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Christina Kwan / tide & bloom

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desperate housewares

I’m not one for cheesy puns, but I’ll certainly forgive any business who houses antique treasures like Desperate Housewares. This little secondhand shop sits conspicuously at the corner of Freedom Parkway and Boulevard, taunting me every time I visit Old Fourth Ward. I’m not really in the market for new home goods, but I can still survey the stock!

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Yet another reason why I love this Southern metropolis; it’s just overflowing with unique pieces to be passed down to the next generation of homeowners. From mid-century to retro 80s and lots before and after, this small shop is sure to pique your interest no matter your fancy. I can happily spend a whole weekend looking at old found objects. So much so that sometimes I wonder if I shouldn’t open a shop of my own!

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new instalove

Ever since I received my VERY FIRST smartphone for Christmas, I’ve been instagramming like a mad woman. I’ve always been pretty addicted to the app and I can’t believe I’ve not even been using it for a year. Now that I don’t have to borrow my boyfriend’s phone, I’ve been able to instagram whenever and wherever my heart desires! Here are some of my favorites over the past month or so. To see more everyday beauty, follow me @tideandbloom!

nature

naturewalk  chattanoogaflight  o4w

art

macaron  sketchsketch2  sketch3

food

pho  dessert2dessert  bbq

life

rug  picnicdance  boots 

spring shoe lust

I’m sure that you, just like me, are dying for winter to go away for good. Until it does, I’m going to keep dreaming of wearing these easy breezy styles up and down the festival circuit. Everyone needs at least one or two pairs from each of these trends: fun statement flats, simple sandals, and chunky fisherman-inspired heels. I gotta say, I like where fashion is going right now; modern simplicity with bold accents and a delicate balance of masculine and feminine silhouettes.

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sandals
chunky & strappy spring shoes

waiting to bloom

Like most of the country, we folks here in Georgia are totally done with winter. Every now and then we’ve been blessed with a warmer day (warmer meaning actually hitting 50 degrees) and you bet your butt we take advantage of it. The outfit seen here was worn on such a day and it felt unbelievably good to only have two light layers on!

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There’s something I haven’t been telling you, but you may have guessed it by now.

creative masters: sarah chancey of chancey charm

In what feels like a former life to me, I was completely enveloped in the world of weddings. Working at one of the best custom cake bakeries in town, For Goodness Cakes, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a number of talented wedding professionals who exemplified all the things successful business owners should be: motivated, creative, organized, driven, and each with their own unique voice. Sarah Chancey is one such professional and has remained someone I truly admire to this day. As the head of Chancey Charm Event Design, this sweet and saucy southern powerhouse leads a team of planners who ensure that their brides get the fantasy wedding they’ve always dreamed of, and more. In order to craft these custom events for her brides, Sarah goes back to the drawing board. Like literally, the drawing board. And this is what sets her apart from the myriad of other wedding planners; the creativity and love that comes straight from her hand, pen to paper, paper to life.

Creative Masters: Sarah Chancey of Chancey Charm, Odalys Mendez Photography | tide & bloom

How did you stumble into the world of weddings? Is this something you always envisioned for yourself?

I often look back and realize that I did somewhat stumble into all of this. Like any great wedding vendor, I started helping with weddings and events for family, friends, and local organizations. I loved it. Then, I got a job doing Marketing and Events for Chick-Fil-A in Denver, CO. I think that is where it clicked for me. I enjoyed the marketing, but loved the event nights. I think that in the end I enjoyed seeing how happy the events made people. It quickly became a side venture that has now grown into what you see today!

snow day snaps

I have a new camera. My very. first. dslr. Whoopee! It may take me a while to learn how to use it to the fullest, but in the mean time I’ll sure have fun experimenting. Here are my first shots with my new Canon SL1, outside my house the day after our recent snowy brush with mother nature.

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her

I haven’t written about a movie in quite some time now. It’s probably because there is only a certain kind of movie that really gets to me – a balanced confluence of poignant story-telling and moving cinematography. That’s really all any movie is, I guess.. narrative and visual. But there’s something else movies do too; they serve as reflections of our humanity, both beautiful and desperate. Her is a beautiful exploration of that humanity, asking us so many questions about what it means to be human and what it means to be more.

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Now if you’re not the artsy type, if you don’t go to movies for poetry (rather for humor or thrills), then you definitely will not enjoy this movie. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that at all. I’m sure its acclaim is coming from others in the film and arts communities who are willing to subject themselves to quiet and intense introspection, which even I’ll admit is not always enjoyable. Enjoyable isn’t a word that I would use to describe this movie. In fact, I’ll go so far as to use “unnerving”. Unnerving in a sense that it is a futuristic movie about romance that seems all too possible. 

patti roberts pizzuto

Not sure where I stumbled upon this work, but I’m sure glad I did. The delicacy, the subtlety, the dots… it just all screams my name.. or rather, whispers. Patti Roberts Pizzuto elegantly layers media to create ethereal compositions, sometimes abstract and other times using familiar symbols of home, sky, earth, and sea. The balance she creates has an ancient quality, almost as if they were mental or psychological maps of times past.

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clue town scavengers in piedmont park

I’ve been living in Atlanta for over three years. Doesn’t sound like long when I write it, but it feels like this has been my home forever. I’ve still got so much to experience, so much to see and so much to eat! I’ve been to my fair share of cultural landmarks and city events, but sometimes you just gotta take a walk in the park.

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Piedmont Park, to be exact. The biggest park we have and right in the heart of the city, this is the site of some wonderful memories – dog watching, picnic-having, and playground merriment. On this day, we found our joy in the park through a scavenger hunt provided by Clue Town Books. Here’s my scavenger-hunting outfit for the day:

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