Date Night on the Northshore: Corks ‘N Canvas

DSC_0353I love going on dates with my husband to New Orleans! We have gone to Saints games, on walks around the French Quarter, and to our favorite restaurants. Occasionally, we have had the opportunity to eat at Drago’s, Ralph’s on the Park, The Melting Pot, or Dick and Jenny’s, to name a few of our favorites. However, we live on the Northshore now, and with 11 month old Nathaniel at home, we are having more and more of our dates on the Northshore. We’ve actually had to do some research on places to go and things to do on the Northshore because before having Nathaniel we were so used to jumping in the car, crossing the bridge, and having many of our dates in New Orleans. Because I thought others might be in the same boat or just wracking their brains for something new to do on the Northshore, I decided to write this series about three date nights Greg and I have had on the Northshore. I hope you find something fun and romantic to do with your significant other closer to home!

For our first Northshore date, we wanted to do something other than dinner or a movie. We had heard many of our friends talk about how fun it was to go to Corks ‘N Canvas, so we decided to go check it out. (While we attended a painting class free of charge at Corks ‘N Canvas, all opinions in this post are my own).

Step 1

The first thing we needed to do was pick a class that suited our schedule and what kind of painting we wanted to do. We visited the Corks ‘N Canvas website for the Mandeville location and found many options. There are weekday and week night options, as well as sessions for two hours and three hours long. The part I liked the most about the scheduling process was having the opportunity to actually see a sample of what you will be painting ahead of time. We chose a two hour session on a Saturday with a painting titled, “Bourbon Blues.” Two hours on a Saturday was much more feasible for scheduling a baby sitter to take care of Nathaniel while we went on our date. We liked the “Bourbon Blues” painting because it matched the colors of our office and continued the New Orleans theme that decorates our entire house.

Step 2

Get there! I was bound and determined that no matter what else was going on, we were going to have our date. We went to a birthday party on the South shore that morning, and still made it to our date on the Northshore that evening. I was tempted get dressed up, (1) because I hardly ever have the occasion to, and (2) because I was going on a date, after all. However, it is highly recommended that you dress comfortably in something you wouldn’t mind getting covered in paint. Therefore, I went with an old t-shirt and rolled up jean capris, and Greg wore an old Hawaiian shirt and cargo shirts. Comfortable and happy, we were ready for our date.DSC_0348

The location was very simple to find, and parking was plentiful. The instructor, Ryan, was happy, laid-back, and, most importantly, put us all at ease about painting regardless of our skill level or experience. According to him, it was a small class, but you could definitely tell it was  a group ready to put aside the world a little while and do something fun and creative. Some of us were obviously on a date, and others were with friends/family members out to have a good time together. Ryan walked us through each step of the painting, and encouraged us throughout the entire process. He was even able to help us fix the mistakes we made, but made sure to let us know that it didn’t have to be “perfect,” and we could go where our creativity took us while painting.

The environment and energy created was the most notable to me. There was music the entire time, and we enjoyed singing along as we painted to some of my favorite “old school” tunes. Greg and I painted, stole a kiss every once in a while, and cheered each other on, although it was very obvious to me that he possesses more artistic talent than I do. During the break, many enjoyed wine and snacks they had brought, but we decided to make it more of a “Java ‘N Canvas” kind of a night. We drank coffee and ate cookies while chatting and enjoying the company of each other without interruption.

Step 3

Decide what to do with your painting, tell friends about Corks ‘N Canvas, and decide to go again whenever you get the chance. Greg and I decided that we would hang one of our paintings in our office because it matches the color and decor. Through this blog post, I hope I am spreading the word and inspiring others to have a date on the Northshore that is both creative and fun. Finally, I definitely know that Corks ‘N Canvas is something that I definitely want to do again!

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Greg and I need your help in deciding which painting to hang in our office in our home. Which one would you choose? Please comment with your vote: either painting #1 on the right, or painting #2 on the left. 

19 COMMENTS

  1. I vote for #1, though it was hard to pick.
    Never thought of date night with Corks ‘N Canvas, what a great idea. My husband is surely the artist in our family but I would be willing to give it a try.

    • Thank you Karen! Yeah, Greg is definitely more artistic, too. But it was really fun. If you haven’t I highly suggest giving it a try.

  2. I love Corks ‘N Canvas…I think I’ve been about 5 times.

    Both pics are great! I think I would vote for #2 on the left. 🙂

  3. In case anyone was wondering…..Greg was the big winner. #2 on the left was his!! I knew he had the artistic talent 🙂

  4. choose the one that’ll hang based on whether you wish to emphasize the sign or the person. I like the slouch of the man on the left. I like the sign and boardwalk of the right. Hang ’em both!

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