Category: Featured

Featured

  • D.I.Y. Chalkboard Party Hat!

    D.I.Y. Chalkboard Party Hat!

    I accidentally created this fun party hat d.i.y. last weekend while making decorations for my friend Stacy’s birthday and I had to share it with you guys!  I was looking for paint to cover some cardboard balloon-printed party hats (from the dollar-store y’all) and saw my chalkboard spray paint that was left over from our wedding crafts.  This is the quickest, easiest party craft and wouldn’t it be so much fun for a kid’s party?  You could give them the hats and chalk and let them decorate away!  Just follow these 3 super easy steps to create your own:

    1.  Take basic cardboard party hats and paint with 2-3 coats of chalkboard paint, allowing each layer to dry fully.

    2. Use tinsel, ribbon, or paper to decorate around the bottom and top of hat.  I used wire tinsel with colorful stars (also from the dollar store) and attached with a hot glue gun (get one from Glue Guns Direct supplier).  Just start with a drop of glue, place the beginning of your decoration, continue wrapping around the base of hat and adding a dot of hot glue every so often.   Add as much or as little as you like and then add a little more to the top of your hat.

    3.  Use chalk, plain or colorful, to add an initial, name, or message to your hat.

    I think it would be great to pass these out at the beginning of a party and let each guest decorate their own.  We had so much fun with ours and even wore them to the bowling alley!

    Supplies:: party hats, tinsel or ribbon for decor, chalkboard paint, chalk, hot glue gun.

    [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/KatHeadShot.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Kat Kraszeski-Jackson is an art teacher, artist, and diy crafter living in Greensboro, NC. She loves sharing her favorite artists, projects, and creative inspiration here on Pretty Southern.[/author_info] [/author]

     

  • Pie Shop Happy Hour!

    What are y’all doing Wed., Aug. 3 from 5 to 8 p.m.? The correct answer is Happy Hour at Pie Shop! Buckhead’s newest sweet spot is offering a sampling of their pies post-work on Wednesday. It’s $20 for an unlimited sampling of their pies until your tummy can take no more. Plus y’all get to BYOB your favorite libation to wash that yummy goodness down.

    For more information, read about Pie Shop here from our feature we published earlier this summer. Come from work, the pool, wherever…just come as you are! Here’s the menu:

    Ginger-plum Tart
    Sweet summer corn pie
    Mocha Cream pie
    Old-fashioned Chess pie
    Fried apple pies
    Peanut butter pie with chocolate cookie crust
    Lattice-topped Summer berry pie
    Lemon meringue pie
    Cream-topped ganache pie
    Tomato cheddar pie
    Key lime pie with graham cracker crust
    Coconut Cream pie
    Mushroom and onion tart
    Turtle pie
    Orange Creamsicle pie
    Classic apple pie
    Cheddar and onion fried pies
    Butterscotch meringue pie

    Hope to see you for a sweet treat this hump day! If you’re coming to PrettySouthern’s first happy hour, then please comment below so we can add you to the list. See y’all there for some sweetness!

  • Our Southern Girl in South America

    This stray was all bundled up on a cold and windy afternoon. And look closer at his neck…he’ s even wearing a scarf!

    Upon arrival, the dogs are a spectacle. Some are asleep in sunny spots on the sidewalk. Others are cooling off in a fountain. They beg for table scraps from patrons of patio restaurants. They cross the streets just as people do, as if they’ve learned to decipher the crosswalk signals.

    Journalists estimate that Santiago has had a street dog “problem” for about 25 years. With an estimated 3 million strays roaming the streets, parks, patios, markets and historical landmarks of Santiago, I suppose it’s difficult to label it anything but a “problem.” It wouldn’t be a stretch to say they are as common as squirrels. Although there have been rumors of an initiative to round up all strays and sterilize them, the locals know this can’t be true.

    I’ve grown up with a dog in my family since I was out of the womb. Being a dog lover is in my blood, so seeing so many strays – especially at first – was sad and still is disheartening. But the life of a Santiago street dog really ain’t so bad– they become residents of the barrios (neighborhoods)– therefore they are well-fed with scraps and leftovers from the restaurants and grocery stores. They accompany homeless people on their makeshift cots of cardboard and old blankets. They get tons of love and affection from locals and passersby, albeit brief and quick to accompany a lively hand washing. Check out these useful info about basenji hound dog.

    Saw this little guy when we went to visit Cementerio Nacional, the national cemetery in Santiago. Maybe he was visiting an old friend.

    I was nervous about what would happen to the street dogs once winter made its way into the city. July, Santiago’s coldest month, makes for some freezing nights and mornings. Apparently I’m not the only one who worries about the street dogs– many of the locals donate unwanted clothing to help keep them warm. It’s not uncommon to see a pit-mix sporting an old Arizona State sweatshirt, or a sleepy shepherd mix wearing a fleece cape. It makes me laugh every time.

    We once stopped on our way to a restaurant to watch an incredible 5-piece band play a few original songs. Two street dogs came from out of nowhere and made their way to the middle of our circle. They then sat in front of the musicians and began to howl and bark– they joined the band! They would then bark and wag their tails when it was time for applause.

    It’s as if every street dog (or group of street dogs– they tend to run in packs) has its own personality. We have yet to encounter an aggressive street dog– they are always friendly and personable. If my boyfriend and I could have taken anything down here with us, it would’ve been his precious pup Laila, who I miss every day.

    Something about having a dog at home waiting for you makes a long day feel worth it. So here, it’s hard to not want to take one of the strays home, wash him up, get him vaccinated and call him our own. But we know this would do more harm than good, because we would have to abandon him with heartbreak once our journey is done. Plus our landlord would probably kill us!

    For now, I’ll continue feeding them snacks here and there, giving them some affection, and washing my hands.

