Favorites for February’s red-letter day include artisanal chocolate from Nashville, pillows with heart and go-to jewelry by an Atlanta mother and daughter design team.
Haute chocolate
In 2009, Scott Witherow started Olive & Sinclair, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker in Nashville. Made in small batches with select cacao beans and pure brown sugar, the company’s chocolate is slow roasted and stone ground. A longtime foodie, Witherow graduated from Middle Tennessee State and Le Cordon Bleu. He worked in the food industry in the United States and England before moving back to his native Nashville to start Olive & Sinclair, named for family members. Best sellers include Salt & Pepper and the Mexican Style Cinn-Chili. Both 2.75-ounce chocolate bars, with their retro wrappers, are $5.99 each. Or have a bite of the newest offering: Smoked Nib Brittle ($18.50 for 5 ounces). Find Olive & Sinclair chocolate at area Whole Foods or visit www.oliveandsinclair.com
P.S. In Atlanta, try truffles, bark or the "Love Bars" from Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Company, an artisan chocolate maker. For the locations, visit cacaoatlanta.com
Pillows with perks
Sarah Feldner of Fayetteville knows that pillows are an instant and easy way to change the look of a room. That is why she created Swap-A-Top pillows. The Georgia Tech grad, who sews, loves fabric and frequently tweaks her home décor, makes pillows – with changeable toppers. To order one of Feldner’s pillows, first choose a fabric. Popular choices have included houndstooth and black dandelion. Then choose a decorative topper, which is attached with Velcro to the pillow. Monograms are a year-round hit, but holiday and seasonal symbols (heart, Christmas tree) are also big sellers. Pillows ($20) measure 12 inches by 16 inches. Toppers, which are four inches by six inches, are $5 each. Along with new fabrics and toppers, Feldner plans to add new pillow sizes. Find her designs at Beyond the Door, 53 Main St., in Senoia, or at simplysarahdesigns.com
Romancing the stone
The natural beauty they found on their world travels has been a source of inspiration to Avril and Cindy Joffe. They are the mother-daughter design team behind Avindy jewelry. To celebrate their Atlanta company’s 10th anniversary this year, the self-taught jewelry designers were inspired by scenery closer to home -- at the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area, east of downtown Atlanta. Their versatile “Arabia Mountain” collection ($80 to $300) includes an unexpected mix of grey labradorite with aquamarine, opals, teal, mystic topaz and antiqued sterling silver. But Avindy’s signature style, as longtime fans know, is its penchant for mixing and layering its metals and gemstones for a vintage, yet modern, look. The new wrap bracelets ($95 to $130) can be worn as necklaces and come in a range of colors. For Valentine’s Day, consider the silver letter-stamped necklaces ($170 to $600) or the heart-shaped padlock ($198) with “Love + Be Loved” on the back. For the best selection of Avindy’s hand-crafted jewelry, visit Turning Leaf Wood Art, 651 E. Main. St., in Blue Ridge, or www.avindy.com
Share your Southern favorites
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 your suggestion to: ljerkins@bellsouth.net. In the subject line, write Southern made. Include your name and contact number.
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