present :: considered

Le New Post

2011-08-04T13:56:00.001-05:00

Only 15 days since my last post! Improvement, right? Right.

Thought these were funny and adorable:

Le Animale, $34.

(heart) kd

Well, at least this was perfect

2011-07-20T16:41:00.000-05:00

Are you kidding me. Where are my tissues. From The Berry.

(heart) kd

Whoa (Also, HP Review :: Warning :: There are Spoilers, and Some Rage)

2011-07-18T12:17:00.002-05:00

I know, you're all like "WHOA!" for two reasons: You've been in a state of WHOA since April 28, my last post, because you're so devastated that I've gone quiet. I've heard your cries, and I am sorry for them. I have no excuse except that I just haven't felt inspired or motivated. So then of course your second cause of WHOA is that I'm back, bitches, and you can't believe it.

I know. I know.

So what inspired a return to blogging after 2.5 months of silence? What else -- Harry Potter.

*********

So here it is, my Official Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Review. It will be short, because I have just a few things to say (Also, I should go ahead and say SPOILER ALERT here for anyone who hasn't yet seen the movie, and shame on you if you haven't yet seen the movie.)

I attended the Midnight Premiere. I participated in work-related Harry Potter events all last week. I reread Deathly Hallows in one sitting (to recapture the original reading) and seriously questioned my emotional strength for watching the movie version. I was prepared to bawl my eyes out and leave the theater spent, sad and whole, just like after I finished reading "and all was well."

In short, I was like this:

Thanks, Tahereh Mafi, for this :)

Needless to say, my expectations were high. I wanted to love it as much as I loved the book. And for the most part, the movie delivered. I realized pretty early on (namely, when Harry stepped out from the pack of kids to confront Snape) that they were going to take some creative license, and even though I am a purist, and even though I was not mentally prepared to accept any major changes, I stayed on board. In my seat in the dark theater, I made peace with it by telling myself that it's not supposed to be a scene-by-scene depiction of the book -- it's a major motion picture, a film, BASED on the book -- I get that. I understand the need to eek out every last bit of dramatic impact in every scene, and FOR THE MOST PART, the changes/additions were for the better -- particularly the awesome battle scenes. They came alive on screen one hundred times better than on the pages-- I burst into tears when McGonagall did her Piertotum Locomotor spell, a) because it was awesome and b) because I realized that The End Was Really Happening. I loved seeing Ron & Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets. I loved seeing Voldemort's sucker punch reaction everytime they destroyed a Horcrux. I loved watching Alan Rickman's brilliant portrayal of Snape's story.

What I did not love was the adulterated climax. I must preface this by saying that part of the reason that I am such a die-hard Harry Potter fan -- part of the reason I cannot speak of it without tearing up-- is because I think the ending of Deathly Hallows (the book) was quite possibly the best climax in All of Entertainment. Let's take a look at the book climax-- I mean, there Harry is, alive and not dead in Hagrid's arms, because he was the seventh Horcrux (so all we have left is Nagini!), and Voldemort is braying to everyone gathered outside Hogwarts, and they are so devastated because they think all is lost, and then Hagrid sets him down, "and then several things happen at once"-- the Sorting Hat flies out of the castle and lands at Neville's feet, and Harry covers himself with his cloak, and Neville produces the Sword of Griffindor and chops off Nagini's head and you're like OHHHHH SHIIITTTT! Horcruxes DOWN, bitches! Who cares if Voldemort has the Elder Wand? And then everyone rushes into the castle and still no one knows that Harry's alive and then they're all dueling and Molly Weasley kills Bellatrix LeStrange (good for them for keeping her "Not my daughter you bitch" line) and then Harry whips off his cloak and everyone else is like OHHHHH SHIIITTT! and then they do the circle duel with everyone watching and then Harry reveals to Voldemort & everyone else that Voldemort doesn't have the Elder Wand because it was DRACO MALFOY who beat Dumbledore's wand, NOT SNAPE, and therefore Voldemort doesn't have the Elder Wand, because HARRY HAS IT because Harry disarmed Malfoy several weeks ago. HARRY HAS THE ELDER WAND, and for the third time everyone all together now is like OHHHH SHIITTTT! Because you realize that this whole time Harry has been deciding between Horcruxes vs. Hallows, Hallows vs. Horcruxes, and you realize that not only did he destroy all the Horcruxes, BUT HE ALSO HAS ALL OF THE HALLOWS! And in the middle of all that awesome realization, THAT'S when Voldemort dies!!

RIGHT? Isn't that the coolest shit EVER? Doesn't that give you goosebumps all the way inside your heart? And make you tear up because you can't believe that after seven perfect & brilliant books, she managed to pull off an ending epically fitting of such perfection & brilliance? Because so many people try to pull off endings like this and they always, always fail? (Here's looking at you, Lost.) SO WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU FEEL THE NEED TO CHANGE THAT, STEVE KLOVES? NOT DRAMATIC ENOUGH FOR YOU, DAVID YATES? AND WHY DID YOU GIVE YOUR BLESSING ON THAT, JO?!* ARE YOU MENTAL?**

And THEN after all that, for Harry to nonchalantly explain it all to Ron & Hermione and then SNAP THE WAND IN HALF? WTF, Harry Potter? Now you don't have a wand. Good luck with that, you f*ing wizard moron.

(no heart) kd

*And I really thought I'd be able to get through that without yelling. I really did. I even used a question-mark-exclamation-point, which I never ever use because I very rarely use question marks to begin with and therefore feel like you have to be in a state of true alarm to use the question-mark-exclamation-point. True Alarm -- Kristen Dickson. Nice to meet you, man.

**Also, Bloody Hell. Although I will say, Thanks, guys, for the 360 degree shirtless Rupert Grint shot. I will give thanks for that.

Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T15:12:00.000-05:00

Now that we're less than 24 hours out, I am kind of getting into it. Plus I love this, via Composing Kate.

From Lucky Boingo, $40 (hurry!)

{heart} kd

Prehistoric Planters

2011-04-21T10:27:00.001-05:00

Thank you, Daily Candy, for featuring these AWESOME planters by Plaid Pigeon. I am pretty sure they are all sold out now (I tried to buy Beatrice the Apatosaurus here), but I'd recommend contacting the seller to see if they will make more. I must.own.)

Plaid Pigeon, $18-20.

{heart}* kd

*I work on a PC now. We don't have those cute easy Mac hearts. The things you take for granted.

Smart Letterpress

2011-04-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

It is curious to me that all the things I want to post now are humor-related. Can't blame a girl for wanting to share some cheer, I suppose :)

Sapling Press, $5

♥ kd

From DIY Virgin to Second Base :: The Ottoman

2011-04-06T08:24:00.000-05:00

Guys! I had the most exciting DIY weekend! Mr. and I are woefully inept at most things Do It Yourself -- I don't know how to sew a button, and before this weekend I'd only admired all of the various Before & Afters on d*sponge.

Happy to report that I successfully tackled two projects I've had on the back burner-- taking up space in the garage-- and although it required much trial and error, I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Project #1 :: The Ottoman

AFTER::

I didn't show a BEFORE because the only "before" would be of the base of the ottoman, which is a 3x3 stainless steel frame which we originally bought for $25 on Craigslist, intending to buy clear glass & use it as a coffee table-- I didn't realize till we got it home just how big 3x3 is for a coffee table. The base has been sitting outside for about a year and Mr. kept threatening to throw it away.

Here is a quick and dirty of how I made it (apologies for no pics, if you'd really like specifics on step by steps I will be happy to give them)

Hardware Store x 2, Craft Store x 3

1. I went to Home Depot and had them cut me a 36 x 36 inch piece of plywood (this required two trips because I mismeasured the first time around--first fail.)

2. I went to City Craft (amazing! amazing) and bought the awesome (home decor-weight) fabric. I got an extra three inches cut all around, which wound up being just right.

3. Back at Home Depot, I also bought a staplegun (HOW have I not ever owned a staplegun before? I have been adhering fabric to random surfaces all week. So fun.) We got the Powershot and it works very well.*

4. I then visited Joann's Fabrics and bought 1" foam, which I was intending to cover with batting and then covering with fabric, but once I got it home I realized a) it was too thin, I would have needed 2" at least, and b) I wanted the natural curve of stuffing rather than uniform foam. Does that make sense? Second fail.

5. Back at Joann's, I returned the foam and stuffing and instead bought polyester stuffing.

The Construction

1. I ironed the fabric, which helped with some wrinkles & seams.

2. This part was a little wonky:: I placed the fabric faceside down, then traced the outline of the 3x3 board, then placed enough stuffing on top to get the process started. I placed the board on top, adhered two staples (enough to keep it in place when flipping over) and then flipped the whole thing over. I stuffed more stuffing in and tried to make it uniform, and then I flipped it AGAIN and stapled the whole thing so that 3 sides were finished. Again I flipped, and stuffed more stuffing into the open side (it looked like an envelope at this point). Then I just finished that side and voila!

I will be honest that I could have used more stuffing, and at some point I think I'll open it back up and beef it up a bit. But for now it works! The cat loves it.

I also-- watch out!-- learned how to spraypaint this weekend, but I will post those pics next! xo!

♥ kd

*The only casualty is my right leg, which sustained a staple to the thigh. It was actually not as painful as you'd think, just sort of shocking in the moment :)

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

2011-03-30T11:33:00.002-05:00

These sent me into the same fit of giggles as the Great Showdown. So funny! Thanks to my girl Meredith :)

Snorg Tees, $16-20

kd

Pencil Mirror

2011-03-10T15:39:00.000-06:00

I must add this to my list of arts and crafts:

It is made out of pencils. What!

She also makes a ruler mirror, via Design*Sponge.

♥ kd

Unemployed Housewife, Week One

2011-03-05T10:01:00.001-06:00

LOTS of change in the land of Kristen Dickson, friends! George & Katie Brown, owners of GEORGE Catering, decided to close the doors after 12 years of business to spend more time with their 6 year old triplets and refocus on their plans for the future. I am grateful for the time I spent working for them and wish them well.

What this means, of course is that I am jobless right now. Unemployed, if you will. I've been working straight through since I was 16 (I started my first full time job the Monday after graduation), so this is quite a departure. Mr. Dickson has been very sweet about allowing me time to step back and truly evaluate what it is that I'd like to do next; while I am trying very hard to do said soul-searching, it is very difficult for me because my traditional MO is to freak out and accept the first job that comes my way, because I am a manic money-grubbing robot* that doesn't know what to do with myself if I am not attempting to take over the world professionally. In the last couple days, however, I've been able to relax, slowly but surely, and it has been spectacular.

* ------------------------>

Ninjas and Robots are Friends, $18

Here is an unabridged list of things I did this week :: (Be jealous)

1. Read four books :: Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson; I Am the Messenger; and The Lightning Thief
2. Practiced some yoga
3. Cooked dinner for my husband
4. Visited with friends and family over coffee and lunch
5. Went on some interviews
6. Applied for some jobs
7. Enjoyed a few long mid-morning walks
8. Spent some time in bookstores
9. Shopped** for shoes and blazers and other garbs of a professional job-seeker
10. Ran errands in the middle of the day
11. Worked on my resume
12. Went on a long hike with Mr. which would have turned into afternoon patio beer drinking***, if only I hadn't left my ID at home, so instead we
13. Enjoyed dinner and drinks with friends
14. Spent quality time with the cat, who very much enjoys this turn of events
15. And now am waiting for the weather to turn a bit warmer so I can go run

All in all, it's not been the worst week.

♥ kd

**I am not really supposed to be doing a lot of shopping during my unemployment. That is of course the main drawback to being unemployed, the not-having-a-paycheck part.
***To be clear, afternoon patio beer drinking, particularly afternoon patio beer drinking ON WATER (which was the case) is quite possibly my favorite activity in the world. It is also a rare thing for Mr. to suggest, so you can guess at my extreme disappointment upon realizing I was the one who foiled the plan. Face to palm. And self loathing.

