hope your weekend...

is filled with happiness just as mine will be!! I'm on my way to Savannah to hold & meet my sweet niece :) Here is a picture and it's all I have seen too..but pretty soon I will have the real live version in my arms. have a happy one!!



post by kristen

frames, frames, frames, & a book bin

while we are still slowly getting frames up on etsy, I don't want you to think we aren't still working on getting more out! We've been wrapping up some orders since our show and i was asked to have just 2 of these made.... and had 7 instead, knowing they were going to be cute! .... and so, to take the lazy (and time-restricted) way out...here are all these frames..anyone want to purchase before i put them on etsy? I'll wait to put them up...just for you :) And if you specify in the next 3 days, i will paint the inside trim the color of your choice.

i've also been busy working on molly's "big girl" room! I sent this photo to my cousin to pick which frame she wants and I think i'll use the rest in molly's room. While I try not to take every frame as soon as we make it - molly desperately needs some frames in her room!! So, check back for a friday feature on her soon...

also - i can't wait to put up this fun book bin! I'm so excited about it, it turned out cuter than I thought!

post by kristen

too much love

isn't it so refreshing and delightful to hear a kid speak. it is uninhibited and is simply how they see things. I try to write it all down because i know it won't be long before they will start to monitor their responses and questions and i will crave their innocent comments. Sometimes it's not so great to hear (like how MJ really doesn't like my wardrobe of t-shirt and jeans - she prefers I wear heels and a dress everday). But yesterday, on the way home from church I saw her in the rear view mirror staring at mills and she said "mom, i really like mills" then a pause and a look of concentration "mama. i got too much love for her" it made me smile..

"me too mare, me too"



post by kristen

Lobster Basket Love

(the peek of) the basket in this post reminds me of these. they make my heart happy. mine's currently a magazine rack. i can think of about a hundred more uses though.



image from Aidan Gray Home

post by arre

family portrait

If I had more time to think about this.....



I could probably develop a complex over it. I'm the largest one.. on the flip side, Mary James says we are all dancing...that's gotta be good right? Don't they(?) say you can tell a lot about a kid's home life by a picture they draw of their family? I'm glad she pictures us all dancing - then again...she lives in a musical (that she is constantly starring in) so why wouldn't we all be dancing?

post by kristen

Sarah Jannerbo

Leave it to Jane (Stray Dog Jane) to have this girl as a friend.

Sarah Jannerbo's handcrafted (by an ancient European lost wax method of form casting, no less) jewels reflect nature with their organic shapes and literal interpretations. Some pieces are simple and elegant with the most surprising and understated detail. Others are whimsical and quirky; some deceptively so.
Though I've yet to adorn myself with Sarah Jannerbo's jewels, I am already likening doing so to accessorzing my home with Jane's creations - what kindred spirits they must be.

This is making me swooooon. o yeh, and these.

And she and her sister are business partners. Gotta love that.

*image from sarahjannerbo.com

post by arre

our family + a little girl named jane

A sweet girl entered the world today - she just happens to be my neice :)

j a n e

l a t t i m o r e

s p a r k s

7 pounds 14 ounces

20 1/2 inches

8.19.2009

welcome jane! I can't wait to hold you!!

and... HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER KATHRYN! (not the one that birthed jane, but the other one) how fun that you and jane share a birthday!!

post by kristen

dash and albert strikes again

isn't this dash and albert runner perfect in this bath?

image from XJavier first spotted here (of COURSE!)



post by arre

hedge apples & vine letters

hedge apples & vine letters are the 2 things arre and i centered our decorating around for the baby shower we helped host (with 8 others!)for our good friend, mandy. If you haven't noticed..there appears to be quite a baby boom going on and we've had a fun year of showers, but very few of them have been for boys! So when we were assigned the task for decorating for the shower, we were excited to try to come up with something different for this one. Mandy's little boy is going to be named ernie (hence the e's)
ernie's initials....

