Christina Kwan / tide & bloom

creative makers: audrey of tiny buffalo

I’ll never forget the first time I had a Tiny Buffalo cookie. My boyfriend brought it to me at the first Root City Market and I was immeeeediately hooked. The baker, Audrey caught my reaction and proceeded to hand me more cookies because of the ridiculous happy face I was making. Right there and then I knew that I’d have to keep an eye on this girl to hold onto this deliciousness in my life. Her granola, her scones, her hand pies… everything I’ve ever tried from Audrey’s kitchen is like a little piece of home and heaven. And of course, Audrey is as humble as the day is long – the epitome of a joyful baker, making it her business to put yummy in your tummy and a smile on your face.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grow up?

A gymnast. Which is hilarious because I am super clumsy and awkward! Then I discovered coffee shops and was hooked.

Where does the name “Tiny Buffalo” come from?

Tiny speaks to portion size – I studied nutrition in college and think that little indulgences can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Buffalo represents nature – being active/outside. It also represents the ingredients; I use local when possible, eggs and dairy from animals not treated with hormones, etc. But honestly… it’s just fun to say!

What is your goal as a creative entrepreneur?

Not to have to get a real job 🙂

Does baking run in the family? How did you begin to start making all these delicious things?

I definitely remember baking with my mom – we’ve made the same Christmas treats every year since I was two. I had an Easy Bake Oven and loved sampling batter off the beaters (still do). But I think we bake/talk about baking more since I started TB. And my dad has never complained about being a taste tester 🙂 They are my super fans.

What inspires you?

Chocolate milk and naps!

summer heat

As you can see, I’ve been playing around with a lot of plant motifs; trying to figure out what it takes to make a good pattern that could possibly translate to textiles. This is a little different than the way I’ve worked and drawn in the past, so I’m just trusting my intuition here. Hope you’re liking the progress… stay tuned for more!

out the window

kimono cover-ups

Look, I’m gonna be honest here. I don’t feel comfortable with a lot of the terms used in the fashion world to describe ethnic-inspired clothing – kimonos, aztec, tribal, et cetera. It’s typically not accurate and while imitation can be a form of flattery, it can also really minimize cultural and ceremonial significance. That being said, I also know it’s damn near impossible to avoid such vocabulary when it’s so pervasive in clothing descriptions, media, and the like. So unfortunately here I am, reduced to using “kimono cover-ups” for convenience instead of easy-breezy-lightweight-open-robes. Please forgive me the terminology and focus on how awesome it is that these are back in style!

shop these kimonos below!

surfacing ii

You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love.

confession time

After spending the day pouring over websites and blogs about “how to sell your art” or “how to become an artist”, I feel very… uneasy. And really, I guess that was everyone’s point; becoming an artist is just not easy. There’s no formula for becoming successful and so you have to figure out what is going to work for you. Selling artwork, patterns, creativity in any form is always going to be difficult. I never said that I believed otherwise; there are just some days where I feel more confident than others. So I feel the need to fess up to the truth, the ever steady truth… that I just don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what I will be doing. I don’t know how to get to where I want to be. This is ultimately what sums up my journey-into-adulthood experience. How’s yours going?

I haven’t been posting as much personal introspection on this blog as I used to especially because so many people in my life actually take the time to read it now (bffs, family, and coworkers alike). But I’m taking a risk here in order to stay genuine and let it all hang out in hopes that everyone – particularly those also my age – will understand that this is just a part of what it takes to get there. You know. There. Wherever there is, that place when all the pieces will start magically falling into place. Who knows when there will actually present itself.

houston crawfish boil

guest post: not so southern belle

Everyone’s journey to building a strong and healthy self-image is a unique one. Figuring out how to project that self-image is even more difficult; style is not just clothing or accessory, it is self-expression. Self declaration. We all go through times of confusion, struggle, and enlightenment, in order to figure all of that out. Today I’m excited to turn over the mic to my friend Victoria of The Not-So-Southern Belle, as she shares her own personal journey to a sense of style. She’s a saucy lil’ lady whose talent is as evident as her beauty and I’m so happy to have her words gracing these pages. So with no further ado…

When Christina so graciously asked me to contribute to Tide and Bloom, I was extremely flattered and said yes without hesitation. Then, I immediately went into a panic thinking what the hell am I going to write about? I’m no fashion/creative/lifestyle authority. But here’s the thing: I don’t have to be. I guess you could say I have my own sense of style, and I own it. That’s all that really matters, right?

I could sit here and say I’ve always had body confidence, that I’ve always known what works for me, that I’m just naturally stylish—but it would all be total bullshit. As the always-sort-of-chubby-yet-cute-girl growing up, I went through a lot of phases. Freshman and sophomore year of high school I wore a lot of t-shirts. My mother used to beg me not to buy yet another “stupid [insert Hollister, Abercrombie, etc.] t-shirt.” Something clicked junior year and I decided to expand beyond my comfort zone. Well, sort of. I have this very distinct memory of the first time I was really proud of any outfit I put together. I used to actually spend a lot of time doing my hair (now, I’m lucky if I even wash it more than twice a week), and I’d just figured out the whole ponytail-with-a pouf thing. I paired it with a red Viva La Bam (oh, the days I actually used to watch MTV) t-shirt, a mini-skirt and these killer white, sporty heels. Yes, I wore heels to high school; quite often, actually.

Now, it may not have been the most stylish thing to wear, but I loved that outfit and it showed. I got so many compliments that day. After that, I started having more fun just wearing whatever the hell I wanted. I think that’s the biggest thing: confidence.

DIY: color block patio table

In my quest for patio glory, I picked up a ton of random pieces from a recent neighborhood yard sale event. Though I saved a lot of dough, I’ve been left with the task of transforming them into an eclectic-but-cohesive set, which is no easy feat. First up, I tackle perhaps the most important piece of all: the patio table.

Being so central to both the aesthetic and functionality of our outdoor space, it was important that I plan before I dove in. With some preliminary sketches in hand (with a certain amount of color flexibility), I ran off to Home Depot to purchase some off-tint reduced price paints in addition to some other goodies… (DIY instructions)