Hello and good morning! Today’s post is surrounding a fantastic little business I stumbled across yesterday called “Custom Cakes by Liud.”
This business is not only a bakery but a café as well that creates the most delicious Cuban sandwiches you’ll ever taste!
This small business does it all from creating gorgeous custom cakes that are works of art in themselves to selling Cuban sandwiches to custom portrait paintings that will blow you away!
They are located at 10518 Alpharetta Hwy in Roswell, Georgia in a strip mall. Follow the upbeat music and delicious smells!
Yesterday (23 July 2022) was Christmas in July at 3 Oaks Farm! Vendors of all kinds came out and set up shop for attendees to shop handmade, small business items and stock up for Christmas!
Along with these vendors they had a cornhole tournament and ice pops on the back lawn. There was even an antique car show in the field next to the barn that was going on at the same time, as well!
3 Oaks Farm – A Place for Events!
3 Oaks Farm is a lovely venue located at 3565 Tallant Dr, Cumming, GA 30028 that has a beautiful barn, acres of picturesque land, and a friendly team to make your event or even wedding the best that it can be!
Their team of professionals make having an event at 3 Oaks Farm as easy as can be! They are responsive, friendly, and want to make your event last in the memories of you and your guests…forever!
Christmas in July
At the venue were several vendors comprised of small businesses that work hard day in and day out to bring you handmade goodies that will brighten your house and your life! Here’s a list of who was there and a little bit about them. You can find these vendors year round for lovely gifts and experiences! They are arranged alphabetically so be sure to scroll through them all!
Eric Abbott runs Abbott Health & Fitness! A certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor with experience as an instructor at Orangetheory and following his own fitness routine in his private life, Eric is a positive and energetic teacher to get you on track to your best and healthiest life! Check him out at his website at exerciseeric.com or at his Instagram.
If you act now, you can join his FREE virtual training event coming up in August 2022! Go to his website to learn more!
BeeCasso Crafts
Keeping bees is all the buzz with BeeCasso Crafts! Hosting pollinator classes, selling liquid gold, and offering general education on one of the most important pollinators on the planet, BeeCasso Crafts are in buzzness! Check them out on Instagram or join their group on Facebook!
Beeloved Art
Speaking of bees! Beeloved Art is the bees knees! A momma of two wild boys and the product of 8 generations born and raised in a small southern town, this woman knows how to take nostalgia and memories and freeze them in time in her ornaments and art! Check her out at her website beelovedart.co as well as on Facebook and Instagram!
Cindy’s Cafè & Corks
Wine a little or wine a lot, it doesn’t matter to this crafter! Cindy creates adorable cork and wine-themed products from bottle aprons to corkaments to wall hangings! These cute and fun keepsakes will remind you to take a sip of life! Check her out on Facebook!
DJ Designs
Dj Designs is a sign…to buy a sign! Donna Snyder is a lovely woman who spends her downtime bringing you custom and handmade creations! creates custom and handmade signs, wreaths, doorhangers, home décor, and more! Check her out on Facebook and Instagram and order one today!
Glittered Grits
A small town momma with a dazzling business plan, Glittered Grits specializes in glitter tumblers, t-shirts, home décor, and other handmade crafts! Her tumblers are beyond cute and will make any drink that much more special! Check her out at glitteredgrits.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
Houndstooth Knives
If you thought that Houndstooth Knives makes knives…then you’re pretty sharp because they sure do! Custom crafted for a personal touch that will follow you through whatever project you’re using them for, Houndstooth Knives creates cutlery for cooking, hunting, crafting, and more! Make sure to check them out on Instagram!
King of Pops
Beat the heat with a good old fashioned popsicle! King of Pops made an appearance outside with the cornhole tournament to provide refreshing relief via popsicles for anyone who wanted a respite from the sun! King of Pops is a franchise so check them out at their website at kingofpops.com.
Koozles Candle Co.
