These are a Few of My Favorite Things: July Favorites
As most of you may know, or can probably tell, my mind changes more than I change my clothes. NOT kidding. I am always running across things that become my "favorite" things. My favorite things sometimes differentiate from hour to hour, but these are my favorites for the moment that I want to share with you all. If you don't know about them, now ya know....
"GIRL CODE"
"Girl Code", a book written by Cara Alwill Leyva, is all about the female entrepreneur, professional women, side hustlers & anyone in between who wants to become a better woman. It seems like the PERFECT read for all my boss babes out here. This book is about having it all...being beautiful inside & out and running a kick ass company, all while also supporting and empowering other women! I am ALL about this these days. The book is also full of lots of tips, secrets, and workbook items that allow you to write things down to help unlock your specific girl code. I know this sounds crazy, but I can literally feel myself becoming a better woman just by reading it. It's great!! You can get it here for about $10. Ladies, you're welcome. :)
CEMENT 6
I am obsessed with the new wallet clutch I got from Cement 6. Their products are handcrafted in Cambodia, while the company and its owners, Jeremy and Susannah, are Nashville residents. The two met while building a house in Haiti and realized that our paralleled interests in serving others, travel, and nonconformity would lead them to venture all over Southeast Asia. The idea for a sustainable product that could be used in numerous ways to benefit consumers and the artisans alike had been cultivated ever since Susannah returned from Southeast Asia in 2011. The streets of Cambodia are cluttered with discarded cement and feed bags. The bags are cleaned and sewn into these awesome wallets, clutches and bags. The designs are those of Jeremy and Susannah, as well as as the designs of villagers all over Cambodia. I love their story, the uniqueness of the products, and the fact that all purchases benefit others. You can checkout the rest of their items here. I have had it for just a few days and have gotten so many compliments on it already.
IG: @cement6
SOUTHERN SOCKS (& SHIRTS)
Southern Socks is based in Lexington, Kentucky, and make socks to represent every state in the South. They may know a thing or two about state pride! All of their socks are high quality and very cute, but I may be a little partial to the Tennessee ones! I would pick a favorite pair, but it will change by the time I post this. They are all so cute! I think I will order a pair of each, that way even when they dryer eats half of them I can still mix and match and represent Tennessee no matter what. LOVE! They also make the cutest t-shirts that say "Y'ALL", "Southern" and more. You will love them too, promise!! You can checkout their entire collection here, be sure to shop by state.
IG: @southernsocks
THE NASHVILLE COLORING BOOK
Chris Thomas, who runs MADE SOUTH, where they create fun things for people who love the South. A good friend of his is a publisher of coloring books for adults. They had been talking for several months about how great it is that so many adults are turning back to coloring as a way to be creative and relieve stress. All that talk got him thinking " We should create a coloring book!" But what would it be about? A few months ago Chris woke up in the middle of the night and thought "We should make it about Nashville!"
They are creating a coloring book that not only includes classic Nashville staples like the skyline and Broadway, but they also want to highlight some of their favorite music venues, restaurants, places to stay and visit, and illustrated maps of some of Nashville's great neighborhoods. This coloring book is more of a guide to his favorite city, in the form of a fun and interesting coloring book! He needed a great illustrator to help make this idea happen, so he reached out to local artist Caleb Faires. Caleb attended the 2015 MADE SOUTH Holiday Market, and Chris really loved his work. They had coffee and he shared with him the vision for the coloring book that he believed they could create together. His eyes lit up and the ideas started flowing. It was a perfect match made in Nashville!
This 60-page coloring book will be 100% designed, hand-illustrated and printed in Nashville, Tennessee. It will include fun designs that you might not find in your typical coloring book, like a color-by-numbers illustration of the Cantopia Wall at Pinewood Social!
Between their two families, they have 9 children, and coloring is such a fun part of childhood, so they wanted to find a way to have The Nashville Coloring Book benefit the children of Nashville. 100% of the funds raised through Kickstarter will go to produce the first run of books and to fulfill backer rewards. After the books have been published and all rewards have been fulfilled, $1 from the sale of each book will be donated to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, a world-class pediatric hospital here in Nashville. If you would like to be a part of helping bring this vision to life click here. You can back it with as little as $1. There is already a great amount of supporters hoping to see this awesome work of art. If you follow @nashvillecoloringbook on Instagram you can see a sneak peak of a few of the pages that will be inside. I love the idea of anything supporting Nashville, children, not to mention being artistic, so I am all about this!!
IG: @nashvillecoloringbook
MOON + BECK
Moon + Beck is THE CUTEST children's clothing brand launched just days ago by my friend and fellow Nashvillian, Heather Bulan. The brand was completely inspired by her 1.5 year old son, Beckett. She created the entire collection based on current styles her family loves, and modified them to achieve simplicity, maximum comfort, and practicality. She then combined them with her favorite fabric — a bamboo and spandex blend that they lovingly refer to as MOONBEX™. This blend creates a durable, yet buttery soft, ultra stretchy, luxe fabric that allows for free movement, which is key for any developing mind. It helps regulate and maintain comfortable body temperature, has sweat wicking elements and is made with naturally organic bamboo, the fastest growing plant on earth.
The collection's style is simple and neutral, the prints are subtle yet fun and many pieces are made to grow with your tiny humans. The clothes are to die for cute y'all. I encourage you to check them out. You can see Moon+Beck's entire collection here. I am so proud of Heather on her new venture. You guys please show her some love. I am proud to say I know the woman who created this darling clothing line!
IG: @moonandbeck