they were hung over the table

one large e hung over the gift table

one of the things i fell in love with about this house is the hedge apple tree out back (also called osage oranges - you can read about them here) the tree is so large it's hard to get a good picture of it...this picture is from underneath the tree.
you do not want to be standing under one of these in the late summer, early fall when they start to fall out of the trees! They are heavy and put a hole through one of our tables (it was a plastic table, but still)


they had just started to become the perfect size when the time for the shower came so we wanted to figure out some way to incorporate them into our decor





in typical arre form - she realized(?!) the day before the shower that she was in charge of the punch... and in even more typical arre form - she noted that she had no idea how to make punch. so after a quick search on the internet we came across this coffee ice cream punch, we were terrified it wouldn't be good (since we had never made it before), but it was YUMMY

mimosas & coffee punch





arre & mills




we had a blast and can't wait for this sweet baby to enter our lives!!

post by kristen

ponies at the beach

i know you have all been dying to see what the ponies have been up to. well here it is - we found this after mj had been quietly playing for some time. They made it to the beach and are having a blast...

lulu red star

a few months ago at Scott's we got off course... and though finding her meant straying from the task at hand, the gem that is lulu redstar made the time lost worth the while.

lulu, herself, was kind enough to share a few (amazing!) photos and answer a few questions.





when did you start this venture?

2002 I bought a sewing machine and started making shoe bags using dressmaker details (MOP buttons, french silk ribbons, vintage bits). I also made small pillows using the same kinds of treatment. THEN it was Yoga Mat bags I made with, again the same treatments, but the bags were made of oilcloth. I was lucky to have a friend who owned a yoga studio and bought from me. I went idle for a few years and in 2006 I became a dealer of vintage stuff, found objects and antiques & vintage quilts. I was making jewelry as an amusement/gift giving. Then, I went to the shows in Texas in Spring 07 and made my first 'Junk Jewelry' for myfriend and I. It took off from there.



have you always been creative?

yes, but it was deeply buried. I used to work on Wall Street and used that part of the brain right out of college.
in what other ways are you creative? I love to decorate my tabletops for dinner parties ( I was made a small scale version of the gravel road on the table; at Christmas I covered the entire table with moss, reindeer, mini pine trees, ). I am a Master Gardener and love to throw stuff out in the beds and see what happens.

what inspires you?

COLOR! Coco Chanel, Doris Day's wardrobe from "PILLOW TALK", my two muses Anne & Randolyn (best friend & sister, respectively) Nature, Moorish architecture....not limited...when I see it ....it grabs me.

what is the process of creating a piece like for you?

I start by seeing one piece and that color usually guides me through pulling pieces out of my treasure troves on my work table (6' long covered in kraft paper; every inch COVERED in stuff and findings! I will start several pieces at once and then percolate on the look. I don't have a finite number as to how long it takes, but usually 3-5 days per piece. Sometimes longer, sometimes very quickly.

how would you describe your personal style?

well-made, trend-less, quirky, not frilly: I prefer box pleats over ruffles; house is very color saturated; antiques and vintage everything except sofas; in clothing I stick to black, white, brown, green and use accessories to give it punch. levis vs designer, Chanel, cowboy boots, flipflops are my official summer shoe.

any current trends you are digging?

Honestly, I think reinventing the old is great IF DONE correctly. Love the color in handbags, and shoes. any you are trying to steer clear of? Jewelry-wise, I am staying away from keys and clockfaces as the main component. There is a lot of competition and knock-offs (locally, among other dealers). Clothing: Please. take back the skinny jeans from the 80s unless you're 6' and all legs. I think Pottery Barn is ruining the antique/vintage market by mass producing look-a-likes and marking them waaay up.



what is the future of lulu redstar?

