Creative Collaborative: West Elm Birmingham + Oli.O + Birmingham Breadworks

This month's Creative Collaborative with West Elm Birmingham is one to satisfy your taste buds. We teamed up with Oli.O and Birmingham Breadworks to bring you a taste of what our city has to offer as far as specialty food goes.

Nestled in Mountainbrook Village, Oli.O is family owned and operated. They specialize in selling premium olive oils and balsamic vinegars imported fresh from around the world. They opened their doors in November 2013 to offer a novel way to bring healthy eating to your table without sacrificing taste. Importing their Extra Virgin Olive Oils from both hemispheres provides their customers with the freshest product available and their Aged Balsamic Vinegars come directly from Moderna, Italy. Stop by and take advantage of the free tastings & meet this adorable family!

Birmingham Breadworks is a partnership between renowned baker Corey Hinkel & engineer Brooks Taylor. Their bread is best known by the regulars of Pepper Place farmer's market and is fast on it's way to becoming the talk of the town. Most of their breads are simply flour, water & salt which means you known what you are getting. No preservatives & all natural. That's the way it should be. Compound that with their support for the local community and you have a solid business model. We loved spending an afternoon in their simplistic space for this month's shoot. The worn plaster walls were the perfect backdrop to our Tuscan-esque inspired dipping party.

As we gathered products from West Elm for this shoot we wanted to keep things simple & let the food be the star. We choose a palette of whites, grays & blacks with wooden accents. A simple, yet refined look for any style. Foraged greenery added a nice touch against the plaster walls. Wine served in a glass carafe from West Elm ensures you are getting the best sip of you favorite red.

Working with the Oli.O staff we selected four options for dipping. Two were olive oils, Organic Garlic and Herbs de Provence. The other two were Picual olive oil paired with Fig balsamic & Lavender balsamic. To give guests an easy way to distinguish between the varieties we asked artist Amy Stone to create custom labels. Coffee stained paper and her beautiful writing were the perfect combination. Sprinkles of lavender & herbs de provence also added a nice touch as well as a clove of organic garlic. 

Breadworks paired fresh loaves of a French Baguette, Sourdough Batard & Farm Boule to compliment the tastings. Not only beautiful but these loaves also smelled divine. Cut into pieces or served whole with the option of tearing, they are delicious any way you decide to display them!

Amy Stone not only made beautiful labels for the oils but she also went above & beyond and created a custom art piece for us! Her watercolor drawings are organic & fresh just the way we like it!

We hope you swing by both of these fabulous Birmingham stores when you get a chance & after grabbing some treats from them West Elm Birmingham can help you find the perfect pieces for your next gathering of friends like we used here. To shop this look, simply click on the links below for product information!

1. Pure White Ceramic Vases 2. Glass Carafe 3. Stemless Wine Glasses 

4. Border Stitch Napkin 5. Slate Placemat 6. Fishnet Woven Runner 

7. Acacia Plates 8. Textured Dip Bowls 9. Long Wooden Tray (Contact store.) 

Mary-Katherine : Senior Portraits : Oak Mountain, AL

It's that time of year again! You know, when all the babies are all of the sudden grown up and about to graduate from high school. That's right, it's senior portrait time!

We know it's hard for all the moms out there with seniors, but we love getting to spend time with these soon to be independent kids hearing about their future plans. Here's a sneak peek of Mary Katherine's gorgeous session and not pictured, her crying mother!  

Enjoy! 

Spark & Arrow

Campbell: Birmingham Newborn Session

We first met this precious baby boy's mother when we were photographing her home for another client. She was beaming with joy as she talked about her pregnancy & beautiful nursery our client had designed for her. (Y'all, it's absolutely precious & we'll share more on it in a future post!) Sweet Campbell was perfect throughout our session & we loved spending time with him & his sweet Mama!

Enjoy!

Spark & Arrow

Kimmie + Taylor: Birmingham Engagement Session

Taylor & Kimmie are the perfect mix of polished & refined with a good does of fun. We couldn't wait to shoot their engagement session after discussing ideas with them. They wanted the typical Birmingham spots such as Morris Avenue and Railroad Park with a candid and casual shooting style. We loved how the images turned out and had such a hard time picking our favorites to post! Their wedding in June is going to be a trip & sure to be just a beautiful!

Enjoy! - Spark & Arrow

When an engagement session ends like this you know the wedding is going to be fun!

Tablescape Styling Event: West Elm Birmingham

A few months ago we were honored to be asked to host a styling event at West Elm Birmingham! We spent several weeks gathering ideas & combing through West Elm products to bring customers unique & easy ways to spruce up their Spring tables!

All our planning & dreaming led to this beautiful split table showcasing two ways to style a Spring table. The table was anchored with cast metal jewelry trees turned centerpieces. One side neutral & airy with the other being colorful & bold.

For the neutral side we paired gold & silver pieces with light pastel accent dishes. Don't be afraid to mix your metallics. Tone is the key to creating a cohesive look. Malinda Kay created the handmade egg place cards which rested with a tiny air fern in a ceramic egg cup.

A sweet ceramic bunny filled with an air fern added a fun twist to the table and the beautiful work of Amy Stone graced the table in the form of a custom menu. We love her whimsy hand lettering & illustrations!

For the colorful & bold side we used the same centerpiece and added in some fun elements.

We loved the vibrance of this side with pops of red ranunculus in brown vintage bottles, colorful birds from the local floral store & coordinating paper products from another favorite of ours, Sincerely Me Caroline!

