INSPIREMS

CATHEAD JAM Festival 2018 {Events}

5/25/2018

Who doesn’t love a good music festival to kick off summer? The third annual CATHEAD JAM music festival will be held on Friday June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd. Produced by Ardenland, the festival will be held on the grounds of the Cathead Distillery in downtown Jackson.

Did y’all know that Cathead is the first “legal” distillery in Mississippi’s history? This year’s festival is celebrating the brand’s 8th birthday! The distillery campus will not only host the musical acts, but a wide selection of craft and food vendors as well! Speciality cocktails, craft beers, and delicious food will be available both days of the festival. All tips made from the sale of these goods will be going to charity.

Throughout the day, children 10 and under are admitted for free. The festival will have plenty of activities for the whole family during the day, so everyone can take part in the fun! A weekend pass is $60 but you can also purchase a ticket for either Friday or Saturday; a ticket for Friday only costs $40, Saturday costs $50.
For more information on this festival and to purchase tickets, please visit the website here.
You can also call 877.987.6487 to purchase tickets over the phone!

All images courtesy of catheadjam.com

Women's Challenger at River Hills Club {Events}

5/23/2018

River Hills Club will play host for the 20th year to the USTA $25,000 Women’s Challenger, the state’s only Women’s professional tennis tournament. The $25,000 Women’s Challenger is a mid-level professional women’s tournament held in April. The WTA tour is set up with Tour Events on top, Challenger events, and then Futures events on the bottom and the four Grand Slam tournaments at the very top. “The Challenger Tournament falls under the USTA Pro Circuit,” sayys Dave Randall, Director of Tennis and Head Tennis Pro at River Hills Club. “It is one of about 90 tournaments held in the US and is the 2nd longest running active women’s tournament.”

Each year, 32 women compete for WTA ranking points and total prize money of $25,000/ “We have qualifying tournament the weekend before the help fill the 32 draw,” says Dave. “The top 20 women that enter get in automatically, then there are 8 qualifiers, and then the USTA has 3 wild cards to give to whoever they want and I have 1 to give to whoever I want.”

Since 2011, Catholic Charities has assisted with the event. “We help secure sponsors and we also work with Dave Randall and his staff to plan the special events for the week,” says Julie O’Brien of Catholic Charities. “We do Community Outreach for the event also. In 2017, we had around 60 kids from the inner city schools come to watch the tournament and learn more about tennis,” says Julie. “Many of these kids have never played or even been exposed to tennis and this is a great opportunity for them to learn about the rules of tennis and also about the life of professional tennis players. In fact, several kids from Rowan Middle School came to the tournament one year and because of their exposure to the tournament, they started their own tennis team!”

The tournament is sponsored by St. Dominic’s and Sanderson Farms and it benefits Catholic Charities and their mission which includes 23 different programs throughout Mississippi. There are many events during the week of the tournament and fun for the entire family including Pro/ Am events, Kids Day, sponsor parties, player parties, and feature matches each night of the tournament. All events are free and open to the public. “We encourage everyone to come out and watch some for the top women compete for the money. You could be watching the next up and coming tennis star,” smiles Dave.
Written by Jill Dale
To find out more about the tournament you can visit www.riverhillsclub.net

Farmhouse Tupelo {Insider Inspiration}

5/21/2018

We have some exciting news to share with y’all today! Farmhouse Tupelo is moving to 530 West Main Street this coming August. The new location will be able to accommodate more opportunities for fabulous creative workshops, rental rooms for events, and catering opportunities. Additionally, Sweet Tea and Biscuits will be opening their second location in Tupelo inside Farmhouse; they will provide light breakfast, lunch, and homemade desserts Monday through Saturday. We are so happy for our friend Bev Crossen and the entire Farmhouse Tupelo team. Keep reading to hear from Bev about what inspires her, how she came to be an incredible source of creativity and talent in Tupelo, and what Farmhouse can do for you!

Farmhouse Tupelo will be locating to the building above at 530 West Main Street coming this August.

“I’ve always lived my life with purpose, goals, and vision. I am one of those people who believes anything is possible and is willing to work for it,” smiles Bev Crossen, co-owner of Farmhouse Tupelo. “I consider myself a Jack of All Trades and I adore Farmhouse because I get to do all of the things I love to do: design, brand, paint, teach, network, mentor, and shop!”

