Annie Sloan in New Orleans (Part 2)

SO while we had the chance to eagerly learn and soak up ALL that Annie Sloan had to teach, we did have a FEW opportunities to eat our way through the Bayou (ok, well maybe it's technically the French Quarters, but Bayou sounds more fun)!!! We barely unloaded our bags when we decided to grab lunch from the famous Acme Oyster House...

Acme Oyster House...need we say more? I suppose we could divulge the fact that itty bitty MJ had an ENTIRE dozen of the ginormous oysters ALL BY HERSELF!!! We had to take a photo next to my hand to show the HUGENESS of these delicacies...

Above: Fried crab claws...Every bite plump with meat and flash fried to perfection...YUMMERS!!

Below: A delicious bowl of seafood gumbo in a bread bowl and a side of andouille sausage!!!

This post is not going to be full of words, "Yum! Oh My! Can you believe all this food?" was mostly topic of each and every meal after talking paint all day...We even found ourselves trying to find Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ colors in every dish... ha ha ha!!! (the lobsters were very Emperors Silk!) We had a lovely time as a group with Kate from Summerfield, NC (Total Bliss) where we proudly house our goods, Terry from Wilmington, NC (Budget Re-Design) and Tawnya from Brentwood, TN (C'est Moi).

Lobster was the special of the night at this eclectic Asian Fusion Bar (Ginger Lime). They had 2 FULL lobsters for $26, so we ordered two plates and split them between the group. We had one plate steamed (above) and one plate hibachi style (below)...Who knew?!?! I know, not very "cajun", but fun none the less!

One thing that Trish went to New Orleans for (besides the chance to meet Annie), was to experience the chance of enjoying a bengeit and latte! So VERY worth the 45 minute wait with the girls who so lovingly waited to keep Trish "happy & quiet". We were able to sit, relax and enjoy the entertainment of the folks on the streets of New Orleans (what a sight that was with laughs and giggles by all)! Fresh hot beignets and warm lattes... HEAVEN in a food... seriously!!!  Nothing like a toast with the powdery sweet mess... certainly FUN times at Cafe Du Monde! 

MJ enjoying sweet heaven!

On the final night of the conference, Lisa at Annie Sloan Unfolded held a first class cocktail party for EVERYONE at conference. It was fun to dress up and enjoy an evening at the most beautiful venue in the Garden District called The Elms Mansion & Gardens. We can't begin to say enough times, THANK YOU LISA RICKERT JOLIE for allowing us the chance to feel like rockstars for a night!

Kate, MJ & Trish (front row, far left) Photo taken by Lisa's crew.

OUR NIGHT WITH ANNIE!!!

Trish eating Fried frog legs...Ewe!

And to end the trip... we had to take home a few fresh Pralines from the streets. Simply put, sugar, butter and nuts! What's not to LOVE in this local sweet treat? We barely had the chance to snap a picture the hot and fresh delicacies. Luckily we did, because they were gobbled up so quick there weren't any left for photos...Oops!!!

So the picture above has nothing to do with food, but it was simply a chance to pose with Annie Sloan and share with our readers. (Luckily I did have my wallet in hand because I had a BIG spill from lunch on my shirt that I was able to hide :)

In the end, we left New Orleans with a pant's size bigger and memories we will never forget. We had been warned my others before we headed out to NOLA, "It's all about the FOOD"... so now YOU'VE been warned!!!

Lastly, these were only snippets of the pictures from ALL the food we actually encountered and places we devoured from... 

Can you imagine???