With the holiday season in full swing and Christmas just days away, it
is time to put the finishing touches on all of your festive decor.  We
reached out to our favorite interior designers at SummerHouse, and we
are thrilled to share their holiday decorating secrets with you today!

Todd Prince: "Magnolia garland and Boxwood wreaths are my favorite!!
You can never have too much fresh."

Elish Moon: "I personally gravitate towards a natural Christmas. I
love a living tree, wreath, and garland. The smell is so festive and
live greenery creates such an authentic feel. It also helps with
storage between seasons. At the end of the season you're done - no
need to stress about creating extra storage in your home. That makes
cleanup a breeze. Merry Christmas!"

Katy Hines: "You can’t beat a natural flocked Christmas tree with
white lights!"

Katherine Shelton: "My favorite way to decorate a tree is to use
burlap ribbon with antique mercury glass ornaments.  Gives the tree a
true old world feel.  One of my tricks to hanging all of the ribbon
and ornaments is to use floral wire.  Makes everything on the tree
look like its literally floating on the branches."

Mary Courtney Johns: "I love adding personal touches within my
decorations, not just using all ready-made items from a store. I have
found that if I invest a little bit more time, I have an overall
greater appreciation and gratification for my festive Christmas decor!
Each year, I try to incorporate new additions. The first project I
completed was my stockings. They are all handmade with the name of
each family member on each. I also have made ornaments using my
wedding photos in clear glass balls with some added details. My advice
is to get creative with what you have on hand and make lasting
memories in the process!"

To learn more about SummerHouse, visit their beautiful website at
www.summerhousestyle.com

Red Bird Paper, a fine art paper boutique in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is making quite a splash with their original, gorgeous designs.  From gift tags, stationary and notepads to pillows, apparel and mugs, Red Bird Paper’s products are garnering well-deserved attention around the state and beyond!

Joanna Keith, owner of Red Bird Paper, grew up in Jackson and attended Jackson Academy for school. She smiles, “Growing up I remember asking for art sets and anything crafty for birthdays and holidays. As a child I would make menus for my family to use at dinner, and I even still have a few construction paper books that are laminated that I wrote and illustrated. In high school I was in AP art classes and I always helped with props for the school's plays.”  Joanna is wildly talented and creative, and we had the pleasure of speaking with her about Red Bird Paper and her lovely designs:

What inspired you to open Red Bird Paper?
“I went to Mississippi State University and I majored in Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design. While in college, I got commissioned several years in a row by the University's Foundation to design and paint artwork for their annual Christmas cards. For these projects I was given creative freedom and during this time was when I began to explore and develop my watercolor style. After I graduated college in 2006 I went to work for the Creative Services Department of the University of Southern Mississippi. In my spare time I was asked by family and friends to design and illustrate invitations, so in 2007 I started my business, Unink Design. In 2008, I was again commissioned by the MSU Foundation to create eight watercolor landmark images for their 2008 Annual Report, and this was really when I began to develop a passion for watercoloring. I started to incorporate watercolor art into my design business and from there it slowly evolved into what it is today. In early 2015, I changed my business name to Red Bird Paper. I had wanted to change it for several years for many reasons - Unink was often mispronounced and misspelled, leading to an unclear language between my customers. The company's reference to a red bird is in honor of Dr. Hugh G. Ward, my late great uncle. ‘Doc’ played an integral role in my life, and a red bird's presence reminds me of him.”

Where are your products available?
"Red Bird is in several stores throughout the south and I do have a web site for online shopping as well - redbirdpaper.com "

MISSISSIPPI LOCATIONS
Accents | Hattiesburg
Brock's Salon | Jackson
Collins Florist & Gifts | Collins
Johnson Bros. Jewelry Co. | Pascagoula
Joyful Creations Gift Market | Tupelo
Little Lane Children's Boutique | Hattiesburg
Mimi's on Main | Senatobia
Oak Originals | Flowood
Occasions | Starkville
Sew N Style | Brandon
The College Corner | Madison
The Radish Loft | Gulfport
The Square Cupboard | Hernando
Yazoo Drug Co. | Yazoo

