Inspired Southerner

We tell real stories about the South.

Motherhood in Bloom: Self-care course helps moms parent intentionally

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Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Dr. Leesha Cox offers a Motherhood in Bloom self-care course for moms


Dr. Leesha Ellis-Cox is helping moms relieve stress and extend themselves more grace during the month of May by offering them a free trial of one of the modules in her new online self-care course, Motherhood in Bloom. The course is designed to help moms parent intentionally and is comprised of six modules. This course celebrates the woman who existed before the children, dares moms to replace the traditional notion of sacrificial motherhood with one that reflects modern-day parenting where self-care is no longer a dirty word and teaches moms to pursue health and wholeness. No more pouring from an empty cup.

Motherhood in Bloom Self-Care Course

Inspired Southerner Mother in Bloom
Dr. Leesha’s children’s book is a wonderful story about spiritual truths.

Dr. Leesha is passionate about transforming the lives of moms who wish to parent effectively but without losing themselves or their sanity in the process.

“I have taken the bull by the horns by showing mothers that they never really lost their identity after having children,” said Leesha Ellis-Cox, creator of Motherhood in Bloom. “We focus on both the mom and the amazing woman who existed before children because our identity does not solely revolve around our role as mommy. The truth is it never did.”

Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Dr. Leesha helps moms let go of “mommy guilt”

Mastering Your Mommy Mindset Self-Care Course

The trial module, Mastering Your Mommy Mindset, is divided into three components: 1) Defining a healthy mommy mindset; 2) Cultivating mindfulness; and 3) Understanding the relationship between your mindset and parenting. The entire course covers six modules: 1) Remembering who you are; 2) Parenting 101; 3) Mastering Your Mommy Mindset; 4) Maintaining Your Mental Health; 5) Practicing Self-Care For Real, For Real; and 6) the Supermom Course Wrap Up. The entire course is available for $197.

Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Dr. Leesha helps moms let go of the “mommy guilt”

During the month of May, Dr. Leesha is supporting and advocating for mothers through her:

  • Five-day super self-care challenge
  • Nightly Facebook Live sessions for the entire month of May which is Mental Health Awareness Month
  • Her Amazon best-selling books, Ditch the Mommy Guilt: A Blueprint for the Modern Mommy and The Love Garden
Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Motherhood the Remix is a fun, fresh conference for moms

Motherhood the Remix Conference

Her signature event, Motherhood the Remix, is a fun, fresh conference for moms designed to honor their strength and vulnerability, grow their mommy tribe, and learn how to be a better parent while also investing in themselves. She created this event because she knows, first-hand, how tough parenting can be as the mother of three energetic children, wife, entrepreneur, and physician. She adds, “I know mothers struggle to fulfill the needs of their children and families and while at the same time, fail to meet society’s unrealistic parenting expectations.”

Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Cox helps moms avoid the mommy burnout.

She boldly and loudly calls “foul” on these unrealistic expectations and is raising the bar so that moms no longer feel guilty, weighed down by a never-ending to-do list that puts them at risk for mommy burnout. Dr. Leesha pours into moms not only as a mental health expert and parents but also as a friend who helps women grow and blossom into their best selves. “Happy, healthy moms raise happy, healthy kids! Here’s to helping momma become happy, healthy, and whole!”

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Birmingham mother takes family on exotic adventures during quarantine

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Inspired Southerner Quarantine Travels
Brittany Todd Miller and her daughter sip on tea in London

Parents have had to come up with more ways than ever before to entertain their children during these uncertain times. Many families have also taken this time to become closer by learning new things together. A Birmingham, Alabama mother recently took things to a higher level and amazed friends and family with her adventures called the ‘Quarantine Travel series.’  

Inspired Southerner Quarantine Travels to Italy
The Miller family first themed dinner was in Italy

No traveling during COVID-19

Brittany Todd Miller, a children’s party planner, used her creative ideas to help her husband, four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son experience imaginary and real-life exotic places during Alabama’s safer at home order. The quarantine travels also helped the family take their minds off of what is going on in the world with the COVID-19 virus.

Inspired Southerner Quarantine Travels
Dinner out of this world in Outer Space!

