Tag Archives: Louisiana fashion blogger

Southern Hotel Charm

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I love the modern furniture mixed with a hint of vintage decor in the lobby and the way light shines through the floor to ceiling windows is simply stunning.

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The red room is by far the coolest spot in the hotel.

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The vintage record player in the master suite actually works and has plenty of records for you to choose from.

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I absolutely love the exposed brick walls in the all of the guest rooms.

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Rarely will I ever share photos of a hotel bathroom, but this one is just so beautifully designed and the morning light shines through so perfectly that I had to show you!

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Photos by: Kaela Rodehorst Photography

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Her Outfit: J Brand Photo Ready Cropped Jeans | Rails Plaid Shirt | Joie Kidmore Sneakers c/o Emmas Shoes | Pink PJ Set

His Outfit: Tailored Slim Khakis | Wingtip Oxfords | Rayban Aviator Sunglasses | Navy half-zip Pullover (Marshall’s) | A huge thank you to my boyfriend, Blake for participating in another one of my blog photo shoots even though he didn’t want to! Such a trooper!

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Travel Bags: Chelsea Weekender & Metro Backpack c/o MZ Wallace (available locally at Emma’s Shoes & Accessories) | Pink Harper Ave Patent Leather Backpack c/o Emma’s ShoesStriped Duffle Bag c/o Barrington Gifts | Warren Backpack c/o Botkier | Personalized Leather Bag Tag c/o Graphic Image |  Jenn Bucket Bag (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration w/ GiGi New York) |

Good Morning readers, today I’m continuing my review on the Southern Hotel in Downtown Covington, LA. In case you missed my first post of their restaurant, Ox Lot 9 you can view it here–>My Perfect Date Night at Ox Lot 9

Just to give you a little history behind the building, the Southern Hotel opened it’s doors to the public on June 1, 1907.  Hotel guests enjoyed hot water, electric lights and carpeting, which were considered luxuries in the early 1900s. Can you imagine considering hot water a luxury? Old Newspaper reports mention the property’s fine china, linens and attentive customer service.  Don’t worry the hotel still maintains those standards with their excellent customer service, pristine fine china, fresh linens and of course hot water! 

During the 1960s, the Southern Hotel closed it’s doors to overnight guests. The building occupied a variety of different businesses including government offices, the St. Tammany Parish Courthouse, a drug store, a florist, a post office, jewelers, and even a Dollar General store! Can you believe the history this hotel holds!

Finally in 2011, two couples purchased the property and began renovations in 2012. The new owners took care in preserving the hotel’s character and charm by keeping most of the original bricks, archways and original layouts of the corridors, which is one of my favorite parts. The hotel’s rich Covington history displayed around the property in pictures, paintings, the exposed brick walls and antique furniture is what really draws me in. Those elements along with its sweet southern charm are just a few of my favorite characteristics of the building.

The Southern Hotel opened it’s doors to overnight guests once again in June 2014.  I actually attended one of the first few weddings hosted in their courtyard that same June. This hotel also holds a special place in my heart because one of my best friends got engaged there this past December. I was there of course witnessing the moment and taking pictures!

During my last stay when shot these photos, we had the pleasure of occupying one of the master suites. We (me, Kaela and Brooke) ended up “politely” sending Blake home and stayed up half the night drinking wine and eating the leftover chocolate strawberries from my Valentine’s shoot earlier that day. The following morning we listened to old records on the vintage record player while enjoying the hotel’s local Abita Roast coffee. Once we finally packed everything up, we regretted sending Blake home because the hotel doesn’t have a bellhop. For most travelers that is no problem, but for someone like me who likes to bring half of her room with her…well, you know. Just picture three girls trying to push an over-stuffed dolly cart down the hall while juggling multiple bags and pairs of shoes in our hands. It was quite the scene, but we got a good laugh and even a workout! Haha!

