Olive

Jeri's Corner! (It's been a while)

Every year, Jeri (my mom for those who are unaware) makes these olives and gives them out as little gifts to a few of her friends to enjoy with cheeses...or in a martini. It's fairly quick and easy to make and who doesn't appreciate homemade gifts (other than some spoiled little brat probably named Chloe or Connor #nooffense).They're so effing good, I cannot even begin to explain. They're great for any occasion, though - not just holidays. For example, try making them for an office party or birthday gathering. DISCLAIMER: they leave your breath less than desirable.    

So here's what you do:

1. Drain one jar of olives (keep the juice)
2. In a separate (cuter) container, layer the following:
 - 1 10-ounce jar large green pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives
 - 4 fresh oregano sprigs
 - 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
 - Juice 2 whole lemons (slice third and add to container)
 - 10 whole black peppercorns
 - 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 - add as much of the original olive juice that you can fit in the jar
3. Let this marinate over night and ENJOY the next day!

What's in the Box? (Walkovers)

"What's in the Box" is the newest category for TMN. Just like Jeri's corner, every so often, I am going to feature something brought to my attention by my uber-fashionable buddy, Patrick Box. Patrick is know for his exorbitant shoe collection, so I thought it would be appropriate to start there. Shoes.

As soon as he got these in and he sent me a picture, I instantly fell in love. Walkover is a super chic brand that produces some kick ass kicks and I want ALL of them. Unfortunately. I'm neither rich nor anywhere close sooo....I'll have to do like Patrick did and wait for some deals on Gilt. Totally worth the patience. These shoes are GREAT!

Mended Furniture - All White

 

 

 

Annie Sloan's Old White, that is. My friend, Johnny's mom asked me to redo a small table she had, so I (of course) accepted. It came to me a little beat up and kind of a funky dark green. It wasn't bad at all, but I knew I could make it even better. Per her request, I'm only using one color - Old White. Last night, I started applying all the waxes, and hopefully I'll be sharing the finished product with you tomorrow. Keep reading!

Men's Fashion - Burlap Keds

I juuust got these in from Keds.com, and I love them! They're the burlap or "Heavy Weave" style Keds, and I couldn't be more satisfied. I've owned burlap TOMs before, but those fell apart pretty quickly. Even though I've only had these for a few days, I can already tell that they'll hold up much much better.

What I like about these Keds, as well as most other styles, is that they're subtle but still fun. It usually takes people a second to realize they're Keds, but once they do the reactions always the same: "Oh I love Keds! I used to wear the red/blue/white ones growing up!" I got these on double sale and they were only $19 with free shipping. Umm..yeah. I'll take 'em!

Bonobos!

"We started Bonobos to solve a simple problem: men’s pants just don’t fit well. They’re either too tight to be comfortable or too baggy to look good. But by innovating in a few key areas, we’ve developed a fit that actually looks and feels great for a wide variety of men."

Simple enough, right? I'd say so, and beyond pants, they've created great fitting jeans, shirts, sweaters, and suits. Other than the fit, I love the detailing on their clothing - specifically the shorts' back pockets. You can see in the first picture, how just a touch of the inside pocket detailing comes through when you have the pants on. You'd be surprised, but people notice...so I guess if you don't want people staring/commenting on your butt you maybe shouldn't wear them?

Check out their AMAZING shorts and everything else here. (and as a side note - I find that their shorts tend to run a tad small)

Wine Bottle Cover - Repurpose

Have you need these before? They're like slip covers for your wine (often times monogrammed) and are PERFECT if you're serving cheap wine at a fancy party. It's also great to hold a bottle of red that you've started, but haven't quite finished. It's much better than looking at just the bottle sitting on your counter.

Since I actually don't really know what it means to "have left over wine", I wasn't using my slip cover as often as I should. However, I loved the shrimp on it, so I wanted to think of I way I could display it at all times...without it just holding an empty bottle of wine. Then it hit me. I just slipped my bottle of olive oil in there and now keep it on the counter at all times. It's an exact perfect fit, and I think it looks great. Perfect!

