"You're Golden". . .

“You’re Golden” was such a beautiful theme for the Maiedae Mixer. Being in a room full of women who have realized that their ideas are beautiful and unique was so inspiring. I’ve struggled through periods where I didn’t have self-confidence and wouldn’t share my ideas because I had fears like I “wasn’t as creative as so-and-so, and this is a dumb idea.” This weekend changed so much for me. Seeing so many other women be bold and have that confidence to blog and share ideas was so inspiring. I left the Maiedae Mixer with so many ideas and ways to grow my business even more. Plus, it was SUCH a fun night. Kendall Kay was my assistant (and I am forever grateful to her for that, she was amazing!) and we worked and took so many photographs, but also got to have the time of our lives. Everything was just so breath taking. The way that the light shone in through the big tall windows was my favorite. It gave me such an awesome setting to shoot in.

The florals were definitely a favorite for me. I absolutely love flowers, and the ones that Logan put together were *amazing*. The space was filled with airy neutrals, but the blooms of those flowers just made everything even more perfect and vibrant. 

The interactive booths were SO much fun. Kendall and I spent so much time creating. My favorites were the Flash Tattoo’s (they were gold tattoos in the shapes of jewelry!) and the Indie Craft stamp booth. I made a little tea towel with plus signs all over it. They also had a tea booth where you could make your own bag of tea and a name-tag creating booth. It was too much fun ;)

 Meeting Savannah and Jenny was another favorite. It was so fun to see someone that I have followed on Instagram for forever, and to actually meet them and get to know them better. Joy was just radiating from their faces all night, and I knew very quickly how special this event was going to be. They were so much fun to work with, and it was so amazing to see their passion for Maiedae!

 And, we have to save the best for last, right?! Well the Smilebooth takes the cake. It was so great to just take hilarious pictures that capture personalities so beautifully. Im not sure what it is, but photo booths have a way of bringing people together. I think it is the carefree, be-yourself moments. I love all of our smile booth pictures. It was truly the best night ever. I can’t wait to go back! There was so much more I could’ve blogged about, but this is already the longest blog post ever, SO. That is why I just highlighted my favorite parts. I just HAD to share about this absolutely breath-taking experience I had this past weekend in Atlanta. It helped grow me and forever change who I am as a photographer. 

Findings in Atlanta. . .

Atlanta has been just lovely so far. I have spent time exploring around sweet little towns and shops. I stopped at Bar Taco for lunch, and I fell in love. The outside patio area was amazing. Today was gorgeous outside, so sitting under the little lights with the cool breeze was absolutely perfect. It felt like a little coastal taco place. I had three amazing tacos and some peach green tea. The reason why I went to Bar Taco to begin with (this is definitely the photographer in me) was for the incredible painted blue wall outside. It was so inspiring. The color palate was insane. Definitely would come back here when I visit again!

My Very Fine South bag that Ian got me at the Indie Craft Parade was a must-have for this weekend. Plus, doesn't it look awesome against this wall?! The durability and size has impressed me so much. It is coated in a bees wax for added protection, and it is super durable. My laptop and camera fit perfectly inside. Very thankful that I picked this up! The dip-dyed look is a favorite. 

North Highland Ave. NE was the sweetest little stop for a mid-afternoon coffee. Paper Source was AMAZING. The paper looked like fabric at first (it was such good quality), and I had to run out of there before I bought everything in sight. So much inspiration in there as well. I stopped at San Fransisco Coffee for a blogging break (yay!), and am about to run out and get some truffles from the little Chocolate Shop down the road. Can't wait until the Maiedae Mixer tonight! Only 3 more hours! Get ready for photo-overload (or, is that even possible when it is the Maiedae Mixer? You can never have too many photographs of amazing events!).

"You're Golden" Inspired Camera Strap. . .

This weekend is going to be one of the best for this fall. I just know it. I have the opportunity to photograph the Maiedae Mixer in Atlanta this weekend. It is a huge event filled with so many good connections, learning experiences, and will definitely be a fun girl's night out (even though I'm working, it most definitely will not feel like work). Kendall Kay gets to come with me and be my assistant. YAY! I can't wait to spend time in Atlanta with her. Best friends are awesome. The theme for this year's Maiedae Mixer is "You're Golden." I wanted to find ways to creatively incorporate gold into my outfit, and because I will be photographing most of my time there, I wanted to make sure that my camera strap was golden too. So, here it is!!!! Be ready for an overload of *amazing* moments from being in the city this weekend. It is seriously going to be so incredible. 

