Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working with HGTV to make a series of illustrated videos that teach basic concepts like what wine glass to use and how to pick the perfect rug. I’ve posted some behind-the-scenes pics on Instagram but today I can post the first two videos!
Fabulous voice-overs by Deanne Revel.
Click here to see more Design 101 on HGTV.com
Click here to see more of what I actually do for a living: Hannah B. Design
On Friday night, Husband and I were invited to Knoxville’s favorite speakeasy to meet Travel Channel’s Booze Traveler Jack Maxwell who was in town for several Friends of the Smokies events.
I must tell you that Jack was fascinating to meet in person! I had said hello in a long line of Scripps employees at the office earlier in the day when we had chatted about my name being a palindrome. So when James & I walked into the speakeasy, not only did he remember me, he said, “Hannah, I want to meet Husband!” I kid you not.
photo courtesy of Scripps Networks Interactive
photo courtesy of Scripps Networks Interactive
Jack is full of stories from his world travels that he tells in the sweetest Boston accent. (Sweet? Boston? It’s totally a thing, but I was as surprised you are.) When he spoke, he was so respectful of the places that he’s been and the people that he’s met. Apparently, when he was auditioning for the job, the most important criteria was that he be unflappable–willing to jump into anything head on. If you’ve ever seen the show, he fits that to a T.
There were two signature cocktails for the evening: the High Note (right) and the Aunt Adelaide (left). I will spare you a review and instead just tell you that Root Beer Bitters is now on my shopping list.
We also asked him about how he approaches all these different cultures. He’s done some absolutely crazy things. (For example: Exhibit A) Has he ever offended anyone? Jack said he tries to be genuine and let people know he’s honored to be there. And that’s probably my favorite thing about watching Booze Traveler: he tries outlandish things I never would and then serves up a cocktail I can make at home.
As the party slowed a bit, I found myself sitting on the couch with Jack and my friend Hannah sipping whiskey and making toasts. Here’s one his Irish grandmother taught him…
If you want to be happy for a day: get drunk.
If you want to be happy for a while: get married.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime: have good friends.
Thanks so much to Travel Channel for having us!
Look at everyone holding up those phones… cracked me up! (as I did the same)
Also, a note about Friends of the Smokies:
Husband and I talk often about how honored we are to live in this sacred place. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited of all the parks for one reason: it is breathtaking. Friends of the Smokies is an organization that works to preserve the park and its inhabitants. You can click here to learn more.
Booze Traveler‘s Tennessee episode will air March 2nd at 10pm on the Travel Channel.
Last night while Husband watched the Super Bowl, I was googling Groundhog Day to find out a little more about the origin of Punxsutawney Phil. (Wow, I just read that sentence back to myself. I so want to go back in time and high-five the 2001 Me who tried to feign interest when Tom Brady was in his first Super Bowl. “It’s ok, 2001 Hannah. In 2015, you won’t even have to pretend you’re interested while you cuddle with your hot husband in your adorable house. You win.”) Anyway, in the midst of reading about the February 2nd legend, I learned about the tradition of Candlemas. While it sounds like a made up word or possibly an Amy Sedaris crafting holiday, is a beautiful tradition that has been around for hundreds of years.
The tradition is that on February 2nd, priests bless the candles that light the homes in their community for the remainder of Winter. Candlemas occurs 40 days after Christmas, and, as with many ancient holidays, there are lots of theories about how February 2nd became a special day. Legends range from the end of a plague in Constantinople to a Christianization of the Gaelic festival of Imbolc. However, the most common thread seems to be the presentation of Jesus at the temple. 40 days also has to do with the Jewish tradition of female purification after childbirth so another name for Candlemas is “Feast of the Purification of the Virgin.”
The candles come into play as a reference to this scripture in Luke’s gospel. Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple and Simeon, after seeing the baby, calls Him “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” As the tradition goes, priests bless the candles and then people take them home to light the remainder of the dark winter nights and even to ward off thunderstorms.
In East Tennesseee? Fig & Company is my new go-to candle source. Check out that colorful display!
Candle Salad & the 1950s Dinner Party with the “Club”
Repurpose Old Jars Into Vintage-Looking Candleholders
I have this tendency to get really excited at the market about all the pretty vegetables, buy said pretty vegetables, then eat about 2/3 of the pretty vegetables and have this weird assortment of stuff at the end of the week. Thus, my classic clean out the fridge recipe: Butternut Squash Soup.