“The ideas came to me when I was making spaghetti for dinner one night and calling it Italian night,” said Brittany, owner of Parties By B. “So, I called my husband and told him that since flights now are so cheap, that I went ahead and purchased some tickets to Italy and that I hope he didn’t mind. Of course, he didn’t believe me, but it did spark the idea to pretend like we were visiting Italy while eating dinner that night.” 

Inspired Southerner Quarantine Travels
The family went to Japan one night for dinner

Dinner in Italy, India, Japan and Arendelle

By the time her husband got home that night, she had set the stage with props, for a pretend plane ride, complete with clouds, cafe lights and she made a gondola. After visiting Italy, the family embarked on many adventures around and out of this world including, India, Japan, Arendelle (the fictitious town in Disney’s Frozen, and chosen by Miller’s four-year-old daughter), Outer Space and England. The destinations were chosen based on what she was cooking for dinner and what decorations she had on hand. She also created some of the decorations with lots of hot glue and spray paint. Each themed dinner exhibited Miller’s attention to detail.

Inspired Southerner Quarantine Travels
Brittany’s attention to detail is simply amazing, right down to the replica of London’s Big Ben.

Big Ben, London’s Tube and High Tea

Her most recent dinner in London was complete with a replica of Big Ben and a ride on London’s Tube. Simply put it was amazing.

“During this time in our life, community and world I believe that it is important to keep my family happy and safe. I’ve always loved themed parties and I used this family home time as an opportunity to use my gifts and make some fun family memories,” added Brittany. 

Inspired Southerner Quarantine Travels
London’s dinner was London’s quintessential fish n chips!

Brittany’s daughter caught on to the travel fun immediately and loved the adventures as much as she did. Prior to ‘visiting’ or taking the adventure, the family learned something about each country or destination by watching YouTube videos and Disney movies. In addition, Brittany taught her daughter about each destination through activities themed crafts and coloring activities. 

Inspired Southerner Quarantine Travels
No trip to London would be complete without a ride of a double-decker bus.

She goes on to say that some of her family chores took a backseat during this time but the most important thing is that it was a learning experience for her children and other family members. You can follow more of Brittany’s creative party ideas on Instagram at Parties By B.

Alabama design firm wins national awards for Bicentennial PastPort

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Inspired Southerner PASTPORT
Tatum Design’s creative work for the PastPort wins local, regional and national awards

Tatum Design ‘s work for the Alabama Bicentennial PastPort initiative has earned 39 creative awards at the local, regional and national levels. To date, the PastPort has won 34 ADDY Awards, including four Golds and 20 Silvers at the local level, a “Best of Show” and five Gold regional ADDY Awards, and three Golds and one Silver at the 2018 American Advertising Award’s National ADDY competition in Chicago.

Award-winning PastPort Initiative

The PastPort brand and identity was the “Grand Prize Winner” and “Best of Region – South” at the 2018 HOW/PRINT Regional Design Awards and was selected to be featured in the prestigious 2020 Graphis Design Annual. Posters designed for the initiative will also be honored in the 2020 Graphis Poster Annual. The PastPort APP, which was designed by Tatum and programmed by MotionMobs, was showcased at this year’s Google Flutter Conference. 

Tatum Design
The Alabama PastPort tells unique stories about the history of the state.

Alabama Travel and Tourism

The Alabama Bicentennial Commission reached out to Tatum four years ago to help create a collateral piece that would encourage travel throughout the state leading up to Alabama’s 200th anniversary. However, Tatum envisioned something much bigger. As an Alabama-based design firm, they wanted to create a multi-faceted initiative that would set the tone for the entire statewide celebration and bring Alabama history to life like never before.

Tatum Design PastPort
Tatum Design led the PastPort creative and won 39 design awards

History in the Making

Tatum’s goal was to celebrate every county in the state, big and small, equally. Inspired by historical people, places and events, Tatum named the initiative and crafted an immersive brand that would allow people of all ages to personally connect with Alabama history and chronicle their adventures at stamp sites within every county as they explored the state. Tatum wanted the PastPort book to serve as an educational resource, travel guide and commemorative keepsake.

Alabama PastPort
Travelers learn about Alabama’s history with the PastPort

Collaborating with Alabama Bicentennial

Tatum designed custom artwork and wrote lively narratives for all 67 counties and each of the state’s seven geographical regions. The curation of subject matter was a collaborative process between Tatum Design and the Alabama Bicentennial Commission, as well as state archivists, historians and the Encyclopedia of Alabama. The research was a vital part of Tatum’s creative process, guiding the narratives and inspiring the custom artwork Tatum created for the PastPort book. 

