Georgia – Page 2 – tide & bloom

buttermilk kitchen

The upside to working retail is the beauty of my days off. Sure, sure, it would be fantastic to have my two-day weekends back. But sometimes you just have to look at the silver lining and soak in what you can. I get to explore sweet little local places unburdened by crowds and every now and then I’m lucky enough to have the company of women who are quite lovely. This week, Buttermilk Kitchen was our southern brunch nirvana.

There’s not much I can convey in words to add to what these pictures already show you. The atmosphere was perfect, particularly on the patio with the sun moving up, and the service was extremely on-point. Everything was in a perfect state of balance, very thoughtful but not at all fussy. The menu was pared down and every piece of food on our table was exactly what we wanted it to be. It was fresh, it was rich, and well worth the trip.

I imagine that the weekends could be overwhelming in a place like this. It’s undeniably awesome and I’m sure the entire neighborhood knows and loves it. If you ever get a weekday off, make a day date for Buttermilk. I swear to you, probably one of the best brunches I’ve had in Atlanta.

sunday in the park at oakland cemetery

If you aren’t familiar with Atlanta landmarks, you might think that spending the day in a local cemetery sounds strange or morbid. But at Oakland Cemetery in Grant Park, you’ll find that it can actually be quite the opposite. This year’s Sunday In The Park event was divine perfection; the sun was shining and the garden cemetery was full of growth, vibrancy, life.

Out of the multitude of festivals and fall events, this is definitely one of my favorites. It’s a “Victorian street festival”, where you’ll find vintage cars, steampunk costume characters, food trucks, and more. The mausoleums and monuments are also open to the public, inviting visitors to explore a little bit of the history of those laid to rest there. The air is filled with joy and lightness.

atlanta street fashion

It’s less than a week away from our little debut show at Octane, but it just occurred to me that I need to share with you the awesome work of my co-headliner! Cameron Adams has been blogging over at Atlanta Street Fashion for about four years now and I’m embarrassed to say that I had never met him in person until we started talking about this exhibition opportunity.

Cameron’s photographs will live beside my floral pattern works and hopefully strike a harmonious chord that you’ll want to take home with you. He has a way of finding (and unabashedly approaching) the coolest Atlanta characters wherever he goes, kind of like hunting for treasure.. except his treasure is notable style. Can you blame him?

Atlanta Street Fashion is like a time capsule filled with unique personalities and Cameron’s steady and straight-forward blogging style is admirable to say the least. I cannot lie, I’ve been crossing my fingers that he’d come up to me some day and snap my photo at a random event… but now he has no choice.

So if you’re planning on joining us for the reception, see it as an opportunity to get decked out in your favorite pieces and start your night off with a bang! Maybe you’ll end up seeing your face on our blogs soon. 🙂

[ all photos via Atlanta Street Fashion ]

arabia mountain

One of the things I love most about Atlanta is the ever-present accessibility to nature. There’s not a place I can think of where you’ll lose sight of trees, bushes, flowers, and leaves. And within an hour drive in any direction, you can always find nature preserves, hiking trails, or places to get lost in. This past holiday weekend, I FINALLY made it to Arabia Mountain.

Like Stone Mountain, Arabia is pretty much a big rock you can hike on and around. Composed of migmatite, the rock material itself has a lovely swirled pattern akin to granite. Yeah, it actually sparkles.

the days are melting away

August is almost over and I can hardly believe it. We are well past half-done with 2014 and I feel like there’s still so much to do. And so much to sort out. Since I’ve embarked on this working full-time journey, it’s been difficult to get in all the local adventures I’ve become so accustomed to enjoying. When I’m not at work I’ve got just enough time to relax and recharge – and maybe paint and cook a bit – before I have to get right back into the thick of it. So I’m gonna go ahead and cheat by stealing pics from my instagram to share with you all the little things I’m loving lately. It’s these little things that keep me going. The little moments of everyday comfort, wonder, and beauty.

