It’s time for showmeyournola’s 4th Annual My Fave Things!! Last year, I opened it up to all Louisiana makers, not just New Orleans makers, and I must say that we have some serious creative talent in this state! As usual, it was difficult to narrow it down, but here are my top 12 favorite things made in Louisiana this year.

  1. Painted Wine Glasses by Sallie Bynum Anzelmo

    Price: set of 4 for $60
    Shop: sbynumart.com
    Location: Headquarters in Monroe, LA but found in local shops throughout the state.
    About: From spending time on her family’s farm, to enjoying life along the Louisiana gulf coast, Sallie Bynum Anzelmo has a passion for painting and designing inspired by the colors, textures, and natural elements that surround her life in the South.

    Danielle’s thoughts: I first spotted Sallie’s stemless wine glasses in a local shop in New Orleans, and I was instantly gravitated to them. The hand-painted Mardi Gras ones are my favorite (and perfectly festive for Carnvial season) but her recent oyster designs are perfect for year round! Sidebar: Sallie and I were sorority sisters at LSU!

  2. Gold and White Bangle Keychains by JillMakes

    Price: $28
    Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/jillmakes
    Location: Lafayette, LA
    About: Jill Foreman has been making waves on Etsy and was even featured on The Today Show earlier in the year! “I started focusing on jewelry that I would love to wear. I love the idea of personalized jewelry. Most people enjoy having something that is uniquely theirs. I also have a love for bright and bold colors and that shows in most of my pieces. Often I begin with a pencil sketch of an idea that has been running through my head. That is how my Helvetica necklaces came about. I illustrate a lot of my jewelry pieces by hand, design it on the computer and I then hand paint them myself. I also hand mold all of my clay components. Most of my jewelry pieces have a handpainted element.”

    Danielle’s thoughts: Jill and I have actually been friends since middle school! She has ALWAYS been artistic, not only with the things she makes but in how she expresses herself in life every day. The bright and happy colors perfectly represent her personality, and I particularly love his this bangle doubles as stylish and practical. It’s been fun to watch her business blossom throughout the years!

  3. Snowball Yoga Pants by New Orleans Yoga Apparel

    Price: $85
    Shop: http://www.neworleansyogaapparel.com
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    About: New Orleans Yoga Apparel is a brand that strives to promote an active lifestyle and represent what makes New Orleans unique and rich in culture. Their yoga pants are designed to be a common thread between your athletic life and your social life. All of their products are made with high quality materials and designed locally in Louisiana.

    Danielle’s thoughts: You know how I feel about sno-balls, y’all. Sno-ball art in any shape or fashion is something I’ll always be gravitated towards! Only in New Orleans can one walk around in these bright, colorful yoga pants and not be looked at twice. However, I welcome the stares when I wear them elsewhere.



  4. Satsuma Marmalade by Jamboree Jams

    Price: $9 per jar
    Shop: jamboreejams.co
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    About: Jamboree is a small-batch jam company based in New Orleans. They use seasonal locally grown fruit and omit commercial pectin to create very special jars of jam. Jamboree can be found at Seasoned, Levee Baking Company, St Roch Market, Simone’s Market, Church Alley, The Museum of Southern Food and Beverage, and The Ritz Carlton. They are also at the Crescent City Farmers Market on Thursdays from 3 until 7pm.

    Danielle’s thoughts: As a Southern girl, born and raised, it’s in my DNA to adore (if not make my own) home-grown jams. I always prefer the chunky versions of any kind of spreads–I like to taste the real foods within it. I love the variety and unique flavor combinations that Jamboree offers. These are the perfect stocking stuffers!

  5. Native Polish

    Price: $11 per bottle
    Shop: www.nativenailpolish.com 
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    About: Native Polish is made by and for women passionate about all things NOLA. Fun fact: the idea was conceived during their annual sister-in-law day at Jazz Fest. Native is vegan, cruelty free and 7 free, which means polishes do not contain seven harmful chemicals: formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), xylenes and parabens.

    Danielle’s thoughts: I own a bottle of Native (purple hue on the right), and it’s one of the fastest drying polishes I’ve ever used. It also lasted 2 days before it started chipping, which is a long time in my book! I love how now we have our own nail polish line for the Nola-obsessed! See also: perfect stocking stuffer.

  6. Over Easy by Joy the Baker

    Price: $15-$27.50
    Shop: joythebaker.com/over-easy
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    About: For those of you not familiar with Joy (is there anyone in Nola who isn’t charmed by her?), she is a self-taught baker, turned professional baker, turned food photographer and cookbook author. She moved from California to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2014… deep in the French Quarter, inspired by the people, the culture, and the beignets. If you don’t follow her on Instagram yet, do yourself a favor: @joythebaker.

    Danielle’s thoughts: Joy can do no wrong, and her latest cookbook is no exception. Inspired by the city around her, this cookbook celebrates food without any shame (which is how it always should be IMO!) while simultaneously honoring the best meal of the day: brunch. Basically, if New Orleans were a cookbook, this would be it. And because we can never have too many cocktail, waffle & doughnut recipes…

  7. Custom Home Illustration Stamps by KellyDraws

    Price: $65
    Shop: kellydraws.etsy.com 
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    Danielle’s thoughts: Having a custom return address stamp is the official ADULT “stamp” of approval. But having an illustration of your home on said stamp is straight up next level! Now that we are settled into our new (hopefully) forever home, I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these. Any recipient of mail with an illustration of your home on it willy surely be charmed for life!

