Celebrate and Love Yourself: When Mardi Gras Meets Valentine's Day

On Saturday, Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day converge in a big weekend filled with joyful celebration and love. We couldn't have planned better ourselves, honestly. 

When we conceived of Maison Mariann, we knew the company needed to be about more than sparkly things. Not that we have anything against sparkly things. But, we wanted the company and our pieces to have dimension, to be beautiful, well-crafted and, most important, celebratory. Not only the kind of celebration that evokes poppin' bottles with your besties, but also the sort that goes deeper, empowering you and all the incredible and inspiring women in your life to celebrate and love yourselves and one another just the way you are, right now. 

Maybe you’ve been told you’re too much, too loud, too quiet, too pretty, not pretty enough (yes you are), too big (nope), too small (no way), too tall (pfft), too smart (no such thing), too sensitive, too difficult, too ... too ... too whatever — no, you aren't too anything. 

You are incredible and we are in awe of your intelligence, power, ferociousness, capacity to love and your beauty and your strength and, and, and ... 

Yes, you. 

We'll say it again so you don't ever forget: You are incredible and we are in awe of your intelligence, power, ferociousness, capacity to love and your beauty and your strength and, and, and ...

We created this company, and this jewelry, to help you remember. 

Be more.

You deserve more.

You are everything and you deserve every good thing. 

You are worth it.

(Here's a playlist to help when you aren't feeling it.)

We believe women exist to appreciate and be appreciated; celebrate and be celebrated; uplift and be uplifted; empower and be empowered; protect ourselves and protect one another. This isn’t something to be earned; It just is and has always been. Knowing this and practicing it is perhaps more important now than ever before in a world that would have us remain small, “sweet” and silent. 

Remember who you are, always. 

When that's hard, this poem by one of our favorite poets, Nakita Gill, helps us remember:

Difficult Damsels

Not all girls are made of sugar
and spice and all things nice.

These girls are made of dark lace 

and witchcraft and a little bit of vice.

These are daughters made claw first
and story-mad, tiger roar and wolf-bad.

These are women made of terrible tempests 

and savage storms and the untamed unwanted.

These are damsels made of flawless fearlessness
made of more bravery than knights have ever seen.

These are princesses made of valour and poison alike
and they are here to hold court as your queens.

On Valentine's Day (and every dang day), shower yourself with flowers, buy yourself diamonds, love yourself, and the women in your life, better than anyone else. Be more you. Take up more space. See yourself like we see you, Queen. 

Cheers!