Yes, We are still gone...

Hello, all. Yes, we are still taking a blogging break and enjoying spending really great time with our family before Dad and Mom (Dave and the real Babs) return to Liberia for another year.  Thank you for being patient about the lack of posts, but if you all love your families like we do, you'll understand why we are just delighted to get to enjoy some major fam time.  :)

We'll leave you with a recipe for a new favorite cocktail, the French Martini.  Ooo La La!  Nope, it's not really a new cocktail, but it has won our a place in our hearts.  First of all, it's pink.  Secondly, it's delicious.  Third, it's easy to make so you can whip a batch of these up for your next girls' night in.  Enjoy, and we'll see you soon with more regular Babs Blog posts.  (Oh, and thanks for the nice emails wishing us good times and fun memories with Babs this week!  We appreciate each of these nice little notes!)

Cheers!

---Jill & Kari

French Martini Recipe:

1 1/2 oz vodka
1/4 oz Chambord® raspberry liqueur
1/4 oz fresh pineapple juice
1 twist lemon peel

Please Excuse Us...

We're sorry for the delay in posts, but we do hope you'll understand. It's likely that we will be out for the rest of the week as we are enjoying some family time. Our parents, Dave and Babs (the namesake of our little blog) are visiting from Liberia! We have not seen them in over a year, so we are soaking up every last minute of time with them before they return to their commitment overseas. (You can read about what they have been up to here.) We'll be back next week with more Babs Blog goodness. In the meantime, we hope ya'll have a lovely week, and we hope each of you has a chance to do something wonderfully creative this week. :)

See you soon!
---Jill & Kari

What I Wanted & What I Got

Was coveting the bracelet with the black background. It's J. Crew and it sells for $75.00.  Ended up buying the bracelet with the red background.  It's vintage, high-quality, and came from Etsy for $16.00.  It's prettier in person than in the picture, too.  Don't you love a good deal?

Moral of the story:  Etsy rocks.

On Graciousness and Christmas Gifts...

 

Call us crazy, but summer is a great time to start thinking about Christmas.  Or, at least the gifts!  You may remember that this past Christmas season, we talked about the Advent Conspiracy.  One of the things the Advent Conspiracy promotes is a reduced focus on the materialism that generally goes into the Christmas Season, with a greater value being placed on time spent with loved ones and a pure focus on what Christmas stands for.  The Advent Conspiracy challenges people to make gifts and then donate the money that otherwise would have gone to department stores or online Christmas shopping to help give fresh, life-giving water to parts of the world that desperately need it.  (The Advent Conspiracy is amazing!  To be a part of it this year, check out this site and register for free.)  So, summer is a great time to start considering your gift list and start crafting some things (out of love) to give.

If you are not "crafty" or "artistic" (such subjective terms anyway), this may be scary to you.  Yes, when you give a homemade gift, there can be real feelings of anxiety:  Will she like it?  Is it "good" enough?  Does it look too homemade?  If a person doesn't like what you made for them, isn't that worse than if they didn't like something you just bought for them?  Even if you are very crafty, you can still experience hurt if someone doesn't like what you made for them.  This happened recently to one of us.  One of us spend an entire afternoon making something handmade for a person we care about.  It was a painstaking project, but so much love and thought went into it.  And time.  LOTS of time.  The gift wrapped carefully and given.  And then, it got back to us that the person wanted something different (as if it was an order that had been put in!).  It hurt to think that the gift was not appreciated.  It made us mad that the time had been spent on something special for a person who obviously had no idea what went into the project.  And it made us not want to make anything for that person again.

BUT...that's a wrong attitude.  We have put so much focus on giving something that a person wants.  But that's not really what gift-giving is all about.  Sometimes, you give something because you want to give it.  Sure, you take into consideration that person's tastes, but the act of giving should be a joy all it's own and should not hinge on the receiver's reaction.  Another thing is that you rarely will find someone who is boorish enough to complain about receiving a homemade gift.  Most people are gracious and so very grateful that love was poured into the object.  If you run across a person who complains about the homemade item they have received, chances are that person has never made anything special and homemade for another person and, therefore, they don't understand the time and care that goes into something lovingly homemade.  If you change your attitude about giving homemade from nervous to joyful, you'll not worry about whether or not the receiver of the gift is as gracious as they ought to be.  In turn, if you receive something homemade from a loved one, be gracious.  Understand that effort and time and love and care and smiles when into the project just for you.  Enjoy the imperfections because they are beautiful, too.  (And don't ever, ever say rude things about the gift to anyone else.  Gossip has a nasty way of getting back to people and you will look like an absolute heel.)  It is so, so easy to give a gift that came from a store where it can be returned later on, but it takes thought and time to make a gift for a person.