    Chelsea CookChelsea Cook is a journalist from Atlanta, who taught English in Santiago, Chile, and authored the series “Our Southern Girl in South America”.

     

  • The South’s Tallest Baby!

    Zoo Atlanta welcomed a new addition on July 21: a 6-foot-tall baby giraffe! She’s about the cutest thing to grace the South this summer! When she was born, this baby girl was already between 100 to 150 pounds and will grow to be about 600 pounds like her mama!

    Born to proud parents Mona and Abu, this little girl already has a half-sister at Zoo Atlanta (Zuri) who was born in July of 2010. The Zoo held a naming party for baby Zuri last August and we’ll keep you posted to see if plans are in the works for another party for this pretty babe! Mama Mona and her baby girl giraffe are resting before joining the rest of the giraffe herd. Giraffes have one of the longest gestation periods of any mammal in the animal kingdom at 15 months! Guess we humans are pretty lucky to only have 40 weeks.

    Check out the South’s newest critter! Say it with me now y’all…Awww!!!

  • Southern Vintage Inspiration

    Vintage, rustic charm singing of sweet romance is a new theme for Southern weddings. There’s a refined elegance in using a classic, country setting for the day a true lady pledges her love to a gentile gentleman. Four Inch Fold is here to help create the magic.

    New to the Southern wedding scene, Four Inch Fold is a unique vintage furniture rental company here to provide a complete aesthetic for fabulous events. At only four months old, Four Inch Fold has received a warm welcome from the wedding community and will be featured at The NotWedding!

    “My love for vintage rooted from childhood when I was often given hand-me down clothes, furnishing, and accessories. I am a very visual person and decided to go into the field of architecture where I also picked up graphic design,” says Four Inch Fold proprietor Mao Thao. “To fuel my creativity beyond my daily labor of love, I started making wedding invitations for a few friends in the last couple of years – just for fun. I started following a lot of wedding blogs and stumbled upon the emerging vintage rental business. A light bulb turned on and there was no turning it off. I was immediately inspired to share my vintage passion by creating innovative ways to translate, reinvent, and redefine vintage items for our modern use.”

    “The NotWedding breaks the mold of traditional bridal/wedding events, and I love the fact that the vendors’ services/products are put into action through a whole wedding ceremony and reception. It creates a more personable experience and I believe it’s the best way for guests to find inspiration for their own wedding. Moreover, they get a wide variety of inspiration from talented wedding professionals under one roof. My favorite part about Southern weddings is the laid-back atmosphere. The beauty of Southern weddings is that it can be as simple or elegant as one likes but the down-to-earth fun atmosphere is always present.”

    “I don’t think you have to be born in the South to be a Southerner and I think that makes a 21st century Southerner stand apart from other eras. I have lived in Georgia for almost 9 years and adapted to a few Southern ways – except I don’t eat grits.” Mao smiles. “The South has become a growing melting pot of all sorts of people so I find it important to maintain the Southern identity through its culture such as food, entertainment, and accent.”

    A lady is warm, romantic, charming and delicate, yet strong. A gentleman is mannerly, appreciates a good meal, and best of all, courageous when necessary. A lady and gentleman's individual traits compliment each other

    .

     

    For more information about Four Inch Fold, please check out Mao’s blog like her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter! And keep an eye on Pretty Southern for photos of Mao’s work at The NotWedding!

    Editor’s note: photos and artistic styling by Once Like A Spark

     

  • DJ Josh Whitlock

    Atlanta’s very own Josh Whitlock is a shining example of a gentleman. The best thing about Mr. Whitlock is that he’s for hire to DJ your next event!

    DJ Josh Whitlock will be bringing the heat on July 21 at The NotWedding…but his game has already achieved quite a reputation. He’s been working the party scene since 2001. In the past decade he’s worked more than 100 events!

    “I had always loved dancing, and knew how crucial music selection was for a great dance party.” Josh told PrettySouthern. “My friends also knew this about me, so when it came time for them all to start getting married, they asked me to DJ their weddings. I figured, I’d be going to their weddings anyway, so why not go as the DJ instead of a guest. I’m so glad those friends thought of me, or I don’t know that I would have ever considered the DJ business.”

    After working weddings for 10 years, Josh has learned a thing or two about weddings. His favorite part about Southern weddings includes several things like the sweet tea, open bars, clever toasts and dancing! Josh has also witnessed some quirky wedding moments over the years.

    “My most surprising/craziest song was requested by the bride and groom as their last dance song. It was ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman. I played it, and thought to myself ‘No one will dance to this. They’ll all just look at me until I switch the song.’ Boy was I wrong! They waltzed around the room, and sang at the top of their lungs in opera voices. Even the Dad joined in. I’m pretty sure the movie ‘Step Brothers’ stole that song idea from that wedding.”

    When it comes to exemplifying the fantastic, creative options for Southern weddings, The NotWedding will have it all! Josh has worked The NotWedding before as a DJ, including the first event in 2008 but he’s particularly excited this year about a certain secret surrounding the event. Of course, he’s been sworn to secrecy so as not to spoil the surprise!

    “All I can say is that you don’t want to miss it because that’s what I’m most excited about. The girls in charge are what I like to call All-Stars. They do everything well, and they make tons of friends doing it. I’m even lucky enough to be married to one of them. Clients often ask me ‘Can I see you DJ an event before I decide to use you?’ Now instead of telling them to crash a wedding, I tell them to check me out at The NotWedding.”

    For more information on book DJ Josh Whitlock, please check out his website. You can also check him out on Facebook and Twitter or you can hear him out in person at the fabulous NotWedding event at Ambient + Studio on Thursday, July 21 and tickets are available by clicking on The Not Wedding’s website!