I know this little blog of mine rarely covers food, BUT I wanted to share The Oliver with you all because of the wonderful experience & treatment I received while dining there recently! (Kansas City friends.. this space is something magical).
Earlier this summer, I was able to write a little blog post about the Park Place Farmers Market; so when I was invited back for Handmade Holidays with some of the same vendors, I couldn't wait to capture what they were putting together for this season!
This pop up officially opened today, (wahoo!) and runs through December 31st for all of your holiday needs! Curated by Dragonfly Gourmet Foods, they have uniquely put together a space filled with local artisans products, and I cannot wait to do my fair share of shopping here. Here are the makers you'll find this season at Handmade Holidays:
Mindfully Made -- I loved learning more about Carol's journey through her love of DIY remedies for nourishing & supporting our bodies, and the passion of wanting to teach what she's learned with other women. (I highly recommend reading her whole journey here). Her salves, lip balms and elderberry juices are crafted with love & care, and will make great gifts for the holiday season!
Sweet Streams Lavender Co. -- I'm so excited to share this brand again! This sweet family of five is very passionate about growing organic, toxin free lavender that will promote a tranquil environment for you and your loved ones. Their products range from pure essential oils to candles and soaps, (just to name a few). They also have gift sets for sale at the shop, (including an herbal tea gift set which I am VERY excited to gift someone! Even if that someone is me..)
Just Enough Heat -- This by far was one of the most exciting things I learned today; there is a company out there dedicated to all things spicy, (Hot sauces, BBQ sauces, salsas, rubs, etc).. and it is AWESOME! (Seriously, they have a monthly mailing list & club for people who love hot foods/sauces as much as they do!) I instantly thought of a handful of friends & family that these would make perfect gifts for this year, (and selfishly felt like I needed to try a few myself as well. Purely test tasting purposes of course!)
Scoby Masters Tea-Biotics -- Another new product I was really happy to see was this locally made kombucha! This company started in the home of the 'Scoby Master', who's hobby & passion of making kombucha & fermented vegetables quickly met a demand with friends and family. They pride themselves on their organic teas, (all of which are raw, vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free), small batches, and really focusing on using ingredients from certified trade and organic companies that promote sustainability.
Pappardelle's -- When a company's mission statement is, 'The relentless pursuit of perfect pasta', AND they've fed the Pope, (no, I did not make this up), you know it's something special! This was another brand I had become familiar with at the Park Place Farmers Market, and quickly fell in love with due to the flavor variety and quality of product. From roasted red pepper lasagna noodles to chocolate hazelnut dessert ravioli in chocolate dough, David & Bill are still honoring their commitment to create a wide scope of flavors for us to enjoy since 1984. (And yes, I will be trying some sort of chocolate noodle before the holidays are up!)
CST Sweets -- The story behind this brand is one very near and dear to my heart, as a Grandma had given her granddaughter a passion for cooking, (and a love of chocolate and sweets created the brand!) These handcrafted treats include biscotti's, toffee, and peanut brittle; I don't know about you, but it doesn't quite feel like the holidays until I get my hands on some peanut brittle!
Heartland Honey -- It made my heart so happy to see Cecil & Joli's honey again! This duo, (who met over 25 years ago at a beekeeping event), have continued to keep busy with fresh batches of honey, lip balms, and even lotion balms that are available at the Handmade Holidays pop up this year. You can tell when they talk about their products, how truly passionate they are about what they do and how important bees are to the farming process. Always a joy to see them again!
Yummylicious -- I suddenly always get hungry when seeing or talking about Yummylicious products.. funny how that happens ;) I cannot stress enough when I tell you that this company actually makes cookies & treats with healthy, natural ingredients. Yes, healthy cookies.. it's actually a thing! Using only organic whole grains, their cookie provides you with whole wheat flour, flaxseed and oatmeal, (which is giving you fiber), and while also giving you protein and Omega-3's. If we needed any sort of an excuse to eat cookies before, we definitely don't need one now!
thēz nüts -- We all know the classic phrase, '____ walk into a bar', but in this scenario add three friends to that blank space and you have the beginning story of this artisan nut company! Now on retail shops shelves in three states, these friends have developed dozens of recipes and find as many ways to give back to our KC community as possible. (They are well aware that their name might raise some eyebrows, but they don't mind one bit!) All varieties of thēz nüts can be found at Handmade Holidays!
Dragonfly Gourmet Foods -- Last, but certainly not least are the curators of this years shop! I instantly became a fan of theirs this summer at the Farmers Market, (plus, pickles happen to be my favorite food so there's really no way to no like these guys). Krista & Quinten continue to create with the freshest ingredients, and hand cut, hand mash, hand mix, hand pack, and hand label every jar of their product! They have everything from their dill pickles, to peach mango salsa and even seasoning at the pop up shop this season.
A huge thank you to Dragonfly Gourmet Foods and Park Place for having me out yesterday! I feel so thankful to write about things like this and celebrating local vendors that come together for others. Congratulations on a beautiful space & opening! If you're looking for a special place to do some holiday shopping for your family or friends, (or you... no judgement here!), I highly recommend swinging by Handmade Holidays! (Address for this years pop-up is 11555 Ash Street; additional information can be found on http://www.parkplaceleawood.com/).
I owe a million thank you's to the crew at Made in KC for making the last three months VERY enjoyable!
I was recently able to travel to Austin Texas for work, and wanted to share some of my favorite moments with you all!
Hi guys! I wanted to write a little entry & share some snaps from my recent trip to Mexico.
Life Update -- I just wanted to write a little entry to 1). Say hello because it's been way too long, and 2). Say that I am still here. (More or less).
It has been my goal within the last couple months to refocus on stories and content that bring me joy; things that I am truly passionate about and want to share with others. I am so excited to carry that out with a blog post about my experience at the Leawood Farmer's Market, (and share with you the vendors that reside there every week!)
I've been wanting to do a little local spotlight for a long time, and I thought I would start with three that I've been using quite a bit the past few weeks!
I met Cassi + Marc at one of my favorite coffee shops, Mildred's, the morning of their engagement photos; from there, an adventure unfolded that included running across local streets, rooftop hangs and a beautiful art exhibit.
A very special blog post sharing some of my new work with portraits & lifestyle shots of my dear friend.
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to photograph one of my favorite gals & her amazing hand lettering!
I'm teaming up today with Shop Tobi to share two of my favorite looks from their site right now! Let's be honest; most of us want to look good without breaking the bank, (amiright?), and one thing that stuck out to me when picking out these garments was the affordability of each item.