Make sure to check out our behind-the-scenes video by Brooke Boyd of the Southern Hotel on my YouTube channel here–> Date Night at the Southern Hotel

Ox Lot 9 (985) 400-5663 | Southern Hotel – 428 Boston Street, Covington, LA 70433 (844) 866-1907

Thank you to Ox Lot 9, The Southern Hotel & Socy’all Media for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

DIY Valentine’s Day Morning Ideas!

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Check out my behind-the-scenes video of how to change your bar cart from morning to night for Valentine’s Day! Make sure to click HD for the best quality of the video. Film by: Brooke Boyd

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Photos by: Kaela Rodehorst Photography

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Decor Details: PJ Set  | Hair Extensions c/o Luxy Hair | Gold Moroccan Pouf c/o Lulu & Georgia | Bench w/ Cushion | Gold Heart c/o Dee Keller| Polkadot Pillow | LOVE (Hobby Lobby) | White Tray (Home Goods) 

Gold Bar Cart  Scalloped Cake Stand | Agate Coasters | Rectangle Platter | Cocktail Shaker | 8-bottle Wine Rack | Moscow Mule Mugs | Candy Vessel  Pink & Gold Tassels | Gold China Coffee Mug c/o Chateau En Mae | Milk & Juice Glasses (Target Dollar Section)

Hair by: Rachele Cooper | Makeup by: Melanie Hollander

Good Morning readers, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was full of King Cake, Parades, Gumbo, Bloody Mary’s, mimosas, Crawfish Étouffée and more King Cake. We tend to eat a lot during Mardi Gras or at least I do! Haha! Thank goodness that I’m attempting a juice cleanse with Raw Republic the day after Mardi Gras (Fat) Tuesday!

Anyway, I’m so proud of myself for putting together the most adorable Valentine’s Day breakfast bar cart with a little from my best-friend/life-assistant, Haley of course! Somebody has to keep me in line otherwise I’ll procrastinate and try to throw everything together last minute.

Easy Pink Sprinkled Donuts & Cookies: Have you ever picked out a delicious looking box of pre-packaged colorful sprinkled donuts at the grocery store and they turned out to be awful? I know I have so instead of trusting the grocery store again, I went to the best donut house in town, Butter Krisp and purchased a dozen glazed donuts fresh out of the oven! I let them cool when I returned home and then I smoothed some whipped frosting just over the top of the donuts to make the sprinkles stick.  I chose pink sparkly sprinkles to go with my Valentine’s Day Breakfast theme.

As for my homemade Valentine’s Day Cookies, you don’t want my baking advice! Trust me! My hearts and lips came out looking like footballs and soccer balls the first time I baked them. I had to take the cookie cutters to the already baked cookies again to cut them into the correct shape. Yes, that did do the trick, but I know there is more efficient way to get the job done. I recommend following this recipe via Southern Living–> Heart Cookies- How to

For the rest of my bar cart, I included all of our (me & Blake) favorites like coffee, mimosas, hershey kisses, pink roses and colorful heart candies. I found the little heart bowl at Home Goods and the plastic candy vessel at Target.

Make sure to check back later this week to see the details on how I changed the bar cart from morning to night to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Also, you might want to check out my Gal-entine’s Day post in case you plan on spending Valentine’s Day with your gals!–> Gal-entine’s Day Sleepover

Special thank you to Brooke for putting together this adorable behind the scenes video of my Valentine’s Morning & Night post! Check it out on my Youtube channel here–> DIY: How to Decorate for Valentine’s Day!

Kendra Scott Spring Launch Party Recap

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Photos by: Kaela Rodehorst Photogrpahy

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Outfit: Double Layer Crew Dress | Light Pink Trench Coat | Pumps 

All Jewelry c/o Kendra Scott Avant Garden 

Good Morning readers, today I’m sharing a recap of the Kendra Scott Spring Launch Event that A Pinch of Lovely and I hosted at the Perkins Rowe location a couple of weeks ago. I know it’s still way too cold to even be thinking about wearing spring clothing, but that’s the magic of jewelry. It’s the best way to start slowly incorporating spring colors into your outfits without sacrificing your warm coat. Jewelry is always the perfect type of accessory to help you transition your wardrobe into all new seasons.