These soy wax CANdles will have you rethinking old fashioned lighting! Chelsea takes empty beer cans and shows the world the meaning behind upcycled! She even gives classes on candle making so that you can make the craft your very own! Check her out on Instagram.
Love Well
A reminder to love others and love them well is the motto for this small business! Their t-shirts are comfortable and come with the reminder to love those and the world around you! Find them at their website lovewellco.com and on Instagram and Facebook.
Maggie’s Chic Designs
Polymer clay earrings, tumblers, and designs, oh my! Maggies Chic Designs will keep you on your toes to rush and collect every little thing from her shelves! Items are handmade and one-of-a-kind so be sure to act fast! Find her on her website at maggieschicdesigns.com and on Instagram and Facebook.
Material Memories
As we travel to places and events, one thing that almost always seems to make it home with us is a brand new t-shirt! Before you know it, they have collected into piles in the dustiest parts of your attic or basement. All these memories, just sitting there…never fear! Material Memories takes those t-shirts and creates cozy quilts that you can use again and again to keep warm from fuzzy memories and a fuzzy blanket! Check out Nancy Abbott of Material Memories at her website and on Instagram and Facebook. (Website designed by E. Lexi Abbott! Order yours TODAY!)
Merrilyn’s INKspiration Café
If you’ve ever seen a homemade card and wonder how it was made, this crafty woman can tell you just how to make it! Not only does she craft beautiful cards for all occasions but she teaches classes on how to make them, too! You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.
Pink Daisy Designs
Pink Daisy Designs is THE place to get custom engraved wood products and other cute wood products! She has cutting boards, door signs, earrings, crafts, and more! Check out this lovely lady on Instagram and Facebook.
Puppy Presents Designs
Now presenting…Puppy Presents Designs! Hand sewn and always made with the idea of keeping prices low, these cute leashes and collars give the perfect spark of color to your canine companion! Check her out on Etsy.
Reimagined Home Décor
Reimagined Home Décor does just that! Reimagining wooden trays, candleholders, and more, Laura Hilly uses her creative imagination to make sure that nothing goes to waste that doesn’t have to! Find her and her crafts on Facebook and Instagram.
ResQue Rubs
This husband and wife team makes barbecue with a purpose! Their rubs not only help you cook like a professional chef in the comfort of your very own kitchen but a portion of proceeds go to FurKids animal shelter! Check them out at their website resquerubs.com as well as Facebook and Instagram.
Southern Escentuals
Free smells and luxurious suds are the benefits of lathering up with Southern Escentuals! Their candles are made of soy wax and contain woodwick candles that add a comforting fireplace crackling sound along with the calming aroma of her beautiful candles! Check out her website and find her on Facebook and Instagram.
Sweet Sassafras Boutique
These lovely ladies run their own boutique. Named after the plant that gave root beer it’s start, this sweet boutique offers cute clothing in all sizes! They are located in Dawsonville, Ga. Find them at their website and on Facebook and Instagram.
Top KNOTch
Clothing and gifts for busy babes, Top KNOTch is a husband and wife team who run their small shop in Cumming, Ga. Check out their cute clothing and accessories on their website and on Facebook and Instagram.
Vitae Gourmet
Michael Gagnon is the genius behind the sauce at Vitae Gourmet! His all natural hot sauce is delicious and can add a lift to your favorite dish or pack a full on punch! It all depends on you and the heat level that you prefer. Check out his glorious concoctions at his website vitaegourmet.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
Wit and Bubbles
To end this list with a bang, please meet Helena! The brains behind the Wit and the maker behind the Bubbles, her business makes gloriously named AND crafted soaps to give your life some lather. Be sure to rinse and repeat to discover every special scent! Find her at her website witandbubbles.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
See You Around The Farm!
Thank you so much for scrolling through, be sure to shop local and support small businesses! Also, be sure to book a venue tour of 3 Oaks Farm to see how you can make your event, or even your wedding, the best that it can be!
First, you’ll reach out to me (E. Lexi Abbott) and talk about your wedding! You’ll tell me all about how you met, how you feel about one another, and other specific questions I ask as part of my secret recipe for creating the perfect post for you and your life partner!