“We wanted to tell the full, unbridled story, not just the familiar historical accounts we all learned in school,” said Wendy Tatum, Co-owner and Creative Director of Tatum Design. For the larger counties where well-known events took place, we dug deeper to bring the lesser-known details to light. While researching the smaller, more rural counties, we were led on adventures that uncovered more pieces of the puzzle and confirmed that every square inch of Alabama is uniquely fascinating, and every county plays an important role in the larger story of our state.” 

Inspired southerner PastPort
The PastPort tells the history of Alabama’s 67 counties

The Creative Process

Prior to the implementation of the PastPort initiative, Tatum tested its concept through extensive visioning exercises and helped attract sponsors by designing prototypes to demonstrate how all of the brand touchpoints would work together. From conception to launch, the project took 18 months to complete and required the tireless dedication of Tatum’s entire creative team. 

Tatum Design Alabama PastPort
Travelers are encouraged to get their PastPort stamped when visiting Alabama attractions

“This was a project that was close to our hearts,” said Travis Tatum, Co-owner and Executive Creative Director of Tatum Design. “Our team is extremely collaborative by nature and by design. As Alabamians and as creatives, we felt a deep sense of responsibility to capture the true spirit of our people, our land and our history. We are truly honored to have led the creative efforts of this monumental initiative, and we are humbled by the overwhelming recognition our firm has received from so many prestigious design competitions.” 

For more information about Tatum Design, visit www.tatumdesign.com. 

Alabama entrepreneur uses illustrations to overcome mental illness

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Inspired Southerner Kristin Farmer Depression
Kristin Farmer decided to celebrate her life through her artwork

Kristin Farmer loves to celebrate life. She has overcome so much in hers because she has been battling Bipolar Disorder, a mental illness, for the last 13 years. The disease could have affected her negatively, but instead, she decided to channel her feelings by creating the whimsical Curly Contessa, a brand through which she celebrates living.

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa artwork
Curly Contessa represents the matriarch of curly tresses.

The Matriarch Curly Contessa

The idea for the brand came to her when she was sitting on the side of her bed thinking about how she could treat herself. Curly Contessa is a series of hand-drawn illustrations that represent the matriarch of curly tresses. She’s a boss babe, go-getter and trendsetter.

She couldn’t find anything that represented her, an accomplished, young African-American woman, so through a series of illustrations and drawings, she create Curly Contessa. For her, the image celebrates women of color everywhere and is an image that helps them celebrate the little things in life and offers comfort, no matter what they were going through. 

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa wine glasses
Kristin has created wine glasses that showcase her illustrations.

“Battling a mental illness is tough,” said Kristin Farmer the founder and creator of Curly Contessa. “I’ve had to re-train myself just to get through each day of the week. So I find myself celebrating the little things like being able to brush my teeth. Because there have been times where the thought of getting out of bed made was hard for me. Now at the end of the day, I get to pour a toast to myself in my own my tribe wine glass or black girl wine glass.”

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa wrapping paper
Curly Contessa wrapping paper.

Self-care Routine

The wine glass evolved into a lovely painted scarf, wrapping paper and sweatshirts adorned with Curly Contessa’s face. Curly Contessa is a labor of love that also helps Kristin overcome what she may be going through at any given moment. Curley Contessa has become part of her self-care routine. And now, she considers herself blessed because she has learned to deal with her mental illness by celebrating others. 

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa
Kristin Farmer decided to celebrate women of color by creating the Curly Contessa

Expressing Love for Women

As a result, her business has grown over the last couple of years. She encourages anyone who wants to start a business to express themselves through a creative outlet or idea that they just start, fail fast and often. Without those pitfalls she says, there is no success. So consequently, she believes entrepreneurs should find a mentor or business coach. She has grown her business through the trials and tribulations that she recommends. Kristin’s Curly Contessa is a way for her to give back to those who have helped her overcome her illness. The illustrations are the way she expresses love for women of all skin tones.

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa Scarf
Kristin created the Curly Contessa silk scarf

“I love celebrating my tribe. I send friends and love gifts for holding me down when I’ve been through a bad spell and it’s important for those gifts to represent them. To represent us. Our diverse hair textures and varying skin tones,” she added. 