Honestly,it is a metamorphosis.The official name is lulu redstar enterprises, so I have left myself endless endeavors to put under the old hen house roof. I love making my pieces and selling them. I still love finding old, quirky objects to sell. I have scaled back my business to only doing the Scott's show monthly. I can now concentrate more on expanding my creative boundaries. I actually would love to acquire more skills and venture into more gemstones and 14k-18k gold. some day.



how did you name your business?

my favorite hen, lulu redstar. all white...the perfect broiler/fryer image of a hen.

do you have a favorite piece you have created?

my 'charm bracelet'. I made it as a prototype. I get more compliments on it than anything else. I has a huge medallion that reads 'Associated Steel Workers of America" right next to an old rhinestone ball----cracks me up.

how can we buy (more) of your jewels?!

two ways: Come and see me at the Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta (South Building, 6511 6522 at the end of rows L7 & L8). Contact me personally and we can collaborate together. I have my domain names but I truly like selling them tete a tete. I also am open to trunk shows but I need 4-6 months in advance to get enough inventory made. It is still a one-woman show.

Thank you so much, sweet LuLu, for a peek into your charmed life! i can't wait to see you at Scott's next month! xx

p.s. i picked up this little bauble and consequently dress up any and every ensemble i put on!! isn't it lovely?!









photos (except for the last three. yours truly is responsible for those) by stash studios (familiar?! such a small (terribly creative) world!)

post by arre

winding it down

who wants to leave this?

i know these girls don't

oh lazy days, pool, beach, ice cream man, bicycle rides, and lots of wii - we will miss you. we plan to spend our last day soaking it all in....

post by kristen

blog love: blueprint press

yet another blog crush via pink wallpaper. shannon's on fire lately - or have i just not been paying attention in the past?


post by arre

Third Culture Kid

image: flickr (spotted here)

After (cyber-) acquainting myself with Meg I sooo want to have TCK - i'm sure Matt would totally go for that*. Good thing we're not even sure about the things on kid-front. at all. yet. That means we've definitely got time to discuss where they'll grow up ;) right?

*if you don't know my husband (or if you do and are thinking we are considering an international move), this is a joke. i seriously doubt he will ever even live outside of the Albany city-limits. But a girl can dream.

post (definitely) by arre

book love: the Sart!

Is it too early to start my Christmas list (I am a serious Christmas list maker - my husband, siblings and parents joke about it year-round)? I just saw this and am reminded - now more than ever - that i have. to. have it!

post by arre

have a happy weekend (and week!)

We're loading up and heading to the beach for one last vacation before school starts so I will not be here to blog about babies and poo (don't look so sad) So, just to hold you over, i'll give you you one last kid-filled post. It seems like someone has been playing with my camera i'll give you 1 guess as to who...

group shot before the pony bash 2009

individuals

sweetie bell is rockin' it

finally! the princess have arrived...party wouldn't be the same without cinderella and belle




party on daddy's alarm clock!!!!

woooo pinkie pie is getting WILD

out of control

I couldn't tell you how the party ended (because that was the last picture) kinda reminds me photos from college. only there were no ponies (that i remember).

post by kristen

dress design decor? yes please!

omg! dress design decor? where have i been? this is love. thanks for the intro pink wallpaper.



let me count the ways (that i can think of right now) i am totally digging this site:



1) her header is to DIE for (it reminds me of black pearl press, where other font love lies).

2) her reccomendation(s) could be great for business.

3) she is a girl after my niece's own heart! (remember these shoes?)

4) she's having this party.

5) she just seems cool.



post by arre

::GenaKnox::

a friend of a friend, Gena Knox, has a web site and blog (and a cookbook for that matter. oh and this really cool business) chock full of delectable Southern recipes that are making my mouth water and my stomach growl.

post by arre

tom ford {sunglasses} love

if i were in the market for a new pair of sunglasses (that i can't actually afford) this is where i'd be looking. a client came in today wearing a pair of simones that nearly made me faint. i could hardly remember what we talked about when she left because i was entranced by her eyewear, which she notably didn't remove the entire time she was inside the shop. i don't blame her! if i could get my hands on a pair (or get a pair on my face, rather) i don't think i'd take them off either. ever!

post by arre

s l o w l y but surely!

Our inventory is going up at our Etsy shop!

Verryy slowly. We're averaging 2/day.