Start with a simple base, add a couple more items of your choosing, and pick a spice palette. You’ll have a heart-warming bowl of winter goodness in no time that’s perfect for sipping as you binge-watch Netflix. Which, as you can see, we did just the other night…
one butternut squash (obvi)
1⁄2 of any onion you have on hand
at least 2 carrots
chicken broth (enough to cover all your veggies, usually about 6 cups)
sweet potato
apple
celery
Pick one of the options and spice to taste. Start with a little, but I’m going to say that as a general rule, if you’re using dried spices, you’ll probably be using at least a 1⁄2 to 1 teaspoon for a big pot of veggies.
Spices (Option 1)
nutmeg
curry powder
Spices (Option 2)
ginger
Spices (Option 3)
cumin
paprika
If you want a creamier soup, simply stir in a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream, or heavy whipping cream just before serving. I’d recommend letting your creamy product warm up a bit on the counter as you cook so that it blends better with the hot liquid.
First things first: You want to chop all ingredients to roughly the same size, and throw them in a heavy bottomed pot.
Next, cover with chicken broth.
Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it’s boiling, turn your heat down to medium low. Let the pot simmer until the veggies are soft. (This can take 30 to 45 minutes depending on how much you have in the pot.)
Add a bit of spice towards the end.
Use an immersion blender to break down your softened vegetables.#
#FAIL:
I was once throwing a dinner party and experimenting with soup. I didn’t realize that throwing hot liquid into a blender can be disastrous (not to mention dangerous). The hot liquid exploded all over the walls and cabinets in my kitchen and me. Lesson to be learned: Either cool the soup before using a blender or buy an immersion blender. They’re $30-$40 and worth every penny!
Taste your soup. Do you need more spice? If so add some now.
If you’re using a cream ingredient, stir it in just before serving and be sure not to leave your pot on the heat.
We always serve this with cheese toast. You should too!
Last week we traveled to NYC for the Mrket show, which is the show where buyers gather to see the offerings from different brands for the next season. At the end of last year, Husband started a job with a local manufacturer of custom suiting that is based here in Knoxville. We have absolutely fallen in love with the people that he works with, and he is enjoying the fact that he officially has an excuse to wear a suit everyday.
Below you’ll find a few snapshots of some of my favorites. My favorite thing about custom suits (aside from the fact that a man in a suit that fits properly is just drop dead sexy) are the details–a beautiful lining and a contrasting lapel hole just really do it for me.
These chambray pants are local designer Marc Nelson Denim. You can find them here.
It’s worth noting that while the custom offerings above are Spring, the majority of companies showed their Fall collections. That’s what you’ll see below.
Men are so predictable. (Nikky)
The first thing that I got totally stoked about was the fact that we saw so many Southern companies! Well-dressed Southerners have a sort of easy-going glamour that is really starting to shine. To elaborate: mixing classic necessities, like the cummerbunds below, with bright patterns and colors can take an item normally seen as a bit stuffy to something fun with attitude.
Southern belle that I am, I blushed to the point of having to walk away when I met James Hill, co-owner of High Cotton. We love their stuff–all Southern made by the way! In fact, the weekend before, Husband had purchased three of their bow ties at a local shop here in East Tennessee.
Collared Greens: You know I couldn’t resist the name! This American made brand is based in Richmond, Virginia and had a playful take on classic patterns that I dug.
BKYLN Dry Goods had a couple rad displays to show their visual merchandising prowess, and I totally geeked out over the vintage DIY details. You know the sexiest men know how to work with their hands! (*wink*)
Tailor Vintage caught my eye because they take really high quality old-school fabrics and break them in. So these styles really do look like you bought them vintage without the uncomfortable “How do I get the Grandpa smell out?” question. By the way: Vodka. The answer to that question is vodka.
The fabrics from the Italian company Bulgarini made me swoon! (The accents at the booth weren’t bad either. Do you think that comes with the shirt?)
Seaward + Stearn London (left), Edward Armah (top right), Jose Real (bottom left) | Pattern. Bright Colors. Pattern. Bold Colors. Pattern. Trust me. #polkadots
(More accents!) The houndstooth socks from London Sock Co. really caught my eye. (That was followed quickly by the designer in me adoring their logo.) Their socks are made with Scottish Lisle Thread Cotton (fancy!) and the cool designs come from partnerships with some rad London designers.
Hook & Albert came onto my radar when they teamed up with Alton Brown to make a line of beautiful bow ties and pocket squares. What caught my eye with their fall line, however, were the handmade lapel flowers! Aren’t they fun?