Wedding Invite: Judith and John

Beau's long time friend, Judy is getting married, and she asked for our help with the design services, and obviously, we couldn't be happier! We tossed around a few ideas and decided on a few things: Victorian Lilac for the font color for the names, a simple, elegant design, and a simple rose drawing. I think Beau did an excellent job executing all of these requests.

We just received the invite the other day, and it look amazing in person. We did not do the printing so we don't have the specs, but it looks like she went with a felt weave texture for the paper. I love it!

Remember: We provide custom invites for weddings, showers, bitrhdays, and parties, as well as stationary, thank you cards and many many more things. If you're interested in paper by The Mended Nest, please email us at TheMendedNest@gmail.com!

Jeri's Corner - Orchid

Hello!! OMG I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to be back in BR (...and I never thought I'd be saying that!) I missed Beau, Duke, and Cooper SO MUCH!

Let's get right back into the swing of things with a Jeri's Corner post! Before I left for San Fran, I spent Easter in Covington with my parents and brothers. While I was there, I snapped a few pics for future JC posts - which is hilarious because she always complains that I can't just enjoy a visit; I always have to "work"!

Orchids are slowly becoming my mom's "thing". (Better than cats, right? Her house has a TON of natural light, so orchids so really well there. Consequently, they're in almost every room. In particular, I wanted to share the first two pictures with the white orchid.

I thought this was such a good idea; she used an antique bowl (for lack of a better and probably more appropriate term) as a holder for the orchid. Even though it's already a classy flower, it dresses it up so much and looks so much better than using a clay pot or what it comes in from the store. This was gifted to her by one of her good friends, Elinor, and I thought it was such a better use for it rather than simple displaying it. Then add the fact that it's monogrammed...LOVE IT!

Side note - there's a specific candle holder that works just as well. Tall you about it later :)

Custom Stationary - Adrienne

It's FRIDAY! I cannot wait for this afternoon; Beau and I are heading down to New Orleans for the weekend to attend out friends', Elizabeth and Miles wedding. We'll be posting about it next week - not only will be wedding be beautiful, but Beau designed all the paper for it!

Speaking of paper...this is an example of The Mended Nest's custom stationary. A wonderful woman (obviously named Adrienne) approached us about creating some simple custom all-purpose stationary. After discussion and different options, this is what Adrienne finally chose: Her name coupled with a custom artichoke. Simple and classic - I love it! It's hard to tell by the pictures, but Adrienne went with an elegant and "heavy" off-white linen paper. The design is tasteful, but the paper really helps bring it to life.

Let us create YOUR custom stationary! We can do everything from small children's designs making it as wacky and fun as possible OR something more suitable for adults. If you're interested, email us at TheMendedNest.com!

For Sale! - Custom Artwork

Happy Hump Day!

This is a one-of-a-kind art piece created by Beau Moss. Right now, it's "hanging out" in our office, but we're trying to sell it to a new owner soon! This is a decoupage and paint hybrid with funky colors and tons of excitement. I'd hate to see it go, but I'm really hoping it'll find a fun home.

Also, If you're a restaurant/gallery/store owner, we'd love to display this on your walls until it sells(for a % of sale price, obviously) If you're interested, please email us at TheMendedNest@gmail.com!

Camembert Cheese Log Crescent Rolls (Recipe)

Wanna bite?
Beau and I are working on a friend of our's wedding invites, RSVP cards, and programs, and the other night we had her over to go over paper samples (and drink wine). By no means were we expecting this, but Katie, the bride, was thoughtful enough to bring with her a DELICIOUS homemade appetizer:...wait for it...baked brie! (served on a cute platter and with a beautiful cheese knife - both a present for us) BTW - want to impress someone? That's one way to do it. Kudos, Katie!

OMG it was so good. I'm embarrassed to say that (mostly thanks to me) the majority of it was gone by the end of the meeting. So how to make it? Read below...