Farmhouse, located in the heart of downtown Tupelo, is a boutique carrying incredible products hand-selected for your home. Filled with beautiful accessories, fine linens, local art, baby and unique gifts, Farmhouse also offers custom paint service as well as Farmhouse Workshops. Additionally, Farmhouse offers classes on DIY Projects, Watercolor, Calligraphy, and Painting Furniture. Crossen is equally as impressive.

As a young girl in Roanoke, Virginia, Crossen spent her childhood camping, horseback riding and doing chores with her five younger siblings. “My dad showed me the importance of loving your neighbor and working hard. My passion for a project was cultivated from being my dad’s ‘assistant’ as a little girl,” says Crossen.

Crossen is adored by her community. The warm, friendly, and wildly talented Crossen was recently named the 2017 Most Influential Woman of the Year by Mud and Magnolias. “I realized I was the winner at the same time as everyone else did! I looked at the screen as the announcer listed honors and accolades and it clicked That’s me?!” she laughs. “I looked around the room, surrounded by a sea of wonderful women who do so much to give back and felt blessed to just be included. The only thing I could do was hold back the tears and smile as I received the award.”

Crossen recently hopped across the pond for an adventure in Oxford, England. “My English Annie Sloan internship was amazing. I was one of seven from the United States who was invited and it truly was a journey of a lifetime. Annie Sloan is perhaps the world’s most respected expert in decorative paint, colors, and techniques. She developed Chalk Paint Ⓡ in 1990 to answer the need for versatile paint that allows you to paint (almost) literally anything,” she says. “The opportunity made me feel like the luckiest person on the planet. I came back with a wealth of knowledge to share with my customers including color and design, fabric design, fun and informative DIY workshops, and upholstery training.”

Bev Crossen outside Annie Sloan's Warehouse in Oxford, England.

With new lifelong friends from Oxford and the thriving city of Tupelo behind her, Crossen continues to grow her business. “I want Farmhouse to be the ones top shopping boutique for all your shopping needs. A place that feels warm and welcoming. A place that you can gather, learn, and buy the perfect gift for you or for someone else. I want us at Farmhouse (and Tupelo) to always strive to do our very best, to welcome all folks with open arms, and to always think outside the box to improve ourselves.”

Farmhouse hours in the new location will be as follows:
Monday-Saturday 10-5:30
Thursday till 7pm
Sunday 1-5pm

For more information on Farmhouse Tupelo, please visit their website.

All Photos courtesy of Farmhouse Tupelo Instagram (@farmhousetupelo) or Bev Crossen.

The Mane Event {Events}

5/18/2018

Getting tired of doing your hair the same way day after day? Do you find yourself wondering how to elevate your hairstyle without sacrificing too much time? Wanting a fresh new look for summer? Us too. Thankfully, three lovely ladies are hosting The Mane Event, a fun workshop-style event that will teach you how to do something special with your hair, every day.
The event is hosted by Laurel Donahoo, creator of the The Hive blog, Meagan Adams, author of Twenty Two Lane blog, and hairstylist Molly Gee Webster, owner of the fabulous Static Salon in Madison. The Mane event will take place next Thursday, May 24th at Static Salon. Attendees of the event will hear Molly Gee discuss tips for maintaining the healthiest hair possible, styling tricks, and even curling techniques, among other useful information that will help you and your hair look its very best!

Molly Gee will review three different hair styles, and following the demonstration you will be able to practice these styles with the assistance of Static A stylists! Needless to say, you’ll walk away from this event with real skills and the confidence to use these skills at home. This event is open to all women, regardless of their hair type!

With the purchase of a ticket, you’ll also get to indulge in some yummy snacks and champagne; not to mention the amazing swag bag you’ll take home at the end of the event! Purchase your tickets here for $35 before it fills up!

For more information check out the event’s Facebook page.

All photos courtesy of The Hive Blog, which if you haven't checked out, you should! Same goes for Meagan's adorable blog, Twenty Two Lane! We can't get enough of these mommas and their fresh, fun, relatable style!

