11 Oct Tradition, Ritual, and Pride
By: Stephanie Andrews
Hello everyone,
As October deepens, I can’t help but think about the holiday season and all the traditions that come along with it. While I enjoy these traditions, it’s really daily rituals that keep me grounded. These are a few that sustain me: coffee in the morning, a meditation before I start the day, and a journaling ritual that put me in a positive mindset even throughout more stressful holiday times. I cherish this morning time and also write my blog posts during this period, a little bit each day. When I skip a day of these rituals, I feel unbalanced.
The last quarter of the year is also our busiest time for Balance Design, so I am really working to keep up these daily practices.
Last weekend, we had our annual Sample Sale, which usually coincides with Atlanta Pride. Each year, we take our “oopsies” (slightly damaged items), showhouse furniture, and accessories that we want to let go of and sell them at a fraction of the cost. I love getting rid of extra stuff!
Our Annual Sample Sale.
This year, we combined our sale with a yard sale hosted by my talented neighbor, Saffron. Saffron is an organizer and stylist who embodies cool-British style, fashion, wit, and a big heart. Watching her move through our yard sale was enlightening. She had stories about all of her items and would share their origin stories with interested customers. For example, she had a collection of Jimmy Choo shoes and purses from her time as an assistant to the brand and a hot pink wool rug runner from Brooklyn that she was finally ready to part with. After each sale, Saffron would restyle everything to make the vignette look full and luscious again. We both sold a lot of items and had a blast!
Our Pride Window for 2024.
This weekend is the Atlanta Pride Festival, and for the past nine years, we have dedicated the month of October to our PRIDE window. I am incredibly proud of these windows because they keep getting better and better, celebrating our community.
Allie, our design assistant (and my daughter), is the mastermind behind our window displays, and she never fails to amaze us with her creativity. This year, she found several funky rainbow-colored lamps and created a “Let Your Light Shine” theme. I particularly love the yellow man light that can create different gestures!
At Balance Design, we also have a tradition of putting up our Holiday and Art Opening windows as soon as the PRIDE windows come down. Each November, we celebrate one or two local artists and throw an opening party for them. This party is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the holidays with our clients, neighbors, friends, and family. It’s also a time to catch up and introduce new artists that we believe in.
New Portrait Series By Crysta Luke.
This year, we are thrilled to showcase new work by one of our favorite artists, Crysta Luke. Known for her colorful abstracts, Crysta has ventured into some beautiful abstract portraits. These watercolor portraits are otherworldly and fascinating!
Sustainable Arrangements by Fiore Vigilante.
We are also introducing a new artist to us—Katie Vigilante. Katie’s studio is down the street from us in Candler Park. She creates forever arrangements by painting branches, leaves, and flowers that celebrate nature and are a long-term sustainable solution to weekly fresh flowers. Her work is sculptural yet simple, and I am very attracted to the shapes and vessels of these pieces.
We would love for you to save the date—Thursday, November 14th, from 7 to 9 pm. This celebration will be at our studio in Candler Park (1653 McLendon Ave, Atlanta). We will have food, drinks, art, a very new look to our studio, and of course, the talented BD team. We would love to celebrate the holidays with you and hope to see you there!
In the meantime, I think many of you may also have a frenetic season ahead. I encourage you to take time for your own rituals that can calm a busy mind. As you prepare for the holidays, I hope that you find some fun, family, friends, and festivities (quadruple f-words) that make it special for you.
Thank you for reading,
Stephanie
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