Browsing Category

Lifestyle

HOLIDAY COCKTAILS

15691115480_fc272199cc_k
Hope you’re all excited for the holiday and ready to feast!  I know we are- definitely in need of a short work week!  I’ve been real eager to share our cocktails from the West Elm bar cart shoot and I thought what better timing than right before Thanksgiving when folks go all out with recipes and indulgence.  All three recipes below are pretty easy.  All the ingredients I can pronounce and nothing you wouldn’t be able to locate relatively quickly.
15691264578_e7b3385b7f_k#1
In the shaker:
rye shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Fig Bitters
1/2 jigger sweet vermouth
muddled satsuma
Directions: Shake/Pour/Garnish with peel15878130362_b9ec5dea4a_k
15690913878_8d3738e24c_k
15256<a href=
#2
In the shaker:
whiskey shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters
couple fresh blackberries
2 small thyme sprigs
satsuma and rind
Directions: First muddle fruit and herbs/Pour in liquid/Shake/Serve over ice
15258879593_01ca3d8112_k
15852615066_4050807bbd_k15852727186_5ba6586247_k15691114740_585342e4cd_k
Does this photo have you craving dark chocolate, sea salt and home made pie crust?  Let me tell you, this thing was something else.  In one word: decadent.  Me and my taste buds want to thank Courtney for making this treat!

See the recipe on Real Foodology.

The other snacks in the photo include Whole Foods pimento cheese with salted crackers, cornichons and satsumas that doubled as mixers.  I didn’t know if I’d like working with such a small fruit but they peel easily and yield a good bit of juice, so I’d do it again for sure.
15256161244_db9ebc86de_k
#3 (not actually pictured..it’s a remix of #1) 
In the shaker:
whiskey shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters
1/2 jigger sweet vermouth
juice of satsuma
Directions: Shake and serve over ice 

Not too hard right? My favorite was the first. Mostly because I can’t handle spicy drinks but Dustin and Courtney loved the sriracha bitters and would definitely recommend.  All items were c/o West Elm. Colorful vases and flowers were made by and belong to Evan of Leggoe Land. To recreate these drinks with the bitters, glassware and shakers, visit West Elm’s holiday bar section!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow-indulge, you deserve it!

PURE GOLD PHOTOGRAPHY

william-daniel-house-wedding-017
After we got engaged and people congratulated us the next thing they asked was “do you have a photographer in mind already?” Much to their surprise, my answer was “actually, no..I mean not totally sure.”  I really wanted to think on it since it’s so important to me. My plan was to look at several different photographer’s styles and see which would capture our memories in a way that we both thought represented us.  I know many photographers in Atlanta and worked with some already.  But after browsing the web and coming across Ben and Colleen of Pure Gold Photography I instantly knew that they were it! Next it was seeing if they were available and even through a date change they were open! Their style of photography is soft and bold all at the same time.  They don’t over due either side of the spectrum like blowing out whites and enhancing the contrast too much.  I love the color of their photos and I can say this open-ended because I feel like it translates to all their photos and not just one set. Their work is consistent which is something I am striving for as a photographer myself.  Ben is outspoken with a silly personality and Colleen is a perfect counterpart, a little quiet at times but enjoys laughing and cutting up as well.  Dustin and I thought they were like us but opposite-me as Ben and he as Colleen. We all mesh really well!

A little about the photographers—
They met in school, both studying photography and after being friends started dating and recently got married.  They honey-mooned in Scotland and took a bunch of amazing film photos you should take a look at here. They’ve shot over 100 weddings.  Film and other experimental photography techniques can be seen in their work.

Here is a sample of some photos that caught my eye when I was looking through their archives.
mountain-view-farm-wedding-332william-daniel-house-wedding-062william-daniel-house-wedding-072brekly_ted_blog_011albany-wedding-07william-daniel-house-wedding-032william-daniel-house-wedding-07b2brekly_ted_blog_33piedmont-tavern-wedding-33cotton-warehouse-wedding-07william-daniel-house-wedding-042brekly_ted_blog_25
A few Sundays ago we went out to Arabia Mountain in Lithonia, GA for our engagement shoot with B+C. We got there just around sunset.  I’ll elaborate more when we get the photos back but for now they’ve put a few sneak peeks on Instagram, here they are!!!
b+cAll photos by Ben and Colleen
www.benandcolleen.us

