Just Perfect

Earlier this month, my friend Corin and I attended an event at the DC Room and Board where we met Deborah Needleman, former Editor-in-Chief of Domino Magazine and author of the new book "The Perfectly Imperfect Home."

On Amazon

This is my new favorite home decor/coffee table book (followed closely by the Domino Book of Decorating). In it, she offers great advice and realistic ways "normal" people can make their home a special, happy, and comfy place. My favorite aspect of the book is the beautiful illustrations by Virginia Johnson. I mentioned that to Deborah when we met her and she said she wanted to do illustrations instead of photographs because she wanted to convey ideas, not just provide sources for people to "copy." The paintings are based on photos of real rooms, but I like them so much better as illustrations.

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An excerpt from an interview with her on Martha Stewart's website:

In the article in our November issue, you talk about “jollifiers”–sentimental things that spread a little joy every time you see them. What are some examples of jollifiers in your home right now?
Now the easy fun bits! Animal figures are always super jolly. I’ve got a small leather cow my husband and I bought in Paris (so nice memories, too), cartoon figures drawn by son on the fridge, a collection of ceramic objects made by my husband in the 7^th grade (a glazed doughnut that opens like box, a whale spouting water) on the bookshelf, a plaster cast of my daughter’s hand mixed in with nice objects on the coffee table. I could go on and on. I love having little talismans around that are meaningless to anyone but me.

Corin and I with Deborah - she was super nice!

"Make your home as comfortable and attractive as possible and then get on with living." - Albert Hadley (found in the book)

A display at Room and Board. I would love to set up bookshelves like this behind the couch in our living room.

I recommend this book as a great holiday gift for anyone who recently moved or is interested in home decor and happiness!

Here's The Skinny...

... and in a rainbow of vibrant hues. Brightly colored skinnies - mostly in the denim or corduroy variety - are everywhere I look, and I want them all.

1. Delia's Low-rise Jegging $44.50  2. Anthro AG Stevie Cords $168  3. American Eagle Jegging $44.50  4. J Brand Skinny at Anthro $176  5. Vince Crop Skinny at Barneys $195  6. blank nyc skinny jeans at Madewell $88  7. J.Crew Vintage Matchstick Cord $79.50 8. Forever 21 Destroyed Skinny Jeans $24.90

There's no better time of year to light up like a Christmas tree. And with all the ways I've seen people wearing bright pants lately, they're more versatile than you would think. How are you adding cheer to your winter wardrobe this year?

fun holiday card from mr. boddington

Texas Caviar

Over the weekend we (ok, Henry) made this easy, delicious, and healthy "dip". I got the recipe from my mom, and I think it's actually a weight watchers recipe. It takes 5 minutes to throw together, and it tastes fresh and delicious! We usually eat it with Baked Tostitos. If you need a quick app to throw together before someone stops by, this is a great option!

Texas Caviar:
One 15oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
One 11oz. can of corn with sweet peppers (I've used plain corn too, works just the same)
One medium red pepper, finely diced
One lime, juiced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Just throw it all in a medium bowl together and enjoy!

IHWSH - Christmas Tunes

To celebrate the "official" start of the Christmas Season, this week's "I'll Have What She's Having" is a list of our very favorite holiday albums.  We highly recommend any of the music below to get you into the Christmas spirit!

Katie's Favorites: A Very "She & Him" Christmas, Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas, Mariah Carey Merry Christmas II You, Sugarland Gold and Green

 Jayne's Favorites: N'Sync Home for Christmas, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, Kathy Mattea Good News, Lee Ann Womack The Season for Romance

So Much to be Thankful For

I hope you enjoy doing this today:

print via Etsy

Dac and I are making the drive to Richmond today (the big Dickman family Thanksgiving is tomorrow afternoon). You can count on it that I will be taking advantage of the first acceptable day to listen to Christmas music on the drive (and I guess that means forcing Dac to listen to it, too). I'm so excited to spend Thanksgiving with my fam - just wish Katie and Henry could be there! 

A couple quick Turkey Day-related things I wanted to share...

A stunning Thanksgiving table - image via Pinterest.

Some sweet little notes that you can download and print for free. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Artsy-ish

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I don't consider myself to have many artistic abilities. I think that I have good ideas and big plans, but often have trouble executing them in the way I had in mind. These two "paintings" (I'm using the term very loosely here), are examples of my big dreams falling a little flat. I thought if I put them here on the blog, some genius readers might have suggestions to improve the pieces.

We are in desperate need of large, inexpensive but super cool stuff to hang on our walls. (See here for another attempt at making it myself.) I bought some white canvases and some acrylic paints and gave it a shot:

Painters tape, duh.

