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Bold, beautiful and unforgettable are words Janna Clary Smiley uses to describe her creations, adjectives that could be applied to Janna herself. As the artist behind Swill Magnolias, Janna creates dazzling headpieces that are extravagant, flamboyant and ready to party. Born in Natchitoches and raised in the deep woods of Robeline, Janna grew up an only child with miles of nature to explore and imagination for company. That childhood freedom and curiosity led her to study

The idea was to photograph and document our family’s handmade heirloom quilts, some of which are nearly a century old, faded, frayed and dearly loved. I wanted to preserve images of the quilts before they deteriorated further and identify, when possible, who made each of those humble and treasured works of art. Those photographs became a picture book and the pictures became notecards gifted to the family members who loaned quilts for the project. Soon requests were coming

Ceramicist, tableware designer, wife, mother of three and warm hostess Gretchen Murchison has emerged as one of our community’s most sought-after creatives. Since launching her career with her signature “Bloom” bowls in 2017, she has forged collaborations with retailers, designers and fellow artists throughout the south and continues to experiment with forms inspired by florals, water and natural elements. Her pieces are designed to be both beautiful and functional as vesse

Kassi Picou grew up on the bayous of south Louisiana where family instilled in her a sense of self-reliance that stemmed from a heritage of improvising, making do and learning to live off the land and waterways. As a child, she learned quilting with her grandmother, whose home she describes as “a crafty refuge.” She spent many hours working in her family’s yard and vegetable garden, experiences she did not appreciate at the time, but she loved observing and learning about di

Every November I consult a certain cookbook for Thanksgiving recipes where the pages are marked with memories – a 1998 letter from a friend then living in California sending updates about her pending wedding and a short funny thank you from a friend who passed away suddenly about a year after she sent it. Stored in my dresser are cards from my sister and nieces, a note from my friend of longest duration and a letter I wrote to Daddy when he was working overseas – my mother f

Leah Jackson Author/Designer/Creative Director at Laureate Printing Hello and thank you for being here. I launched Laureate Printing in 2025 to share my original work in photography, graphic design and other creative endeavors. The ideas behind Laureate Printing percolated for years until the encouragement of friends resulted in a focused outlet for my work. I grew up in rural Sabine Parish , the pine curtain of northwest Louisiana, surrounded by farm animals and a large ex