Did you know it rains more on Saturdays than on Mondays?

2011-02-23T12:04:00.000-06:00

That is, according to ElinAmanda of the UK. She says it's because the pollution from the work week makes the clouds cry.

I don't care if she's wrong, because this is so right:

Yall. OMG with the cuteness. $41.62, here on etsy.

♥ kd

Music Tuesday :: DJ Ace

2011-02-22T16:23:00.002-06:00

DJ Ace is BACK! And with a new and improved interface, thanks to Grooveshark. She saw the Black Keys FRONT ROW in Vegas this past week, which awards her the capital c Cool trophy. Rock on.

♥ kd

Current Music Muses

2011-02-17T07:50:00.000-06:00

I'm marinating heavily on my new book (series! so exciting!) and I can't stop listening to these two songs ::

The lyrics just STRUCK me on both::

Nirvana :: The Man Who Sold the World (originally a David Bowie song)

We passed upon the stair, we spoke in was and when
Although I wasn't there, he said I was his friend
Which came as a surprise, I spoke into his eyes
I thought you died alone, a long long time ago

Oh no, not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With The Man Who Sold The World

I laughed and shook his hand, and made my way back home
I searched for a foreign land, for years and years I roamed
I gazed a gazeless stare, we walked a million hills
I must have died alone, a long long time ago

Who knows? Not me
I never lost control
You're face to face
With the Man who Sold the World

Who knows? not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the Man who Sold the World

Iron & Wine :: Trapeze Swinger

Please, remember me
Happily
By the rosebush laughing
With bruises on my chin
The time when
We counted every black car passing
Your house beneath the hill
And up until
Someone caught us in the kitchen
With maps, a mountain range,
A piggy bank
A vision too removed to mention
But

Please, remember me
Fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
And then
They went on to say
That the pearly gates
Had some eloquent graffiti
Like 'We'll meet again'
And 'F*ck the man'
And 'Tell my mother not to worry'
And angels with their gray
Handshakes
Were always done in such a hurry
And

Please, remember me
At Halloween
Making fools of all the neighbors
Our faces painted white
By midnight
We'd forgotten one another
And when the morning came
I was ashamed
Only now it seems so silly
That season left the world
And then returned
And now you're lit up by the city
So

Please, remember me
Mistakenly
In the window of the tallest tower call
Then pass us by
But much too high
To see the empty road at happy hour
Leave and resonate
Just like the gates
Around the holy kingdom
With words like 'Lost and Found' and 'Don't Look Down'
And 'Someone Save Temptation'
And

Please, remember me
As in the dream
We had as rug-burned babies
Among the fallen trees
And fast asleep
Aside the lions and the ladies
That called you what you like
And even might
Give a gift for your behavior
A fleeting chance to see
A trapeze
Swing as high as any savior
But

Please, remember me
My misery
And how it lost me all I wanted
Those dogs that love the rain
And chasing trains
The colored birds above there running
In circles round the well
And where it spells
On the wall behind St. Peter's
So bright with cinder gray
And spray paint
'Who the hell can see forever?'
And

Please, remember me
Seldomly
In the car behind the carnival
My hand between your knees
You turn from me
And said 'The trapeze act was wonderful
But never meant to last'
The clown that passed
Saw me just come up with anger
When it filled with circus dogs
The parking lot
Had an element of danger
So

Please, remember me
Finally
And all my uphill clawing
My dear
But if i make
The pearly gates
Do my best to make a drawing
Of God and Lucifer
A boy and girl
An angel kissin on a sinner
A monkey and a man
A marching band
All around the frightened trapeze swingers

Dickson Valentine

2011-02-14T14:58:00.000-06:00

So cute.

♥ kd

If I could go back in time . . .

2011-02-09T16:34:00.001-06:00

. . . I would take 22 year old Kristen by the scruff of her neck and make her copy this on the blackboard till her fingers bled.

Or, I would have had it tattooed on a forearm where she could see it, or maybe recorded to audio and then somehow programmed into her brain so that everytime she got excited about something "new and fun," she'd receive an electric shock right behind the left ear.

I'm *mostly* kidding. Seriously though, I LOVE this. So wise. Get it here.

♥ kd

Superbowl Edition :: Ashton Kutcher's blazer was soft, and Justin Timberlake drinks Sierra Nevada

2011-02-09T16:30:00.001-06:00

You guys! I am so sorry I have been so MIA! Last week we had the Superbowl for the first time in Dallas, an event that the special event industry has been awaiting for something like 4 years. Needless to say it was a BIG DEAL, so my concentration has been on that for many weeks. The other thing that visited us last week was a week-long SNOWPOCALYPSE that closed schools for 4 days and transformed already limited resources into a 72 hour scramble to survive. We were so shortstaffed Friday night I had to have four of my college friends and their husbands come work as waiters, and the only reason they did it is because there were celebrities* there.

I've been a zombie since Saturday. I am just now able to form coherent sentences. But, now that the neurons are firing again, I have a renewed interest in my little blog! So I hope to not abandon yall for so long anymore.

♥ kd

*Celebrities? You say. Yes, sir. Check it out:

From ESPN.com :: (Check out the catering shout out!!)

Audi Forum Party

Why that title?: Audi sponsored the party and even gave some guests an Audi car and driver for the night (including me!). Celebrities and non-celebrities felt like VIPs. It was quite a bonus considering the lack of cabs in Dallas.

Where and when: The Audi Forum Dallas at the Rachofsky House in Dallas. We chatted up Mrs. Rachofsky to get to the bottom of her giant house full of incredible art, which included Christo, Cindy Sherman, Paul McCarthy, Marina Abramovic and Kiki Smith on the walls. Turns out Howard and Cindy Rachofsky are art collectors who use the house mostly for educational art tours and charity events. As for living quarters? They have another awesome house down the street for that.

Performers: None at this bash, but as an intimate affair it didn't seem necessary. A DJ was controlling the mix of oldies and current tunes.

Celebrities we saw: We saw Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore discussing fantasy football and mingling with Justin Timberlake; Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness chatting up partygoers; Cam Newton; Chord Overstreet of "Glee" and Matthew Morrison; and Marisa Miller and buddies Chace Crawford, Candice Crawford and Tony Romo.

Michael Buckner/Getty Images for AudiAshton Kutcher and Demi Moore attend the Audi Celebration at the Audi Forum Dallas.

Celebrities who were confirmed, but we didn't spot: Jerry Ferrara and Cal Ripken Jr. Although they didn't show, there were bigger celebrities not on the list who showed up. It was the most solid party turnout of the night.

Overheard: Guest to Hugh Jackman: "You're Wolverine! I don't know who you are but my kids love you." Demi Moore explained why she and Ashton are rooting for different teams on Sunday. "Aaron Rodgers was my fantasy league quarterback," Demi said. Ashton didn't care. "I can't root for the Packers. It's against my code of ethics."

Food factor: The food here made us wish we didn't eat dinner. There was a delectable assortment of mini-burgers, avocado on wontons, salmon cones, ricotta donuts and chocolate truffles. The bonus was the margarita Jell-O shots. (yeah GEORGE!)

Best party clothes: We have to give it to Ashton Kutcher. He looked warm and stylish in his plaid scarf, baggy beanie and cowboy boots, as a nod to Dallas.

Worst party clothes: There was a girl walking around who looked like she was attempting a blonde version of the Dita Von Teese pin-up look. She had it all wrong.

What would a cowboy think?: The Audi party was exceptionally well-done. They accounted for everything down to the smallest details: There was a person standing by the stairs who instructed, "Watch your step." There would be no falls at this soiree. The comfort of knowing we had an Audi car waiting for us meant we wouldn't be stranded again like on Thursday night without a cab in sight. The food was delicious, the drinks were great and nearly every celebrity on the list showed up. The house was incredible and it was a perfect-sized crowd. If there was one thing we could suggest, it would be to have this party go all night! We were having so much fun mingling amongst Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Justin Timberlake, we didn't want to leave! A spectacular 9½ horseshoes.

So proud :)

Great Showdowns

2011-01-12T13:42:00.001-06:00

12 days without posting! Are you all going through withdrawal? I do apologize for the lack of content. I will admit that I have been both overwhelmed, stymied and uninspired, probably because we spent an unholy amount of money over the holidays and it is unappealing to think about buying much right now. Also, Mr. Dickson got me some awesome items from CB2 for the office/his man-cave, *but* I would like to find THE PERFECT RUG* before embarking on other things and have yet to accomplish said task, for a variety of reasons. Therefore the stymiedness.

Today my un-inspiration ended when I found this exhibition called GREAT SHOWDOWNS by scott c. Not sure when the prints will be available, but I couldn't. stop. scrolling. Here is an incomplete collection. On his website there are captions if you want to click over. I personally take great fun in the initial recognition.

I'm curious to know which ones you guys DON'T get (if you go to Scott's website there are a ton that I don't recognize.) Pretty cool, very entertaining.

♥ kd

*PERFECT RUG = 8 x 10 or bigger, either blue, green or orange/lobster, preferably with a geometric pattern, modern, but not cheesy modern, and less than $200. Thus the impasse.

DJ K :: New Year's Eve

2010-12-30T09:47:00.002-06:00

My fab friend Tara Wilson is having a party tomorrow night & has tasked me with creating a playlist for her. Here are a few, designed to start soft & get you dancing in the middle. I also highly recommend the Aguilar Christmas album, the entire thing is fantastic and very party-worthy.

Got a little carried away on this one ::

Happy New Year's, everyone!!

♥ kd

101 Entertaining Do's and Don'ts

2010-12-26T13:28:00.001-06:00

Today is my 101st present :: considered post! Such serendipity, because I just read this amazing article from House Beautiful ::

The rest of the article here -- so many good pieces of advice.

♥ kd

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T10:03:00.000-06:00

Signing off for at least the weekend. We are off to a California Christmas :) Thanks so much to all of you who have read the blog these last six months -- it's been so very fun for me and I appreciate your support!

I just can't get over how cute these cards are ::

From Truly Smitten via Twig & Thistle

If you can't read it, it's from the Grinch:

"And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling

How could it be so? It came without ribbons!

It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bows!

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

Le sigh. Love this time of year. May all our small hearts grow three sizes this day. xoxo

♥♥♥ kd

99 Emotions

2010-12-22T12:50:00.001-06:00

Have you picked up on my obsession with white ceramics? So as you can imagine, I am smitten with these little white porcelain babushkas from Art Mind; there are 99 of them and they each depict a different mood/emotion:

Ambitious

Mean

Wise

Zombie

Here's from her etsy listing:
"This ceramic art object is part of my ‘99 feelings’-project. It derives from a project I did many years ago reflecting my self-portrait. I called it ‘how the outside can tell how you feel inside’. I started out with 9 feelings and then I suddenly thought of making 99 of them... I like the fact that the number is uneven and that it leaves at least one feeling to complete to 100. That one unfinished feeling to make 100, represents for me all the feelings I haven't covered and that it can be anything..."

Art Mind, $45-90 each

So. Cool.

♥ kd

Adventures in Antiquing

2010-12-21T15:24:00.001-06:00

God love Mr. Dickson, because he has been relenting a bit on the antiquing. It makes me so happy. I've been finding some really fun things lately and just had to share! :)

These were $10 for the pair! I've been exhibiting a strange patriotic flair lately. Into lots of flags. Particularly Swiss flags. Anyone finds a swiss flag-- let me know :) We haven't decided where they are going yet; depending on the room they will likely be spraypainted white or black. Lula B's East.

I have wanted a chinese garden stool for like a year now. This one was $40 with 15% off! Lula B's East. Love the color.

Boy of the Year, 1975. Somehow I can't immediately think of any boy I know who was born in 1975. Behind him is a really awesome ivory planter with a panther etched into it. Both Dolly Python. Chambord bottle, White Elephant.

I have a matching giraffe for that lion, Lula B's West. Little lamb, Dolly Python. Age of Napoleon, $1 at Half Price Books. Votives from Target.

