Favorites include preppy and practical bow ties from North Carolina, botanical prints plucked from the Lowcountry and an Atlanta potter’s work that will encourage you to have your cake – and display it too.
Elevate your cake
Put your cake on a pedestal -- especially one by Jeanette Zeis Ceramics of Atlanta. When she started her company in 2007, Zeis had not set out to make cake stands. But when a friend requested one, Zeis got to work. The form is tricky and took patience to create. But Zeis persisted and added some lovely details, such as a scallop, inspired by her grandmother's cut-glass collection. Perfect for wedding and birthday gifts, her pastel-colored cake and cupcake stands are popular. Cake stands are available in three sizes: small (seven inches), $56 to $80; medium (10 inches), $110 to $200; and large (12 inches), $130 to $260. Other pieces in her housewares collection include berry bowls ($40 to $74) and hanging basket sets ($80). The VeganDish ($20) is Zeis' way to promote the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. To order, visit www.jeanettezeis.com. Or call 404-840-7121 to make an appointment to visit her studio in Old Fourth Ward. Starting this month, Zeis' work can be found at The Beehive boutique (1250 Caroline St., Atlanta, www.thebeehiveatl.com starting this month and at her booth at the Inman Park Festival's artist market (www.inmanparkfestival.org) April 28-29.
Inspired by nature
South Carolina artist Becky Davis walks through fields, along roadsides and deep into the woods to find grasses, ferns and flowers for her striking botanical prints. She also wades into marshesin the Lowcountry to gather other specimens, like water lilies. The self-taught floral designer then begins the three-to-10-day drying and preserving process at her Summerton home. Once dried, the stored botanicals are carefully sprayed and mounted on foam board. Davis’ next-door neighbor now does the calligraphy on her botanical art before it is framed. in Prices start at $294 for a 10-inch-by-15-inch framed botanical. The crossed palmetto ($1,787.50) measures 60 inches by 40 inches. Groupings of ferns and grasses are a popular choice of resort hotels, homeowners and designers. One 20-inch-by-40-inch framed botanical is $698.50. Visit bdbotanicals.com to contact Davis or see her work in the gallery section.
Beau ties
Judy Hill never intended to start a business when she made three bow ties as a gift for her son at the University of Virginia medical school. Before long, that gift led to the creation of Charlotte-based High Cotton Ties. Operated by Hill and her three sons, the North Carolina company makes washable, 100 percent cotton bow ties ($45) and the new, four-way bow ties ($55). The madras and reversible bow ties are populare best sellers. For preppy guys who love color, the ties in the “Yellow Spinnaker” collection are having a major moment. For weddings, the two-year-old company also offers cummerbund sets for $110. Check www.highcottonties.com or various men’s shops across the Southeast, including Atlanta-area H. Stockton stores.
Best of the South
Do you have favorite finds from around the South that you give as gifts, buy for your home or rave about to friends? If, so please share them with us. Send suggestion to: ljerkins@bellsouth.net. In the subject line, write Southern Made. Include your name and a contact number.
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