Engagement Pictures - Megan and Chris

Happy Monday!

Fact: I am not a professional photographer nor do I think I am
Fact: I do not have a $2000 camera with 4 lenses with which I can take the most amazing pictures

Chris, Megan, and I drove up to Afton Villa Garden in St. Francisville yesterday to take engagement pictures...well...I took their engagement pictures. The three of us are not engaged. You know what I'm trying to say. Either way, I never thought the experience would be so much fun. Half of my morning was spent in tears because I was laughing so hard at either Megan trying to change outfits outside, Chris' goofy faces ruining pictures, or just watching the two of them pick on each other. It was great.

I know these are not professional quality, and Beau is going to need to Photoshop the actual pictures she chooses because of lighting issues, but I think I did a pretty good job. The best part (obviously food related) - Chris and Megan treated me to lunch at The Mag...SO YUM.

Tonight in BR...

We better see you in downtown Baton Rouge tonight for Live After Five! This is my first year going because in years past, I was always tending bar at Hello Sushi, so I'm suuuper excited about this year. And what a way to kick off my first time...I just realized Bag of Donuts will be playing. They're one of my favorite 80's - 90's cover bands, and they always put on a GREAT show.

Beau and I will be down there meeting up with a bunch of our friends, and we'd love to see you, too! It starts at five in downtown BR (222 North Blvd.). Get there as soon as possible - parking can be a little tricky.

Cheers!

Bailey's and a Ding Dong

Have you ever seen Legally Blonde? Okay - silly question. Do you remember the scene in the end where Brooke is in jail and has to admit (by whispering) to Elle that she's had liposuction. "I mean, it's not like normal women can have this ass!" Well - assume I'm whispering this to you right now.

Hey - don't judge. I don't know where it came from, but I have an intense sweet tooth, and sometimes anything will do. In this case...a Ding Dong (in whisper). This was after a delicious meal at MawMaw's (Jeri's mom) house - I don't exactly, but homemade spinach ravioli comes to mind. Either way, after I NEEDED something sweet and all she had was a box of Ding Dongs - for the younger cousins.

Whatever - no shame. I enjoyed the crap out of it with 2 glasses of Bailey's. Gotta love it!

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!

TMN @ The Foyer

Happy Monday! It certainly is for us. Today, I'll be signing a lease with The Floyer, an place where artists, interior designers, and dealers can rent spaces to sell their products (next to Juban's in Baton Rouge - Perkins/Acadian)! In the Foyer, we'll be renting a space where we can house and sell our custom Annie Sloaned furniture, artwork, and graphic design products (including packs of stationary, cards, and other misc paper goods).

We're so excited and will keep you posted on the progress we make in terms of moving in. Hopefully, once we get set up, we'll have a little cocktail/browsing hour!

Homemade Scones...from a pack!

Okay - this is not the Friday Find that I originally intended to blog about this week. I couldn't give that post as much time as I would have liked, so I decided to delay it.

This one is pretty cool, though. When I went home for Easter, Jeri served these scones for breakfast one morning, and I instantly fell in love. They're made by Barista Baking Company, and from what I understand, you can pretty much pick them up anywhere...including Walmart. I haven't tried the chocolate ones, but both the blueberry and almond are delicious! (Almond is my favorite). I love them because for some reason, I feel super fancy when I eat them. Pair it with a cup of coffee, patio dining, and your family, and you have the BEST BREAKFAST EVER!

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!

Cool Cucumber/Chickpea Salad

This is exactly what I need after my beach trip (which was filled with beer, chips, cheese dips, and...this is hard to get out...McDonald's. SHAMEFUL, i know!!) To counteract all that polysaturated fat, hereis a simple recipe for a light and super healthy salad that would go great with a grilled chicken breast or portabello mushroom. On top of that - the whole thing costs under $7 to make!

Cucumber/Chickpea Salad (serves 2)
 - 1 cucumbers (not peeled) chopped
 - one can chickpeas (strained)
 - 1/4 red onion diced
 - handful of cilantro chopped
 - salt/pepper
 - one lime (squeezed)
 - 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar (add more if you'd like)

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 :)

Thank You

Thank you for being so patient! I've been traveling between San Francisco for work and Florida (okay, actually Alabama) for a beach vacation, and obviously I took a little time off from TMN. (BTW, it was an awful decision - I missed you guys!)

Starting tomorrow, posting will resume as normal. To make up for missed time, it's going to involve Jeri's corner!!