I think this little fisherman is supposed to be dead-- he's all metal and bones! I found this silver tray and thought it made such a nice little pond for him. Both from Dolly Python.

How fun is this sleigh! Lula B's East. Bought the book for the cover only. Called "Serengheti Shall Not Die" (Half Price Books.) Yes, sir.

Also love this little Santa, although if you look at his face he's sort of mad about something. He looks like he's straight from the North Pole, so maybe he's just still cold.

♥ kd

Style Scout :: How to :: Be a Lady & a Man

2010-12-21T14:37:00.000-06:00

How great are these? I gave How to Sew a Button to DJ AMN because she's a newlywed and I remember being full of good housewifely intentions when I was a newlywed. I also care deeply for How to Build a Fire because I enjoy the thought* of being caught in the woods armed only my random book-learned knowledge.

How to Sew a Button, $15

How to Build a Fire, $15

♥ kd

*Unfortunately, book learned knowledge probably won't save me from that bear over there.

DJ Glamtart's 46th Annual Aguilar Family Christmas Album

2010-12-21T11:15:00.000-06:00

I really, really MEANT to have this up for Music Monday. Really I did. But seeing as how I haven't posted for two weeks during the giftiest time of year (is this a blog about gifts? I think it is. Fail.)

DJ Glamtart & her super cool husband Victor & their ah-dorable dog Murphy sent their Christmas cards with a bonus Christmas album (I will steal this).

Then, I discovered this Grooveshark widget. Watch out, folks. Music Monday's getting fancypants.

♥ kd

Mas Beards

2010-12-08T10:03:00.000-06:00

Also from Grace with Design*Sponge ::

The 12 Beards of Christmas, 7 pounds (yay Brits!)

♥ kd

Mas Arte

2010-12-08T07:56:00.002-06:00

Grace Bonney with Design*Sponge tweeted about this yesterday minutes after I put up the Postertext post. Just can't resist sharing these, even if we're doing art two days in a row. (fact :: we now have so much unframed & unhung artwork in my house that I am asking for said framing & hanging for Christmas. We are out of control.)

{this one is my favorite, I think}

8 Fortune Cookie Posters, $50

♥ kd

Bibliophiles, try not to pee your pants

2010-12-07T13:24:00.002-06:00

I haven't been this excited about something in a long time. I just read about Postertext on The Twitter (are yall on twitter? You very seriously need to be if you are not. I love it so much)-- these prints include THE ENTIRE BOOK in tee-tiny little print, with the white spaces depicting an iconic scene from the book.

Plus, they are gray and white. Remember my gray and white house? Perfection.

From top down: Moby Dick, Ulysses, and War of the Worlds. Postertext, $30-40 (and they are HUGE! The prints are 24 x 30. I know exactly which wall this will fill.)

♥ kd

Gift Guides

2010-12-07T07:42:00.001-06:00

Design*Sponge's splurge-worthy, $100 and under, $50 and under, $25 and under

Mrs. Lilien :: just keep scrolling down. Her fabulousness is exhausting to me :)

style/SWOON's 16 days of Christmas

High Gloss Magazine's 12 Days Giveaways

Martha's Editor Picks

Oprah's Gift Guide

Daily Candy's Guide for Guys (Amanda, hopefully you can find something!)

Should be enough to get you started!

♥ kd

Music Monday on Tuesday :: Christmas Music That Doesn't Suck

2010-12-07T06:39:00.000-06:00

I threw a Christmas party a few years ago and wanted some holiday music that wasn't your traditional Lite FM soundtrack, and it was SO HARD to find good songs!

So here's a link to "Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck" -- enjoy :)

♥ kd

I Made You A Beard

2010-12-02T23:35:00.003-06:00

I think this is funny ::

I Made You A Beard, $40

I think my 10 year old brother Dylan would get a big kick out of this.

Also, my sister Molly.

Definitely my sister Molly.

And my sister in law Ashley.

Who else? Maybe my other sister in law Casey? You think she's in?

You want me to keep going with the siblings and the siblings in law? Don't test me. I have 10 (yes, count them, TEN) siblings + siblings in law. Our wedding was crazytown.

So I suppose now that I've started it, Jamie and Olivia would also find this hilarious. Or, actually Olivia would find it hilarious and Jamie would not find it funny at all :)

Claire, Jillian, Tyler & Joe -- on the fence. not sure about them.

Either way, some folks need to order some yarn beards STAT.

♥ kd

*Jillian & Claire, you are going to have to guest DJ so you can get a link :)

1st Day of Christmas

2010-12-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of my clients (the one with the Tory Burch candles) also always has vases* of these around her house for her holiday party. I think they are just so festive ::

Peppermint Sticks, $12.50 for a tin

♥ kd

*The rest of the year, those vases are filled to the brim with pistachios. Love it.

1 more about books, and then I'll leave it alone

2010-11-30T13:15:00.001-06:00

PROMISE.

Have been decorating up a storm the last couple weeks & am very enamored with the idea of creating a library-type wall along the back wall of our bedroom, which is quite long.

Here is some inspiration, all from my favorite design*sponge ::

Love love love love love. Someday I must have 20 foot ceilings and a library ladder. Which one is your favorite?

♥ kd

Announcing HIPPO :: HABITEN

2010-11-30T11:48:00.001-06:00

I've been torn for quite some time about the "identity" of this little blog, about its readership etc. and I have come to the conclusion that it is time to separate out the reading & writing content into its own blog. Not that you all aren't big readers, and I know that you find my foray into publishing fascinating, but I've had a desire to dig in deep to the reading & writing content and just don't think that it is appropriate to include posts like "How to write the dreaded novel synopsis" and "OMG you'll never guess who requested a partial manuscript from me today" here. If you are interested in reading about such, please jump over here ::


HIPPO :: HABITEN

You'll have to jump to find out the meaning behind the name :) There's where I'll also keep my updates on publishing and on what I'm reading.

Meanwhile, present :: considered will focus on gifts & interiors with some random thrown in. Of course.

♥ kd

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T12:09:00.001-06:00

I typed "thanksgiving" into etsy and this is what I found ::

Acorn & Gourd Men, $20

I love how scared they all look.

You think they know they're about to become dinner? :)

Very grateful to all loved ones, everywhere you are! Hurray holidays!

♥ kd

Sassy Gay Friend :: Romeo & Juliet

2010-11-23T16:45:00.000-06:00

Thanks so much to GK at Agency Gatekeeper for putting this on her blog and making me laugh everytime I think about it ::

"Save it Patty Hearst!" ahahahahaha

♥ kd

Home is where the (wooden) heart is

2010-11-23T16:35:00.000-06:00

My friend Kate sent me the link to this awesome Etsy shop. I love love love everything to do with states, probably because I have lived in so many :)

Seriously, how great is this ::

My heart too is in Austin :) Not sure if all 50 states are represented, but there are lots here. $40

♥ kd

Big Weekend for Books

2010-11-22T14:56:00.000-06:00

It was a big weekend for books in my house, friends.

First :: I went to Half Price Books and after a time felt like I needed to send up a flare to alert someone to my whereabouts. My husband was out of town & I had the weekend off with literally nothing else to do, so I was there for three hours, and it was awesome because look at all the cool stuff I found ::

Most of these were $1. $1!! The red ones on the bottom were $3 and they are copied pages from Stephen Crane's handwritten Red Badge of Courage. Super cool. I also really love the $1 red Love Poems. Shout out to Samantha Reitmeyer Sano of style/SWOON who I always think of whenever I see antlers.

Also ::

They had Don Quixote in that beautiful blue too, but I thought in the end that it would make the Rainy Day Reading Mouse too tall. How perfect is he on that pile of books? He's so happy with me. You know what's not perfect? That lamp. I really want this one from cb2 instead.

Second big thing :: I FINISHED MY BOOK. (Well, actually, I have two more scenes I need to tweak, but for the most part it is ready to go.) I finished the rough draft in July & feel like it is ready to send to agents. I sent out my first round today & it is enough to make you want to puke on your shoes. They say it takes forever to hear back from people, which is a good thing because it's almost December, which in catering terms = Crazytown, so I'll have plenty to take my mind off of emails waiting for me in my gmail account. Still though, wish me luck . . . if it was ever published, I think I could just go die right that second.

Oh, and third :: -- last but not least -- saw HP. Ah-mazing. Have a huge crush on Rupert Grint (or, rather, Ron Weasley). Yes, he's 10 years younger than me. And British. And fictional. But the way he looks at Hermione? Swoon.

♥ kd

Quartz Votives

2010-11-19T11:33:00.001-06:00

Most of my clients have these beautiful quartz votives in their homes, from Neiman Marcus or somewhere similar ::

Quartz Votive, $275

So would you look at that Anthropologie coming though with a budget-friendly version ::

Quartz Cluster, $98

And then to top that, two even budget-friendlier versions! ::

Crystal votive, $58

Rose Quartz Votive, $28

Bravo, Anthropologie. I know what I'm buying this weekend :)

happy weekend, friends! I am actually attending a party tonight AS A GUEST. Can you believe it. My Punky Brewster inspiration has morphed into a lazy "if I wear a side ponytail & too much blush, does that count?"

And of course, HP Part One. Oh em gee.

♥ kd

Happy Tartan Cooking

2010-11-18T09:28:00.000-06:00

As if I'm not excited enough about cooking for Thanksgiving ::

Apron, $32

Potholders, $12

♥ kd

Wednesday ♥ List

2010-11-17T12:46:00.000-06:00

That's right, Friday, you've been slacking a bit on your ♥ List, I must say, so Wednesday is taking over duties ::

In no particular order, the following is of great excitement to me this week ::

*Two very exciting interior design related events in Dallas today :: Dwell with Dignity's "Antiquing After Dark" event at White Elephant (literally counting down the minutes) and the grand opening of the Wisteria Outlet! So wish that I could go today!

*Can't believe it's finally ending. God help the soul who sits next to me in the theater and has to collect all the tissues.

*On that note, how incredible does Emma Watson look now with her pixie haircut. I could never pull it off. Also, if you've not ever visited The Neotraditionalist, grab some tea & prepare to park it for several days. Incredible.

*Going to an 80s party on Friday. Think I'm going to dress up like Punky Brewster since I looked exactly like her when I was little.

Super fun, friends, super fun, but now back to work. ♥ kd

Hurray for You

2010-11-17T12:15:00.001-06:00

I am not what you would call "athletic." In fact, I won the sportsmanship award four years in a row on both my soccer and volleyball* teams, only later realizing it was because I was always cheering from the bench :)

That said, I have lately had a thing for trophies like this one:

So fun and chic.

Ceramic Trophy, $65

♥ kd

*Yes, I am 5'3" and played volleyball. It was in Alabama. They were clearly struggling for talent.

Because I only have Rosemary & Cumin in my cupboard right now

2010-11-16T16:41:00.001-06:00

Okay, Dean & Deluca, you've made me love November again. Have had (vegetarian) Thanksgiving on the brain all day!

Spice Rub, $60

Pewter Salt Cellar, $28

Spice Rack, $165

Pepper Sampler, $55

Happy Cooking! ♥ kd

Mirror Mirror

2010-11-15T12:24:00.000-06:00

I do believe that we should show some respect for November and Thanksgiving; it is pretty insensitive of us as a culture to skip straight from Halloween to Holiday.

But then I find things like this and I remember that I'm actually much more of a glitz & glamour kind of girl -- not so into harvest & earthtones :) So forgive me, November, if all we see for the next two months are ornaments, fur & sparkle.

Mosaic Mirror Wreath, $35

Not just any candle

2010-11-11T07:20:00.000-06:00

But a Tory Burch candle. Is anywhere else as obsessed with Tory Burch as Dallas? We are obsessed with Tory Burch.

One of my best clients has about a dozen of these scattered around her home for parties (in orange) and they smell AMAZING.

