robin wade furniture

solid oak modern couch from robin wade furniture

wood artist robin wade, who is based in florence, alabama, designs one-of-a-kind handmade furniture pieces from sustainably harvested hardwood.  this modern couch is one of my favorites but he has several really lovely pieces.

one happy 8-year-old

when i was turning 8, the only thing in the world i wanted for my birthday was the dirty dancing movie soundtrack tape.  i was not allowed to watch the movie, but i was in love with the music.  i had two friends over for a sleepover, and when i opened my friend laura's gift, it was the tape, and i was so excited i pranced around the house!  we listened to the tape all night, and i'm sure there were some choreographed dance performances.  such simple happiness.

just give me...

a couple of hours and my camera and there is great fun to be had.  i rarely have time alone.  i am either at work or being mama so when tula mirth attended a "drop-off" birthday party yesterday evening i felt amiss at what to do with myself at first.  silly me.  i am never lonely when i have cameras.  i spent some time catching up on some neighborhood graffiti and later drifted to a buddy's house (also a photographer) and well, we took lots of photos and laughed.  the last photo of the day was of the giant pink unicorn tattooed on my daughter's cheek during the birthday party. 

all photos by juli

charleston fashion week

courtesy of ben williams via garden & gun

check out a fun gallery from charleston fashion week via garden & gun.

who loves cats?

i do!  i have one 7-year-old gray tabby cat named denise.  she is queen!

denise, the super green queen

some of my favorite cats from around the web...

from design sponge

dubious orange kitty

lucy the cat, by ashley oostdyck (love her work!)

edible communities

 

if you are a fan of food and of shopping locally, you might want to check out edible communities seasonal publications which focus on local foods and recipes.   the publications cover a range of culinary communities throughout the united states and canada.

escazu artisan chocolates

escazu artisan chocolates makes delectable, handcrafted works of art. this "bean to bar" shop started in 2006 with one bar made from fine venezuelan chocolate. currently, escazu has a thriving retail shop near downtown raleigh, nc and sells to wholesale buyers from all over the country.  they offer a variety of chocolate bars, hot chocolate, and confections made with real ingredients like ginger, habanero, and peach!

you don't have to live nearby to enjoy escazu's wonderful creations.  check out this list of places to find them.  they also make a great gift!

they're almost too pretty to eat...

passion fruit, lemon ginger, mojito

NC purple sweet potato with brown sugar & cinnamon covered in dark chocolate topped with hazelnut brittle

vanilla sour cream ganache, cashew-maple syrup and white chocolate kalamata olive


all photos from escazu facebook fan page