LOUISIANA LOCATIONS
Elements of Design | Baton Rouge

Tell us about your products!  Do you have any favorites?
“My favorite products are probably my gift tags. I used to make the tags by hand - one by one - and it would take days sometimes! I remember one night during the holidays I had printed, trimmed, hole punched, set grommets and corner cut over 500 individual tags. I loved being so hands-on with my work but that night was when I realized it was probably time to start outsourcing. My favorite new products are the ABC Animal Print and the ABC Animal Flashcards. I have had this project on my ‘list’ for a long time and I finally sat down and dedicated time for it - and I think it's paid off! It's been one of my best sellers recently and I'm so glad everyone seems to love my little animals I painted as much as I do! I have printers in Hattiesburg and Jackson that print my products. I love supporting locally owned businesses and I'm proud to have all my products made in the USA.”

Everything in your online store looks beautiful, bright and happy!  What is your favorite thing about owning Red Bird Paper and sharing it with customers?
“One of my favorite things about having my business is getting inspired by my customers’ ideas. Although I don't do as many custom pieces as I use to - I hope to get back to it eventually - I still think some of my best work came from my customers’ creative minds, and I loved working with them to make their ideas become even better than they imagined! Waiting to hear back from a customer after I've emailed them a proof is always exciting. I would get anxious to hear their response in hopes they loved what I've created just for them!"

How does living in Mississippi influence your work?
"Living in MS definitely influences my work. Living in Hattiesburg, I feel drawn to beach imagery, magnolias and cotton. Customers that live in or are linked to MS in some way love ANYTHING Mississippi so I try to create pieces I know they'll connect with as well- i.e.. My 'Christmas Cotton' gift tags and my new ‘MS City Collage’ artwork.”

Thank you, Joanna, for sharing your incredible designs with us today!  Red Bird Paper items make a wonderful gift for friends, family or yourself!  You can browse Joanna’s gorgeous work here on her website, or visit her Facebook page here. 

A special thank you to Suzanne Carey Photography for the photo of Joanna and her beautiful daughter, Elleigh!

{Tell us about the occasion for the event?} This sassy little girl is actually my daughter. Her name is Hollyn Todd and this was her second birthday. We called it "Hollyn in Wonderland". We live in Moselle, MS but I am from Soso, MS. My parents live on the same road as Rasberry Greene, and owner Lauren Zumwalt and my parents have been friends for quite some time now.  So, that is how the location of the party came about. 

{What inspired your decorations?}  I should give all the credit to my sister-in-law (Kay'ce Everett) for this party. She is such a good planner and hostess. I basically just bought the decorations and food and she did the rest. We started months before Hollyn's birthday looking at Pinterest for fun birthday ideas and when we saw Alice in Wonderland the search was over. We even watched the movie again to help spark ideas for the decorations. 

{What inspired your color scheme and flowers?}  I wanted to stick with the color scheme of the movie the best I could. We had one long table that we decorated to look like the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. I bought the bright colored flowers from Hobby Lobby and we glued the eyeballs on them and used them as the centerpieces with a long piece of turf for the table runner. The other tables were simple with the Mad Hatter's hat as the centerpieces. Most of the decorations came from Hobby Lobby and Party Universe in Hattiesburg. I got the turf from Lowe's and even found flamingos that we used for the children to play croquet with.

The food table had the turf table runner also and the cupcake toppers and toppers for the rice krispy treats came from Etsy. The party was at 2:00pm on a Sunday so we mainly had finger foods. A friend of mine made the cupcakes. We also had grapes on skewers to look like caterpillars, apples and marshmallows in the shape of the Cheshire cat grin, rice krispy treats that looked like the cards and cookies and cake. My sister-in-law got the cookies from Candi's Cookies (she does beautiful cookies) and the cake from Sugar Bakers. They both are from the Laurel area.

{What was your favorite moment of the event day?}  I would have to say that my favorite part of the day was getting Hollyn ready and putting her Alice outfit on her. She saw herself in the mirror with her big tutu on and twirled and giggled. My favorite picture from the day was her sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. She is such a busy-bee so we have to snap pictures very quickly.

