Feast & Forest

Feast & Forest opened its doors on November 12th, and it's been buzzing with hungry customers from the start. Owners Kristen Farmer Hall and Victor King are quite familiar with the culinary life in Birmingham. Separately, they've done various dinners and pop-up shops over the years; however, now they've joined their culinary skills to create a fabulous café and bakery.

We were told so many great things about the café, so we decided to try it out for ourselves. Feast & Forest is located on 24th Street North which was previously a photography and film studio. The duo stated that they wanted their café to have a "modern nostalgia" vibe, and they definitely achieved that feel with their space. 

Saying the food was "delicious" just doesn't do it justice. The "ham sammich," which sounds simple, was a mouth-watering delight. The vast dessert options at the bakery made it difficult to choose. They offer anything from cookies to homemade nutella poptarts (which were to die for.)

Overall, we had such a great experience. The café provided such a fun atmosphere, and delicious eats and treats. Congrats to Kristen Farmer Hall and Victor King on the smashing success!

Rachel and Noah Ray Photography

Rachel and Noah Ray are a husband and wife photography duo based in Birmingham, Alabama. They have such a unique eye for photography, and capture the most beautiful moments perfectly by using both film and digital cameras to get the most variety of photographs. Their mission is to create a finished product that will still be relevant 50 years from now.

Southern Bridal Faire

The Southern Bridal Faire is absolutely the greatest bridal event of the South. Aubrie Moates of Hello Baby Photography and Evan Cooper of Evan & Co. put on an outstanding event. This was our 3rd year to be a part of the Faire and with the help of our beautiful models, were able to put on another fab fashion show and display some of our favorite gowns. 

The Renaissance convention center in Montgomery was filled with vendors from wedding cakes to photography and table settings to tuxes. If you're engaged when it comes around next year, don't miss it!

Images courtesy of Jessie Barksdale Photography

Olexa's Cafe

Diane Olexa is the brilliant chef behind Olexa's Cafe, Cakes, and Catering, and from a young age she was introduced into the world of wedding cakes. She watched her mother create beautiful wedding cakes for brides on their big day. Diane, herself, created her first wedding cake in her early 20s as a gift for a college friend, and from that point on she fell in love with the creative art. That love blossomed into starting her own business in the kitchen of her alma mater, Southeastern Bible College right here in Birmingham, Alabama.

A few years later, she and her mother joined forces and expanded her business to include corporate and social event catering. Diane explains that she remembers one reception where a wedding guest approached her and complimented, "Everything is so delicious, where can we go to eat your food?" Thus, in 2004 Olexa's Cafe, Cakes, and Catering opened its doors.

Today, guests can enjoy everything from homemade quiche to panini sandwiches to their well-known buttercreme cakes all while dining in a european-style cafe setting.

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Kate Morris Jewelry

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Our good friend Kate Morris is an amazing jewelry artist. She creates stunning pieces that go with virtually any outfit, and the story behind her company is rather interesting. When Kate was 16, she traveled to Bolivia on a mission trip. While she was there, she discovered all kinds of people using a vast variety of materials and colors to create art. She also discovered different types of gemstones, metals, and the jewelry making process. 

From then on she was sold. She was inspired to experiment and make jewelry of her on. It began as just making some pieces for herself, which led to making pieces as gifts for friends and selling to friends, which in turn led to online sales, local stores, and artisan shows.

Today, because of her love for missions, at least 10% of every order goes to the International Mission Board. We, at Bustle, are big fans of Kate Morris, and her jewelry is absolutely exquisite!

Great Bear Wax Company

Great Bear Wax Company is a candle business based out of Birmingham, Alabama. The candles that founder Jake Carnley creates are mainly scents that can be found in nature such as, campfire, forest, and jasmine. The company has a really cool story of how it all began.

Carnley explains that he's always enjoyed working with his hands, and he's loved what candles bring to a room, so he made a leap of faith and created Great Bear Wax Co. with only about $900 (which broke even within the first 48 hours of opening). He believes that his company is personable and creates a relationship with the consumers who buy his product versus buying a mass made candle at a chain store.

In the words of Jake Carnley, "Candles bring comfort, peace, friendliness, communion, and familiarity to a room. A lit candle means 'something's happening.'"

Augusta Cole: Artistry

Our friend Augusta Cole has such the creative eye. She's both an incredible artist, and a fabulous stylist. Augusta started her own business, Artistry, so she could, as she says, "bring an artistic vision to memorable events whether that be a photoshoot, or your wedding day." She definitely does just that. We think she has such a God-given talent, so we wanted to share some of her amazing work with you!

Images by Mandy Busby

Image by Jennifer Pharr

Augusta was born and raised right here in Birmingham, Alabama. She attended Samford University, and had the opportunity to work for an event coordinator and floral designer. She has such a passion for art, and she felt the Lord calling her to create Artistry. As you can see, her work is truly a reflection of her passion.

Image by Mandy Busby

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Wreath Workshop with Mandy Busby

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We had the pleasure of hosting such a fun event with the lovely Mandy Busby. Earlier last month our guests were taught how to handcraft their very own wreaths using all fresh materials. Mandy provided a relaxing atmosphere for the ladies, and gave great one-on-one assistance while they created their masterpieces. We even rolled up our sleeves and assembled a wreath of our own to hang over the fireplace at Bustle!

Thank you to all of the fabulous ladies who attended. Your wreaths are AMAZING! We had such a blast getting to know you. Also, a huge thank you to Mandy Busby for sharing your creative talent with us!