approach to food, and her buckwheat pancakes (which I ate nearly everyday until I gave birth).  6 years later, I still love to read her blog! - kristen
http://orangette.net

rural studio's archive of projects:
we have written about our love for rural studio before, and have gone there to visit many times. if you haven't explored their work in rural alabama, take a moment and click through the link below...it will definitely leave you inspired! - rinne
http://www.ruralstudio.org/projects.html

sweet peach blog:
our friend pamela writes the blog sweet peach. we have collaborated with her on some projects over the past few years, and i always love to read her updates on what's going on in the south and hear about new companies and makers. (editor's note, pamela is refreshing her blog at the moment, but stay tuned!)  - kristen
http://www.sweetpeachblog.com/

textile arts center blog:
i love dipping into the textile art center's blog to see what they are up to and to get inspiration for projects. i love reading about their creative workshops & community projects! - rinne
http://textileartscenter.com/blog/


PODCASTS:
the southern foodways alliance app & podcast:
we have long been fans of all the SFA does, and now anyone can enjoy it anywhere via their app and podcast! A good place to listen to short stories from Southern folks and their connections to food. - rinne & kristen
https://www.southernfoodways.org/gravy-format/gravy-podcast/
SFA app

Splendid Table:
I have been driving to Atlanta a lot for work and have been loving to catch up on podcasts.  this is one of my staples for my commute. - kristen
http://www.splendidtable.org/
 

INSTAGRAM:
@7.6inthethird:
believe it or not, it's all photos of forgotten and dilapidated tennis courts, taken by my friend (and, kristen's husband), josh skinner. the photos are artful and evocative, and you can't believe how many dilapidated tennis courts there are! - rebecca

@andrea_gentl:
andrea gentl has worked as a photographer for many years and i have long admired her work. her instagram feed often provides me with inspiration for color palettes and ideas, or gives me a quiet moment with beauty. - rinne

@egould_:
this is the instagram account of the curator of gardens at monticello in virginia. i love being able to see this historic landscape & the change of seasons through her eyes. - rinne

@geninne:
i love her photos of her dreamy southwestern adobe house and studio. she does wonderful animal and bird drawings and watercolors, and carves her own stamps of the same. inspiring and dreamy. - rebecca

@kathydanmala:
she lives on the west coast and does flower mandalas most everyday; right up my alley! - rebecca

@sugarhouseworkshop:
i have young children and enjoy the tiny glimpses of the rural handmade life shared here by this homeschooling mama. - rinne

@voices_of_industry:
i still feel new to instagram, eventhough i have been on it for a year now. adele stafford, of voices of industry, was one of the first people that i discovered on instagram that made me look forward to seeing what she created next...i love following her work as a weaver. lucky for us, adele just relocated to north carolina from california, so hopefully we will see more of her, in person! - rinne

enjoy!

wooded

photograph by rinne allen

winter scenes

it took a while for winter to arrive...we had milder than normal temperatures in december, as did most of the country...but, now winter is here, as evidenced by the frost outside and wilting camellia blossoms...

here are a few images from the beauty everyday book of past winters...we hope you enjoy the quiet palette and frosty textures...

photographs by rinne allen, kristen bach, and rebecca wood

rusted canopy

photo by kristen bach

alabama flooding

last week we made a quick trip to alabama to take in some beauty.  it was right in the midst of the floods and actually prompted us to head home a bit early to escape more flooding.  that didn't stop us from stopping and taking it all in.

photos and words by kristen bach

half moon

photographby kristin karch

white camellias

a clean slate...white camellias from the garden...

photographs by rinne allen

winter vines

photo by kristen bach

winter detox rice salad

this is one of my favorite salads to make.  it is a perfect whole food and it is such a great healing meal.  after a long holiday season filled with lots of good eating this salad is a great way to reset your body and detox

ingredients
dressing
3 inch piece of fresh turmeric (remove skins if needed)
3 inch piece of fresh ginger (remove skins if needed)
2 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp of tamari
1 Tbsp of rice vinegar or fresh lime juice
1/4 cup of peanut butter
salt to taste
red chili flakes (optional)
-water for thinning

rice
2 cups jasmine rice
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup water
1 tsp salt

salad
1 1/2 cup roasted (unsalted) cashews or peanuts
1 small bunch of cilantro
1 medium head of green cabbage
1 small red onion
3 scallions, diced
1 red pepper
3 carrots, peeled if not organic
 you can add other veggies like kohlrabi, daikon radish

-make your rice by bringing your coconut milk, water, salt, and rice to a boil.  turn to low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed
-meanwhile, dice the vegetables and toss together in a large serving bowl
-put all of the dressing ingredients in a blender
-blend until smooth and add enough water until it reaches the consistency of dressing
-when the rice is done cooking, cool
-when it is cooled toss with the mixed vegetables
-pour over dressing a little bit at a time and gently toss together until mixed
-enjoy and serve alongside some rooster sauce if you want some spice!

photo and recipe by kristen bach