Next, you’ll send me photos from your wedding! These can be photos your photographer gave you or that you and your guests took by yourselves.
Then, I will use these photos and the information you provided me with to create YOUR custom website page on your own free website to have and share with loved ones both who couldn’t make it and who were there!
Why You Should Order
It’s one thing to have a wedding registry website or even a dedicated Facebook page or group…but it’s a whole other thing to have a custom curated webpage that will remain forever with the ability to add onto later!
Not only do you not have to spend extra brain power trying to think of what to say and how to say it…you will be able to have me come to your wedding and speak with you and your loved ones IN PERSON to get specific quotes, information, and record special moments that only being there at the wedding itself could allow for!
What if my wedding hasn’t happened yet?
Even better! I not only help to write your vows (ask me about my past clients) I can also come to the wedding in person and be there to ask questions and be a fly on the wall to capture all the special moments that happen in between photographs!
Photos might speak 1000 words, but I write exactly what those words are and MORE!
What if my wedding already happened?
Also no problem! Just give me a call and we’ll have a warm conversation that recalls your wedding day and all that it entailed! Give me the phone numbers of your loved ones and I can call and chat with them, too, in order to get the inside scoop on the biggest day of your lives (so far!)
Yesterday, I had the absolute privilege to be invited to attend a wedding at Lilly Creek Farm in order to create a special surprise for the now newly wedded couple and, boy, was it an absolute blast!
This venue has it ALL for a luxurious and yet beautifully simple barn wedding from the barn itself to the many opportune places for photos to a special spot near the lake to say those famous words, “I Do!”
This article will be highlighting this beautiful venue and wonderful team as well as some favorite ideas of mine that were implemented in the wedding yesterday evening!
When you drive onto the property, you are greeted by a gravel road. As you progress, there is a fenced in parking area immediately to your right with plenty of space for family and friends alike!
After parking, it’s just a short walk (1-3 minutes depending on your pace) to the barn and wedding area!
A happily married couple outside of the barn at Lilly Creek
There is also a small area for parking for those who are unable to make the walk to the barn from the parking area.
The Barn
Immediately visible as you walk up the short gravel way is the barn. This lovely white barn stands tall against the beautiful blue skies of Lilly Creek Farm and sports a chalk board with the last name of the couple to be wed on it.
First dance in the barn!
Inside the barn you are greeted by tall ceilings with white draping swaths of fabric coming from the rafters. Those beautiful touches along with a candle planter above where you first walk in and the other side of the barn and rustic chandeliers make for a simply gorgeous setting!
Table set up inside of the barn.
Tables can be arranged however you want inside of the barn for guests to enjoy seating. The beautiful wedding I got to attend had round tables planted around the main area of the barn and rectangle tables fashioned into a U-shape by the far end of the barn for the wedding party to sit with a space left between them and their guests for dancing the night away!
Directly to the left and right when you first walk in are two lovely little spaces. The one to the left was used for catering and the one to the right was used for the cake and for the DJ to set up.
Further down the barn there are two rooms along the side.
Bridal suite at Lilly Creek Farm
Groom’s Suite at Lilly Creek Farm!
Bridal Suite
The room to the left is the Bridal Suite and had plenty of space for relaxing and plenty of areas for make-up and hair. The room allows in tons of natural light and is a lovely place for the bride and her bridal party.
Groom’s Suite
The room to the right is the Groom’s Suite and has a tv, a big card table in the middle, plenty of snacks and drinks, and is a very relaxing environment to calm the nerves of the groom.
On the right of the barn there is a concrete patio with a bar area, some cornhole bags to throw, and a seating area complete with available firepits.
A celebratory toast!
The patio is the perfect place for guests to hang out while waiting for the ceremony to start, before dinner, and during the reception. It exudes a calming atmosphere and invites guests to lounge and talk and laugh and have a great time!
Photography
A couple share a kiss by the lake.