SERENBE FARMS

15735869566_8d803a70a3_k
Months and months ago we bought a Scoutmob deal for trail riding at Serenbe Farms. For one reason or another we kept having to reschedule and finally got to ride this past weekend. We both agreed that it was a blessing in disguise that we had to move it to Saturday because the weather and trees were beautiful!  We were scheduled for the 10am ride and got there a little before and walked around the barn, petting Cricket the farm cat and chatting with the guide. Then, much to my surprise a friend and her roommate showed up for the same ride! Love how small everything gets when you live in the same place for an extended time.  So after we got helmets and were given our horses we saddled up and went on our way to blaze the trails!
15735868796_4b11c8b1e7_k
Because of my skill level, or rather lack there of, I was put on Seminole because she was supposedly chill.  Initially she wasn’t happy with the bit in her mouth and was slinging her head back and forth which made sense because it doesn’t seem comfortable at all.  At first, this scared me but I quickly learned how she wanted the reigns to be and if I left them really loose she was calm.  If other horses got too close she’d nip their butts which I was afraid would affect the rider but luckily the horses seemed to be used to her. Whenever she spotted green leaves she’d stop and eat on them, which kept making us fall behind the group.  Then Dustin told me that she was taking advantage of my leisureliness and I needed to show her who’s in control. After I tugged and didn’t let her near the green stuff she behaved.  I nicknamed her Sassy Seminole because of her antics which the guides thought was fitting.  She put up with my lack of knowledge and we bonded and learned each other’s ways.  I had a really enjoyable time!
15574155648_7347d18b67_k
15757699431_d54840fee5_k15573728889_a0b6bef8be_k15761133072_b7634cef48_k15140159623_43af45b5f4_k
Dustin grew up riding horses and was a pro! At one point we crossed over a fallen tree and while everyone else had their horses casually step over the tree he did a little kick technique and leaped over it like he was competing in a show! He looked like a modern cowboy-it made me laugh so hard!
Processed with VSCOcam with m2 preset
Above– at some points it was difficult riding with my camera but it was so worth having it! Below– this donkey almost pulled my camera out of my hand trying to eat the strap!
15573729189_e11e363740_k15761133702_f59c4caa10_k15757698311_88523d3203_k
Above- After our ride we took advantage of the day and went exploring around town and found this wooden trail.
Below-  We stumbled upon a shop called Greenhouse. We all wanted so many things!  We left with a practical buy, a muddler, for our cocktail bar. The owner was also so nice and let us swoon all over her 11 week old standard poodle puppy, Charlie. Look at that face!
Processed with VSCOcam with c2 preset
15139611884_3831b3e4d8_kIMG_0084
After shopping we went to the petting area to play with bunnies, mini horses, donkeys, goats, chickens and pigs. The bunnies didn’t want much to do with us but the mini horse was very friendly! Even let us style its mane into this hershey kiss up do!

We had made reservations at the Farmhouse for 1:30 and made way over to get our fried chicken game on. That may have been the best fried chicken I’ve had-ever. Seriously so yummy!  So as you can see and read, we had an amazing Saturday and would highly recommend a visit to Serenbe!

WEEKEND WEAR 07

15398640217_13d9dacac5_k
I wore many outfits this weekend since it was JAM PACKED with activities. One of my favorite outfits was this look I wore to a blogger brunch at Rosebud in Morningside organized by Kate of Kate Style Petite. Since I forgot my memory card, she also took these photos with her camera-thanks lil lady!

The concept was simple-lets gather, chat and eat with fellow ATL bloggers-that we did! I even met three bloggers I hadn’t met IRL before. Fun times and really good grits!
15398035679_de73ac2353_k
15584642335_f7d667d629_k
15398849107_f69a4d0db9_k
14963914814_d7c7691a25_k
Several posts coming this week-for example our trip to a pumpkin patch and my outfit from the blogger closet pop up sale!

Also, don’t forget today and tomorrow morning is the LAST CHANCE to enter the Cirque Du Soleil giveaway.

Cirque du Soleil AMALUNA + a GIVEAWAY (closed)

DATE NIGHT
Sunday evening we were invited to check out the new Cirque du Soleil act in town called Amaluna as media.  I had been to the Totem performance back in December of 2012 and was excited to check out a new act!  I was excited to learn that it was Cirque’s 30th anniversary because I knew they’d probably go all out with this act-and that they DID! 15348969338_9043cb39a4_k
What I wore: TOMS shades, H&M jacket, Rag-O-Rama dress (sorry can’t remember the brand!) Ali Sage necklace and Nine West booties. When I asked Dustin to jump in front of the camera he was such a good sport. Adore him! What Dustin wore: a shirt from TJ Maxx I saw and loved and surprised him with, we both like the arrow details in the pattern. Gap jeans, Clarks oxfords.
15349119197_b67f7731de_k
15349493290_8c4f8dc8a9_k
Without giving too much away…the story line of the show goes something like this:  a young woman living on a mysterious island that is governed by goddesses is being given a coming-of-age celebration by her mother.  A storm lands a group of men on the shore leading to the main character, Miranda, meeting one of the men and falling in love. They face many trials and obstacles before they can trust one another and properly be blessed by the community.

Here are some stills to give you an idea of what to expect, though it’s so much more magical in real life!
20141002_amaluna-075120141002_amaluna-080320141002_amaluna-145520141002_amaluna-129420141002_amaluna-042920141002_amaluna-080720141002_amaluna-154120141002_amaluna-1590
Cirque du Soleil Photos by Pouya Dianat/Allied Integrated Marketing

The actors show just how much the human body can really do!  With a cast of 70% women this particular performance is unlike any others in years past.  Even the band is made up of all women, pretty cool!  I especially enjoyed the quirkiness of the “ring leaders” who kept the crowd distracted and involved in between acts.  At one point during the performances I thought to myself, “this is like being at a REALLY eclectic gymnastics meet” and when I told Dustin this thought, he agreed.  At the Q&A we learned they actually cast gymnasts and brought in some aspects that had never been done, like the uneven bars, so I was pretty spot on!  That “pool” you see above was another never-been-done-before part of the show. Well, it had never been done for a traveling show.  It’s filled with water and is actually being filtered and heated to 98 degrees.  It took four hours to fill and so they don’t drain it until they hit the road to the next city-that’s why it has a filtration system. Also, it’s SO HEAVY they can’t remove it from the stage-so it’s integrated into the set for each performance.  The Q&A at the end was so interesting, I could go on and on about all the stuff we learned but I want to get to the exciting part of this post-

THE GIVEAWAY!
To win a pair of tickets to see Amaluna, Tuesday Oct. 28th at 7:30 all you have to do is comment here with how you follow along the blog – is it through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? If none-then you better get to liking/following to be entered to win! :) I’ve got 2 sets of tickets to give away-a total of 4 tickets!! Include your email as well so I can get you the PDF tickets. I’ll pick the 2 winners on the 21st. Good luck!

Twitter: @cirque, #Amaluna
Instagram: cirquedusoleil