Vendors:
Location: Rasberry Greene
Event Planner: Jordan Todd and Kay'ce Everett
Cookies:  Candi's Cookies, Laurel, MS
Cake:  Sugar Bakers, Laurel, MS
Photographs:  Jordan Todd

The Mississippi Museum of Art recently announced the unveiling of an extraordinary new Community Exhibition Series – The Art in Us All.  Incredible pieces created through nonprofit programs around the state will be the spotlight of this groundbreaking series. 

Julian Rankin, Marketing Director of the Mississippi Museum of Art, says, “The Community Exhibition Series was created in order to deepen the relationship between the Museum and its visitors and to cultivate creativity in the community for people of all ages and backgrounds.”

The Museum has developed wonderful partnerships with Mississippi nonprofits around the state, who incorporate visual art into their social service work. The first exhibition closed yesterday after a successful run, and featured art created by participants of HeARTWorks, a beautiful ministry serving clients of Stewpot Community Services in Jackson.  Julian says, “The motto of the ministry, embodied in its name, is ‘He works Through Art.’”

“Implicit in the Museum’s mission is celebrating and recognizing important visual art being made throughout the state, and the Art in Us All community exhibition series is a tangible way for us to honor this work,” said Betsy Bradley, Director of the Mississippi Museum of Art. “HeARTWorks, our first partnering non-profit in this endeavor, embodied the transformative potential of art to lift up and inspire a traditionally underserved population of Mississippians. We were honored to share this authentic and powerful collection with the public.”

The exhibition included 35 pieces created by more than a dozen artists, included portraits, abstracts, collages and sculptures. Each HeARTWorks piece was also adorned with a spoon, symbolizing the precious gift of food and Stewpot’s call to serve others in our community. 

“For the past seven years we have set out endless art supplies, served up thousands of snacks, and organized seven art shows, but we take the most pride in new friendships,” said Stacy Underwood, Director and Founder of HeARTWorks. “Art is a magical bridge, an equalizer, and a validator that we all have something to offer this world - something beautiful!”

We look forward to the next Community Exhibition Series at the Mississippi Museum of Art.  Meanwhile, we encourage you to visit the inspiring Mississippi Museum of Art during the holidays and beyond!  For a complete listing of current and upcoming exhibits, please click here!  For more information on The Mississippi Museum of Art, visit their website here.

Mississippi's first distillery is expanding! 

Today, December 12, 2015, CATHEAD Distillery is celebrating their grand opening in downtown Jackson! The even begins at 12:00pm and is open to everyone in the community!

Since it began 5 years ago, CATHEAD Distillery has grown significantly and decided 20,000 square feet on South Farish Street was the best option to further expand its enterprises! Downtown Jackson and Midtown Jackson are both increasingly becoming home for contemporary art and popular culture expression. In joining this growing community, CATHEAD Distillery has expressed that, depending on where you live, a portion of every 750mL bottle of the original CATHEAD Vodka goes to support local musicians. CATHEAD Distillery has made it part of their mission to support the growing and thriving economy and community of Jackson. According to CATHEAD Distillery's press release, Austin Evans and Richard Patrick are the co-founders of CATHEAD Distillery and want to keep their new distillery centralized to Mississippi. Evans said, "We are excited about relocating to Jackson. As proud residents of the city, we look forward to providing a destination that contributes to the growing cultural drive that is happening in the downtown area."

Following today's event, the distillery will be open for tours Thursday, Friday, and Saturday! Also, the distillery is available for private events and private tours! While visiting the distillery, guest can enjoy a full bar of local beer, a quick corn hole game, and a retail shop for your next great gift!

"We are so excited to showcase the new distillery on December 12th," said co-founder Richard Patrick. "We’ve had so much overwhelming support from the entire Mississippi community, and we can’t wait to get the celebration started!"

So be sure YOU stop by today starting at 12:00pm! Tickets are $10, which includes opportunities to taste local spirits, local music, and "local nosh."

Read more about CATHEAD Distillery and tours/event details here!