our home lately

into the future back to the earth

a sneak peek into what i am creating with our upcoming show in mind

mini florals on braided cotton cloth remnants

salvaged copper scrap from a local metal shop

crystal points 

>> stay tuned folks <<

Maddie Moon

So one of my dearest friends who I like to consider growing up with. Though I met her in my 20's, I did a lot of figuring myself out then. I lived a full 2 day drive or 6 hour flight away from home and was 'all alone' in a transient and progressive city. Madeleine and I worked together in a little beach community bead store where I nurtured my interest in jewelry making. Then we studied fashion together which led to assisting her in opening her own store Maddie Moon Designs.  While I worked a part-time job elsewhere I spent most other hours and days assisting her in bringing her dream to reality and learning a lot for myself.  Two capable gals can get many things done all by themselves. We worked power tools and built a stage for the display in the front window. We changed the fluorescent lighting to track lighting.  We painted and installed wall mounted racks.  We just about did it all.  

>>> Don't ever under estimate your power ladies! <<<

I was her assistant for a few years before my fate led me home to start a family as a single mother. Who knows where I might be if things had happened differently.  Probably not here at this blog.

Madeleine kept her doors open for over seven years before she decided to take a break from owning and running a brick and mortar and she took her designs on the road doing a circuit of festivals across California, some in Oregon and even Chicago.  She is living her dream of being a designer and though there are always challenges to overcome she is determined to succeed. About five years ago she began taking some of her designs to Bali to source fabric and for their construction.  

She even has recently welcomed a celebrity clientele. Steven Tyler and his girlfriend are big fans of her hipster flared pants and own like a dozen pair between them.

Maddie has a sweet fairy like spirit. Kind and gentle with fierce drive to do what she is passionate about.  She is well traveled, a strong creative talent and since the summer of 2010 she has added mother to her successes.

You can find Madeleine's many bohemian chic separates available online at maddiemoon.com

activewear for the spirited lady and a piece or two for the gents as well.

or you can find her on facebook

Maddie just last week sent me a box of samples to rep around here and hopefully find some stores to stock her designs in the gulf south.  Included in the box were some of her oh so cute and considerably well made baby pants. I like to call 'em her moon pants.

hmm...

I started these 'hmm...' posts many moons back

I believe Sundays a fitting day to ponder the wise words of others 

or just simply words of others that create curiosity, that seem meaningful to me and worth sharing
empowering random thoughts that inspire a hmm... moment

I have only just begun to have a growing interest in quotes but so far as I know many of my favorites are from Ralph Waldo Emerson and here are two more

“What you are comes to you”

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

interestingly and rather coincidentally I am discovering more of Emerson's leadership in the Transcendentalist movement and in individualism both of which I have only just peeled the seal
I say coincidental because I seem naturally drawn to his words when I find them before even knowing what he was about and lately more than ever I find myself expressing the importance of embracing our individuality and the freedom to create ourselves. to successfully divert the pressures of mainstream society and make our own paths.

>>> may you find the courage to be who you are and follow that course with confidence <<<
showing our children, the next generation, that it is in fact possible

around our garden

currently in south Louisiana the weather has been more often like spring than winter. even throughout the month of January. now our winter climate 'round these parts always fluctuates from cold wintery days to warmer ideal days from one week to the next but this year has been record breaking warm, not that I mind. as we welcome February my hubby (with help from the smallest hands) had a walk around our garden and captured some of its growth.