Did I mention that Lilly Creek Farm is a BEAUTIFUL place?
A bride in the forest surrounded by wildflowers
They have tall fields, forests, a lake front, and plenty of other little areas to take the most spectacular day of photos imaginable! These photos include beautiful lighting and a sense of wonder that make the bride and groom stand out more than ever.
A groom kisses his bride in the field at Lilly Creek Farm!
The comforting surroundings make it easy to relax and have just as much fun taking the pictures as it looks like you did in the pictures afterwards! Those smiles aren’t forced, they’re real!
Lakeside Ceremony
There are plenty of places that boast a lakeside ceremony, but is it comfortable? Is it easy to set up at? Is it the perfect place to forget the stress of the day and enjoy the moment right then and there when you promise yourself to the one you love forever? At Lilly Creek Farm that’s EXACTLY what they offer!
Lakeside wedding ceremony stage.
Directly in front of the barn and across the walkway there is a beautiful deck built on the side of the lake with a roof for shade. Behind where the bride and groom stand there is a fountain placed further back in the lake to make for a beautiful backdrop that, before now, you could only dream of.
The guests are seated on the grass on both sides of the walkway and there are permanent canopies placed above them to help protect guests from the sun and light rain.
Night time wedding ceremony.
During the ceremony, the wedding party will walk out through the large, now open, barn doors and make their way down the walkway and up on the platform in front of their guests. It is a beautiful time and the decoration possibilities are endless! You can truly make your ceremony your own!
PLEASE NOTE: A wedding ceremony could also be held in the barn or really wherever you want! The lakeside ceremony platform is just used very commonly! 🙂
Staff
A beautiful venue is only as effective as the team that works behind the scenes and let me tell you, the team at Lilly Creek Farm is spectacular! Their communication and flow in working together is unmatched and they pay attention to every little detail to ensure that your ceremony will be the best that it could possibly be!
Shelby, the current coordinator, ran around like MAD making sure that every little thing was perfect from the catering area, to the cake, to the seating, to releasing the guests for food, to the ceremony and organizing and directing the wedding party, to the reception and making sure that the drinks, lights, place settings, parking, and everything in-between was in perfect harmony. She definitely knew what she was doing and with her on your side, you know everything will be alright!
Behind Shelby was the rest of the staff. As mentioned before, their ability to communicate and run everything seamlessly was a wonder to watch!
Maria – Owner of Lilly Creek Farm
Maria, the site owner, even made an appearance to ensure that the wedding was running the way it should be. She is a supportive and calming presence who knows when to step in and when to let her staff do what they do best! She checked in with everyone from the DJ to the photographer to the staff running the event and was seen often near Shelby to lend a hand.
Conclusion
The day itself was an absolute joy, but this post isn’t about that wedding specifically. This post was to highlight how lovely, gorgeous, calming, and spectacular this venue is and I’m pretty sure I proved it!
Lilly Creek Farm books far in advance so be sure to make an appointment to tour the venue TODAY and see for yourself what a spectacular place this is for YOUR wedding!
Thank you, Maria, for the invite and thank you Lilly Creek Farm staff and coordinators for your hard work and dedication!
Until next time, stay learning, stay exploring, and have a wonderful day!
This past Saturday, a friend and I had the distinct pleasure of coming across the Atlanta Grill Company Fire Show 2022! Outside the store located in Roswell (GA), there were pop up tents with companies of all kinds, both big and small, giving free samples in order to promote their products!
Fire Show 2022
Walking over from the TESLA dealership, we walked up the hill towards the store…and towards the yummy smells!
Past a stationed cop car were over a dozen different vendors, some with their own tents and some underneath a giant tent that was erected in front of the store! Here’s a couple of the vendors that we met:
Inspired by “well over 100 years” of family tradition, Zeke has spent his whole life trying to master his family’s sauce recipe.
After trying for YEARS and hosting family BBQ’s, he finally not only got the knack for his family legacy, but added a few tweaks of his own, also!
