The Date Night Project x Legacy West

When is the last time you had a Date Night with your boo? Still Thinking…that’s too long.

Sorry not sorry…I am O B S E S S E D with Date Nights. Carlos and I have them weekly. I always say that you should never stop dating. For a long time Carlos and I took Date Nights for granted. We stopped dating. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the everyday hustle & bustle of life, that you forget what date night feels like. I always refer to our period of date "less" nights, as "we forgot how to Dance". So we started going out dancing & "dating" again. Ladies & Gents, Date Nights are our Jam. I am even more in love with them, when they are in our "neck of the woods". So many believe that in order to have a fun date night, you must head to Dallas.

Ummm NOT TRUE #duh.

Times have changed ladies & gents. And there are some cool happenings when you head north on Dallas North Tollway. So much going on like the beautiful & booming Legacy West. Legacy West is a lush urban destination lined with coveted retail, dining, residential, hotel and office spaces. It is the modern neighborhood destination – where you need to be. And I am going to tell you why. Carlos and I recently had the most amazing Date Night there last month. Actually it started with a Date "Day" that led into a Date Night.

Let me upgrade you…

That’s the really cool part about Legacy West. It is the perfect destination for your date day, night or both. Being the home of Renaissance Legacy West Hotel you can certainly upgrade your Date Night to a stay-cation. This is a huge date night do for us, to get a hotel room. One of our other traditions of Date Night is for it to be multi-destination sort-of thing. Something that both of us take turns on planning. I will be honest, Carlos is much better at this then me. I love when I get that text while he is at work saying, "Ok here is the plan…do you like that plan?" It makes my heart smile.

I am a sucker for room service. It’s my happy place, always has been. I remember in the movie Tombstone, Kurt Russel who played Wyatt Earp, asked Josephine what her idea of Heaven was. She replied…Room Service. (A Woman after my own heart.) Let me tell you, Room service at Renaissance Legacy West is M A G I C A L. Carlos had the 44 Farms New York Strip with Cauliflower. I had the 44 Farms Beef Tartare which was the perfect combination of Capers|Shallots|Green Tomato|Parmigiano-Reggiano|Potato Chips. Of-course room service is not complete without Dessert. And a Caramel Mousse Bar was on the menu. Let’s just say our bellies were smiling.

Happy Hour is Every hour…

After spending a little time in our hotel suite, we headed to Earl’s Legacy West to grab a couple of cocktails. I have always been a fan of Earl’s. They are the perfect spot for Happy Hour.. I love a Happy Hour Menu with a beautiful combination of sips & bites. And Earl’s Kitchen + Bar is the MVP in this category.

Carlos had the Black Tea Peach Sour & Don Julio Margarita. I had the Strawberry Rhubarb Fizz (it was pink of course) and the Coconut Mint Margarita. They were all so refreshing and the perfect addition to our evening.

Eat a little…. Eat a lot

I love the subtle reminder on Earl’s Kitchen & Bar on their plates. Let’s just say we did both… our White Truffle Garlic Cheese Bread & Buffalo Cauliflower (V) was to die for. Carlos is not a veggie person and he could not stop eating the Buffalo Cauliflower. All so delicious and fresh. I honestly could not stop dipping the bread in the truffle.

After a few bites we noticed the fireplace on the patio, took our drinks out there. And it really was the perfect setting. Just to chat & catch up on all the things going on. I may or may not of taken Carlos drink. Sorry not sorry.

Still going….duh

Our final destination was Kai Restaurant & Lounge. We sat on the patio that is perfect year round. We didn’t have drinks here…this was "actually" our dinner location, if you can believe it our not. I’m a huge sushi fan. Carlos still thinks California rolls is real sushi. But the best thing about Kai, they have something for everyone on the menu. So we were both very satisfied. The menu is amazing and there are so many delicious choices. But we narrowed down to the Lobster Tempura (Carlos' Fav) I had the Steve Roll and the KAI roll.

This Date Day & Night was perfect. I am a strong believer in Date Nights and always will be. I know that it is very easy to place date nights at the bottom of your priority list. But let's change that today. And to help get you started, we think its only fair that YOU experience what we did. So we are offering one lucky winner the perfect Legacy West Date Night. You will enjoy drinks at Earl’s, dinner at KAI, and a night’s stay at the Renaissance Hotel in their deluxe suite with complimentary room service. Cheers to that, friends! Make sure you head over to your IG page @theimanproject to officially enter. The giveaway will run from Feburay 12-14 and Winner will be announced at 3:00pm on February 14th. Also check out Legacy West week long Valentine’s Day Events.

xoxo,

Bree

I Don't Drink Coffee

Actually I hate coffee. The Coffee cup I am holding here is empty and just a prop. I dislike coffee, just about as much as I dislike the statement:  I would love to meet for coffee so that I can pick your brain. The amount of requests for lets meet for coffee have just gotten out off control over the past few years. And I am not just saying from long time friends, or family members. I mean from people who I have never met. Individuals I have never spoken to on the phone with. People I don't even know their real name. I only know there instagram handle. 