Signature Candle, $45 (currently out of stock)

Holiday candle, $45

"Clean evergreen scent" -- I must have.

I think these make excellent hostess gifts. Show up with a Tory Burch bag & who wouldn't invite you next time? :)

❤ kd

Initial this

2010-11-08T11:27:00.000-06:00

These remind me a whole lot of the Paloma's Nest text bowls, which I love.

Emblem Ring Dish, $22

Music Monday :: DJ AMN Mixed Tape

2010-11-08T10:39:00.000-06:00

Last week was DJ AMN's birthday, so I made her a mixed CD for her party yesterday ::

Iron & Wine :: Naked As We Came
Jose Gonzales :: Heartbeats
Laura Veirs :: July Flame
Matt Pond PA :: Starting
Temper Trap :: Sweet Disposition
Barcelona :: It's About Time
The Smiths :: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Simon and Garfunkel :: Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall
Bloc Party :: I Still Remember
Neutral Milk Hotel :: In An Aeroplane Over the Sea
Fleet Foxes :: Ragged Wood
Britt Daniel, Bright Eyes :: Distance Keep Us Together
We Are Scientists :: After Hours
Rilo Kelly :: Silver Lining
Stornoway :: Zorbing
Matt Pond PA :: Brooklyn Stars
Sarah Jaffe :: Summer Begs
Ben Gibbard :: You Remind Me Of Home

Hope she likes it!

♥kd

Shut Up

2010-11-04T20:02:00.000-05:00

Truly, Anthropologie, you have outdone yourself.

There are also a giraffe, a zebra, and an elephant.

If I am being honest, the elephant is the cutest.

Hurray holidays! ❤ kd

Distracted, me? Never

2010-11-03T21:59:00.000-05:00

I should be writing. I am not feeling Fisk tonight. I remember now why I've never attempted to write YA. So instead I got on the internet and found this ::

Mr. Dickson, who has starting riding his bike 15 miles to and from work, thinks that this may have been made just for him. I love it too.

❤ kd

NaNoWriMo

2010-11-02T17:15:00.002-05:00

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was going to attempt to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I am indeed making a valiant attempt (despite the sea of parties for the next two months-- this is what mornings are for!)

I'm doing it for a couple reasons:

1) Even though I have finished the rough draft of my novel and really should be getting to work revising it, I am just not ready to do it. I stepped away from it in August once I turned it over to my readers & as the time goes on, the distance between us makes me view it through the lens of a once-enamored ex. I still find it sexy, and I think one day we should probably get back together, but right now it's sort of a hot mess & I need to see other people for a little while.

2) Glamtart is doing it for the second time & had just rave reviews about her first experience. Also, D Magazine is being awesome and has pulled together about fifteen of us as a support system, and hopefully we'll do a reading at the end. Peer pressure? Check.

3) I am genuinely excited about the concept:

*It is a young-adult urban fantasy called "The One Hundreds" set in Dallas in the year 2100 that involves:

   :: A major cyber conspiracy a la 1984, but instead with a Google, Facebook & media supercorp
   :: Deja vu & Reincarnation
   :: The personification of Money vs. Time
   :: A love triangle (of course)

It will likely be the first in a series of 3 or 5, which is quite overwhelming because my initial instinct is to marinate and research and plot and plan, my typical M.O.-- another reason it is smart for me to dive straight in instead of wading in shallow water for two years.

My protagonist is named Fisk* (I can't come up with a proper last name for him! Help-- thinking it needs to start with a vowel. Anderson? Allred? Applebee? Underwood?), and in Book One, he is fourteen and starting high school. He is an old soul with a big heart and a strong temper; he grew up next to his best friend Skylar Davis -- brooding, popular, wise-cracking, a bit of a DB-- and across the street from beautiful Sloane Greer -- mischevious, sophisticated, on her way to becoming a famous pop star.

When Sloane moves to the city for middle school, Fisk doesn't see her for three years, until on the first day of high school, he has a strong sense of deja vu-- and not because he lived across the street from her for ten years. To him "it's the strangest thing; {he's} seen {her} face somewhere . . . an early evening dream, a past-life love affair." When Sloane gets a major record deal and her fame skyrockets, Fisk sees her individuality, her authenticity start to falter under the camera's lens, and as he fights to bring her back, he starts to unravel the truth about the world they live in, about his family's history, about who he is and about his destiny, his chance to make everything right-- to preserve what has always been beautiful and right about our true selves, about this good life.

So . . . wish me luck :)

♥ kd

Hello, Cold Weather

2010-11-02T13:38:00.002-05:00

Today Fall came to Texas. It is 52 degrees and rainy, which makes me want to buy all of these things:

Spiral: Pompom Slippers, $24.50; Knitted Vase, $44.95;

Wool Blanket, $148; Ipod Hoodie, $18; Mittens, $20;

Burberry earmuffs, $95; Knitted Poufs, $79.95; Fur Muff*, $24.95;

Fur trapper hat, $24; Cableknit tights, $7.95

*I have been looking for a fur muff for years now. Mr. Dickson constantly makes fun of my obsession with cold weather accessories because as I referenced above, we live in Texas and have no business wearing fur lined hats. I keep threatening to move to Vermont. Maybe someday the cableknits' siren song will be too much for me to bear -- but till then, I'll just keeping making wool + plaid roundups :)

♥ kd

Goodbye, Halloween

2010-11-01T10:27:00.070-05:00

Spiral::

The Fancy Couple, $10.50; Poe book set, $45;

Arsenic Bottle, $7.50;Black Cat cookie cutter, $0.95;

Tombstone candles, $4.99; Antique Eye Print, $5.00;

Creepy babydoll, $8.50; Scary Shower Curtain, $28;

Foot Bone Socks, $8.00; Skull Print, $8.00; Witch's Boot, $28;

Ribs Necklace, $18; Halloween cookies, $9.99;

C'Mere Hand Hook, $75; Spiderweb Runner, $14.95; Pumpkin Candles, $28

Super excited for all this gothic greatness to go on sale!

♥ kd

Music Monday :: Guest DJ Edition :: DJ MC

2010-10-25T22:15:00.001-05:00

You know how I'm always talking about my girl Meredith? She's guest DJing today, and it is excellent ::

Playlist Title: “Cover Me”

Theme: My favorite covers – in no particular order

“Free Fallin’” :: John Mayer :: originally recorded by Tom Petty

“To Make You Feel My Love” :: Adele :: originally recorded by Bob Dylan

“Dancing with Myself” :: The Donnas :: originally recorded by Billy Idol

“Message in a Bottle” :: Matisyahu :: originally recorded by The Police

“Hurt” :: Johnny Cash :: originally recorded by Trent Reznor

“Landslide” :: Smashing Pumpkins :: originally recorded by Stevie Nicks

“Under the Milky Way” :: Kill Hannah :: originally recorded by The Church

“Addicted to Love” :: Florence & the Machine :: originally recorded by Robert Palmer

“Crazy”:: Alanis Morrisette :: originally recorded by Seal

“Smooth Criminal” :: Alien Ant Farm :: originally recorded by “Michael Jackson

“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” :: Amy Winehouse :: originally recorded by The Shirelles

“Boys of Summer” :: The Ataris :: originally recorded by Don Henley

“Hide Your Love Away” :: Eddie Vedder :: originally recorded by The Beatles

“Heartless” :: The Fray :: originally recorded by Kanye West

“Everyday” :: Dave Matthews Band :: originally recorded by Bob Marley

“Emotion” :: Destiny’s Child :: originally recorded by the Bee Gees

“In Your Eyes” :: Jeffrey Gaines :: originally recorded by Peter Gabriel

“Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” :: John Legend :: originally recorded by Stevie Wonder

“Fell in Love with a Boy" :: Joss Stone :: originally recorded by the White Stripes

“Every Little Kiss” :: Sara Evans :: originally recorded by Bruce Hornsby

Love John Mayer's Free Fallin. I would say that I like it better than the original, but Mr. Dickson would have an epic conniption and I just don't have the energy.

Thanks Mere!

❤ kd

Grand Taxonomy of Rap Names

2010-10-22T08:02:00.000-05:00

We bought this yesterday (thanks, Daily Candy) for Mr. Dickson's man cave ::

Here's a link to it so you can zoom & see the awesomeness. Hilarious.

❤ kd

Friday ❤ List

2010-10-22T07:56:00.001-05:00

R e a d i n g :: Have been on a poetry & children's book streak this week. I love this poem by Edgar Allen Poe and you can find the "top 50" poems here.

W r i t i n g :: Call me crazy (really, do, when am I going to do this), but I think I'm going to do NaNoWriMo.

M u s i c :: Thanks to my girl Meredith, I now know of Patty Griffin (how did I not before?)

M o v i e s :: Never Let Me Go is out! And Catfish (the other facebook movie)-- there is apparently a big twist at the end . . . will add it to the queue

F o o d :: Loving this guinness cake from d*sponge.

G i f t s :: Gave my stepmom this "Pause" bowl for her birthday a few weeks ago.

I n t e r i o r s :: Thanks to Kyle of Knight Moves' heads-up, I now own this amazing Jonathan Adler throw :)

Happy Weekend! ❤ kd

MIA & Top 13 Scary Movies

2010-10-20T17:10:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. I've been MIA this week. I had every intention of posting an awesome Halloween RoundUp yesterday, but the truth is that our biggest event is this Saturday & I'm up to my eyeballs (that's kind of a Halloween pun, right?)

Was listening to Kidd Kraddick & Kellie Raspberry had the top 13 Scariest Halloween Movies in case anyone wants to have a marathon freak out this weekend in celebration. Here's the Marie Claire list:

13. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Freddy Krueger is one of the most memorable villains of the '80s low-budget horror wave. Why? Um, because he's a disfigured monster with razor-blade fingers that he uses to stalk and murder people in their dreams. Added bonus: Johnny Depp...before he started wearing eyeliner.
12. Halloween (1978)
This aptly titled movie features Jamie Lee Curtis's film debut and the introduction of slasher superstar Jason. Halloween inspired a lucrative franchise and made the hockey goalie mask the go-to Halloween costume for countless teen boys.
11. Scream (1996)
It may not pack the same punch of terror now that it did when it premiered in the '90s, but Scream spawned numerous sequels and spoofs, birthing an entirely new genre of teen movie. And if you're honest, the first time you saw it, you were totally freaked.
10. Don't Look Now (1973)
A married couple encounters some creepy old ladies in a church in Venice while being tormented by visions of their dead daughter (who appears to being running around the city in a red raincoat). Add in '70s cinematography and you have one downright eerie film.
9. Arachnophobia (1990)
Swarms of deadly spiders arrive in a small town and start killing people off one by one. It's like your girliest, stand-on-a-chair-and-scream nightmare coming true.
8. Saw (2004)
Saw got on at the ground floor of the "gorno" (that's gore porn) genre. While horror connoisseurs classify the excessively gruesome as lazy, we believe in giving credit where credit is due: Jigsaw was not only one of the first of his kind, but disturbingly crafty at killing.
7. Poltergeist (1982)
Supernatural activity plus suspense and a creepy child equals classic horror. The poster alone is enough to give you chills. Plus, the fact that a handful of the original cast and crew members died shortly after filming is enough to make this one of the scariest movies ever made, on set and off.
6. Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Brutally gruesome, the Texas Chain Saw Massacre was rumored to be based on a true story and incorporated cannibalism, bizarre family relationships, hot teenagers, and murder by chainsaw — a perfect storm of terror and one of the most influential slasher flicks ever. Not to mention all the remakes of this classic.
5. Child's Play (1988)
The one thing more terrifying than a deformed, bloodthirsty slasher or an eerily calm child is an animated, homicidal doll. Chucky scared the pants off of an entire generation, most of whom are still traumatized.
4. Jaws (1975)
Jaws is about two guys who sail out after a killer shark that's threatening their picturesque coastal town. While the premise seems kind of weak, this film was so scary it kept people off of beaches and out of swimming pools for years after just one viewing.
3. The Shining (1980)
What do you get when you pair a homicidal, crazy-eyed Jack Nicholson with an ax, Shelley Duvall chain-smoking and crying, "Redrum" scrawled all over the mirrors, and some really freaky-looking twin girls in a nearly abandoned hotel in the mountains of Colorado? Stephen King's bizarre psychological masterpiece and one of the best horror movies ever.
2. The Ring (2002)
As we've already established, if you throw a spooky child into the plot, you're on the verge of horror gold. Building on this theme, The Ring takes it up a notch by having a deformed, vengeful tween crawl out of TV sets in order to administer a series of seriously brutal murders.
1. Tie: The Exorcist (1973) and Rosemary's Baby (1968)
These are two of the most terrifying films ever made, so it's hard to choose one over the other. In fact, what makes each so worthy of the top spot is the exact reason they're so different. Rosemary's Baby brought '60s psychological terror to a crescendo while The Exorcist was one the first films to bring graphic gore to the big screen. Both flicks will have you sleeping with the hall light on...and the closet door closed.