He officially launched in 2013 after competing professionally at the Kansas City Barbecue Society circuit, also in 2013!
Now, he caters to family’s in the Metro Atlanta area and, let me tell you, his special recipe tastes amazing!
Zeke’s B-B-Que business card!
He had some dry rub chicken wings and drums with a bottle of his sauce for people who wanted to try that as well! It is zingy, full bodied, and absolutely delicious!
His catchphrase is “Creating ZADDICTS Everywhere, One Happy Belly At A Time!”
Myron Mixon
Myron Mixon and his sauce!
Across from Zeke, with a giant banner up and a custom apron, was Myron Mixon and a team of cooking fanatics! He was selling his sauce and giving samples of delicious BBQ to eat it with!
As it says on his website, he is the acclaimed, “Winningest Man In BBQ!”
He has been on cooking shows as both a competitor and judge, hosts classes, sells products, and has his delicious line of BBQ sauces ready to go for whatever your cooking needs may be!
Unicoi Preserves
Clark Neal of Unicoi Preserves!
A husband and wife team, Suzy and Clark Neal are the minds behind the machine at Unicoi Preserves,LLC! Surrounded by the Chattahoochee National Forest, they fell in love with nature and wanted to can the feeling they got from being surrounded by it…so they did!
They make original recipe gourmet fruit spreads, inspired by their love of food and wine! I personally tried some of their cherry jalapeno jam with some cream cheese, smoked by Clark himself, and with some of Lane’s Sweet Heat rub sprinkled on top! It was a fantastic burst of flavor! This fantastic partnership truly succeeded in their mission to create a tasty, organic product sourced from local farmers!
Lane’s BBQ
Ryan Lane of Lane’s BBQ!
Lane’s BBQ began in 2013 when Ryan Lane, the owner and creator of the business, started to sell his BBQ off the pit at a roadside produce stand!
Lane’s BBQ catered for a few years before jumping into the creation game and cooking up some of their very own seasonings and sauces! Now, they are worldwide and are included in the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK!
Their mission is to encourage fun and socialization around the table, bringing people together with delicious food and experiences!
Bear and Burton’s W Sauce
Bear and Burton’s W Sauce!
Bear and Burton’s W Sauce is a whole new take on Worcestershire sauce! Not only is it easier to pronounce, but it adds a whole new dimension of flavor to an age-old recipe!
Another family legacy turned small business, Burton’s mother got the original recipe from “Nana”, her mom! Burton’s childhood was filled with occasional trips to the supermarket to buy pounds and pounds of onions, vinegars, spices, and other ingredients in order to make huge batches of the sauce at one time!
This lovely sauce would permeate the air and anything around it, so the windows always had to be wide open to help reduce the impact! But, boy, did it smell good! So good, in fact, that Burton’s close friend, Bear, tried it and loved it so much he brought it home to his wife, Jenn! They loved it so much that Bear insisted they bottle it…and so Bear and Burton’s W Sauce was born!
The product officially launched in late 2021 and is already making tracks!
PK Grills
PK Grill team
This team’s story is quite interesting! Originating in Tyler (TX), the PK grill was a huge hit but then quickly went out of fashion. That was until 45 years later when it was discovered again in Little Rock (AR) at a garage sale by Paul James, a local attorney. He fell in such love with it that he began to mass produce the grill again!
Fire and Smoke BBQ rubs
Now, this team partners with the Fire and Smoke Society to promote their products while using the PK grills at BBQ cooking competitions across the country!
Their products and cooking method create absolutely delicious steaks, burgers, chicken, and anything else you can throw on a grill! So the next time you’re wanting to try a new grill…keep an eye out for the PK Grill!
All’s Well That Grills Well!
In conclusion, the event was an amazing success for the Atlanta Grill Company and was a ton of fun to attend! The food was delicious, the vendors were extraordinarily wonderful, their stories were interesting and inspiring, and the event was an absolute joy to stumble upon! Next year, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the Fire Show at the Atlanta Grill Company in Roswell (GA)!
E. Lexi Abbott 