This summer, we will begin on our homemade items for Christmas.  We are going to do our best to look at each project with joy instead of worrying about how the receiver might look at it.  We are going to think carefully about the people on our Christmas list and what they need or might enjoy, and then we are going to dive into those projects with gusto.  No fear or trepidation.  We encourage you to join the Advent Conspiracy come Christmas time, and we encourage you to start on those little gift projects now!  Happy crafting/sewing/stitching/knitting/quilting/painting/drawing/building/etc.!

Easy Weekend Project

My phone rang earlier this week.  It was a good friend.

"Kari," she said urgently.  "I need your help."

"Need me to babysit?"  I asked (because that's generally how I help her out).

"No...I need decorating help.  Today."

Turns out, my friend was having her husband's business associates over that night for dinner.  She was panicked because her dining room did not have anything on the walls, and that's where they would be spending the evening.  It was the room in her house that she had not decorated because she had run out of ideas.  (Can you relate to that?  Don't most people have a room in their house that's not quite right yet?)  On top of being out of ideas, she was on a very strict budget and couldn't spend much at all for wall art.  I love being asked to help a friend with decorating or party planning.  It never feels like work to me---just fun.  (And I don't get asked to help much by my female family members because they don't need help.  I have a sister {Jill} and a sister-in-law {Meagan} with impeccable taste and I like to steal ideas from them!)

I went over to my friend's house and we began rummaging through what she already had in her garage.  We came up with some fun old frames (we spray painted them high-gloss white) and then began to hunt for something to put in them.  We kind of came up short.  

"You know what I think would look fun?"  I asked.

"No...please, tell me!"

"Framed fabric.  Do you have any great pieces of leftover fabric somewhere?"

"Framed fabric?  I've never seen such a thing,"  she said, doubtfully.  "I don't think I have anything laying around.  You wanna go to the fabric store real quick?  I trust you..."

So, off we went to the local fabric store, and in the bargain bin was a fabulous vintagey print that had all the colors we needed.  We took it back to her house, put it inside the frames, and hung the frames on the wall.  (I wish I had taken a picture, but because of the urgent nature of her call, I had not thought to bring a camera.)

"That's amazing,"  she breathed.  "I cannot believe we did that ourselves!  It's perfect."

"What did you think when I said 'framed fabric?'" I asked.  "You seemed doubtful."

"I thought it would look hokey," she admitted.  "but it's fabulous.  And it was so cheap!  Can I do this in my bedroom, too?"

This is a great trick if you need inexpensive art.  I guess I had taken it for granted that everyone out there knew you could stick some leftover fabric in a frame and call it art!  But, if you're like my friend, it may be news to you.  Here are some photos that show examples.  Above is my favorite example because it looks high-end (and, in fact, high-end fabric was used, so this isn't a great example of a low-budget solution, but it is framed fabric, so you get the idea!)  The photo above came from my new favorite magazine's website, Canadian House and Home.  (P.S.  If you miss Domino magazine like I do, you might find that Canadian House and Home helps fill the void at least a little.  There's a lot of similar style going on there.)

The photos below are from blogs & sites that offer tutorials in framing fabric.  You're all pretty smart and I know you could figure this out yourselves, but in case you need to see more pictures, you can link to these sites:

1.  From Real Simple

2.  From Craftpad.com

3.  From Dwellings and Decor

4.  From How About Orange

Perfect weekend project! Also nice about framed fabric is that it can be temporary or easily changed out. You can change it to suit your mood, reflect the seasons, or match your party color scheme! Have a wonderful weekend!

Kari's Summer Wishlist

As promised yesterday, here is Kari's wishlist/top ten list for the summer.  

As a recap, we were going off of this list:

1. A dress you'd like to wear.

2. An interior you'd like to live in.

3. Something you'd like to serve at your next party.

4. A piece of furniture you'd really like to have.

5. A place you'd like to be right now.

6. An accessory you'd like to wear.

7. A piece of furniture/something for the home you think should never have been invented.

8. A home you'd like to live in.

9. Something random you'd like to buy.

10. A way you'd like to relax.

1.  This dress is perfect for summer, I think.  The color will make me look tan, and I can dress it up or down depending on where I'm headed.  Love it.  (J. Crew)

2. So, okay.  This photo only gives a glimpse into an interior, but it's enough for me!  I love the color of those floors!  I think this is a kitchen I could spend a lot of time in and be quite happy.  (photo via Pink Wallpaper)

3.  At my next party, I'd like to serve pink champagne with a couple raspberries at the bottom of the glass.  

4.  The next piece of furniture I'm dying to have is a Saarinen dining table.  I'd like the oval one (96 inches) with the white marble top.  (photo via Little Green Notebook)

5.  I'd like to be in the Seychelles right now, with my hubby.

6.  I'd like to own this necklace off of Etsy.  (Doesn't it look a lot like the J.Crew bubble necklace?  Only the Etsy one is less than half the price, plus it supports an artist who is doing fine handmade work.)