Summer Adventures. . .

Today, we explored. We biked through a field, felt the summer air, and enjoyed sweet time together. Kendall Kay is one of my best friends, and we decided to have a spontaneous day in Landrum, SC. 

Antique stores were everywhere, and we couldn't help but search for little treasures. I got a bike and Kendall got some postcards and pretty paper. 

The market in downtown Landrum was *amazing*. We had a super yummy lunch at the Hare and Hound, and found little strawberries that smelled exactly like summertime. 

On our way home, we discovered this field. I wanted to ride my little thrifted bike, and we decided that a field was a perfect spot to do that. 

"you have been my friend. that in itself is a tremendous thing." - E.B. White

Found. . .

Found.
Discoveries and adventures have been a huge part of my life for the past year. One of which has been road side furniture. It always amazes me what I can find if I keep my eyes open. People abandon some of the coolest things on the side of the road, it is so amazing to find a treasure that was originally abandoned. I have a lady about 10 minutes from my house that has "given" me quite a bit. She had thrown out the shelf and table pictured in this blog post. She also put out a chair that is now newly painted and reupholstered in my bedroom! I mean, how cool is that. It is so fun to transform furniture. Here are a couple of my findings and some stories from this past year. 

Today, I actually came across this SUPER amazing shelf on the side of the road. It hasn't been painted yet, and I feel like it is a brand new canvas for me to work on. I need to run to Lowes to see what color might work best. I'm thinking something happy, like a mustard yellow or red might be sweet. I can't wait to work on it! The only flaw is a tiny crack in one of the shelves. But hey, since when can't wood glue fix that?! Such a find. It is perfect for hanging up headbands that need to be cut and sewn! Psst- those headbands are hitting the Etsy shop on March 1! I am just way too excited. So are Shelby and Cinnamon, can't you tell?!

This chair was actually something I picked up at Miracle Hill for $10. I fell in love with the detailing on the chair back. It used to be just a solid wood color, but I wanted to make it fun for my studio. So! I went to Lowes and got some teal paint (it is a super happy bright color!!!!). I think it turned out lovely. It is one of my most favorite pieces!

This was the table I found on the side of the road outside of a lady's house. She is constantly putting out amazing stuff, I couldn't believe I found this! I had to wait until I was off of school, but I finally went and got it with my grandpa's truck! It was such an adventure trying to get it home, I was so thankful I had the truck. It really was a mess when I first got it. The paint was awful. Like, really bad. So I used paint stripper to get all of the old paint off! 7 hours later, I was sanding it and pulling off the old wood on the top. It had several layers and was so difficult to peel off! My brother ended up helping me pry it all off since I wasn't as strong. The next day, I took wood glue and glued down this pretty rose plywood on top. Then, I got to sit down and repaint the legs and base of the table. It was most definitely a weekend project. It took a LOT of sanding, patience, and painting. Once it was finally done, I realized that it was so worth the wait. I finally had somewhere to work on and paint on in my little craft studio! It was beyond perfect. Plus, are you not obsessed with that metal siding?! It's my favorite part about the table, it is so unique!

This guy was found at a garage sale I passed on a backroad one afternoon. I was almost didn't get out and look, but then I spotted this. It looked almost brand new. So, I couldn't resist! The lady wanted $10 for it. It was in amazing condition, and I couldn't pass it up because I needed storage for all of my fabrics and supplies. I still am not sure as to how I got this home, but somehow I stuffed it into my truck. My little Honda Accord can do anything! It turned out to be a life saver for me. Organization is MUCH needed in my life, so, this helps me on a daily basis. And get this, I never had to paint this guy. He was already perfect. The only thing I did was completely washed, wiped, and cleaned it all off, put in paper and modge podged it to the bottom to create cute drawer liners, and got some eclectic knobs at Hobby Lobby. 

Hope this has inspired you to go make something found into something beautiful. Keep your eyes open, always be ready to find amazing treasures. Happy Wednesday!