“I developed a great passion for watercolors.  I started to incorporate watercolor art into my design business and from there it slowly evolved into what it is today,” smiles Joanna Keith, owner of Red Bird Paper.  “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.”
 
Red Bird Paper, a fine art paper boutique in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is making quite a splash with their lovely, original designs. With vibrant gift tags and stationary, gorgeous pillows, apparel and mugs, Red Bird Paper’s products are garnering attention around the state and beyond!
 
Keith has had an innate passion for creating since she was a young girl in Jackson. “Growing up I remember asking for art sets and anything crafty for birthdays and holidays,” she smiles.  “I would make menus for my family to use at dinner, and I still even have a few construction paper books 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.” 
 
Keith majored in Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design at Mississippi State. Her talent was noted, and she was commissioned by the University’s Foundation to design and paint artwork for their annual Christmas cards.  Friends and family began begging Keith to produce stationary for them, and her business was born.
 
“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,” she laughs.   “I also adore the ABC Animal Print and the ABC Animal Flashcards. I'm so glad everyone seems to love the little animals I painted as much as I do!”
 
Red Bird Paper has printers in Hattiesburg and Jackson, and Keith is proud to support locally owned businesses and have all her products made in the USA.  She is especially honored to call Mississippi home. “Living in Mississippi influences my work.  I feel drawn to beach imagery, magnolias and cotton. I try to create pieces that people will connect with and love.”
 
For more information on Red Bird Paper, please click  here.  Red Bird Paper products are available in stores throughout the south or you can shop online!

“Staying healthy means taking care of yourself,” says Dr. Erica Ory, a Physician with The Woman’s Clinic in Jackson.  “Getting regular checkups allows you to manage specific health issues.  Many of women's health risks are preventable; that's why being proactive when it comes to your own health is so important.” 
 
Since 1950, The Woman’s Clinic has proudly served patients throughout the Jackson area.  With twelve brilliant board-certified doctors, The Woman’s Clinic specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, the examination, diagnosis and treatment of women’s health problems. 
 
The Woman’s Clinic is a truly a special place.  What makes it so unique?  Their warm, intelligent staff!  With exceptional focus on each and every patient, The Woman’s Clinic specializes in the following:

~ Prenatal care for both routine and high risk patients, and they see you through delivery.
~ Their OB/GYN specialists provide a wide variety of treatments, including annual gynecologic examinations, infertility testing and treatment, cancer screening, sonography, mammogram, bone densitometry, gynecological surgery, and urinary incontinence evaluation and treatment.
~ The Woman’s Clinic offers same day appointments with one of their physicians. 
~ User-friendly online services include asking questions, scheduling appointments, requesting refills and checking results. 
~ The Woman’s Clinic has a full-time registered dietician!  She is available to help with dietary issues, including weight loss or gain, diabetic monitoring during pregnancy and dietary issues specific to teens. 
~ The Woman’s Clinic is affiliated with Baptist hospital, which means that there is a board-certified OB/GYN available at all times in the case of an emergency.  Patients have access to the full services of Baptist's comprehensive medical facilities, including adult and neonatal ICU services.

For more information on The Woman’s Clinic, please click here.

Oxford has a new restaurant, Thacker 564! Owners Michelle Rounsaville and Trey Bridgers, know a thing or two about food and restaurants. Michelle is the owner of My Michelle’s restaurant and catering and Trey is the Chef at My Michelle’s. “Trey and I work so well together that when the restaurant space came available, we came up with the concept and ran with it,” smiles Michelle.  “It is completely different from My Michelle's being that it is a full service restaurant with a bar and we serve lunch, dinner and brunch, specialty cocktails and draft beer.” Using their working relationship at My Michelle’s, they came up with a concept/style that suits the both of them.

Named for Thacker Mountain which is the highest point of elevation in Lafayette County at 564 feet, Thacker 564, has a comfortable, friendly vibe to it. Trey and Michelle have been friends since college and bonded over a love of music and food. Restaurant goers will notice the names of food items have song lyrics in them or are music based. “Our sandwiches on the menu are slider size and you order a la carte.  We named them after local people and things, our family, and local ‘hot spots,’” says Michelle. “Our specialty cocktails have ‘tongue in cheek names too.’” 

The décor throughout is another nod to their family that supports their businesses. “All the artwork that we installed was done by Trey’s talented wife, Sarah Kathryn, that owns Studio Whimzy,” says Michelle.  Michelle’s mom helped cover the booths and the tin on the front of the bar came from Trey’s family's farm. “We wanted people of all ages and types to feel comfortable whether sitting on the covered patio listening to music with friends or families with their children to Ole Miss students wanting to come hang out and have happy hour on their way to the square,” smiles Michelle.

For more information on Thacker 564 or My Michelle’s, please click here.

Mistletoe Marketplace is just one week away!  Do you have your tickets yet?  Events are quickly selling out, so be sure to  get your tickets before they are gone! Here are a few events, you won’t want to miss!

Tis the Season to Sparkle Preview Gala & Auction
Tis the Season to Sparkle at the kickoff to the holiday season, Mistletoe Preview Gala. Join us for a night of shopping the fabulous Mistletoe merchants both old and new at the Preview Gala or bid on one or many of the items in the Silent, Premier, and Live Auctions. Walk the red carpet with C Spire, dine on fine cuisine by Fresh Cut Catering and Floral, and dance the night away with Almost Famous! It’s the season “to sparkle” at the most anticipated event of the holiday season!

For more information about Mistletoe Marketplace, click here.