  8. The Mayflower Cross-body by Four Rivers Designs

    Price: $150
    Shop: http://www.fourriversdesigns.com
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    About: Four Rivers celebrates the beautiful, the useful and the lasting. Made by hand in New Orleans, their bags are made of the highest quality—Italian leather, genuine cotton fabrics—and with no unnecessary hardware or flashy logos. Two lifelong friends who believe that what we carry should effortlessly fit in with our lifestyles, and that good design is a meeting of practicality and beauty. Their designs are inspired by the simplicity of our small-town childhoods, the adventure of their world travels, and the timelessness of the well-made.

    Danielle’s thoughts: I love a good cross-body bag–in fact, it’s pretty much essential to my functionality these days. When I got my hands on their Mayflower bag in pale & cobra, I knew I had found the perfect year-round bag. The cobra detail (and how you can stick your hand through it to make it a clutch) is very unique and the leather is as supple as a baby’s bottom.





  9. Pottery by Mira Ceramics

    Price: $10+
    Shop: Glitter Box, Shop Freda, Potence Collective, Home Malone, St. Roch Market, Byrdie’s Pottery & 5 Press Gallery
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    Danielle’s thoughts: I have somewhat of a pottery/ceramic addition, and Mira Ceramics’ Instagram feed, well, feeds my addiction. Her attention to detail and penchant for all shades of blue speaks directly to my heart! I especially love the commission work she did for Sola Deli, who happened to be one of My Fave Things in 2016! Please go check out her work, either on Instagram or in person at one of the stores listed above.

     

  10. The Crescent Ring Collection by Mignon Faget

    Price: from $50
    Shop: http://www.mignonfaget.com
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    About: Each Mignon Faget piece is designed in New Orleans and made in America. Drawing from her fine arts training, Mignon Faget’s designs are anchored in natural and architectural concepts, which come to life in timeless sculptural forms. Faget’s approach to design involves deconstructing and then reconstructing observed forms, resulting in small sculptures that are a synthesis of concept, material, and function. The city of New Orleans, with its wealth of cultural depth and diversity, history and heritage, and natural and architectural splendor, serves as the primary inspiration for collections.

    Danielle’s thoughts: My adoration of Mignon Faget began when I was a high school senior and all I wanted for Christmas was my very own silver Knot ring–not the Tulip one, like everyone else had. Since then I have added several pieces to my collection including a sand dollar charm, the Hive necklace, and some very beautiful glasswear featuring New Orleans homes. Her latest collection is one of my favorite: combining my love of astrology and the city’s deep symbolism: the Crescent Collection. These rings are my favorite and I love how they’re stackable!

     

  11. The Terrace Pocket Tight by Tasc Performance

    Price: from $90
    Shop: http://www.tascperformance.com
    Location: New Orleans, LA
    About: Through their exclusive BamCo® patent-pending fabric finishing process, tasc Performance apparel achieves it’s unparalleled feel and performance without the use of chemical enhancements. They march to the beat of our own brass band in everything they do. They look to nature for performance, not chemicals from a lab. All of their unique fabrics are original to tasc Performance and are not available from any other brand.

    Danielle’s thoughts: Tasc Performance actually came to me earlier this spring to partner up for the first time, and it gave me my first opportunity to try their apparel. I honestly wasn’t expecting to be so blown away by their products! Their clothing is seriously THE most comfortable performance wear I’ve ever worn (due to their bamboo technology)…which makes working out a little more bearable. Not only are these tights perfect for walks & runs, but they double as the ultimate errand-running pants! They have a pocket for your phone so its handy and the tights are thick, so they fit like a pair of skinny jeans. RUN to get you a pair, y’all!



  12. Kary’s Roux

    Price: from $3.25
    Shop: http://www.karysroux.com
    Location: Ville Platte, LA
    About: In 1975, when his son Kary was attending USL, Archange was struck by the idea of marketing a ready-made roux after customers repeatedly asked to buy small quantities from the restaurant. The two teamed up and began to make Kary’s Roux, a traditional dark Cajun roux made from flour and oil. The ready-made roux saves customers time over the stove making roux, and allows them to simply take it out of the jar and add it to boiling water.

    Danielle’s thoughts: Kary’s Roux is a staple in the Granger/Nava households during Gumbo season! My dad taught me everything he knows about Gumbo and through careful watching him through the years, I now know how to make the perfect pot of gumbo. Now, everyone says theirs is the best, but we’ve had countless people tell us Dad’s recipe is the best they’ve ever had–even a Lafayette-born New Orleans chef gave it praises! The secret? Well, I give them all away here. One thing’s for sure–Kary’s Roux makes the best gumbo. Rouxs made from scratch are overrated anyway!

 

There you have it, 2017’s My Favorite {Louisiana} Things! Did some of your favorite local items make the list? Did I miss your favorite? Make sure you comment below so I can start my 2018 list early!

Remember to support your local shops + makers for your last-minute Christmas gifts…and throughout the year!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everyone!

xo-Danielle


Danielle Granger Nava