This has been by far my favorite outfit of the past two weeks. I don’t typically buy, let alone wear, so much Free People, but this over sized tee and this stretchy pair of pants fits me just so. I wore it to work on a Sunday and it couldn’t have been better; so casual yet confident, almost as if #iwokeuplikedis. I highly recommend you go into your nearest FP and try on both of these things. I’d be surprised if you didn’t want them in your closet immediately.

I gotta hand it to myself. Though I’m often dead tired on my off hours, I’m still managing to get some good pattern painting in there. The main driving force behind it is a surprise I will be revealing very very soon! I’m doing my best to get a variety of organic motifs for a cohesive colorful collection. Stay tuned to see why..

Yes, guilty, another picture with coffee in hand. Working a lot means consuming a lot more caffeine. It’s just too difficult not to have this everyday indulgence. I’m an addict. At least every now and then I can manage to get a really nice cup, like this one from Octane Grant Park.

Okay, I lied. I do still manage to have my fair share of fun and discovery. I can’t help it! It’s just part of who I am. It’s just more difficult to capture everything the way I used to, hence the insta-overshare. This awesome Danish wooden salad bowl set (you can’t tell by this picture, but it’s pretty big) was one of many things I loved on a recent browse through Highland Row Antiques. The shop is a secondhand staple in Atlanta and their booths are always being refreshed by the vendors so it’s the perfect place to wander and lust over random objects I don’t need in my life.

Welp, that’s all I got for ya now. Hope it’s enough to keep you entertained and maybe a little inspired? I promise, exciting updates are coming soon. Just hold onto the edge of your seat. I know I am!

chamblee’s antique row

Even if you’re not in love with all things retro, vintage, and antique, your curiosity is bound to be piqued at Chamblee’s antique row. Just off of Buford Highway, you’ll find a small street filled with shops that are full to the brim of random and not-so-random trinkets, furniture, and ephemera. Some spots look like a hoarder’s paradise and others look like movie prop warehouses.

Browsing all of these stalls, it’s easy to forget you’re in Atlanta.

bright like sunshine

You know how there are just some trends that you think will never work for you? For me, that’s always been brightly colored pants. Regardless of how many I’ve tried on in the past, none of them ever seemed to do it for me. I love them on other people, but I felt like they always emphasized the width of my legs… and I was NOT all about that. Well a few weeks ago, for the first time ever in my life, I finally broke my colored-pants curse.

an afternoon with the stacktone slims

I recently had the honor of spending an afternoon in Grant Park with The Stacktone Slims, trying to get them some photographs that do their music justic. Here are some of my favorites of these dapper dudes!

the stacktone slims

Remember when I introduced you to Kelly and Rod? It was quite a while ago, so I forgive you if you never saw it. Long story short, they’re my uber cute friends who live in Grant Park and I love them to death (you should too). Usually I’m doting on Kelly’s adorable outfits and faces, but today I devote this blog post to Sir Roderick. In addition to being a crazy talented chef at Wrecking Bar, Rod fronts his own homegrown band, The Stacktone Slims. With a guitar and mic in his hands, he writes songs that are musically and emotionally raw, striking nerves in you that you might have forgotten existed.

If you needed any further convincing that this band is a force to be reckoned with, I’ve got the video to prove it! Unfortunately the sound isn’t as full as it was live, but it’s obvious how passionately these guys play and they will no doubt ignite something within you (as long as you have a soul). Be sure to check them out on Facebook and keep an eye out for their next show so they can rock your face off!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/XjEsU44UfXk]

parish foods and goods

One can never have too many cafes in their back pocket, right? Sometimes I worry I will run out of things to try here in Atlanta and then I remember.. it’s Atlanta. There’s always a hidden gem somewhere I haven’t had a chance to try and by the time I try them all, there’s sure to be a handful more that have popped up in the mean time!

Parish Foods and Goods is a lovely little rustic restaurant (can you really get enough of those either?) in Inman Park that serves a delightful brunch, lunch, and dinner. But for the more casual pick-up-and-go order, head downstairs to their little market. With well-portioned sandwiches, soups, and snacks, it’s the perfect place for a quick quality bite.