In our bathroom

And in the guest bathroom:

Anyone have suggestions for making these a bit less fartsy? Particularly the first one, please. Or any other art ideas for less-than-talented artists like myself?

Burger vs. BRGR

The theme of this past weekend was Burger Battle - Dac and I were on a mission to test out a couple of the acclaimed best burgers in the KC area to see if they measured up to our favorite in Dallas - Village Burger Bar. So here is what happened in Burger vs. BRGR (yes, we ate at two burger joints in one weekend...fat):

1. Westport Flea Market
We went for the hole in the wall place on Friday. The atmosphere is nothing special, but we enjoyed the local bar feel and eclectic mix of people. The food experience didn't start off well... they got both of our orders wrong. We heard others complaining of the same thing. But, turned out it didn't matter, because the burger was AMAZING. One of those that you know is just super bad for you - it just melts in your mouth. The curly fries were, meh, just ok. We will definitely be going back - have a feeling I will crave that burger every once in awhile. I think this is my Jake's (another Dallas fav) of Kansas City.

images via yelp

2. BRGR Kitchen

I originally heard about BRGR from A Piece of Toast - another sisters blog (they are from Kansas City and now live in Dallas...weird huh?!). When we walked in, the vibe/decor already had me feeling like this was going to be my new VBB - but the menu/food was what really won us over.. They serve a wide variety of beers in cans which we thought was cool (bottle options too). The waitress recommended the Juicy Lucy - their most popular burger, probably because the cheese is stuffed in the middle of the burger. I went with that one, and Dac got the traditional BRGR. When mine came, they warned me to cut into it first or I might shoot Dac in the eye with the cheese. So much goodness was wrapped in and around that burger. It was heaven. I don't think a fattening meal has ever been so worth it. And the sweet potato fries were perfect too, which scored even more points for BRGR. 

images via BRGR

If it wasn't already obvious, BRGR Kitchen was the clear winner to us. We will be taking all visitors there. Have you had a good burger lately?

The Internet Has Jokes

So I rounded a few of them up:

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IHWSH - Thanksgiving Feast

With Turkey Day less than a week away, it's time to start planning how you will present that Thanksgiving feast you're preparing. So just in case you're still on the hunt, this week's I'll Have What She's Having features the serving/tabletop items we would use if we were hosting this year:

Katie's Picks:
1. Flocks & Herds Napkin Rings
2. Gold Brushed Bowls
3. Be Thankful Dish
4. Bronze Age Flatware

Jayne's Picks:
5. Dessert Plates
6. Bakers with Cork (built-in trivet!)
7. Pumpkin Casserole
8. Turkey Gravy Boat

I Guess I Like Stuff That's Madewell

I'm working on putting together my Christmas wish list - a task that is ever so much more complicated thanks to Pinterest, because there are one MILLION things I want - and I find that I keep going back and adding more and more items from Madewell. It seems they have even MORE stuff I want now that I'm not in Dallas anymore where there is a store (sigh, I miss Northpark). I will say that Madewell is the only store (ok, other than IKEA) that I love that I can't find here in Kansas City. And...H&M opens on the Plaza TOMORROW!!! KC rules.

So, if Madewell asked me to make a "Jayne's Wish List" for their website (totally going to happen):

1. Spotted Snowfall Sweater 2. Railway Minibag 3. Furry Earmuffs 4. Llama Love Sweater 5. Cheetah Print Mini Wallet 6. Jolie Belt 7. Leopard Skimmer 8. Sparkle Bib Necklace 9. Buckle-Up Wedge 10. Arrow Bracelet 11. Lumbercheck Tunic 12. Spotted Snowfall Hat 13. Striped Mohair Sweater 14. blanknyc Skinny Jeans

See what I mean? I know you're editing your wish list right now.

Furbish to the Max

Last year, I started following one of my favorite blogs, I Suwannee.  The author of the blog, Jamie Meares, is an interior designer and owns a shop in Raleigh, NC called Furbish.  She has the coolest taste - I want everything in the shop!  I love that each of the items has personality.  I've added several things from Furbish to my wish list as well as my shopping list to buy for others.

Some of my faves:

Ikat Throw

Spotted Ottoman Tray - I own this, and it's awesome (and huge!)

Ceramic Candle - and you can use as a pretty canister when the candle it gone.

She has tons of amazing pillows, like these.

Beautiful Paule Marrot Cocktail Napkins

And lots of fun jewelry, like these pineapple earrings.

Probably my very favorite Furbish items are the "Mr. and Mrs." glasses, last seen in my bar cart post here.  If any of you happen to be in the Raleigh area on Saturday, December 3rd, she's having a "Holler-day Open House" and offering 15% off gifts for everyone!