I for one do not do scary movies. I saw Scream in the 8th grade & didn't sleep for a year. I have seen The Shining & Jaws, but that is it. My friend Clesson (I would link to him but he doesn't do computers) ONLY watches scary movies. He said if it's not scary, it's not worth seeing. Braver man than me.

♥ kd

Music Monday :: Guest DJ Edition :: DJ AMN

2010-10-18T23:35:00.000-05:00

Does Music Monday count if it slides into home at the eleventh hour? I think so.

My friend Amanda of Kick Your Boots also read Red Hook Road* & she made this playlist for it -- enjoy!

Train :: Marry Me
Ryan Adams :: When the Stars Go Blue
Matt Kearney :: Renaissance
Band of Horses :: Funeral
Josh Ritter :: Girl in the War
Aron Wright :: Song for the Waiting
Wakey, Wakey! :: Light Outside
Ray LaMontagne :: Be Here Now
Dawn Landes :: Kissing Song
One Republic :: All This Time
Augustana :: Sweet and Low
Gloriana :: Come and Save Me
Wakey, Wakey! :: Brooklyn Theater Fire
Mumford and Sons :: Sigh No More
Spill Canvas :: Self Conclusion
Ryan Adams :: Come Pick Me Up
Zac Brown Band :: Free
Passion Pits :: Moths Wings

Thanks AMoN!

❤ kd

*Didn't enjoy. Returned to Barnes & Noble yesterday. Will I ever read a book I love again?

Kitchy Couture Coasters

2010-10-14T08:14:00.001-05:00

Came across these on Paper Crave yesterday ::

Parliament of Owls created these promotional letterpress coasters for the Cranky Pressman Printery & Bindery to launch their new letterpress imprintable die-cut coaster line, The Coasters.

These four beach bound retired folks are called “The Coasters,”-- Edna, Cranky, Mr. Snogglebaum & Mr. Pistachioand Cranky. Each coaster features a different oldster, and the reverse includes such intricate, detailed information about said oldster’s favorite hobbies, likes/dislikes, and favorite drink.

Edna front

Edna back

Do you see the level of detail? And of course the over the top marketing & smart witty irreverent verbiage makes me want to clap my hands and cheer-- and then track down the people who created them and force best friendship upon them, over one of their very clever original cocktail recipes.

Now here's the aggravating part: you can't buy these particular ones, BUT everything they do is custom, so you can go here for more information. In the meantime, I think we should start a campaign to get them to a) make these for sale and b) get a shop on Etsy.

❤ kd

Ode to Thee, Molly G

2010-10-13T12:28:00.000-05:00

Today is my sister Molly's birthday. She is a student at Alabama & she is turning 22 today.

Here is what she looks like ::

okay no not really she actually looks more like this ::

so pretty

My two favorites of us together:

at her high school graduation

at my wedding

As you can see by the first picture, she is a bit of a goofball (okay, a big goofball) so I if I could buy her a bunch of things that she finds funny, it would probably look something like this:

Clockwise ::

Pasta Boobs, $10; Hanno the Gorilla, $75; Dessert Erasers, $12; IPod Karaoke, $60;

Mini Robo Vacuum, $20; David Dear Silver Duck Mirror, $75;

Odd Couple Salt & Pepper Shaker, $8; Classic Jokes Set, $12;

Disney Couture Shark Bracelet, $54; Bicycle Socks, $12

She's also a Chi Omega, and their animal is the OWL,

and I have been just waiting for the perfect time to do an Owl Roundup ::

Clockwise ::

Wooden Frame, $18; Napkin Ring, $18; Green Bank, $8;

Red Money Box, $32; Owl Ring, $16; Nesting Owls, $18; Glass Barn Owl, $350

There are, of course, many more owls out there, so expect Round Two here at some point . . . maybe after Octopuses and Whales, which are up to bat next in the animal kingdom. We will also have to table the "Bear Bryant Inspired Houndstooth" Roundup . . . maybe for her half birthday :)

♥ you sister! kd

Sometimes, it is hard to be me

2010-10-11T22:09:00.002-05:00

Let me tell you my sad story ::

This weekend, I went to my very favorite store, White Elephant, and I found lots of wonderful things, like these $3 blue Yale Shakespeare hardcovers-- got all the comedies & tragedies-- and this beautiful $6 chambord bottle (I hope to someday have an all silver & gold bookshelf in my guest bedroom-- I also found 4" nickel plated US President busts (brought home Eisenhower, Andrew Jackson & Gerald Ford):

As my excitement grew over all of my fabulous finds,

I found this guy ::

A rainy day reading mouse? How could I not bring him home?

I had one of those feelings like I might stumble upon the find of a lifetime, and then I DID ::

Wait for it . . .

BOOM ::

Friends, these chairs are not only leopard print

(how much do I love animal print),

they are a beautiful tawny golden hue

(my guest bedroom is all whites, golds, taupes & sunshine)

AND -- please sit down -- they are only $115 each.

You can probably guess the end to my tragic story. I live with a mean man who hates leopard print, golden hues and sunshine, and unfortunately I can't exactly sneak these in. I'm sure they are already gone and I suppose I should take some solace in that. They will just have to RIP in my heart with these tables (they are butterfly shaped and there were two and they were like $20 each) ::

And this chair (also two of these) ::

Those are indeed ram's heads. Looking back, I would have fought harder for these. I would have recovered the seat and maybe painted the wood and I would own them and they would look amazing somewhere.

I suppose the one good thing that has come from all of this is that I now feel like I can recognize a good deal when I see it, and that's what makes me so darn sad about the leopard print. Big sigh. ❤ kd

Music Monday :: Guest DJ Edition :: DJ Shea

2010-10-11T06:52:00.000-05:00

Today's playlist comes to us courtesy of awesome sister in law #2, DJ Shea (aka Casey Dickson :)) Can't wait to download! xo

Animal Collective: My Girls
The Black Keys: Countdown
Band of Horses: Plans
The Beatles: In My Life
Belle and Sebastian: If She Wants Me
Ratatat: Lex
Jay-Z, The Beatles: Change Clothes (The Grey Album)
The Temper Trap: Fader
Kings of Leon: Fans
Passenger: Night Vision Binoculars
Matt & Kim: I'll Take Us Home
Of Montreal: The Party's Crashing Us
Silversun Pickups: Substitution
Pinback: Good to Sea
Passion Pit: Cuddle Fuddle
Bob Dylan: You Ain't Goin Nowhere
M. Ward: Helicopter

Let me know if anyone is interested in guest DJing in future weeks!

Thanks, Shea :)

❤ kd

Busy Bee

2010-10-08T16:57:00.000-05:00

100 layer cake via Snippet & Ink

Have I told yall about our GEORGE honeycomb butter? Oh man.

Lots & lots of events. Busy bee today. We'll do Love List + Guest DJ Edition from DJ Shea (awesome sister in law #2) on Monday.

Peace out! ♥ kd

Gift Giver :: Crocheted Mario Bros Edition

2010-10-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

Are you kidding me with these ::

From Nerd Jerk, range from $14-68. So fun.

♥ kd

Contest :: Dwell with Dignity's Ready, Aim, Redesign!

2010-10-06T13:29:00.001-05:00

I love the Before & Afters on Design*Sponge. They make me want to go scout garage sales & large dumpsters for sure jems that just need a bit of reupholstery and some love. This has not yet happened, but maybe this awesome "Ready Aim Redesign" contest from Dallas-based Dwell with Dignity will give me the nudge I need :)

So here's the deal :: Dwell with Dignity is a non profit that brings "good design to those less fortunate, inspiring them to maintain a standard of living they can be proud of and thrive in." I love this-- as Trisha with Dwell with Dignity said, "Interior design . . . is not superficial but can be a very emotional, inspiring, and comforting tool to enrich people's lives. If people feel good about their environments, they have a stronger sense of self-worth that can impact all other aspects of their lives. This theory is exactly what drives us at Dwell with Dignity to bring the comforts of home and a fresh new start to unfortunate families who find themselves stricken by poverty, domestic violence or other tragedies."

Here are the rules & timetable & such from the website:

W h o   c a n   e n t e r :: ANYONE. Entry is open to all professional designers, students, or novice redesigners.

A b o u t   t h e   P h o t o s :: Send us your best before and after (one each) of any furniture redesign. Please keep those photos of entire room renovations out of the entries. If your photo has been in any previous publications, please let us know where and when. We can only accept one entry per email address, and we reserve all rights to publish or otherwise use all photos received.

H o w   t o   e n t e r :: Go to our registration page and add the $25 entry fee to your cart. Proceed to check out, and complete your transaction. Once payment is received, you will be given instructions and a link to upload your photos. Please allow 48 hours to receive upload instructions.

H o w   t o   w i n :: Entries will be submitted to our 6 judges. The judges will select the top 10 finalists based on creativity, overall design appeal, ingenuity, and skill of labor. Those ten finalists will be featured on our site, where voting will be held. First, second, and third place will be awarded to the entries with the most votes. Voting will be open to the public, so make sure you tell everyone to vote for yours!

T i m e t a b l e ::

Contest Opens: Now
Deadline for Registration: November 15th
Deadline to upload your Before & After pics: November 18th
Top Ten Finalists Announced (voting begins): November 22nd
Voting Ends: November 29th
Winners announced: December 1st

The judges include Jonathan Adler, Grace Bonney from design*sponge, Samantha Reitmeyer-Sano from style/Swoon, and others.

Very excited . . . what to recover, what to repaint . . .

♥ kd

Inspired by Interiors :: 20 x 200

2010-10-05T13:29:00.000-05:00

20 x 200 is both a well-known and little known secret depending on where you land in the interiors/design blogosphere world. Mr. Dickson stumbled across it awhile ago when he bought me this print for Valentine's Day:

We have it in pink, actually & it lives in our bedroom, framed but unhung.

So, 20 x 200 for those of you who don't know: It features new artists and each print offers 200 prints for $20 till they sell out. This one sold out in like 40 seconds.

Go here to check it out. ♥ kd

DJ K :: Music Monday :: Old School Rap/Hip-Hop

2010-10-04T16:20:00.003-05:00

Mood :: Down with some curse words & a good beat, but only before the year 2003, when it all went to sh*t.*

{For the record, this is probably an exhaustive all-encompassing list of all the rap/hip-hop*** songs I like on the planet } ::

Jay-Z :: Dirt Off Your Shoulder
2Pac & Snoop Dogg :: 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
Snoop :: Gin & Juice
Puff Daddy & Family :: Been Around the World
Notorious B.I.G. :: Hypnotize
Snoop & Dr. Dre :: Still D.R.E.
Puff Daddy, Mase, Biggie :: Mo Money Mo Problems**
Eminem :: Lose Yourself
50 Cent & the Game :: Hate It or Love It
Run DMC :: It's Tricky
Eminem & Dr. Dre :: Forgot About Dre
Snoop :: California Love
Fabolous & Nate Dogg :: Can't Deny It
Snoop :: Keep Ya Head Up
Jay Z :: Just Wanna Love U
Biggie :: Big Poppa
Jay Z :: Lost One

Have I forgotten anything?

