Congratulations to my beautiful cousin, Lianne and her amazing fiancee, Doug! This past weekend, I went home to my parent's to enjoy a quiet weekend at home, but I was QUITE surprised to walk into an engagement party. It was actually pretty comical. Since it was a complete surprise, there were no cars in my parent's driveway. I walked into my house in work out clothes (sleeveless tee and all), glasses on, looking down, and on the phone and stop when I see more people than usual (not to mention the banner ("Congratulations Doug and Lianne") and food arrangements). I was so embarrassed, but whatevs. I took a quick shower, reintroduced myself to everyone, and got to drinking some champagne!
I don't want to share too much info about the actual engagement to preserve it's integrity, but just know that it was beautiful. I'm so happy for them both! Congrats!
It's been a while since I've done a fashion post; hopefully, this one won't disappoint. Now that summer is here, tank tops and slip on shoes (perfect for the pool) is what you'll see me in every weekend. Those two things are the easiest items to throw on with a swim suit before heading out to the pool for a day of tanning and day drinking (clearly, the goal is to get as close to sorority girl wasted as possible).
Keeping this general outfit, but substituting the swimsuit for a pair of fitted, cuffed jeans, transforms this look into a perfect out-for-a-few-drinks-probably-at-a-mexican-restaurant outfit. Key points: keep the tank top loose. Too tight and it gets a little Jersey Shoreish. Cuff the jeans once or twice. No one likes a man in Je-pris (jean capris). If you want to be a total hipster, take an Instagram pic - don't wear jeans that look like they were painted on.
Shirt: Target
Jeans: J.Crew
Shoes: Vans
Again, sorry for the Instagram pics...just bear with me until I get a camera! These are some sneak peek pics of a new wine bar/restaurant, BLEND, that's going to be opening in downtown BR. I don't want to say too much, yet. However, I'll be there on the opening night, so I'll be making a full post on it then. The owners were kind enough to show us around after we all went to Little Village after Megan's birthday, and even though it's still under construction, I can tell it's going to be awesome.
The look and feel from the lights made from wine barrels to the industrial wine racks to the most amazing wall paper EVER are going to make this place Baton Rouge's newest hot spot. Can't wait!
Last night, an intimate group of friends were treated to dinner for my friend, Megan's Birthday at one of my FAVORITE Baton Rouge Restaurants: Little Village. Located on the corner of 3rd and Main, this Italian restaurant is a perfect spot to grab a few drinks with friends...or go on a date. Obviously, it's great for small groups like last night, as well. If you've been before, you know I only need to say two words: VILLAGE BREAD. Omg, it's probably my favorite thing on the menu. Of course, last night a had an effing salad with salmon...now that I have to care what I look like. Either way, we had a blast, and afterwards got a sneak peak at a new restaurant/wine bar that's opening up in downtown BR. The owners are good friends with the birthday girl, so they were happy to show us around and give us a few wine tastings.
PS - Please excuse the Instagram pictures. I'm left with no camera for the time being, so until I can pick one up, I'm going to have to go a little hipster for a while.
Cheers!
Vacation: A time for relaxation and reflection. I cannot say that this past week has been a "vacation" for me, but I have had a lot of time to sit back, relax, and reflect on my life for the past few years. A lot is going to change for me in the near and distant future, and I'm excited to bring you along for the ride. The Mended Nest is currently under construction, but I look forward to talking to you very soon.
Thank you for for patience over this past week while I...had to figure a few things out. Make sure to keep reading for more Annie Sloan projects, DIY projects, creative ideas, as well as all the other random topics you've (hopefully) grown to love.
I'll leave you with the beginning of my following prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
I've mentioned this earlier, but recently Beau and I transformed one of our guest bedrooms into a home office/studio space. Since the dogs pretty much took over the other guest bedroom, we still needed a place where our guests could sleep. Our solution was this sofa from IKEA. (I was going to share the link, but I actually can't find it).
I love the color - it's neutral, but not boring at all. it almost has a linen look to it. Best part of all...the bed part is actually very comfortable. Remember to use Love Blue Bag if you're going to order one!
So what do you think?! This is a dresser that I've recently refinished using Annie Sloan's paints and waxes. For this piece, I used Louis Blue and Pure white to get a French antique inspired look. (The before pictures are obviously the ones at the bottom lol) I love it!
This item is for sale, and you can see it in person at The Foyer (corner of Perkins and Acadian). Remember, if you're interested in having a piece of furniture refinished by The Mended Nest, please email us for a quote at themendednest@gmail.com!
Wow...it feels like forever since I've posted about food; I've kind of missed it. A lot of the reason is because I haven't had time to make anything worth blogging about. It seems like all we've been eating recently is chicken and salad...and there's only so many variations of that receipt that I can show you guys. It's one of our ways to attempt to get beach ready for the summer. Well, that AND the fact that Beau has now started to work out every single morning AND go running in the afternoon. #getalife.
I'm sure it's no surprise to you that having Shrimp Étouffée for dinner was totally out of the norm and totally delicious. As he promised over the weekend, our friend, Cody came over and prepared this meal for us - what a treat! (Especially since I didn't have to cook at all.) I've had a million variations of this meal, and I have to say, I was QUITE impressed with Cody's. What I really loved about his was that it was subtly spicy. You know what I mean? The spice wasn't overbearing, but you could definitely feel it between bites. Thanks, Cody!
I don't have his specific recipe, so see here for a general Shrimp Étouffée recipe I found online.
So here is the first look at our space in The Foyer! What do you think?! We still have a ton of work to do, but i think it's coming along very nicely. I'll be blogging about this in more detail, but I'd like to thank Tyler Bascle and our friend, Lou for contributing to the space. Tyler is a very talented local artist who will have constantly have a wall space in The Mended Nest booth (you can get a sneak peek at some of his art in the pictures above starting with the Elephant painting). Lou will also be helping us out by essentially being our free lance buyer for TMN (check out the lamp and office chair).
I think it's a great start, and I'm SO SO excited to watch it grow. Plus - my dining room no longer looks like the picture directly above!
Love this!
What can I say? It's my favorite color. BYE.
Duck Egg Blue
Clear then dark waxed (removed excess dark with the more clear)
I LOVE pulls and knobs. They can literally transform a piece of furniture to something modern, antique, country, or whatever else you're looking for. I collect a ton from Anthropologie or World Market, but I need YOUR help. Please email or comment on this post on other places where I can find fun and unique knobs and pulls. I'm so sick of the same ones and I know there are place all around Baton Rouge or online where I'm not looking.
Hope to hear from you! (themendednes@gmail.com)