7.  I feel very strongly that vertical blinds should never have been invented.  They are dust-collectors, they are always falling apart, and they never work the way they are supposed to.  If you have them in your home----I'm sorry.  (Maybe now is a good time to consider some simple curtain panels as an alternative?)

8.  I'd really like to live in this home.  It's cozy, quaint, and surrounded by green.  And I'm crazy about that yellow door!  (photo via Country Living.)

9.  I got a Roomba awhile back, and it changed my life.  Seriously.  It was wonderful to have the little bugger vacuuming while I was out of the house.  I'd return to nice, tidy wood floors.  Now I think I'd like the "Scooba" which is Roomba's savvy cousin.  Scooba scrubs floors.  Since the addition of a big mutt named Manny to our household, I'm thinking Scooba might have to join us here.

10.  I'd like to relax on a deck like this, overlooking scenery that didn't include neighbors for miles.  I'd mix up a big batch of sparkling sangria and hang out here with my husband, ipod playing some of our favorite tunes.  Maybe invite some friends, too.  Maybe we'd BBQ.  Maybe we'd nap.  Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Jill's Summer Wishlist:

Today and tomorrow, we are going to share with you our "top ten" summer wishlist. Jill will go first and Kari's will be posted tomorrow. Here's the list that we are using:

1. A dress you'd like to wear.

2. An interior you'd like to live in.

3. Something you'd like to serve at your next party.

4. A piece of furniture you'd really like to have.

5. A place you'd like to be right now.

6. An accessory you'd like to wear.

7. A piece of furniture/something for the home you think should never have been invented.

8. A home you'd like to live in.

9. Something random you'd like to buy.

10. A way you'd like to relax.

Here are Jill's picks:

1. I would wear this dress, but I would stand up straight while doing so.  (Dress:  J. Crew.  Found here)

2.  I could live in that interior.  (Interior via Little Green Notebook)

3.  Party Food:  I don't care as long as it's catered!

4.  Corfu, Greece

5.  Card catalog from Sacramento Craigslist.

6.  'Cause no one does comfort like Chuck.

7.  These curtains should never have been invented.

8.   I love that house, but want it on a bluff overlooking the ocean, miles away from everyone.  (Admiral's Mansion on Mare Island, Vallejo, CA)

9.  random item:  rolling alarm clock

10.  relax:  hanging bed (via Apartment Therapy.)

---Jill  :)

Easy Party Mixer

Sometimes, a party needs some sort of vehicle to facilitate mingling and mixing. Here's something we've tried a few times that always gets rave reviews from the crowd: a blind wine tasting.

A blind wine tasting is especially fun when you have "wine aficionados" in the group. (We've seen a few wine snob friends humbled through a blind wine tasting!) Mostly, though, this is a great way to get people chatting and mixing. We've done this a few different ways. The pictures we are showing you below are of a more "pretty" way to present the wine, but we've also wrapped bottles in brown paper bags and written the numbers right on the bag. It works just the same!

First, assemble a good array of wines. 

It's easiest if you stick to all reds, because it can be difficult for people to rate whites against reds---but it's your party, so do what you like! You'll want to select wine at all price points. (You might put a $2 bottle next to a $65 bottle). People often think that the more expensive a bottle, the better it must taste. Doing a blind tasting sort of levels the playing field there!

Secondly, get rid of the evidence.

Whether you wrap the wine bottles in brown paper bags or whether you fill pitchers (as seen below), don't let your guests know what wines are out there.  It will spoil the fun!

Make sure each wine is numbered:

Pass out some kind of sheet so guests can keep track of what they've tasted and what they think. Have them guess the varietal (type of grape) used for each wine, and have them rate all the wines according to what was their favorite all the way to what was their least favorite.

Here's an example of a sheet we've used in the past:

Give guests plenty of time to try and re-try the wines. Then, after everyone has had plenty of time to mingle, taste, and write down their ratings, gather your group together. Go through the wines by number and ask where people rated the wine and what varietal they thought it was. Then, take out the bottle to reveal what that wine was. Go through all of the wines this way.