Finally! Another female that loves men’s accessories and has a sense of humor. Lazyjack Press was started by Miriam Zelinsky and has playful patterns with tongue-in-cheek names. Above: “Chick Magnets” and “Blue Balls”
Nikky (top left), Allen Edmonds (bottom left), Carlos Santos (right) | Finally, you’ve seen the bold accessories but bold shoes are also worth noting. My absolute favorites were the double monks by Carlos Santos.
If you have been on Instagram in the past week, you may have noticed that we’ve been in New York City for Mrket. Anytime we travel, I fill my sketchbook with doodles of where we went and what we saw so I thought I’d share pages from my NYC Sketchbook with you!
Click here to learn more about Leonard Lauder’s Cubism Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I’ll post more about Mrket (& Husband’s new gig) tomorrow.
Last night, the Tennessee Theatre opened its doors to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their incredible restoration, and we were thrilled to be there! We adore the Tennessee Theatre. As I was telling a friend from Brooklyn who recently moved to town, this is one performance hall that is really worth experiencing. The details are stunning, and, as we learned last night, the restoration was painstaking. A team dug through years of paint to find the original colors. The carpet, drapes, and seats were all recreated from a vast collection of photography taken by a photographer named Jim Thompson just after the theatre’s opening in the fall of 1928. They spared no expense. Here are a few snaps from our backstage tour.
Becky Hancock is executive director of the Tennessee Theatre Foundation and started the tour by explaining the story of the restoration and the work they did to the front of the theatre.
The lights inside the theatre are amazing! My absolute favorites look like cotton plants and are impossible to photograph with an iPhone. Instead, here is a detail of one of the sconces at the front of the theatre down from stage left.
Backstage.
Backstage looking up. This is where they suspend the curtains, lights, and backdrops.
The panels on the ends of the seats look just like the originals in the photographs. Perhaps even cooler: the carpet was made from the original pattern, but the designer had to decide on colors because all of the photographs were, of course, in black & white!
No matter how many times you see it, the domed ceiling is always breathtaking!
There are five chandeliers hanging down the length of the lobby. They were named after the stagehands’ girlfriends: Molly, Suzy, Windy, Gretchen, and Angie. [Details]
If you’re interested in learning more about the theatre, Robin Easter Group put together a *gorgeous* book, full of pictures and penned by Jack Neely. You can get a copy here (or there are more than a few floating around town).
While some might consider January the very definition of sweatsuit season, I’d like to declare January the month of the sexy skivvies!*
*Skivvy: [Southern] referring to one’s unmentionables,
those garments worn that only just cover one’s birthday suit
I understand that January is hard. It is gray. It is cold. It is rainy. Perhaps you too want to spend the entire month either in a hot bath or wrapped up in an ugly, oversized, wool sweater. But, let me propose a little something that can help your case of the Januarys (as well as your mate’s): ridiculously sexy underwear.
Sure you may still be bundled in that oversize, wool sweater but underneath you will be a serious case of hotness strutting your stuff. There’s just something about embracing your inner sex kitten that is empowering. And knowing that all that pretty is underneath that oversize sweater will make doing household chores feel less maid of the mansion and more goddess of your domain.
vintage WPA poster
A couple weeks ago, my friend Caryn posted about her 52 Books a Year challenge on Instagram and asked if anyone would like to play along.
Her idea is simple…
My list of books to read continues to grow in exponential proportion to my list of read books. …I have the space to read, I just need the challenge to do it. 52 books a year is my challenge. I have invited friends to participate. Let me know if you want in!
[click here to read Caryn’s full post]
Needless to say, I am totally in love with this idea. However, being the slowest reader on earth, I’m going to mix it up a little bit. My plan is to intersperse my list with longer form poetry and children’s books to alleviate some of the pressure and really enjoy the process. Sometimes the coolest things to analyze are the simplest.
Do you guys remember this exercise in school?
When I was in 3rd grade, Mrs. Umberger had us copy poetry off the blackboard (yes, blackboard) every morning and respond to it aloud with the class. In AP English, this exercise was what got me hooked on The New Yorker magazine. And I believe my mom actually teaches a similar technique in her bible studies.
To me, it makes things personal. It also forces me to slow down (my brain not my speed of reading–seriously, slowest reader on earth) and really think about what I’m reading.
So I’m working on my list. What would be on yours? Anything you’re dying to read or reread? Children’s? Non-fiction? I’m open to suggestions.