Alabama artist uses artwork to bring beauty and healing to the world

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Deb Paradise artist
Deb Paradise’s goal is to bring beauty and healing to the world through her artwork

Deb Paradise’s artwork has always been about bringing “Beauty” into the world. In fact, her philosophy has been to use art as a way to help enlighten others so that they can express their beauty inwardly and outwardly. She also believes art is a powerful tool for impacting the viewer intends that her artwork be uplifting and healing for everyone.

Deb Paradise Alabama artist
A piece of Deb’s artwork commissioned by the Hilton at Duke University

Bringing Beauty and Healing to the World

When she first began working with clay, Deb went the traditional route by showing her work in festivals and shows, but soon found that the traditional way of doing things was not something she wanted to continue to pursue. “I had a moment where it became very clear to me that I wanted to create art and sculptural pieces that would hang on the wall for everyone to enjoy. So I began seeking and finding clients who wanted to hire or commission me to create a specific art piece for their home or workspace,” said Deb Paradise, owner and founder of Paradise Creative Expressions. 

Deb’s artwork hanging in a Fountain View Hotel in Dubai

Commissioned Artwork

Since discovering this about herself, she has never looked back and has continued forging her path in the world of commercial art.  Deb now is a well-sought after artist commissioned to produce works of art for corporations, individuals and hotels and resorts worldwide. Deb’s work can be found all over the world, from Dubai to Cairo. And in the United States from North Carolina’s Duke University, JB Duke Hotel to Alabama’s new Gulf State Lodge in Orange Beach. One such commission for The Fountain View Hotel in Dubai was commissioned for the Majlis. The piece, entitled “Whisper” was large and had to be made in 3 panels but appear seamless upon installation. This type of problem-solving is a common challenge when working with designers.

Heirloom Pieces of Deb Paradises artist
These pieces were designed for a husband for his wife as house warming gift.

Commissioned Heirloom Pieces

One of her most satisfying commissioned pieces was for a man who wanted to do something special for his wife as they moved into a home that the two designed together. Deb met and spoke to him about his wife and what he wanted to do with the artwork. After their conversation, they agreed on the creation of three serving pieces because his wife loves to entertain. He also wanted the artwork to be unique and special to the family so they decided to incorporate the name of the street within the pieces. Deb created functional pieces, two bowls and a platter, each of which could be handed down generation after generation. 

Alabama Gulf State Lodge
Deb’s commissioned work in Alabama’s Gulf State Lodge

“I had fun going back to my roots on these pieces and he was so excited, enthusiastic and grateful. My heart was so full when I delivered them to him, and they were a big hit with his wife,” Deb added.

Whisper

Gulf State Lodge

Another extraordinary opportunity for Deb was being chosen to commission pieces of art for Alabama’s newly renovated Gulf State Lodge, a Hilton property in Orange Beach, Alabama. “The opportunity arose because of a client I had been working with for a long time. She had the contract to provide the artwork for the Lodge. They contacted me and I created two pieces that are hanging in the pre-function area of the Lodge. I also was asked to recommend other Alabama artists to create work for them, and I happily recommended several,” said Deb. She went on to say that it was the best feeling to have her art hanging in a property in her home state.  

Deb's artwork at Alabama Gulf State Lodge
Deb’s commissioned work in Alabama’s Gulf State Lodge

Artists on the Plaza

Most days Deb can be found working in her studio at Shades Mountain Plaza West in Bluff Park, Hoover. She is involved with several artists, in a group called Artists On the Plaza. They came together and formed a collective after Hoover’s Board of Education took over their spaces at the former Bluff Park Elementary School (Artists On The Bluff). Many artists landed in spaces at Shades Mountain Plaza and now they have come together collectively for events throughout the year. One such event is the Holiday Open House on Dec. 14 and 15 from 1-5pm. 

Deb hosts craft nights throughout the year where artists come together for fellowship. They bring their own craft and learn techniques from each other. One of her goals for 2020 is to partner with a gallery or work with local designers in the Birmingham, Alabama area, however, for now, her work can be viewed on her website, www.paradisecreativeexpressions.com.

We tell real stories about the south. ~Kara Kennedy, Publisher