We have always had fun with this one! Living in California, we are surrounded by people who think they know their wine. This is a fun game to play to see who really knows their stuff! No need to give prizes for the winner (although you could if you wanted), because usually bragging rights are enough. Have fun with this one! :)

Entertaining-Friendly Style (on a budget)

My (Kari's) husband and I love to entertain. The only problem is that our home is not really a great open floor plan for entertaining. We don't have the space to do huge dinner parties or to have all the relatives over for a holiday. We have done a lot of considering as to how we can open up our space, but there is a tricky load-bearing wall smack dab in the middle of the space. Another issue is that we know our house won't be our home forever, so we don't want to dump a whole lot of cash into those kinds of major renovations---we know we wouldn't see those dollars returned in a sale. We still entertain, but usually it's an open house kind of thing with cocktails and mingling. (This has actually worked out fine for us.) During our first couple of "mingly" parties, we noticed that everyone's favorite spot to congregate was the kitchen (If you are a hostess with the mostess, you know that this is not such an odd thing---kitchens are magnets to guests at all parties in all homes!) Our house has a little breakfast nook that was not being used to its full potential. Of course, a table and chairs usually goes in a breakfast nook---and that would have been the simple answer, wouldn't it? As I began to think about our love of entertaining and how we live our lives, I began to imagine a space that would be cozy and welcoming to guests. You can see in the picture above that I opted for a seating area in this nook. (So, yes, I am one of the only people on the planet with an apple green velvet fainting couch in their kitchen!)

I have come to love this little nook! I curl up here in the morning with a bowl of oatmeal and a magazine or the paper. My husband and I head to this little couch when he comes home at the end of the day so we can chat and recap the day's events with each other. AND, just as suspected, when we have a party and people congregate in the kitchen, this little nook is now full of people sitting on the sofa or perched on one of the arms. It really was the right decision for how we use our house! 

Read below for where I found the ingredients for this little nook, on a budget.

The green sofa came from Urban Outfitters. It was on sale at the time---I wouldn't pay full price for it if I were you. I'd wait for another sale! (By the way, when I purchased this, the green was the best color option. Now, Urban Outfitters has more colors and I kind of wish I had this one.)

The table was an ebay find, but it's this one from Brocade Home.

The pillows are Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon, and they came from Designer Cushions on Etsy.

The vase came from ebay (the flowers came from the grocery store!)

The rug is comprised of leftover carpet tiles I had in my garage from another project.  They came from Flor.  (I'd actually like to add a large round rug in a fun print here, but I haven't found the right thing at the right price yet.  Anyone have any suggestions?)

The wall was bare and I needed something to fill it, so I used some leftover antique gesso frames that I had in my garage (both from ebay) and filled them with a few random plates that I also had stored away in a cupboard.

If you are looking to do more hostessing in your home, look around and consider what will make your guests comfortable.  Adding little seating vignettes in areas of your home where you know people will congregate will help facilitate conversation and make your party that much better.  Of course, you don't need to purchase furniture to do this!  Sometimes, though, you should consider moving your pre-existing furniture around to make your home more guest-friendly.  :)

Learn to Sew!

Between the two of us, we've heard it a jillion times:

"I wish I could sew."

"I really need to learn how to sew."

"Is sewing hard? I have a sewing machine, but I don't know how to use it."

"My Mom tried to teach me how to sew, but that didn't go so well..."

Well, ladies, we've got a couple suggestions for you on how to learn how to sew.  There is, after all, no time like the present!  First of all, call up your local fabric store and inquire about classes.  Most fabric store chains offer classes, and the smaller fabric stores often know of someone locally who teaches beginning sewing.  This is the best way to jump in and learn the basics.  The other thing we can recommend is getting your hands on the book shown above.  "Sew Everything Workshop" by Diana Rupp is excellent.  Diana Rupp teaches sewing classes in New York City and out of those experiences comes this excellent, useful book.  In normal, everyday language, Diana goes carefully through all the basics----from what the parts of a sewing machine are to how to make a button hole.  Somehow, she is able to explain all of this in a practical, non-complicated way.  This book also includes a nifty attached envelope with ten patterns.  At the back of the book, each pattern is explained carefully as Diana takes you from start to finish on fun projects.  Even if you have a little sewing background, this book is a great way to brush up on skills that might be a little rusty.  So, ladies, no more excuses!  If you want to learn to sew, summer is a great time to jump in!