*Anyone who knows me knows that I hate most modern-day rap & hip-hop, especially anything done by anyone with the name "Lil" anything. Just the sound of Lil John's voice turns me into a raving disapproving 80 year old woman.

**I have not found this to be the case. I would definitely like mo money.

***This of course does not include any Salt & Pepa, Toostie Roll, Whoop There It Is, Beastie Boys or Justin Timberlake****. This is old school East Coast/West Coast sh*t.

****I know. I love him, but I know.

holla! ♥ kd

Friday ♥ List

2010-10-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

R e a d i n g :: I finally put down Freedom, and then ruined it for myself here, and it was awesome. (thanks, Glamtart :)) Need to start reading Red Hook Road stat!

W r i t i n g :: "The secret to writing & publishing that should be taped to your wall" -- here. I spend most mornings researching things related to writing & publishing, and I've never read anything remotely close to this sentiment, and I am finding it to be so true. Almost five weeks after finishing my manuscript, I am finally ready to make the big cuts & changes that I never would have had the strength or perspective to do right when I finished. Brilliant, Jane, brilliant.

M o v i e s :: Social Network (aka The Facebook Movie) comes out this weekend.

M u s i c :: So obsessed with this song. Video strange & boring, but I just really love "Less talk, more arms, more legs, more swinging back and forth . . . first hips, then knees, then feet, don't think anymore"-- makes me envision a complicated dance routine set to it.

F o o d :: Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin*

G i f t s :: Two babies were born this week: baby Lauren to our cousins Ryan & Amanda, & baby Brooke to our friends Ryan & Kassie. One for Lauren, one for Brooke.

I n t e r i o r s :: Love this house, especially the yellows, blacks and whites-- and of course the squirrel art.

Happy Weekend! HOOK EM!

♥ kd

*weird word, pumpkin. say it three times and it starts looking like another language.

Oh, hello, October

2010-10-01T10:43:00.002-05:00

This week it was brought to my attention that I have attracted the readership of one Art Vandelay, whose five paragraph comment about sentence structure here has left several of you puzzled. Mr. Vandelay is, of course, Mr. Dickson trying to be funny, but after yesterday's comment asking me if I graduated from high school, I told him he needed to pepper those comments with some smiley faces or people are going to think he's just mean.

Then, I came home from a late night to find these on our front porch:

He bought and arranged those pumpkins himself. There are two baby ones inside. I suppose that's enough to forgive a week's worth of heckling :)

Finder's Keepers :: Nature Roundup

2010-09-30T07:20:00.002-05:00

Thought I'd pay a little homage to Mother Nature since she rewarded us with such nice weather this week . . .

Clockwise:

Tree Shower Curtain, $38; Faux Coral, $20-45;

Crystal Candleholders, $10-30; Chop Chop Table, $199;

Silver Leaf, $60; Arboretum Pillow, $100;

Campfire Votive, $25; Alessi Coral Container , $128;

Wood Toolbox, $66; Lotus Votive, $15; Mushroom Boxes, $30;

Birch Sconce, $40; Egg Candles, $42; Lab Flower Vases, $18;

Pear & Apple, $30; Twig Colored Pencils, $8; Grass Vase, $63

Can't decide which I want first, the MOMA Egg Candles or the Roost mushrooms (fyi-- Velocity Art & Design has a TON of nature-related Roost products; they just didn't show up very well in Polyvore.)

Inspired by Interiors :: My House :: Main Room Design Board

2010-09-28T15:05:00.004-05:00

A lot of people have asked about our house since we moved in a year ago-- I was badgered specifically about when we were having a housewarming until I responded that I would have a "my house is decorated fully!" party -- in about five years :)

We love our little house-- it's in a shady wooded neighborhood about a mile from White Rock Lake. We were super lucky because a developer bought the house from the original owner & updated the floors, walls, appliances & various other modernizations. I thought it would be fun to show my inspiration board for my main room and then share how it comes along.

M a i n R o o m I n s p i r a t i o n B o a r d ::

(Some of these we've checked off, some are still on the list)

Clockwise ::

Black White Chevron Curtains, $150; Gus Modern Timber Table, $275; Bludot Timber Chair in Black, $249 ; Anthro Rhino, $68; Ikea Cow Hide Rug, $199; Ikea Hovet Floor Length Mirror, $99;{q.a.} design State Prints. $15.50 each; Red Eames Plywood Chair, prices vary*; West Elm Antler Lamp, out of stock (sorry); Bo Concept Sofa, prices vary; Ikea Anes mirror, $99; Bludot Strut Table, dining table shown (we want the console), $399; Enhabiten Cross Pillow, $59-80

S e m i - B e f o r e P i c s o f t h e M a i n R o o m ::

View from front door

Items not covered above:

Close-out sale Gray Shag Rug from Natuzzi**

White coffee table from Ikea, which had a lovely fuschia orchid

on it till a day ago when it finally lost all its blooms.

Would love for the Enhabiten cross pillow to go in the corner of the sofa

Ikea Kulla lamps

Crate & Barrel Outlet console, which may or may not stay

Is that not just the perfect spot for my Anthro Rhino? ♥ him so much

Sorry for the super crappy photography

Bludot Strut Table in Slate via AllModern

Gus Modern stainless steel planter with red hots

Cowhide rug*** from the Arrangement

View from the Rhino towards the hallway

We've ordered 8 states (all the states we've lived in)

from {q.a.} design-- they have blue backgrounds with gray states

They will go above the couch & take up that whole wall

Against that wall is where I really want the console in Blue.

It is now either discontinued or out of stock which is terrible

I would have put the Ikea big round mirror above it

I also want to place the GusModern timber table

between the two Eames chairs.

Our big ole' window. I can't decide between the black & white curtains or the blue & white curtains from this post. If Mr. Dickson has his way**** we'll have wool curtains the color of the gray rug, and this domestic impasse is the main reason that we don't have curtains. I'm a little stumped though on how best to treat the other three windows-- black & white roman shades?

Any design feedback or ideas would be much, much appreciated :)

♥ kd

*Mr. Dickson scored our Eames chairs on eBay for unheard of prices.

**The Mr. also scored our gray shag rug and a matching white shag rug for like 87% off in a Natuzzi close-out sale.

***Yes, we are vegetarians and own a cowhide rug and it is real. Mr. Dickson also hunts and I own decidedly too much animal print. We're clearly not in it for animal rights reasons, although we do love the Peta Pie at Fireside.

****My husband, God love him, has lots of very strong ideas about all things house-related. He is very clean and stark and modern in his tastes, which is fine, but he also likes things that are well-made, name brand and very expensive. As I once told one of our couple friends, "Chad only likes things that are new and one million dollars." Which would be great if we had one million dollars. I, on the other hand, being a woman and needing to nest, want to decorate every single room and make it super cute & awesome with my tried-and-true high-low approach. I am a finder-- I love original found objects that have meaning & a spark. One Saturday this past spring I took Mr. to an awesome antique shop here in Dallas called White Elephant and almost got a divorce when he rejected all twelve of the items I wanted to buy (what's that you say? Just buy it & bring it home & he won't notice? Believe me, ladies, he will notice. He will stand at the front door with his veto stamp and not let New Shiny Pretty Thing in the door, even if I cry.) In his defense, his insistence on digging his feet in has landed us some pretty awesome deals (see exhibit * & **), which I am grateful for . . . until I remember that I really want those chevron curtains.

His mother is coming this weekend. Maybe she'll help me convince him that gray wool curtains and a gray shag rug will make the whole room feel like a textured dungeon. If I somehow get my way, should we do the blue and white or the black and white? Truly torn.

Avid Reader :: Banned Books Week

2010-09-27T22:33:00.000-05:00

via Flickr

From the American Library Association website :: Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

2009's Top Ten (Twilight + Catcher in the Rye included)

10 Books You Might Not Expect, including the Merriam Webster Dictionary

Top Ways to Celebrate, NY Times Style

Don't these people know that the easiest way to sell a product is to make it controversial? Silly rabbits.

❤ kd

Guest DJ Edition :: DJ Ace

2010-09-27T06:14:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited :: my sister in law Ashley agreed to guest DJ for us. Between her & my other sister in law Casey (who will be with us a few weeks from now), I have discovered hundreds of great new songs. Everyone calls her Ace because she's Ashley Catherine Evans and she is a super fast runner. Thanks, Ace!

"Mood: Excited! My selection criteria was anything that makes you want to jump up and down! It was a fun distraction from studying.... {Ashley is in college in California}

*A-Punk :: Vampire Weekend

*Revolution :: The Beatles

*All The Small Things :: Blink 182

*I'm Not Over :: Carolina Liar

*Little Lion Man :: Mumford & Sons

*Take Me Out :: Franz Ferdinand

*Spaceman :: The Killers

*Help I'm Alive :: Metric

*Sometime Around Midnight :: The Airborne Toxic Event

*Sweet Disposition :: The Temper Trap

*Wake Up :: Arcade Fire

*Dragostea Din Tei :: O-Zone

*Live and Let Die :: Paul McCartney & Wings

*You And I :: Ingrid Michaelson

*The Middle :: Jimmy Eat World

*Hot N Cold :: Katy Perry

*Rock & Roll :: Led Zeppelin

*Kids :: MGMT*

*Float On :: Modest Mouse

*I'm Looking Through You :: The Beatles

*Here It Goes Again :: Ok Go

*Pink Tux To The Prom :: Relient K

*Start Me Up :: Rolling Stones

*FNT :: Semisonic

*The Way We Get By :: Spoon

*My Doorbell :: The White Stripes

*We know we had Kids on last week's play list, but I think it fits in well here, and it's a great song, so we'll let it slide :)

Okay, off to download several of these . . .

❤ kd

How much do I love this?

2010-09-24T16:21:00.015-05:00

I think I've found my new mantra. How hopeful and chic.

At the very least, this changes my Facebook "say a little something about yourself."

From Rue Mag

(which is fantastic, finally read through it last night.)

Friday ❤ List

2010-09-24T13:17:00.002-05:00

R e a d i n g :: Everyone all week long on Twitter was talking about THE ROOM by Emma Donoghue. Apparent page turner. Could use that after suffering through 200 pages of Freedom*, which, may I note, is only 1/3 of the way through the 600 page novel. Is there anyone out there that can give me a compelling reason to keep reading? If not, pretty sure it's going back on Amazon.

W r i t i n g :: Screenwriting resumes on Monday with DJ Glamtart. Already feeling that I am going to be the black sheep of the class, as I have not yet completed any of my assignments and have to work this weekend. In other writing news, I am slowly getting revisions back on my novel from my readers & am prepared to embark on an epic rewrite during my free time (what free time?) . . . between the screenplay, the novel revision and the YA series I'm brainstorming, there are lots of characters floating about my head. Hope they play nice. Also, Jane at Writer's Digest did this writerly tweet round up on Sunday & it is excellent.

M o v i e s :: City Island is out on DVD. This was hands down the best movie I've seen so far this year and possibly one my best ever. In other news, Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy . . . I suppose our efforts to stay ancient and resist Netflix were all for naught. Wha whaa.

M u s i c :: My super cool friend Kym Skiles alerted us to this super cool thing called Song Kick , which allows you to track your favorite bands' concert dates (so that you never miss Lady Gaga or John Mayer or Dave Matthews any of the 3 times they tour each year**). Will my favorite band ever Matt Pond PA ever come to Texas? Here's wishing and hoping. Really enjoying their new album in the meantime.

F o o d :: Mr. Dickson made vegan*** cookies last night with maple syrup, toasted walnuts, raisins and dark chocolate. There were about 12 to start with and by the time I left for work we'd eaten at least half. Even Chef Chloe would be proud.