The Kendra Scott Spring Avant Garden Collection consists of a beautiful variety of pastel-colored stones, edgy ear jackets and stunning statement pieces to complement all of this season’s top trends. Visit the following posts to see how I styled some of my favorite pieces from the collection: I’m On the King Cake Diet | Part II of My Stay at The Le Meridien | Part I of My Stay at The Le Meridien New Orleans | Gal-entine’s Day Sleepover

Thank you again to everyone who braved the cold and rainy weather than night to make it out to our Kendra Scott Spring Styling Event. If you missed out, you’re in luck because Krystal and I will be back soon for a Spring Styling Happy Hour!

Special thank you to Kendra Scott for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

Introducing The Jenn Bucket Bag for Spring 2015!

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Happy Monday everyone and Surprise!!! Today, we launched the Jenn Bucket Bag in the new colors for Spring 2015! Check out the video below to get a 360 view of the Jenn bag in Desert Rose! Make sure you click the HD button in the bottom right hand corner of the video to see the best quality version of the film.

The Jenn Bucket Bag with GiGi New York Spring 2015 Haute Off The Rack from Brooke Boyd on Vimeo.

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Outfit Details: Jenn Bucket Bag in Desert Rose (designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York) | Krewe Du Optic Julia Sunglasses | Similar Sleeveless Trench Coat | J brand Photo Ready Jeans | iPad Case, 2015 Leather Planner & All In One Clutch c/o GiGi New York

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Outfit Details: Jenn Bucket Bag in Desert Rose (designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York) | Deconstructed Denim | Joie Kidmore Sneakers | Navy Jennifer Blouse c/o Pret a Porter Designs | Ivory Leather Jacket (old)

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Photos by: Kaela Rodehorst Photography

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Designing my very own handbag with Gigi New York has been like a dream come true for me and I cannot thank their team enough for making the Jenn Bucket Bag possible. For more on the design process, check out my interview from when we first launched the Jenn Bag this past fall here–> The Debut of The Jenn Bucket Bag & Jenn Bucket Bag Travels to NYC

Read my interview below for deets on the new colors for Spring 2015!

Describe your favorite feature of the Jenn Bucket Bag.

My favorite feature of the Jenn Bucket Bag is that it has both a short shoulder strap and a removable crossbody strap for convenience. I also love the texture of the embossed python body with the smooth pebble trim for added details.

We love the color Desert Rose for Spring! What made you pick this color from our new collection?

I am obsessed with all things pink right now especially blush! Honestly, I’ve been waiting for this bag in the Desert Rose color since we designed the Jenn Bucket Bag this past fall.

Describe 2 places you think you’ll take the Jenn Bucket Bag in Desert Rose

I have already taken my Jenn Bucket Bag in Desert Rose on a mini staycation at the Le Meridien Hotel in New Orleans and the Southern Hotel in Downtown Covington. I’ve also taken it out to my favorite café, Abita Roasting Co. for coffee and King Cake before running errands. However, I hope to take the Jenn bag on quite a few exciting adventures throughout 2015! So stay tuned for #JennBucketBagTravels!

How do you make this color transition from late winter to early spring?

The Desert Rose color is definitely considered a neutral with its gorgeous blush tone, which makes it super easy to transition into new seasons. The new Harbor Blue color is equally beautiful and can easily fit into the neutral family as well. Lately, I’ve been pairing mine with my distressed denim, ankle boots and my sleeveless trench or ivory moto jacket for a refreshing transitional look that still keeps me warm. Once spring officially arrives, you’ll see me toting around my Jenn bag while wearing espadrilles, cutoffs and beach cover-ups!

We know you have carried the Jenn Bucket Bag (in other colors) for some time now. Do you like the new colors we chose for Spring?

I of course still love my Stone and Navy bucket bags for Spring, but I’m so excited to incorporate these new pastel colors into my wardrobe! Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been waiting for these soft spring pastels since fall.