Superhero Birthday Party {Events}

5/16/2018

We can't help but smile when we look at the sweet pictures from Wilson's 3rd Birthday Party celebration. The party was steeped in superhero fun! His momma, Laurel, made sure to incorporate the theme throughout the darling party and we just love the results of her hard work and planning! Keep reading to hear from Laurel on her inspiration for the party, the planning process, and even some tips for all the mommas out there about to take on planning summer birthday parties!

{Tell us a little bit about you!}
My name is Laurel Donahoo and I live in Madison, Mississippi with my husband Price, my three year old little boy Wilson, two year old little girl Lily Ryan, and we have another one on the way in November! I work part time at SummerHouse in Ridgeland, a furniture store and interior design firm, managing the social media and web store. I also work part time on my blog, The Hive, and I work full time as a mommy! I love Jesus, my family, and coffee; all of my other passions and loves pretty much stem from there!

{What were y’all celebrating?}
This superhero party was so much fun for me! (I truly just love planning my kids’ birthday parties!) It was in the recreation area of our church, Broadmoor Baptist Church, in Madison. It was at 4:00 in the afternoon (allowing time for a solid pre-party nap, of course!) We were celebrating my little boy’s love for all things Spider-Man and Batman as he turned three years old!

{What was your inspiration for the party?}
Well after about a month of my husband and me asking Wilson what sort of birthday party he wanted, the theme seemed to be “superhero.” His most common answers were actually "Spider-Man," “black,” “Batman,” and “red.” Since a single color themed party might be slightly boring, we went the superhero route. And we were able to include plenty of black and red, too, so I’m calling it a success! ha!

{How did you work the theme into the party?}
I do feel like superhero parties can be a bit predictable, so I tried to fight that a tad with something unexpected. The unexpected was introduced with the Meri-Meri superhero masks that we ordered that had neon colors in them! We also got some Meri-Meri star plates for the food and several of the colors fell into the neon category, as well. Light board signs, neon confetti, and star garland with all of our party colors incorporated helped tie in the traditional red/blue/yellow/black with the bright yellows and oranges I was going for! Although probably nobody else noticed the neon, I personally loved it, and at this point, parties are partly about what the mama wants, too, right?!! ;)

{What was your favorite detail from the event?}
Can I choose three?! ha! The first was definitely seeing Wilson walk into the party! (I got to the church early to set up, so my husband brought the kids when it was party time.) When Wilson walked in and saw all of his friends and all of the superhero stuff, he just lit up! It was adorable! Favorite detail number two was the cake. My friend Scarlett is ultra talented and created the perfect cake for us! Favorite detail number three was the water bottle bands with the superhero mask and Joshua 1:9 “Be brave” on them! I made these on my computer, then just printed them and taped them to Dasani bottles. Wilson can be a little bit timid from time to time, so we remind him often that the Bible says to be brave! The verse just ties in so perfectly with all the brave superheroes!

{What was your favorite part of the planning process?}
Setting up the party was so much fun for me! My awesome parents got there early and helped me move things around, haul boxes back to my car, and all that fun stuff. My mama is super artistic and detail-oriented, so I knew I could give her a task and it would get done well. The drink setup, for example. That was all her and I loved it! But putting all the details together was the best part of the planning. I work in the interior design field, and we say often, “The design is in the details!” I think that applies to more than just interior design!

{Do you have any tips for other mommas planning birthday parties?}
Yes! Start planning as early as you can so you can slowly be on the lookout for the perfect items. My husband laughs at me because I start buying little pieces of parties two months in advance, but it saves me so much stress! When everything is in two weeks ahead of time, there is seriously zero stress. Since I was finished getting things in order two weeks early, I was able to take my time crafting the items that needed to be made. I love a good craft, so I don’t want to be rushed. Advance planning just makes it all fun without any last minute pressure to get whatever might be missing.

I am so thankful for all the talented friends who helped make this party happen! It was such a joy to have so many sweet friends and family members come and celebrate Wilson with us. He had the BEST day, and honestly still talks about his party half a year later!

Venue: Broadmoor Baptist Church |Inflatables: Moonjump of Madison |Cake: Scarlett Vineyard|
Cookies: Marie with The Honeycomb|Photography: Rachel Watters

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CATHEAD JAM Festival 2018 {Events}

Women's Challenger at River Hills Club {Events}

Farmhouse Tupelo {Insider Inspiration}

The Mane Event {Events}

Superhero Birthday Party {Events}

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