The overachiever loves things that keep her world organized, bright, clean, and optimistic. This means fun desk stuff, cool calendars or motivational posters, and beautifully functional accessories.
gift guide: for the overachiever
gift guide: for the artisan
The artist appreciates all things cool, unique, handmade, or one of a kind. This can often be the most difficult person to buy gifts for mainly because of their diverse aesthetic interests. Your best bets are stunning coffee table books (you know, the really heavy kind), fun art supplies, or just something cozy for them to wear while they craft.
the painted canvas tote
Say hello to the largest size in our collaboration, the hand-painted canvas tote:
gift guide: for the girly girl
Pretty self-explanatory, I think. The girly girl loves to indulge in the luxurious and is not afraid to dress it up a little. She loves things that make her feel glamorous, like she’s wearing a little piece of heaven.
how to give a great gift
Such a simple thing, right? WRONG. So wrong. Perhaps one of the most difficult things to do is to give a great and thoughtful gift. Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve been told I’m pretty darn good at it. There’s really nothing better than seeing a person open your gift and truly love it (without any hint of faking it). It’s so cheesy, but it just feels good. Like really and genuinely good to know that you could put a true smile on someone’s face and that they would actually use and love the things you chose for them.
I’ve decided to spill some of my secrets and build you my own series of gift guides according to the personality and style of that special lady you intend to surprise. Each guide will have a variety of price points and a mixture of small batch crafts with easy big box fillers. I’ll admit, a lot of them will probably have an Atlanta bias (gotta support my locals), but I’m sure whatever city you are in you can find comparable local artisans to help fill those gaps. Above everything else though, I always follow one basic principle:
Get her/him something you know she/he will love, but doesn’t have (or know about) yet.
the clutch
Clutch it with your hands, hold on to it with your heart. The medium bag of our collaborative collection is the perfect size for a subtle and chic statement. Each piece has a reinforced leather bottom and a long leather tasseled zipper. Large enough to hold your everyday necessities and small enough to carry conveniently, the clutch is easily adaptable for a modern lady on the go.
The design pictured here is now for sale at Crafted Westside’s Holiday Pop-Up Shop at Westside Provisions! Open daily from 10am-6pm, Crafted has great hand-made gifts of all kinds from Southern artisans, including my art prints as well. If you can’t make it to the store, feel free to contact me at christina@tideandbloom.com to see more designs available for sale and custom ordering details. Hooray for Small Business Saturday!
neva opet x christina kwan
I feel so cheesy when I use the word “synergy”, but that is what comes to mind when I think about this collaboration. Rachael‘s handbags are beautifully crafted, with great attention and care to every detail. Her authenticity comes from the core of her being; she’s one of those girls who just instantly lights up the mood of any room. I’m absolutely humbled by her willingness to share a byline with me, especially when it comes to something as close to her heart as her bags. Together, we present to you a collection of canvas bags that are simple and modern, with a touch of whimsy. 
We’ve chosen Crafted Westside‘s holiday pop-up shop – and the internet – as the venue for the premiere of this line. Bag shapes include the tote (pictured here), the clutch, and the dopp kit. Our color palette is grounded in earth tones with flourishes of gold, and the designs are meant to be as functional as they are fun. 
We hope you’ll be as excited as we are! If you don’t live in Atlanta or would like to have a custom hand-painted bag for yourself, get in touch with us and email me at christina@tideandbloom.com. We’re crossing our fingers that this will be a partnership to last – evolving alongside our own individual craft practices. More product pictures to come very soon…
shapeless coats
Call them boyfriend jackets, cocoon coats, car coats, or throw-ons… whatever the name may be, I’m having a serious crush on shapeless coats right now. I know, I know – it goes against some pretty major fashion rules. It is no doubt a tricky thing to pull off and not everyone’s cup of tea. But I think if done right, it looks effortlessly chic.
What do you think of this baggy look? Yay or nay?
atlanta street fashion
It’s less than a week away from our little debut show at Octane, but it just occurred to me that I need to share with you the awesome work of my co-headliner! Cameron Adams has been blogging over at Atlanta Street Fashion for about four years now and I’m embarrassed to say that I had never met him in person until we started talking about this exhibition opportunity.
Cameron’s photographs will live beside my floral pattern works and hopefully strike a harmonious chord that you’ll want to take home with you. He has a way of finding (and unabashedly approaching) the coolest Atlanta characters wherever he goes, kind of like hunting for treasure.. except his treasure is notable style. Can you blame him?
Atlanta Street Fashion is like a time capsule filled with unique personalities and Cameron’s steady and straight-forward blogging style is admirable to say the least. I cannot lie, I’ve been crossing my fingers that he’d come up to me some day and snap my photo at a random event… but now he has no choice.
So if you’re planning on joining us for the reception, see it as an opportunity to get decked out in your favorite pieces and start your night off with a bang! Maybe you’ll end up seeing your face on our blogs soon. 🙂
[ all photos via Atlanta Street Fashion ]
ladycrush: hannah
Neighborhood: Northlake
Day Job: Senior Customer Associate at Anthropologie
Dream Job: Working in a retail corporate office
Describe your personal style.
My style is very feminine. I love lace, bows, floral prints and color. Dresses are my go-to because they are such an easy outfit, and I definitely own one too many fit and flare dresses! I make sure what I wear is comfortable and reasonable for what I’m doing so I wear flats way more than heels.
