Wearing in this post: Gingham Shirt (Also love this one, this one and this one.) / Favorite Dark Skinny Jeans / Pearl Necklace (More affordable here.) / Ruffle Sleeve Top (Runs big!) / Kendra Scott Necklace and Bracelet c/o / Similar Cozy Cardigans here, here and here / Booties (But these are my fave and they’re on sale!)

I could never put into words just how much I love being a parent. But truth be told, Mitch and I don’t get a lot of one-on-one time together these days. We do our best: we stay up super late, even during the weekdays, just so we can talk; we wake up early to have coffee together. We spend a solid hour catching up when Mitch gets home from work, and we capitalize on nap time during the weekends. Still, it’s a challenge. We’ve learned, though, that carving out bigger chunks of time for just the two of us is more important than ever.

When Paint Nite–a new kind of painting experience–approached us about attending an event, we were so excited. Sure, a run-of-the-mill dinner date would have been just fine, but Paint Nite sounded like a break from the norm; something we’d remember for a long time.

Reading into it, we learned that the company pairs locals with talented artists and neighborhood bars. No creative experience is required, which was music to our ears. ;) Our host would provide all materials, and we’d receive step-by-step guidance to create our paintings. The next event was being held at Glascott’s Groggery, one of our favorite bars attached to one of our favorite restaurants: Athenian Room. How could we not oblige?!

Before the event, we went out to an early dinner with Emma because as new parents, we still struggle with being apart from her for extended periods of time. ;) We’d just went to Athenian Room the week before, so we decided to live a little and try Athena, a restaurant in Greek Town that we’d heard so much about.

It was fabulous. We really couldn’t recommend it enough! And how incredible are those ceilings?! Restaurants that can trick me into I’m thinking I’m outside in the middle of February in Chicago are my favorite restaurants. (Looking for others? Try Summer House and Old Crow Smokehouse.)

Later, my mother-in-law came to babysat Emma, I changed, and Mitch and I walked over to Glascott’s. We grabbed drinks at the bar, set up shop, and met our host: a hilariously energetic (and talented!) Argentinian woman with a love for American pop music. While waiting for the “event” to start, we chatted with the host for a while, talked with some of the attendees, and caught up with each other.

I can’t even tell you how much we laughed throughout the course of the night. And while there was a whole lot of giggling going on, we found that the experience was truly relaxing, too. I know what you’re going to say: Painting that tree looks challenging! But again, the host walks you through each and every step, and it’s kind of impossible to mess up. And if you do mess up, you just wait until the paint dries and you paint over it. It’s magic paint!

We also loved that this night was so different than our typical date nights. More often than not, we simply go out to dinner, and soon enough, all those experiences become faded memories, blending into dull tableaux. (Anyone catch the 90s reference there?!) This, however, was a night we’ll always remember.

A few notes about our paintings:

  • I decided I wanted green leaves, as I’m counting down the days until Spring. I assumed I get scolded for this, haha, but our host was all in favor!
  • Mitch says his painting is inspired by Magnolia Street, where our first apartment was in Chicago. The cutest. I love my husband, despite how much he made fun of me in his most recent blog post. ;)
  • We’re not sure what we’re going to do with our paintings yet. We have SUCH a tiny house, but Mitch was thinking about hanging them in Emma’s closet, which is actually really big and has a lot of wall space. Could be cute for her to grow up with paintings by Mommy and Daddy in her room?

Anyway, I’m totally inspired to start painting on my own after our experience with Paint Nite. I have no idea whether I could actually create my own painting without the help of an actual artist, but my friend Blair wrote this amazing post a few years ago on how to create abstract art, and I think I’m adding it to my bucket list this year. Our guest room is a never-ending design disaster (I keep changing my mind!), and maybe a giant abstract painting is what it’s missing! I also need to chill, haha.

Want to try Paint Nite? Simply visit the website to find a “bar partner” near you as well as to learn more about the artists and different types of paintings you can create. Paint Nite hosts about 6,000 events each month across the country in over 1,500 cities, so chances are that whenever you are, Paint Nite is close by! And remember: you can take 35 percent off your next experience when you use code “KELLYINTHECITY.” (Offer valid in the United States through 2017.) Paint Nite also makes wonderful gifts! Check out gift card options here.

A huge thank you goes out to Paint Nite for one of the best dates we’ve ever been on! 

Totally adding it to the list. ;)

Wearing in this post: Gingham Shirt (Also love this one, this one and this one.) / Favorite Dark Skinny Jeans / Pearl Necklace (More affordable here.) / Ruffle Sleeve Top (Runs big!) / Kendra Scott Necklace and Bracelet c/o / Similar Cozy Cardigans here, here and here / Booties (But these are my fave and they’re on sale!)

Thank you so much for supporting the partnerships that keep Kelly in the City up and running! PS: You can take 35 percent off your next Paint Nite experience when you use code “KELLYINTHECITY.” Valid in the United States through 2017.

Outside photos by Cassandra Eldridge. <3 Did you hear?! Cassandra is coming back to Chicago!