moonshine for men
It’s not made in a still. And you can’t drink it. But Moonshine is the new word-of-mouth-favorite in men’s cologne.
With its refreshing yet woodsy aroma, Moonshine is the creation of three, 2005 UGA grads: Matt Moore, Charlie Holderness and Colin Newberry.
The frat brothers, who scattered after graduation to various careers in Dallas, Nashville and Greensboro, NC, thought their idea for a Southern scent was inspired.
Despite being clueless about the fragrance industry, they learned. They co-developed the fragrance in France, where the cologne is made. Then later gathered to bottle and pack the cologne in the basement of Holderness’ parents’ house in Greensboro.
Last November, Moonshine ($72) hit the shelves. The 3.4-ounce cologne, and its clever packaging, makes a great gift for your groomsmen and others, bootleggers aside.
The package includes a flask-like bottle, a small, travel burlap sack and a wooden storage box.
To order, check www.moonshineformen.com.
In the Atlanta area, Moonshine is available at Millers Brothers, 3207 Paces Ferry Place; Indie-Pendent, 1052 St. Charles Ave. Also check the Oakleaf & Acorn, 5117 Hwy. 53, in Braselton.
tiny top hats
Carol Ogg started knitting when her daughter was born in 1994. And she hasn’t stopped.
Two years ago, the Atlanta woman got down to business and started Colorful Crowns, a collection of fine, hand-knit baby hats.
Made with 100 percent cotton yarn, the hats ($36) are designed to fit newborns to 3-month-olds.
While “Sweet Pea” is a best seller, there are other hats with playful names like “Cotton Candy,” “Cherry Pie” and “Little Boy Blue.” Matching onesies are also available for an extra $10.
Ogg, a UGA grad who works as a pharmacist in the bio-tech field, also welcomes custom orders.
The hats, packaged in a see-through, eco-friendly box, are a popular, go-to baby or shower present.
The company logo on the gift tag was designed by a friend whose family lost a baby to a brain tumor.
To order, visit www.colorfulcrowns.com. Also find hats at McCall Wilder Designs Boutique & Atelier, 110 E. Andrews Drive, Suite 3, in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.
leave your mark
In 2004, Lynn Fleck needed a year-end gift for clients of her graphic design firm. She came up with an idea for a personalized stamp. The stamp was an instant hit.
Fleck then teamed up with Lori Eddleman and created Dallas-based Three Designing Women.
The company creates detailed stamps and embossers customized with your name, address and monogram.
The stamps or embossers are ideal for personalizing correspondence, gift tags — and anything else on which you want to leave your mark. They also make a great gift.
While you are at it, order a collection of bottle tags, gift tags, stickers and fold-over note cards in a choice of modern colors and patterns. The Citrine collection is pictured below.
Products are sold in more than 2,000 retail outlets nationwide. For locations and a peek at products, check www.threedesigningwomen.com.
P.S. For the next 24 hours, get a custom stamp and 10 foldover cards for $32 at www.onekingslane.com. The stamp alone is usually $40, and choices are limited.
haute chocolate
In 2009, Scott Witherow started Olive & Sinclair, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker in Nashville.
Made in small batches with select cacao beans and pure brown sugar, the company’s chocolate is slow roasted and stone ground.
A longtime foodie, Witherow graduated from Middle Tennessee State and Le Cordon Bleu. He worked in the food industry in the United States and England before moving back to his native Nashville to start Olive & Sinclair, named for family members.
Best sellers include Salt & Pepper and the Mexican Style Cinn-Chili. Both 2.75-ounce chocolate bars, with their retro wrappers, are $5.99 each.
Or have a bite of the newest offering: Smoked Nib Brittle ($18.50 for 5 ounces). Find Olive & Sinclair chocolate at Atlanta-area Whole Foods or visit www.oliveandsinclair.com
pillows with perks
Sarah Feldner knows that pillows are an instant and easy way to change the look of a room. That is why the Georgia woman created Swap-A-Top pillows.
The Georgia Tech grad, who sews, loves fabric and frequently tweaks her home décor, makes pillows – with changeable toppers.
To order one of Feldner’s pillows, first choose a fabric. Popular choices have included houndstooth and black dandelion.
Then choose a decorative topper, which is attached with Velcro to the pillow. Monograms are a year-round hit, but holiday and seasonal symbols (heart, Christmas tree) are also big sellers.
Pillows ($20) measure 12 inches by 16 inches. Toppers, which are four inches by six inches, are $5 each.
Along with new fabrics and toppers, Feldner plans to add new pillow sizes.
Find her designs at Beyond the Door, 53 Main St., in Senoia, GA, or at simplysarahdesigns.com
romancing the stone
The natural beauty they found on their world travels has been a source of inspiration to Avril and Cindy Joffe. They are the mother-daughter design team behind Avindy jewelry.