Camembert Cheese Log Crescent Rolls:
1. Spread butter around a 9" round pan.
2. Lay out crescent rolls (flat) and add cheese (Brie in this case) in the middle. Tip: try breaking apart the cheese.
3. Roll up the sides of the crescent rolls around the cheese
4. In a separate bowl, whisk one egg and 1 tsp of water, spread over cheese
5. Bake for 15 minutes @ 350
6. Melt one stick of butter (oh hey, Paula) and mix in a 1/2 cup brown sugar, and pecans. Spread over dish

Easy enough, right? and it's SO, SO good!
Thanks, Katie!

Friday Finds - Capri Blue Candles

Is there an Anthropologie near you? There should be. Why? Because you NEED this candle. The brand is Capri Blue and the scent in Volcano (one of my favorites). Usually, the candle comes in a blue container, but Beau found the scent in in Mercury glass jar at Anthropologie In Perkins Rowe. I love it. The best part is that the candle actually serves it's purpose. There's nothing more annoying than buying a candle with a great scent that does absolutely nothing when lit. This candle's scent will fill up your entire house...if it's 1200 sq.ft. like mine.

Happy Friday!

Kathy, Corn Dogs, and Tacos

Last night, Beau and I drove down to New Orleans to go see Kathy Griffin live!! For those who don't know, she's an Emmy award winning comedian who primarily jokes about celebrities...and her alcoholic mother. She is hilarious (I suggest you YouTube her if you've never heard of her). Beau bought these tickets a while back for a Christmas present for me - how lucky am I?

So, yesterday I left work a few hours early, picked Beau up from the house, warmed up some corn dogs (yes, you read that correctly), and we got in Baton Rouge traffic en route to NOLA! Since we left early enough, we met up with our friend, David, and had a snack at The Rum House - this really cool little place on Magazine St. If you're in the New Orleans area and haven't tried this place, I highly suggest you do. One part of the menu are just tacos, where you can mix and match all different kinds for ~$3 per taco. Since I was full from the corn dogs, I only had two, but I will be back for more!

Afterward, we met up with my good friend, Joe to watch Kathy! She did not let us down - we all had tears from laughter. All in all, it was one of the best Christmas presents ever!

Christmas at the Caragliano's (Jeri's Corner)

Hello! How was your Christmas? I hope everyone had a great time! As Beau and I were driving home from Lake Charlesl last night, crawling through 3 hours of traffic, we both agreed that this was one of our best Christmases ever. In years past, Beau and I always separated for Holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc., but this year, we decided it was time to stick together and split them up between families. Since my parents got Thanksgiving, we visited Beau's families for Christmas. However, because Beau's very pregnant sister, Laurel, is in New Orleans (which is where his mom and stepdad spent Christmas), I was able to sneak in one night on the Northshore at Jeri and Frank's before heading to the Jenkin's (Beau's sister's family).

We got into Covington Thursday night and left Friday afternoon, so it was a very brief visit, but a great one none the less. We all sat around in the living room (MawMaw included) chatting, laughing, sipping on wine, and enjoying a delicious creamy salsa soup with fresh avocado and cilantro on top. (Recipe coming soon!) Afterwards, we exchanged presents and then sat down for a lasagna supper. Jeri and Frank did a good job this year! Beau and I loaded up on some much needed goodies, but the two gifts in the pictures above I thought were so cute that I couldn't help but share: a little mended nest complete with a tiny "duck egg blue" egg that Jeri picked up from a shop on Lee Lane - Best. Street. In. Covington. She also gave us another cute nest with a little bird candle. Instant obsessions with both, and they're already in our new office!

Jeri's corner time: all around the house were these small arrangements filled with tree trimmings, red berries, and leaves from various plants and trees around the yard creating these mini homemade Christmas bouquets. Where she finds the time, I'll never know, but I'm glad she does because I secretly look forward to these little guys all year. I've never seen her do this, but this year she stepped it up: she took a large vase, filled it with water and trimmings from their tree, wrapped it with burlap, and created a DIY dining room table centerpiece! Jeri's funny: she'll decorate for Fall, but not Halloween, Easter, but no bunny, and Christmas, but no Santa. I love that. This is NOT a blanket statement, but a lot of the Santa decorations tend to be cheesy and not cute. Jeri will decorate with tree trimmings, angels, mangers, and other various DIY decorations and keeps the tacky out of Christmas. I want to be JUST like her!