We have a total of 32 frames to put up so keep checking back daily until you see what you want!

if you are in the area, please call/email/leave a comment or just track us down! and let us know what you want and we will get it to you. On Etsy - a shipping price is included, that will obviously be waived if we aren't shipping it to you!

post by kristen

wedding l♥ve :: katherine and warren by tammi nowack

A few weeks ago my lovely (and breathtakingly gorgeous) friend, Katherine, was married at (what I believe to be) the most beautiful Church in our sweet little town. The ceremony was just as beautiful - all parts (and there were a lot of parts). At the reception the new husband and wife were visibly head over heels and having the time of their lives. I've not stopped thinking about the couple, their day ...

Last week i was vistiting with Katherine - what a delight!- and got a sneak peek at their wedding pictures *eeeek*! After I caught my breath (literally) I took a closer look and realized she used local photographer Tammi Nowack. I've not met Tammi but her name is familiar to me from these girls (hints ladies?) and this post (oh, and this one too, actually). This was my first Tammi Nowack wedding experience and i was overwhelmed. The photographs are phenomenal! I would be obsessed with these pictures even if I didn't know and love the subject of them but the fact that they so wonderfully capture a day that was so glorious it transcends words just makes them that much more magnificent.

I can't not share them with anyone who is willing to look but i don't know Tammi and don't want to yank (all of) her images (but i couldn't resist just one - please forgive me Tammi!) so go to Tammi's web site (seriously. do this.), enter her blog and search for 'Katherine and Warren'. i know this can't be the simplest way to go - but it's the only way i know.

get ready to seriously swoon!

post by arre

Thirteenth Colony - with information this time!

A few months ago I wrote (here) about Thirteenth Colony Distillery. At the time, I had just been introduced to their Plantation Vodka *swoon* and knew little more. Luckily, I spend some of my time writing for Southwest Georgia Living (and by the way, as of today, the picture on the left of their homepage is of my sister's lovely handcrafted jewelry!) and shortly after the fateful meeting (of me and Plantation Vodka) I pitched the idea for an article about this fascinating establishment to my editor and got the assignment. Said editor was kind enough to hand the article back over to me to share with you! Without further adieu, here's all I know:

What began as a casual conversation among friends about the nature of distilling has grown into the singular craft distillery in the entire state, and it’s located right here in Southwest Georgia.

Partners Kent Cost, Alton Darby, Winford Hines and Gilbert Klemann, MD, each came to the new business venture from careers that, for the most part, were worlds apart. A few years ago, one obstetrician/gynecologist, two real estate developers and a farmer had only their friendship in common, until a fateful conversation transformed that relationship.

Klemann describes the beginning of the discussion that swiftly led to their business partnership as not much more than a realization that distilling was as simple as basic chemistry. Each acknowledged an interest and the idea took off. As for how they decided to partner in such a business, they call it serendipity.

With any new entrepreneurial endeavor, there were nerves … but theirs came with a sense of adventure and not fear. “Something like this is the high dive, which is doubly exciting,” says Klemann, adding that the knowledge that tobacco, alcohol and cosmetics sales are never impacted by a less than stellar economy provided the men some comfort in a new venture.

Six months passed between the initial conversation and the movement towards making their idea a reality. Once the wheels were in motion, it took 22 months to get set-up, licensed—many government agencies are involved—and educated. “We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel,” says Klemann. “A lot of what we learned initially came from the Internet.”

Hines assures that Klemann has not learned all he knows from the World Wide Web and explains that he took a craft distillery course at Michigan State University and as a distilled spirits producer, is continually pursuing his additional education in the field.

It has been a bit of a whirlwind since the beginning, by any standards. Beyond learning the trade is the process of getting licensed and permitted to be a legal distillery. Klemann explains that the process is not to deter would-be distillers.

“As far as the government is concerned, we are like Rumpelstiltskin. They want someone like us to succeed. With all of the taxes placed on alcohol we are generating revenue for the state and the federal government.”

Thirteenth Colony Distillery received their permit on April 11, 2009 and had their first order out the door less than a week later. Their product was on liquor store shelves by April 20.

Naming the distillery just happened, Klemann reports. “Georgia is the thirteenth colony. It just stuck.” As for the name “Plantation Vodka,” the first product released by Thirteenth Colony, Cost and Darby are responsible.

