Attention, Gardeners!

It's about time to plant those peonies, for those of you who are interested in having these beauties growing in your yard next spring/summer. Check out Better Homes & Garden Online for more information on these fabulous flowers, or pick up the latest Better Homes & Garden magazine on newstands now for more information. Happy Gardening!

Graham & Brown at Target

If you like design at all, you know that wallpaper is hot right now in the world of interiors.  There are a lot of lovely wallpaper patterns to choose from, but often they are pricey, pricey, pricey.  That's why we were so pleased to find Graham & Brown wallpaper at Target!  The prices are much more affordable at Target, and all the rolls are double-rolls, which reduces your cost even more.  As if we needed another reason to love Target, right?  

If you don't love the idea of wallpapering an entire room, you might think about using wallpaper to add a little extra something to a space that needs a little pizazz.  Try wallpapering your closet---it will make you smile each time you take something off the hanger.  Or, try wallpapering the inside of china hutch to give your dining room just a little hint of pattern and color.  The ideas are really limitless!  Here's a sneak-peak at Graham & Brown's Target line, but if you want to see 'em all, click here.

One of Our Favorites: Grey in a Big Way!

So, our last post was on neutrals, and this post relates.  There is one neutral we love above the rest:  grey (or gray, if you prefer).   Grey can actually be tricky!  Kari was looking for the perfect shade of a neutral grey for her living room and so she forced her sweet hubby to live for about a month with various swatches of paint on the walls, so she could get the color absolutely right.  You see, it's a color with depth, so light at the various times of day can make the color look different.  And then, there are greys with blue undertones and grays with brown undertones---oh, the decisions!  The key to choosing a grey that acts as a neutral is to choose a gray with brown undertones.  The two of us have deemed these greys as "taupey greys."  We love a great taupey grey.  Somehow, it comes off so much more chic than just beigey taupe.  (Again, beigey taupe is one of our carefully scientific terms regarding color.  :)  

Another great thing about using grey as a neutral in a room, is it allows you to be very free with changing out your color of accessories.  The perfect taupey grey will allow you to accent with warm colors for the autumn, seasonal colors at Christmas time, bright colors during spring, etc.  Both of us happen to have short attention spans when it comes to our decor---we are constantly changing or updating something----so it's very nice to have the option to use peacock blue pillows one month and orange another month and not have to worry about our walls needing new paint!  (By the way, grey works pretty fabulous for a furniture color, too, especially if you like very light or white walls...)

Here are some lovely grey rooms from Canadian House & Home.  You can click on the link to see more grey rooms from this super-fantastic design mag.  

Have a lovely Friday!

Jill & Kari

Be Neutral...

As much as the two of us love color, sometimes the overall feel of a neutral room causes us to consider going a bit more "oatmeal" in our color schemes. Neutrals can actually be so rich and warm when done right! The key is to use layer and texture to create interest so that the room does not become too boring and stale.  Below are some neutral rooms we rather enjoy from Southern Accents.  (You can check out more lovely neutral rooms on the Southern Accents site).  Happy Wednesday!

The Genius Named Amy Atlas...

Amy Atlas is pretty much perfect when it comes to inspiring smiles. She is the mastermind behind the chic dessert tables you see in the photos above. Aren't they perfect? And the photos you see here hardly scratch the surface of her creative genius. To see more, check out her site. We can promise you'll be mesmerized by her portfolio. :)  

If you are planning a party and need a little inspiration to get you pointed in the right direction, Amy Atlas is a great place to start.  This lady knows details are the key to a memorable party!

Inspiring Before-and-Afters:

Is there anything more fun than a good "before and after?" We don't think so. Transformations are so inspiring! That's probably why before-and-after-type shows are so hot on TV right now. We all want to see what a person looks after losing fifty pounds and getting a wardrobe makeover. And we all want to see what rooms look like when one of the HGTV designers spends the allotted hour of the program making magic in someone's home. So...here are a handful of before-and-afters for you for today. Hopefully they can inspire you to put a few finishing touches on a room or two in your home.  If you want to see more, you can check these rooms and others out on Southern Living's website.  Happy Thursday!

Today We're Loving...