To celebrate their Atlanta company’s 10th anniversary this year, the self-taught jewelry designers were inspired by scenery closer to home — at the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area, east of downtown Atlanta.
Their versatile “Arabia Mountain” collection ($80 to $300) includes an unexpected mix of grey labradorite with aquamarine, opals, teal, mystic topaz and antiqued sterling silver.
But Avindy’s signature style, as longtime fans know, is it penchant for mixing and layering its metals and gemstones for a vintage yet modern look.
The new wrap bracelets ($95 to $130) can be worn as necklaces and come in a range of colors.
For Valentine’s Day or any other red-letter day, consider the silver letter-stamped necklaces ($170 to $600) or the heart-shaped padlock ($198) with “Love + Be Loved” on the back. It is pictured below.
For the best selection of Avindy’s hand-crafted jewelry in the greater Atlanta area, visit Turning Leaf Wood Art, 651 E. Main. St., in Blue Ridge.
Also shop at www.avindy.com
man of steel
Call him Atlanta’s Iron Man. Andrew T. Crawford probably won’t object.
The 41-year-old artist isn’t a comic-book or big-screen hero. But Crawford, who grew up in Atlanta and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, has had notable roles as a creator of functional objects, ornamental ironwork and striking sculpture for public spaces.
For homeowners, Crawford has made custom gates, railings, furniture, lighting and garden sculpture in his Westside Atlanta studio.
He also has received some unusual requests. Recently, Crawford was commissioned to create a Librorum Prohibitorum (a locking grate for a bookcase for “prohibited books”) for a private library in Alabama.
His public art includes the “LIFT” at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the gates at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and “Split” (one of his favorite pieces) at the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens.
But now Crawford is offering a new line of gift and home accessories, including a steel belt buckle ($125) and fire poker ($175).
Also new: a six-inch-long bottle opener (pictured above). The hand-forged steel opener ($75) features a hammered texture and a custom-cut initial. The personal touch makes it a perfect groomsmen’s or housewarming gift.
Check www.americanforgesouth.com or place an order by calling 404-351-8324.
To see Crawford’s other work, visit www.ironisking.com
super bowl sauces
Dan Mullis, also known as The Southern Haberdasher, is a guy dedicated to the art of dressing and eating well.
In his day job, Mullis wears a vested suit to his job at an upscale men’s shop in Atlanta.
But after work, Mullis slips on an apron and gloves for de-seeding habanero peppers and mixing up batches of his all-natural sauces, salsas and marinades.
His Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Marinade (below) is a best seller.
Other word-of-mouth favorites include Pickled Jalapenos (try them on grilled cheese or in your game-day enchiladas) and “Grandad’s Salsa Verde.” Or trip out your Bloody Mary with a snappy garnish like Fancy Pickled Okra.
Individual pint jars are $10 each. Or try all seven products, including the Hot ‘n’ Sweet Pepper Sauce, for $55.
Visit www.thesouthernhaberdasher.com
tray chic
After he retired as school psychologist, Louisiana’s Kenny Greig started as second career as a craftsman.
The New Iberia native started in 1975 with stained glass. In the 1990s, the largely self-taught artist expanded his work to include metal, stone and wood.
While Greig prefers various exotic woods for his cutting boards, he uses “sinker” cypress wood for his handsome serving trays.
Sinker cypress wood comes from massive cypress logs that were harvested between 50 and 150 years ago. Some of the logs that were cut during those harvests sank and were left behind by loggers.
Now, with new equipment, many of those sinker logs have been discovered and pulled from lake and river bottoms. Artists, like Greig, then use the logs to make various wood products.
Greig’s hand-cut and hand-made trays are roughly 13 inches by 20 inches. No two trays are the same thanks to the color variations and imperfections in the wood.
The trays are $75 and $95 (with a natural edge) at www.louisianaliving.com.
go to pieces
A stylist and a trendsetter, Lee Kleinhelter has charmed Atlanta and the others across the country, according to One Kings Lane, with an aesthetic that has been praised on the pages of Elle Decor, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles and InStyle, among others.
Her shop, Pieces, is an interiors wonderland featuring lamps, end tables, chairs, spot-on throw pillows and pendants, like the orange drum pendant ($2,239) below.
I like the space-saving porcelain bubble-shaped and cone-shaped side tables ($345) in a gray-white glaze. Use the tables as sturdy stools when extra guests are on hand. Or take them outside.
Her website (pieces.com) has become a favorite destination for designers, clients and design aficionados all over the country.
Check out some of Kleinhelter’s finds at the Tastemaker Tag Sale at www.onekingslane.com. Don’t wait. Sales end in less than three days.
