Alabama Sawyer’s Not So Secret Diary

The Helm is a group of 80 + female owned businesses that we at Alabama Sawyer love to support. The recent launch of their online shopping platform means you can support the great work they’re doing without leaving the house. One of the coolest things about The Helm is the wide variety of shops to select from. They have everything from clothes, crystals, makeup, hijabs, and jewelry to workout accessories.

That said, The Helm isn’t JUST a collection of female owned shops. On their website you’ll find articles and blog posts on a ton of different topics like motherhood or money/ power. So what are you waiting for? Go check their stuff out. If it’s not a new shop to obsess over, then surely you’ll find an insightful article to read on your way to work.       

Did you hear about our recent giveaway? It’s called the Self Made Foodie Giveaway. Enter for a chance to win one of these prizes:

- A three month supply of Chickpea Granola from EFFi Foods. EFFi stands for Eco Friendly Foods Initiative. They are an organization driven to provide consumers with yummy food in an eco friendly way that doesn’t harm the animals we share the planet with.  

- An Amazon Echo Show (2nd Generation) from VoiceBrew. VoiceBrew is a company that gives a series of guides on how to use Amazon’s Echo, thus making it more user friendly. As a consumer, I love the idea of a company that exists solely to aid someone that’s struggling with technology.    

- Live edge Charcuterie Board from Alabama Sawyer. That’s us, Alabama Sawyer! Our live edge charcuterie board would be a lovely way to present a killer meat and cheese plate to your dinner party. Or maybe you could use it to display some delicious and freshly sliced bread. 

- A free membership to Better Nutrition's online cooking class -- Clean Eating Academy or Vegetarian Times. Both provide various recipes and food related lifestyle tips to ensure that you are eating as healthy as possible. 

To enter, simply provide your first and last name, email address, and say whether or not you have a pet. Sounds easy enough, right? Please note that this giveaway ends July 26, so make sure you enter before then.

Michael Corkery of the New York Times recently published an article on the growing number of cities around the U.S. that are halting their recycling programs. According to the article, China (a big buyer of U.S. recyclable material) reduced spending after it was determined that far too much trash was getting mixed in with the recyclables. This has prompted an increase in the cost it takes to recycle, and the subsequent closing of many recycling centers around the U.S.

Something really cool about this piece is that the online version links to an article which lists six items that are commonly put into recycling bins by mistake. If your city still has an affordable recycling program, that's great! Just make sure you're not recycling non recyclable materials.

That said, one thing about the article is certain, there's a need for more innovative and lasting recycling solutions.

Sources Cited

“Plastic Bottles Bottles Recycling.” PICRYL- The World's Largest Public Domain Source, 19 Mar. 2019, picryl.com/media/plastic-bottles-bottles-recycling-736da0. 

Corkery, Michael. “As Costs Skyrocket, More U.S. Cities Stop Recycling.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/business/local-recycling-costs.html.

According to a recent AL.com article, Alabama will be introducing a 10 cent per gallon  gas tax in order to pay for roads. The plan is to phase the gas tax in over the next three years, which would accrue around $380 million annually.

Read more in the aforementioned AL.com article, "Why Alabama may have approved its last gas tax increase"

We are so excited to announce that Leigh and Cliff will be featured speakers at the 2019 Gumption conference in Tennessee this March the 9th. The conference will include discussions and stories from southern artists whose work is intended to positively impact the future of the south.   

THE MISSION OF THE GUMPTION CONFERENCE IS TO FOSTER CREATIVITY & HOSPITALITY IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH.

Made South, a business whose primary goal is to celebrate southern businesses, will host the conference. Leigh and Cliff are honored to be guest speakers alongside other creative southern artists + business owners such as...

Ashley Jones of Love Not Lost: A nonprofit organization run by Ashley Jones that photographs people living with a terminal diagnosis in order to preserve their memory and provide support to those in grief

forBecks a Street Artist: The idea that art is for everyone is central to forBecks work, where he draws inspiration from popular culture and nostalgia

Blake Wylie a Tin Type Photographer: Wylie creates wet plate collodion photographs in a civil war era style. The work is done by hand using plates coated with collodion, and the result is something special

And many more! If you’re interested, here are the specifics of the event.

WHEN: Saturday, March 9, 2019 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

WHERE: Jamison Theater inside The Factory | 230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN

HOW MUCH: General Admission is $99 per ticket | VIP tickets cost $179

For those of you that don’t know, we recently received several large purchases from the kind folks over at Gulf State Park. If you’d like to know more about the shipment we're preparing or about Gulf State Park in general, read on!

Gulf State Park’s mission?

“To acquire and preserve natural areas; to develop, furnish, operate and maintain recreational facilities, and to extend the public’s knowledge of the state’s natural environment.”

Basically their mission is similar to the mission of most other state parks. Protect the environment and give people a nice place to hang out and connect with nature.  

What does the shipment include?

As far as I can tell, the shipment includes a white oak hostess stand, several in progress tables, a hemlock miyake bench, and more:

White oak hostess stand

Hemlock Miyake Bench

Sputniks photo-bombing a stack of in progress live edge table tops

What will they use all of this for?

My sources tell me that Gulf State Park is going to use all of this as restaurant decor. Meaning at some point in the near future, if you visit Gulf State Park, you might get to see some Alabama Sawyer furniture. Pretty neat, huh? 

Gulf State Park mission statement copied directly from their website.