...the ultra-cheery stripes on this do-it-yourself canopy.  Want directions for this easy project?  Check out Country Living and you'll find this and several other fun projects to make your home more smile-worthy.  :)

Book Reports...

Well, we know school is back in session, but that doesn't mean summer reading has to come to an end! Here are some of our current favorite titles that we can recommend to you. There's a mix of heavy and light here, including two cookbooks, so you are sure to find something enjoyable to read! Also, if you read something really great this summer, leave us a comment with your book suggestion. We (and other readers) want to know what to read next! :)

Jill says:  "Ok, I recommend Pride and Prejudice, because it is unacceptable for anyone to not have read that book AT LEAST once, (I've read it like 10 times, no joke. Its my go-to book.) And The Find was great.  And, I really think that we would be remiss if we didn't recommend Janet Evanovich. I mean, you cannot go wrong with that whole series. So, there are my three very different recommendations. Oh, and that Celebrate cookbook that we both love, because I love to read cookbooks..."

Kari says:  "I had to read both My Life in France and Julie & Julia this summer.  First of all, I adore Julia Child (the woman just did not take herself too seriously, and I think that's a trait that more people need right now).  Also, I was going to France and thought these would make great plane reads.  I adored My Life in France and was truly sad when it was finished.  I enjoyed Julie & Julia, too, although I must warn you that many people will find the language in this book a tad on the coarse side (okay, it's downright trashy, at times).  Anna Karenina is a classic that I enjoy very much---it's a great way to read something heady and literary when all those chic lit books start killing off your brain cells.  Lastly, Vefa's Kitchen is my new favorite cookbook.  I enjoy sitting and reading this five-pound monster and dreaming of moving to Greece.  It's very therapeutic!"

(All of these titles can be purchased on Amazon).

An Early Weekend...

This morning, something felt different.  It was, all of a sudden, less like summer.  Couldn't really put a finger on it until it was apparent:  today, many schools started back up.  Sure enough, the highschools and junior highs and elementary schools resumed today (on a Thursday...isn't that strange?  Is that something new this year, or are we just oblivious because we don't have kids going back to school...?)  Traffic was busy in the neighborhoods as parents dropped their little darlings off to gain a little knowledge.  New backpacks were unveiled, new school clothes gaped over, new haircuts admired.  School is back in session.  That means these last few days of summer will quickly dwindle and soon the chill of autumn will be in the air.  (Happily, the stores are stocking fabulous fall clothes as we speak!)  So, we are starting the weekend early around here as we attempt to squeeze a little more out of our summer.  We hope you have a fantastic weekend, whatever your plans are.  You might consider taking advantage of the summer while it still hangs around because it won't be here for long!  :)

The Rhubarb Wins This Time...

Ah, yes.  That's a charming picture of the strawberry rhubarb pie I (Kari) was planning on making this week.  The recipe is from Williams-Sonoma, which I figured was a safe bet because W.S. has never, ever, ever let me down when it comes to their recipes.  

You see, the hubby and I were working in the yard awhile back, and I casually asked, "What would you like for our anniversary?"  I was really expecting a "nothing" from him, since he hardly ever has gift requests.  We celebrated year #2 of our marriage yesterday, so it wasn't like a hugely monumental anniversary anyway (although, in my mind, they ALL should be hugely monumental).  To my surprise, my husband replied, "I'd like a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie."  This was a random request as I had never heard him talk about strawberry rhubarb anything before, but it turns out that this is his favorite pie (sheesh!  The things you get to know about your husband after two years of marriage!)  So, I file this bit of information in the back of my brain because I'm so going to wow him with the most amazing strawberry rhubarb pie for our anniversary.  In the meantime, I go to Paris for two weeks, we take a week at the coast for my husband's work/golf/meetings thing the company does every year, and life in general happens.

So...this past Monday, I am all about the strawberry rhubarb pie.  Our anniversary is on Tuesday, so I have plenty of time to whip this baby up and surprise my husband.  Yessirree.  Then the hunt for rhubarb begins...