 Sage with his very own 'cheese'... thats what he calls it :)

>> already excited for spring <<

with age old appeal

so i discovered this wonderful pottery work here 

a lovely lady whose daily posts appeal to my primitive and simple way of creating

which led me to the flickr files of the splendid potter

looks 'unpretentious' my hubby says

pleasantly simple and functional i agree

now that mom has added a potters wheel to our shared studio space

yet another to-do to the list 

though this want i have to work with the earth in its clay form will have to wait in line

but i love the aged, old, lived feeling this potter creates 

some of my favorite of their pieces remind me of rusted old enamel ware

the kind we have several random pieces of 

lying around our village used as planters and bins 

to gather collections of the interesting rock or random find

unpretentious |ˌənpriˈten ch əs|adjectivenot attempting to impress others with an appearance of greater importance, talent, or culture than is actually possessed.• (of a place) pleasantly simple and functional; modest.

wild heart

>>> for the wild at heart <<<

non tarnish copper organic hoops decorated with feathers 

found feathers and bought feathers alike

i get excited when i am graced with a beautiful feathery find

i enjoy using them to create simple adornment that honors and appreciates their natural beauty

you can adorn with one feather or all as you like 

they are created with the versatility of easily removing and switching the feathers

each feather slides on and off the hoop with ease

sold as singles or as an intentionally different pair

and what better day to introduce these new 'wild heart' earrings  

than on a day that is dedicated to the healthy hearts of women (read here for more info)

available at our local bayouBAZAAR Friday March 2nd 6-9pm

go red for women day

i was asked if i wanted to participate in the American Heart Assoc. Go Red For Women's movement

by sending a picture of my favorite red outfit to be posted here

all in helping to bring awareness to this often silent yet deadly no.1 killer of women

heart disease kills 1 in 3 women when cancer only kills 1 in 31

lets protect ourselves, our daughters and sisters, our mothers, aunts and grandmothers

by being informed 

I'm a homegrown southern gal

so...

i had to write a bio for my new gig

and here it is...

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Well hi there darlin'! 

My name is Je'Llyn Morvant but many of the folks closest to me call me mama J. 

I'm a homegrown southern gal born and raised in Cajun Country. I spent my 20's on the west coast in southern California where I studied fashion design, the beach, and late nights. I drove the cross country trip back to the bayou in my volkswagen van 8 months pregnant for my first, a bright, creative and motherly young lady bursting with attitude, Kaya Ruth. Though my journey in southern California may have not been complete my destiny cleared me a new path back home. 

I am a wife to a wonderful young man and a mother to two beautiful, strong spirited young children. For me it is indeed truth that inspiration is a driving force. I have a passion to create. Something. Anything. Inspiration motivates my day and my decisions. Inspiration is to my spirit what air is to my lungs, what blood is to my heart. The blog world is a nouveau way for me to collect my thoughts, my inspirations and our happenings. I began my virtual existence bayoubohemian.com when my youngest, a baby boy whom we named Sage Francis, was only 6 months old or so. We lived in a much smaller space then and the opportunity to spread out my supplies to work with jewels, metal, or cloth were near null. I was yearning for an outlet. Surfing the internet was an easy, choke hazard free escape with loads of inspiration lurking behind each click. I was going deeper and deeper into the abyss of visual inspiration while reading of other mothers and creators documenting their experiences, their inspirations and telling of their passions. I one day decided to create my own 'journal'. My very own virtual place that stands as a reminder of where I have been and where I wish to go. A place that catalogs who I am today that I can reflect on tomorrow. A place that just may inspire another bohemian spirit juggling the challenges of motherhood and family while trying to nurture her own soul. 

Today is a new day. I have studio space to create and I am getting lots done, of course never enough, but lots none the less. I am a professional juggler, trying to accomplish many things at once always being distracted and pulled from the task at hand. But I am happy (most of the time). I am expressing myself creatively and I am getting involved with more things that help my spirit feel accomplished and up-to-good. Conquering some of my silly fears, letting go of what others may think and truly being myself. Discovering who that is exactly more each day. 

I am certainly pleased to be a part of Slow Southern Style and to introduce Lafayette to its stylish southern scene. We here Cajuns have a lot to show off. An unconventional aesthetic rich with culture and intrigue. Small town girls (and boys) with big style.

you can find me at 

bayoubohemian.com

bohomercantile.com
revivaltimberworks.com
lateliernaturel.com

and on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bayou-Bohemian/222972014405319 

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