A New Life

Don't you love how after a long, bitter winter, the your plants and trees somehow find a new life in Spring? The new buds, leaves forming, and the fresh sprout of something new. Well, we hardly had a "long, bitter winter" but nonetheless, my yard is still coming back to life. I'm ITCHING to start pulling from my rosemary and basil plants!

Well this will be my last post for a few days. I'm headed off to San Francisco early Monday morning for a work trip. Not only MY company, but also my client's company are located in the bay area, so I was asked to fly out for a meeting then to visit our client (plus a few more) during my week there.

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend, and I'll talk to you soon!

The Villa Marre Invite

Above is an invitation that Beau created for the reopening of The Villa Marre. I've copy and pasted some info from their website below - no use in reinventing the wheel! This was such an honor for us to participate in, and the invite is a great piece in our portfolio. I think Beau did a great job - especially with the hand-drawn house. To request information about invitations for YOUR even, please don't hesitate to ask; just email us at TheMendedNest@gmail.com

"The Villa Marre rose to fame as the offices of the Sugarbaker Design Firm from the long running hit television show “Designing Women”. The show was fictionally based in Atlanta, Georgia and filmed in California, but the house can be seen in the opening credits, as well as, some cameos during various episodes. Having gone through years of neglect, The Villa Marre has made a comeback befitting her original beauty.

The Villa Marre is now open to the public allowing everyone to experience the beauty and grandeur of years past. We offer the grand lady to you and your guests to enjoy this spectacular home as something more than what it was intended. The home is beautifully appointed with a feel and luxury of years past but upgraded with modern amenities. Not only a perfect setting for a beautiful wedding and reception, but also spacious enough for meetings giving you a truly unique and enriching experience."

Corporate: Whether it be board meetings or a luncheon for a couple of your colleague, we have the capability of seating up to approximately 150 people using round tables. If you are in the market of hosting a standing cocktail party, that number grows exponentially. The Villa Marre is the perfect setting for a corporate party when a beautiful and unique environment is needed.

Social: Our venue is unlike any other in Little Rock. We look forward to celebrating your birthday party, baby shower or holiday event. Whether you need the entire venue or just a couple of rooms, we can make your event dreams a reality.

Weddings: Every lady dreams of her perfect wedding when she is a young girl. A beautiful castle with her very own Prince Charming. We may not be able to provide the prince, but we will provide the perfect castle-like setting for a fairy tale wedding of your dreams. We can accommodate a complete wedding including the reception, or both parts. Either way, we will help you achieve your dreams of the ideal wedding. Give us a call now to reserve this beautiful home for your big day.

Portraits: The Villa Marre is the perfect setting for memorable photos that last a lifetime complete with a beautiful room exclusively for the Bride to relax and prepare for the big event. Not to mention The Villa Marre is also available for other types of portraits, including family and senior portraits.

Catering: To make planning your next event easier, we have decided to use an exclusive caterer for all the events at The Villa Marre. Catering Creations, one of the best around in our opinion, always does a fantastic job. They are very easy to work with and can be contacted at www.wecateryou.com or by phone at 501.372.0700.

Round 'em Up - Food Trucks in BR

Things to know (info from brwroundup.com)

What is a food truck?
A food truck is a mobile venue that sells food... like a restaurant-on-wheels. Some trucks cater to specific meals, such as the breakfast truck, lunch truck or lunch wagon, and snack truck or break truck.

What is a wroundup?
The BR Wroundup is a gathering of Baton Rouge's food trucks (and a bunch of hungry people) in one location. Its good food, good music, and good people all in one place.

Finally! Food trucks are starting to catch on in Baton Rouge, and I am loving it. For some reason, their food just seems SO MUCH better than their brick and mortar counterparts. I'm lucky because I work on LSU South Campus...sort of (If you've been here, you know why). However, since hundreds of people work here, it is a popular parking spot for a lot of the BR Food Trucks. Therefore, I'm kind of the Food Truck expert...and I have to pant size to prove it! They are ALL incredible for different reasons, so If you're ever passing one, you BETTER stop!!

These pictures were taken in the parking lot next to Calandro's on Government St. during one of the Wroundups. Trucks that participated this Wroundup: Curbside, Three Bones, Taco de Paco, Ignatius Reilly's, and Cuban Connection. Yum! Make sure to check out brwroundup.com for info about the next wroundup!