I go to every grocery store in Visalia and am informed that nobody has had rhubarb in for about two weeks.  I call every grocery store in Fresno and also come up empty-handed.  I set off in search of roadside stands selling produce, confident that some Central Valley farmer will have the most beautiful rhubarb ever seen to sell me.  Uh, no.  There is no rhubarb to be found.  I literally invest hours upon hours into finding rhubarb and never find it.

So, the anniversary rolls around and I'm consoling myself with the fact that my husband didn't want to do anything too wowy for our anniversary day anyway, since we are going on a fun trip, just the two of us, in a short amount of time and that will be our anniversary gift to the two of us.  I got him a gift, but it was kinda lame---two pairs of fancy-shmancey jeans that he needed but will not quite love as much as I do.  But no worries, because we are keeping the anniversary low-key and all, right?  Except, when he comes home from work, he has a beautiful bouquet of white roses and white hydrangeas (does this man know me or what?!) and there is something shiny and sparkly dangling off one of the roses for me.  And all I got him was jeans.  He likes the jeans (the guy is easy to please and generally just really nice to me), but I say, "I tried to make you a strawberry rhubarb pie, but there is not any rhubarb to be found in this Valley."  And he looks at me quizzically and says "...strawberry rhubarb pie?  What...?"  And I remind him how he told me he wanted a strawberry rhubarb pie for our anniversary and how I was unable to make one for him.  And he says, "I don't remember saying that---strawberry rhubarb pie is kind of random.  I must have been hungry at the time.  I like all pie."

So that, ladies, was my strawberry rhubarb pie fiasco.  And he didn't even know he had asked for it.  But...the next time I see rhubarb, I'm buying a case of it and we will have strawberry rhubarb pies coming out our ears!  :)

Two Lovelies For Your Mailbox...

There's a definite thrill in the air once a month when a voyage out to the front mailbox reveals that it's magazine time again!  Design magazines are a weakness (or, according to one of our husbands, an addiction.)  One of us subscribes to more than her fair share and, admittedly, there is a little high felt when she finally gets to snuggle into her favorite chair surrounded by the glossy periodicals.  (Really...comfy chair + new design mags + glass of wine + soothing iPod mix = one very happy girl).  We thought it might be fun to share two of our favorite design mags that are not printed here in the United States.  As a matter of fact, these two magazines (one from Canada and one from Australia) are quickly taking the lead as the favorites in the magazines race.  (Gasp!  Elle Decor, Dwell, and House Beautiful better take notice!)  Canadian House & Home is wonderful---full of great ideas and lots to inspire the DIY set out there.  Inside Out hails from Australia and it makes it obvious that Australia has a very happening and exciting architecture and interior design world going on over there.  Seriously, this magazine is full of joy for the design addicts among us.  :)

What are your absolute favorite magazines?  Please share by leaving a comment below---don't hold out on us if you have a favorite that we should know about!

Babs Loves Blue

Our mom, Babs, has always had an affinity for blue and white.  Maybe it was being raised a good Dutch girl, what with the love for blue Delft pottery and what-not.  Whatever it was, she loves blue and white to this day.  We have to agree---really, is there a cleaner color palette out there?  Blue and white is clean, calm, and beautiful.  We thought we'd share a little blue and white eye candy for you today.  After all, as summer is quickly coming to a close (can you believe school is back in session?!?!), we need to enjoy these summery color palettes as much as possible before all the fall colors descend upon us.  :)

(All photos below came from House Beautiful)

Bet this makes you smile...

We hope this makes you smile today. And we hope you are as "in-sync" with your significant other as this couple is. Makes some of us want to talk our hubbies into some joint piano lessons...
:)

Giverny

As promised, here are a few more photos from my (Kari's) Paris trip. I'm back at home now, but the week since my return has been very full, so I am now just getting to the Paris pictures that are clogging up my Mac. The photos below are from a delightful day trip to Giverny, to see Monet's home and garden. If you are ever looking for a fun day trip away from Paris, consider taking the train to Vernon and then renting bikes so you can pedal out to Monet's inspirational spot where he did some of his most famous works. The bike ride is the real treat as you cruise past ancient homes and picture-perfect countryside. Simply beautiful---and a nice little escape for a country girl like me; I loved the green scenery and the wide open spaces! Enjoy the photos, and have a happy Monday!