G i f t s :: These guys kind of look like something from Where the Wild Things Are. Wooden Optimist & Pessimist-- you could give them with a set of half full/half empty glasses :)

I n t e r i o r s :: Love this house, via design*sponge. If I could have white sheepskin rugs in every room, I think I'd never leave.

Happy Weekend! Everyone do an anti rain dance-- we are catering an outdoor dinner for 30 (for the music curator) and there's a 30% chance of rain!

♥ kd

*Was glad to see that someone is brave enough to say bad things about Freedom. And again, it's not that I dislike it even. I just feel no compelling reason to keep reading. Particularly when 400 pages stand between me and whatever climax might befall these characters that I care little about. So.
**To be clear, I love Lady Gaga, John Mayer and Dave Matthews.
***Yes we are. Or rather, I am (loosely, in fairness). Mr. is vegetarian.

Thoughtful Thursday :: Kate Spade Paperie

2010-09-23T16:10:00.000-05:00

I really love Kate Spade's paper line:

Idiom Notecards , $30

All Occasions card set, $35.

If you can't read them, they say

"I heard you were under the weather";

"A round of applause"; "For no particular reason";

and "Icing on the cake."

Sunny Side Up gift card set, $35.

I adore yellow,

probably because my "winter" coloring

precludes me from wearing it.

Set of 3 small notebooks. They say "La De Da.", $12.

I would love to keep one in each handbag

with a coordinating Le Pen pen:

My grandmother has always had these and I think they are just so fun and chic,

and as a bonus they write terrifically.

TGIF tomorrow! ♥ kd

Big Nerd :: 2nd Trailer

2010-09-23T06:53:00.000-05:00

They released the 2nd (and I think final) Theatrical Trailer for Harry Potter:

As with most things, I'm realizing there is a ton I am forgetting. Whose wedding is that? I may have to reread! Hurray! (There is nothing I love better than rereading a Harry Potter. There is something womb-like about it.)

Who wants to go with me?

❤ kd

Romantic :: First Day of Fall

2010-09-22T11:10:00.003-05:00

It was cloudy & 76 degrees when I arrived at work today which actually felt like a chill against my skin! Made me want to break out this:

J Crew Velvet Blazer, $148

and this:

Kate Spade "Signed Up For a Dance Class" look*, click for prices

and this:

Urban Outfitters-- for the life of me I can't find that chunky neckroll business
on the website, but I love it . . . let me know if you find it!

When can we start wearing tights and boots again? Is 76 degrees too warm?

You have to understand that it doesn't get cold in Texas until mid-November, and even then we operate in the 50s most days. It makes me pine for places like New York, where the leaves will start turning any day, if they haven't already:

Pine, I tell you. PINE.

To compensate, I will go sell some fall food and hope that mushrooms and beets will do for now*. In fairness, George does make some really delicious beets.

♥ kd

*Not digging the silver tights beneath the skinny jeans with the silver shoes. But I'm not going to tell Kate Spade what to do.

**Also, I am wearing a (albeit short sleeved) tweed jacket today, so that helps.

Finder's Keepers :: Rhino Roundup

2010-09-21T14:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Etsy posted this little felt rhinoceros on their Twitter & I nearly had a meltdown. I mean -- not only is she named Hermione, she is adorable & small & felt, and she is wearing a party hat "because she likes to throw parties" (honest to God, that's off of her Etsy listing.)

The reason I almost had a meltdown is because I already own this guy and I feel that another rhinoceros in the house would be one too many. I have an unhealthy love of rhinoceroses and worry that owning two would swiftly lead to a hundred, and no one needs that level of "safari chic."

Luckily, I just realized that someone did indeed buy our little party rhino yesterday. Thank you, whoever you are, because now I can stop pining and rest assured she has gone to a good home. If any of the rest of you have fallen in love with her, my bad. I'm sure Planet Fur would be happy to make you another.

Meanwhile, if you still need a rhino fix, check out these little gems, and please buy them for me ::

{Wonky Clockwise}

Partymaker, sold, alas; Cardboard, White, $30; & Brown, $30;

Wooden, $44; Teether, $14; Willow, $95; Masked, $16;

Sweatshirt, $38; Decal, $8.95; Onesie, $15

{Okay, now counterclockwise!}

Necklace, $16; Campfire, $12; Orange, $20; Tote, $12;

Big Man, $44.95; White Ceramic, $49.95; Costume, $49.95;

Clash of Rhinos, $18; Eyeball, $30; D is For, $30

♥ kd

DJ K :: Music Monday

2010-09-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

Today's mood: A little bit of attitude, a little bit of angst

After Hours :: We Are Scientists
Loser :: Beck
Clint Eastwood :: Gorillaz
Belief :: John Mayer
Happier :: Guster
Take a Picture :: Filter
Kids :: MGMT
Starlight :: Muse
Animal :: Miike Snow

CrushCrushCrush :: Paramore

Happy listening!

♥ kd

Sisters & Brothers :: Ode to Joe

2010-09-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

Today is my little brother's birthday, so today is all about him:

This is my favorite picture of him & me from when we were little. He's probably about two & I'm probably about six. We built that little house (not singlehandedly, of course) and played in it all the time.

A couple years ago in a writing class, I wrote this* about him:

"My mother used to chase my brother around the house, and not in a cute 'I'm going to tickle you' kind of way. More in a 'I am going to throttle your throat, you son of a bitch,' kind of way. (☺)

My brother, four and a half years my junior, was named Joseph Michael Greenwood. My mother wanted Michael, and my stepfather wanted Joseph, after his father. So my brother went by Michael for the first two years of his life.

I was six or seven by the time he switched back to Joseph-- Joe. He was two by then, and Joe seemed to awaken an inner demon that Michael had managed to keep dormant. Joe was the one who stood naked at the top of the landing and threw a carton of eggs down a flight of stairs into my mother's face. Joe was the one who took baby powder and gleefully tumped out its contents onto the living room carpet, flailing the white bottle about his head like a tribal rain dance. He lathered up his arms and legs with Vaseline and then mashed it into his eyes and nose.

He stuck my favorite Barbie into a preheating oven. He had stitches four times by the age of seven.

My sister Molly was about eighteen months old when she began tugging at my mother's plaid button down, gushing, "Joey go bye-bye" around her pacifier.

"Yes, baby," my mom soothed. "We are going bye bye."

Except that it turned out Molly was right -- Joe was halfway down the driveway in my parents' Toyota, all three feet of him. Barely potty trained and backing into oncoming traffic.

My brother was my best friend when we were small. We used to arrange all of our stuffed animals onto our beds and then close the doors, cracking them enough to watch the lions and tigers and bears inside with all our might.

"Keep watching," I said. "They're about to come alive."

Then we would gasp when we imagined one of their whiskers moving, and Molly would gum, 'What? What it is?'"

If I continued, the stories would include him waiting on the front stoop for hours, swearing he could hear the ice cream man** from miles away; spending hundreds of happy hours in our basement playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or in our front yard playing kickball with the neighborhood kids; swimming at the pool and riding bikes and playing lots and lots of Mario 3.

There would also be stories about him making me burst into furious tears in four seconds flat because he knows how to push my buttons better than anyone on the planet, but I suppose that's what little brothers are for.

So here's to you my friend ::

LOVE YOU, BROTHER! Have a great day!

♥ kd

*This is, of course, creative non fiction and therefore some details (stitches four times? two times? can't remember) may be a little hazy, but I'm no James Frey either.

**Does the ice cream man still exist in any sort of decent fashion? The ice cream men in our neighborhood drive vans from the seventies with cracked woodgrain and look like they will definitely rob your house post-transaction. I am just genuinely curious if across America, Bomb Pops are still sold without fear of child abduction.

*** I really don't mean to be the footnote queen in every post, but I just always feel the need to elaborate on a few given points. Forgive me.

Avid Reader :: It's Not Just Books

2010-09-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

Although I am now 150 pages into Freedom & have finally reached the "book cover promise" (thanks, GK, for this genius post), I found myself reading a magazine this morning. From cover to cover. You know those online Either/Or quizzes that were so popular circa 2006? There was one popular one that asked "Magazines or Books" and I always puzzled to myself whenever anyone answered "Magazine." How could you possibly choose a Magazine over a Novel? Unfathomable. Unless you are talking about Esquire, of course, and today I am.

An Excerpt ::

From "New Rules for Men," an updated version of their tried and true Rules that includes social networking -- "being a man has gotten more complex. Not harder, really. Just more involved. There are new platforms -- what with the Twitter and all."

I laughed out loud at this one ::

"Social Comportment and Outward Appearance :: Rules No. 750-758 ::

The fist bump only if you're about to spar.
The high five* only if you've just scored. In sports.
If someone looks as though he might be on steroids, he's on steroids.
The skinny jeans only if you're skinny.
The larger the beard, the gentler the man.**
It's been a tight race for a while, but a blazer and jeans now beats khakis and a button-down.
To be clear, a blazer, jeans, and a button-down beats khakis and a button-down.
A blazer with no shirt is never appropriate. Unless you're involved in some sort of exotic magic act.
In which case the blazer should be sequined.
Rule No. 759: No magic."

Hahahahahhaha!

*I have to admit that I am a serial high-fiver. About things mostly unrelated to sports. Particularly when I've been drinking.

**I would like to agree, with the exception of this man:

Is he not the best? He will be hanging in my house soon and might overtake this guy as my favorite possession. From Native Vermont.

Happy Sunday!

❤ kd

Lover :: Friday ♥ List

2010-09-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

R e a d i n g :: New 100% online interiors magazine RUE came out this week. Everyone is talking about it & saying that it has tons of content. I love tons of content. Can't wait to read it!

W r i t i n g :: Huffington Post consistently puts out articles about the English language & our embarrassing misuse of it. As a badge-wearing member of the Grammar Police*, I appreciate this effort to educate the general public about things like proper apostrophe use & actually learned a thing or two from this article.

M o v i e s :: Two highly acclaimed movies come out this weekend: The Town (Ben Affleck's new one-- only the second he has written & directed since Good Will Hunting) and Easy A with Emma Stone. If you haven't heard about Easy A, please stop everything you are doing and watch the trailer. Right now. And then try not to pee your pants from excitement.

M u s i c :: I found out that one of my GEORGE clients is a "music curator" :: she creates hip playlists (they call it "wallpaper") for hotels & showrooms. She said she was always the one to create the mixed tapes at parties & people were so impressed they started paying her for it. DJ K over here almost lost her cool** because I really wanted to beg her to be my best friend & teach me everything she knows.

F o o d :: "Do not feed the animals." Look closely.

G i f t s :: I've recently discovered Seltzer Studios. I think that I clipped every single item into my Polyvore. You will probably see the entire website featured on future gift guides.

I n t e r i o r s :: I think that this is one of my favorite houses of all time, via d*sponge. The barcelona sofa. The greek key rug. The kelly green butterfly plates. The white Eames rocker. The white shag rug. The wall of mirrors in the entryway. The penny tile mosaic. Le sigh.

*In my ninth grade English class, we had to write a series of 12 essays about various topics & if there was one grammatical mistake, our teacher would hand it back to us with one word at the top: "No." I swear to God that taught me more about the English language than any other life experience (apart from reading lots and lots and lots of books.) Thank you, Mrs. Ortega :)

**Luckily for everyone involved, I segued into her canape choices & ultimately kept it together. It was a close one though.

Happy Weekend!

♥ kd

Thinker :: Stay Tuned, Friends

2010-09-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

I've been doing a lot of marinating & noodling* the last couple days about the best way to deliver quality content on a near daily basis, which has led me back to why I started this blog to begin with, and why I named it Present Considered:

1) To cover the multitude of random thoughts going on in my mind at the present time and
2) To explore fun, unusual ideas for gifts (also known as presents-- get it) both for others and for ourselves

So, for today's Thoughtful Thursday, I will refer you back to Style Bureau, my original blog which came out to wide acclaim (and by wide acclaim, I mean that my family & friends thought it was fun and wanted to see more) but to which I only posted once, because the one post had enough content for a year & I kill things like that.