“Hunting preserves are Southwest Georgia’s calling card,” says Klemann. “And drinks like this are for after the hunt.” Taking the Southern heritage motif to even greater lengths, Thirteenth Colony commissioned Albany artist, David Lanier, to paint the image displayed on their Plantation Vodka bottles. The original art hangs in the boardroom of the unmarked, unidentifiable Thirteen Colony Distillery building located on a side street in downtown Americus.

The unmarked building houses a production area very similar to a laboratory, complete with an eye-wash station and operating primarily with the use of compressed air for power. The facility houses a vast warehouse and offices for the six full-time employees, including Lindsey Cotton, marketing and compliance specialist and Graham Arthur, production and marketing specialist. Though the permanent staff is currently small, when Thirteenth Colony is doing a “run” or is in production mode, they recruit local contract laborers, providing jobs for the community.

While Hines says that the decision to pursue this project was a leap of faith for all involved parties, he explains that he has total trust in his partners that this venture will be a success. “We fit well together and each brings something unique to the table,” he says.

As Hines and Klemann see it, the men are each distinctly categorized in the context of this business partnership. Hines is described as being good at putting things together and making things work. It was he who found the building where Thirteenth Colony Distillery now operates. Cost is an architect by trade, talented in graphic design and integral in developing labels. Darby is called the “ideas man” and Klemann, “the cook” and “the chemist,” or in this case, the actual distiller.

Hines rests even more assured, describing both Cost and Darby as astute businessmen and Klemann as having an excellent palate and nuance of taste. “He’s not much of a drinker, but he is a connoisseur,” Hines says of Klemann.

With their diversified backgrounds, one key element each of these men have in common is a keen eye for detail; a notable characteristic of craft distillers. They take pride in the fact that they personally handle every facet of the business themselves. “Each cap is tightened by hand, each label is applied by hand,” assures Klemann. This distinctive part of such a niche takes a great deal of time but ensures distilling is done properly.

The process of distilling, as explained by Hines and Klemann, is a painstaking one. Included are steps such as mashing the various grains, including malted barley, corn, wheat, and rye, much of which can be found locally. Thirteenth Colony uses city water, which is rigorously purified by use of various filters, a water softener, a reverse osmosis deionizer and a UV light.

“The only way to get purer water is to put hydrogen and oxygen together in a lab,” says Klemann. One part of the process particular to craft distilleries is the filtration. A 10-foot long activated charcoal filter is used for purification. Carbon exposure is relative to the removal of impurities. A single run of Plantation Vodka spends between seven and eight hours in filtration. According to Klemann, this means fewer off-flavor congeners, resulting in a smoother vodka and less chance of a hangover.

In cases where the end product is something flavored, such as whiskey, the taste comes from trace elements which come over with the alcohol. Additional flavor comes from aging in oak barrels. While a lot of it is simple science, Klemann assures that the more one reads about distilling, the more complicated the topic becomes.

In addition to adding more distilled spirits to their offerings, Thirteenth Colony is also interested in becoming one of the destinations of the SAM Short Line excursion train that traverses Sumter and Crisp counties. But even if that happens, passengers should not expect a tasting while onsite at the distillery.

Selling their product directly to consumers or even serving any alcohol on their premises is strictly forbidden, says Klemann, explaining that Georgia is a three-tier state, meaning that the producer is permitted to sell only to the distributor who sells only to the retailer who then sells to the consumer.

As for what they set out to do, the guys still have a few plans up their sleeve. Klemann expresses an interest in producing a grappa-like brandy, but does not have plans for such an undertaking yet. “You don’t start out ice-skating; you begin by taking baby steps,” he explains.

And so it goes with Thirteenth Colony Distillery. While plans to produce other liquors such as gin and rum are on the horizon, a second variety of vodka is scheduled to come out next. But do not expect more of the same—this next release will be premium, refined through two filter columns, producing an even smoother vodka.

article courtesy of Southwest Georgia Living
photography by Todd Stone



post by arre