A bed of green moss covered the base of the jewelry tree and handmade metallic eggs rested on top.

Caroline of Sincerely Me created the perfect menu for a Spring meal using her custom watercolor drawings mixed with calligraphy illustrations & writing. She creates every detail by hand!

The other part of the event featured personal styling advice for customers from Spark & Arrow! We set up a variety of items on our Style Table for customers to create their own unique Spring ideas using West Elm products!

We loved seeing what everyone created!

This corked vile full of golden chocolate eggs was adorable when paired with simple West Elm dishes & a handmade placecard.

And the natural elements of this setting when paired with West Elm's Scape Dinnerware were stunning! Simply take a scrap piece of slate & write names of guests on them using a chalkboard marker. Tie it up with some twine & a feather and you're good to go!

A few customers brought in pieces from home for us to work with like Dianne. She said, "I've had this china for years and am looking for a way to spruce it up for Easter. I'm tired of it being stuck in the cabinet."

We paired her dish with the Organic Metallic Rimmed dinnerware and added in some fresh accents to bring the look together. A casual yet still elegant place setting!

Our good friends at Bamawise donated a few treats for customers to enjoy. All Alabama made and all delicious! G Mommas cookies, Cookies by Donna, Merry Cheese Crisps and Mook Mills cheese straws all received raving reviews!

Bamawise products can be found in your local Piggly Wiggly & Western Supermarkets.

Our next event at West Elm Birmingham is in the works! Stay tuned & be sure to follow us on Instagram @sparkandarrowcreative for updates!

Creative Collaborative: West Elm Birmingham & Birmingham Jewelry Makers

We often see our friends & fellow creatives sporting unique jewelry and often when we ask where it is from the words "local" & "handmade" & "artist" are used. Birmingham is overflowing with creative talent and our jewelry makers are in a class all their own! 

For this month's Creative Collaborative we teamed up with six local makers to showcase their work with West Elm's gorgeous products and here's what we created!

These ladies are talented! We couldn't help but dream & play with their incredible jewelry and we would love to introduce them to you.

First up is A.K. Hall. A.K.'s pieces are beautifully handcrafted and uniquely one of a kind. They reflect her love for the memorable & sentimental. Her first experience working with metal was in Albuquerque, New Mexico under the direction of Kristen Diener. After that, she went on to receive her Graduate Jeweler's Diploma from Revere Academy in San Francisco. She says she is "inspired by the imperfections of this life, but also how the imperfect can still be used to display undeniable beauty. 

Dig's Design's work is also a reflection of imperfect beauty. They create their unique pieces from scraps of wood left over from previous projects. What some would throw out as unusable, they repurposed to create these beautiful turquoise & mother of pearl inlaid pieces. We love the thunderbird necklace and of course the arrow bangle. Other pieces from Dig's Design feature reclaimed paper products such as maps, books & ledgers which are decoupaged onto bangles. They can be found online or in their pop-up shop Made Here, in Harbert Plaza.

If you say repurposed or vintage, you will probably catch our attention. We are suckers for all things eclectic & old. Here a Chick, There a Chick stole our hearts with her salvaged vintage jewelry pieces. Kerry started her business in 2012 from her love of antiques & thrifting. She gathers old jewelry from southern markets & facets them into new pieces full of charm. She shares her studio with her kids & most of the time doesn't know what a piece will look like until it is complete! Her bib necklaces are incredible & you are sure to find one to match your personality.

We must admit, when we brought Lucy's pieces home we caught our husband checking them out & identifying specific hardware pieces. Lucy's Lockets is all about taking architectural pieces & creating a story. Each piece has a history & a future. Her background in home design & architectural salvage led her to appreciate the beauty in everyday salvaged hardware & bring that beauty to you in every piece she creates.

The Rainy Day Studio started as a way for owner Saramia to create something with her collection of craft odds & ends. When she realized her love for jewelry making she began investing in more materials to suite her creative style. Her pieces are a unique mix of leather, natural stone, chain & bullet casings (yes, bullet casings). Saramia is also a talented designer & illustrator.

Last but certainly not least is Leigh Ann Harris with Sweet Auburn Studio. Leigh Ann spends her days running her own interior design company, Burrow Interior Design. When she's not busy renovating & designing homes she makes beautiful pieces named after her favorite city on the plains. You'll love her customizable stamped pieces and leather cuffs along with her on-trend tassel & beaded necklaces. Stack a few of her simple bracelets up or mix them with pieces you already have!

We've loved getting to know these ladies as well as styling and photographing their pieces! Give them some love & we'll see you next month!

-Spark & Arrow

(Styling/Photography by Spark & Arrow)

West Elm Products Used

Coral Jewelry Tree / Cast Metal Jewelry Tree / Manzanita Ring Dish / Glass Shadow Boxes

Mid-Century Marble & Wood Boxes / Gold Square Laquered Tray / Laquered Bath Tray

Square Symmetry Object / Whale Ring Holder / Small Display Box Terrarium / Faceted Terrarium

James : 8 Months : Mountain Brook, AL

We photographed James' baptism a few weeks ago and his precious mom wanted to capture him in his gown again before he grew out of it. He has the most perfect smile and was sure to show it off for us! What a doll!

And of course,  he couldn't wait to get back out of it. 

We would love to photograph for you! Check out our website for more info or e-mail sparkandarrowcreative@gmail.com.

Spark & Arrow