So, why does this statement bother the shit out of me? Because my time & my expertise are valuable. Recently, I read this statement in the New York Post:

Marissa Vicario, a Manhattan-based certified health coach, concurs.

“As my business has become more successful and my public persona has increased, I’ve increasingly received emails from others in my field who essentially want to do the same thing I’m doing. While I love mentoring, I value my time and expertise and have started to charge. I’ve found that those who value my time and expertise are happy to pay the fee,” she explains.

Ladies and Gents, I am running not one, not two...but three different brands. In addition, I am running behind my twin boys who are in school. And each day I get an email that some fundraiser, carnival, cake walk or sing-a-long is happening. And Volunteers are needed because they are "in danger of cancelling" (Yes this is the voicemails & calls I get) Can we say welcome to suburbia? Ok so on top of business and my boys there is my man. Although he doesn't ever say much, there must be quality time with your husband. Date nights are our jam. We love movies, comedy shows, lounges & basketball games. I also love cooking- homecooked meals for my family are a must and they love it to. Oh and wait, there is this little thing called ME TIME. (ME TIME) you know that time where you want to focus on yourself and not feel guilty about it. You want to soak in the tub for just 10 more minutes. Get your hair and nails done. Ignore that phone call or text message. Yes I have to squeeze all this in. All while working on the above. Then after all this I get a DM, message or email saying. "Let's meet so I can pick your brain." Guess what?!? I don't have time for coffee, I don't have time for you to pick my brain. And if I did have time... Guess what? You would not want to pick my brain. 

Wait, it gets better!! People want to be secretive about why they want to meet up. They never really clarify the reason for the meeting. Never really transparent about why they want to get together. I mean are you picking my brain to start your own business? To grow your social media following, for contacts- what? Lunch & coffee is not equivalent to my contacts, expertise and advice, so I have created a service called ‘Pick My Brain’... This service will launch in May and like everything else I do (workshops, farmhouse tables, mama mode, etc) it will be affordable, purposeful and rewarding.

And please don't get me wrong I am all about inspiring the next person and working with an individual who wants to partner together to create something magical. Meeting with someone who is crystal clear about their intentions. And that shows that this "meeting" is not wasting my time or yours. But please remember I hate coffee, and this coffee cup is empty and just a prop.

Xoxo, 

Bree Iman

Rebrand... Relaunch

03.28.18 a date that has been playing over and over in my head. Why? Because today is the day our Rebrand….Relaunch happens!!! Duh!

Boy, have we come a long way! From building in our garage at our home to opening not one but two little shops where we are able to share our handcrafted farmhouse tables & home decor .It’s so funny that not long ago actually June 22, 2015, to be exact. Our tables we were featured in D Magazine under the “Top 5 Coolest/Strangest finds on Local Facebook Garage Sales” We were deemed the fun/funky finds brought to you courtesy of Highland Park Garage Sale. The editor thought I was a genius to put a sheepskin rug on the bench of the farmhouse table. She found out my name put our email so everyone could see… And the rest is history.

So many people have asked why are you rebranding… Why are your relaunching. Well so much has changed since June 2015. Our tables have evolved, our brand has evolved… We have evolved.  On top of that I have always remembered what I had one individual tell me. Always find your WHY…and stick to that. My husband and I have always known why we started building farmhouse tables. We wanted to bring affordable, chic & lasting furniture to all families. No matter whom they were, how they looked or their economic background. But besides this there was another why that with all that has happened and moving so fast that I forgot. The most important why ever. And that was FAMILY…my family to be exact. This time I wanted to make sure that Lavender & Mint Designs represented my family.  That it showed the “modern family” Which is why you see Kai & Kael show so much more. Why you see we have left the rustic look sort of behind. Yet embracing the Modern Farmhouse.

Our family business involves our entire family. From our sons waiting patiently for us to finish building for the evening. Or picking out their favorite color for their own farmhouse table line. From my father helping Carlos with design questions and even my mom assisting with decor ideas. Lavender & Mint Designs is not just Bree & Carlos; it's our entire family. It is you! Which is why we say “Designed by our family... Inspired by yours".

We hope you will enjoy our new look.  Wait, we know that you will enjoy it. So take a look head to the site now. www.theimanproject.com Fall in Love…because we have.

xoxo,

Bree Iman