So please jump here for a general gift guide (although watch out, some items are outdated & some of the links don't work) and in the meantime, rest assured that the wheels are turning . . .

and check back tomorrow for a Friday ♥ List Roundup, which will hopefully actually take place on Friday this week.

*In case you were wondering, marinating and noodling are two different phases of the thought function for me. I marinate first (incubate even-- let thoughts grow organically under a little brain cell heatlamp) and then I noodle : active thinking-- gameplan making. And somewhere in there I spend hours on the internet doing research & getting super excited about all the things I find & want to share. Unfortunately that's the part that's holding me up, because I have this need to thoroughly search all four corners of the web before I can feel good about saying that today's post is indeed my Salt & Pepper Shaker Roundup. What if there are twenty other salt & pepper shakers that everyone else knows about except me & all my readers gather behind my back to talk about how I didn't even include salt & pepper shaker x from website y? What if I've never even heard of website y?

These are the things that keep me up at night. Although I'd rest easy about salt & pepper shakers in particular because I'd find it hard to believe that there's a pair that could ever top this. I mean seriously.

xo! ♥ kd

Hippie Heaven :: Mr. Dickson Is All About the Bikes

2010-09-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

If my husband ever tried to take over the world, I think his propoganda poster would look like this ::

Nick Dewar print, via design*sponge's bike roundup

DJ K :: Music Monday :: Lyric of the Week

2010-09-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

Apologies for no real playlist this week . . . essentially all I've been listening to is Paramore, Tegan & Sara and Incubus-- and really one song in particular, which Meredith played for me on the way back from the concert Friday. It is one of those songs that I've heard but never really listened to, and when I tuned in on the lyrics, I had that OMGthisismynewfavoritesongcanIlistentoittenthousandtimes moment.

Incubus :: Dig, here's my ode to you:

Life changing, right? It strikes me as a more polite and lyrical version of this sentiment, which I also love. The chorus goes "If I turn into another / Dig me up from under what is covering
The better part of me / Sing this song / Remind me that we'll always have each other / When everything else is gone."

Seriously, download it now (and pay no attention to the video, which I know is weird.) At the very least, admire my Scrapblog prowess :)

❤ kd

Lover :: Monday ♥ List

2010-09-13T14:23:00.000-05:00

Since I sucked on Friday (I actually did not eat lunch on Friday -- that tells you something about the madness), our Love List has been moved to today :)

R e a d i n g :: I am a little over a third of the way through Freedom & think it will take a long time for me to finish it. I am only marginally interested in it, which is unusual for me because I typically either devour books or put them down. Think I may move onto this or this in the meanwhile.

W r i t i n g :: I am starting a screenwriting class tonight at the Writer's Garret with DJ Glamtart! Super excited about it. Maybe I will oneday fulfill my dream of becoming Zach Braff (without the acting or directing-- mostly just the part where I'd get to choose the soundtrack.)

M u s i c :: Friday night my girl Meredith & I went to the Paramore concert, along with every preteen in the DFW metroplex. Tegan and Sara were ah-mazing openers and I was able to hear The Only Exception with my own ears (I totally lost it when I first saw this Nashville performance on YouTube-- their first live-- unbelievable.)

M o v i e s :: Can't wait to see Never Let Me Go. They are already giving Oscar nods to Keira Knightley & Carey Mulligan.

F o o d :: Love Camille Styles' Fig inspiration board. Blues + purples = lovely fall eating. We at GEORGE Catering are debuting our fall menu items this week too, hoping that if we start wearing sweaters and talking about pumpkins, Mother Nature will take notice & put away her 90 degree highs. Here's hoping.

G i f t s :: For dog-lovers. Check out the watchdog doorstop. OMG.

I n t e r i o r s :: I have recently connected with a couple other Dallas based bloggers, including the lovely & talented Kyle Knight of Knight Moves. She does such a good job of scouting out high-low design ideas and her home is g o r g e o u s. The Walmart bedding-as-curtains is genius.

If I Am Being Honest, This Thursday Was Not At All Thoughtful

2010-09-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

The majority of our catering clients returned from their summer homes over Labor Day, which means that my work load went from this last week (and three months previous) ::

To this:

The last three days have been absolutely nuts. If I were the kind of person that ever forgot to eat lunch*, I would have starved my way through the last week. I am painfully out of catering shape. I wore heels to tonight's event.** And I anticipate this rush will not stop until roughly December 22nd. So my apologies for the lazy posts this week-- hope to regroup this weekend & figure out a gameplan which includes both daily posting and staying off of anxiety medicine.

On another note, I still haven't sent that Sleep Sheep because I don't have their address. Indirectly I blame this on the postal service. How can it not be the postal service's fault? It must be. There's no other plausible explanation for three straight weeks of sucking.

*I never forget to eat lunch. Or breakfast or dinner. I have always admired the folks who don't eat when they get stressed/sad/angry. My first boss claimed she used to be pretty heavy & then lost a bunch of weight and when I asked how, she said, "I got a divorce." I was like, "I want a divorce." I used to wish for mono in high school because it was a surefire way to lose ten pounds. I've never had mono. Instead, I have this need to eat every two hours, lest I turn into an angry gremlin.

**You never wear heels to an event you're working. It's Rule Number One, ahead of #2 Don't Run and #3 Don't Yell. I don't know what made me think I was above the rules today. I'm pretty sure I made up those rules. I have spent the last 45 minutes literally hobbling around my house and am now marooned in my bed unable to fathom walking to the bathroom to wash my face.

Tomorrow will be a hard day.

Style Scout :: Always Be Prepared, As You Never Know When Your Day Involves Hurricanes and Tornadoes

2010-09-08T17:24:00.000-05:00

Today Tropical Storm Hermine (could they not have just gone with Hermione-- seriously) dumped inches and inches of water* (UPDATED FIGURE: a record breaking 5.26 inches) on the DFW metroplex. I have to admit that on most rainy days, I am the girl that sprints from door to door rather than look for an umbrella (because I am always running late and never have time to go searching). Today it was pouring so hard I actually took the time to go look, and alas, after so many years of neglect, all umbrellas seem to have vacated our house and gone elsewhere in protest.

Needless to say, I really wish that a) I had one of these and b) that our sky looked like this umbrella from the MOMA store (which is awesome if you've not visited, both the site and the store.) $48.

Stay dry & happy, friends! ♥ kd

*UPDATED PLOT TWIST: Hermine also brought us several tornadoes tonight, one of which I saw from the 14th floor of a building downtown . . .

. . . while we attempted to setup for a dinner party that was supposed to start in thirty minutes. Once the sirens went off, we were evacuated downstairs by building security to wait until the funnel clouds quit touching ground. Remarkably, cocktails did start promptly at seven.

Finder's Keepers :: Hobby Lobby

2010-09-07T22:36:00.000-05:00

There is -- somehow-- not a Hobby Lobby near us. So when I was up north on Friday before movie night, I had to stop in, and look at all these fun things I found there!

Everything was of course 50% off so I think that sunburst mirror is a grand total of $23. If you have one near you, go now and buy these things for me, please :)

❤ kd

This just in :: Guest DJ Edition

2010-09-06T11:23:00.001-05:00

Today's first ever Guest DJ edition comes from DJ Glamtart over at Ordinary Addictions ::

"Every now and then I think,
'Today is a good day for banjo.'

Whether it’s lurking in the shadows or stepping into the forefront like some sort of plucky upstart, banjo has been creeping more and more into my favorite music. Here are just a few tracks from my collection that feature this surprisingly versatile instrument. Banjo: it’s not just for hillbillies anymore.**

*Where Does Yer Go Now? :: Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
*King of Carrot Flowers Parts 2 & 3 :: Neutral Milk Hotel
*Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl :: Broken Social Scene
*Trashing Days :: The Notwist
*All My Little Words :: The Magnetic Fields
*The Gate :: Belle and Sebastian
*1 2 3 4 :: Feist
*Your Rocky Spine :: Great Lake Swimmers
*Be Gentle with Me :: The Boy Least Likely To
*Australia :: The Shins
*Sing :: Travis
*The Transfiguration :: Sufjan Stevens
*Monsters :: Band of Horses

**in fairness, I am from Arkansas originally."

-- DJ Glamtart
Ordinary Addictions

Thx a bunch, GT! Also diggin the banjo :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Music Monday :: Holiday Edition

2010-09-06T10:27:00.000-05:00

Occasionally, like on days off, Music Monday will feature our favorite song lyrics, like this Death Cab jem::

First person to finish the next line gets a hug, or possibly a beer if you live in Dallas.

Happy Labor Day, friends!

❤ kd

Lover :: Friday ❤ List

2010-09-03T11:24:00.000-05:00

Friday Round Up :: Love List

R e a d i n g :: What a great book club selection this would be. Think I will read it post-Freedom.

W r i t i n g :: I have been following all kinds of fun authors, publishers & agents on Twitter and found the most helpful Twitter 101 last night. Have gone from twitter infant to #learning to walk :) Will surely be #maniacally obsessed by next week.

M u s i c :: ♥ Kidd Kraddick in the morning for lots of reasons, but particularly for this great segment.

M o v i e s :: Excited about Jennifer Aniston + Jason Bateman ; George Clooney; Julianne Moore + Annette Bening + Mark Ruffalo

F o o d :: September is Fruits & Vegetables Month! Yeah vegetarians :) For help on choosing the best in-season produce, go here (for Texas) and here (for nation-wide)

G i f t s :: The perfect present for my kitchen, in keeping with this week's me-me-me approach to gift giving. Obsessed, must-have.

I n t e r i o r s :: I ♥ this house. Samantha Reitmayer Sano of style/SWOON is a Dallas resident & up and coming interior + style celebrity & her husband Bret's company designed our GEORGE Catering website. My husband will never allow this sort of style (whole other post) but I loveitsomuch.

peace out homies! last weekend before the fall social season (= catering madness till Christmas) -- will do as little as possible* for the next three days to prepare :)

♥ kd

*with the exception of a trip to Ikea, an awesome Natalie Portman movie night with my girl Meredith, and the first LONGHORN FOOTBALL game of the season! hook em!

Crankypants :: Lack of Sleep*

2010-09-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

So, I don't know what they are called, but we have started getting these small black bugs inside our house that crawl along like little tiny roaches (tiny, like the size a paper clip) but half the time wind up on their backs, which are this hard crunchy texture, and they then catapult themselves vertically to try to right themselves, only it takes them about 25 tries before it works.

I am starting to think that they are after my sanity. Here's why:

Last week, I woke up to one of them jumping between the covers and MY SHOULDER. Ewwwwwww. To the highest degree. I took a shower before I even ate breakfast, and yall know how I feel about showering (I hate showering. I think it's a giant waste of time.) Then, TWICE this week, including last night, I have woken up in the middle of the night to one of these motherf***ers in my bedroom jumping on his back against my wood floors. It sounds like heel tapping. Because it's the middle of the night, I don't want to turn on a light to locate the little sucker because my husband is the worst sleeper on the planet and won't ever get back to sleep AND I'm certainly not getting any help from this guy:

Who is, as you can see, a gentleman and a scholar and therefore can't be bothered with such menial tasks as killing bugs. There is a downside to having the world's nicest cat-- he is a lover, not a fighter, and unlike the Dos Equis guy he is not also a fighter, unless you have a cat charmer, and then he'll mess you up:

But last night in the bed there was no cat charmer, so he was all:

So I laid there suffering through the neverending tapping. This morning it was nowhere to be found. If he shows up tonight, someone's going to die.

*I know lots of new parents, including my coworker Mike, who has an eleven month old and a three year old and I think never sleeps, so I do feel badly complaining about any lack of sleep around him, and I am sure that my lack of eight hours is laughable to many, but to me it is a big deal. So back off man.

{yawn} ♥ kd