YAAAS! / This. My boho bedroom. Pronto.

Anthropologie

Last week’s post about taking a birds-eye view of my bedding convinced me I need Anthropologie’s Open Market Throw in pink, post-haste, for my bedroom.

Anthropologie / Yann Arthus-Bertrand photo

This photo of the throw side-by-side with a birds-eye view of some rice paddies in China is what captured my imagination. Who wouldn’t fall in love with those terraces of pink against earth tones, purples and pops of orange?

I just cannot get it out of my mind.

Anthropologie

I actually featured several gorgeous, handcrafted throws from Anthropologie in that post, including the Open Market in charcoal. But alas, I’m someone who simply MUST have color.

Anthropologie

So for me—once I decided to spend the money to make a change—it came down to these two Anthropologie throws, Open Market in pink and Collaged Majida in multi, both of which retail for $148.

Both were created in collaboration with All Roads Design of Los Angeles, CA. The All Roads studio is known for its ability to pair handmade with high-style. Founders Robert Dougherty and Janelle Pietrzak combine their backgrounds in carpentry, welding and textile sourcing to create custom furnishings and one-of-a-kind decor that never fails to catch the eye.

And that’s certainly true for both of these throws. They’ve caught my eye and won’t let go.

How I made my decision:

Anthropologie

I almost chose the Collaged Majida. I like the blues in it, which would pick up on all the blue-and-white Chinese porcelain I have in the room. But it seems like, perhaps, too much blue. And all the colors seem a bit dark (intense?) for how I want my bedroom to make me feel right now, going into spring (which, even though it’s snowing as I write this, I know IS on its way).

Anthropologie

Then I thought maybe I would order both, to see how each looked in my bedroom, and return one—a dangerous idea, since I’d probably want to keep both and switch them out seasonally. But finally what sold me on the Open Market was it reminded me of a sunrise, while the other reminded me of a sunset. (Has Fiddler on the Roof broken out in song inside your head yet?)

Both are lovely times of day…

BoHo Home photo

…but I already have a bedroom that reminds me of sunset, and I want a change. I want something more lively, more wake-up-and-smell the blossoming fruit trees, if you get my drift.

Creative Bloq

The palettes of sunrise and sunset are similar; as I intimated parenthetically, it’s more a question of intensity. This comparison of how to paint sunrise (top) versus sunset (bottom) demonstrates the differences. Sunrise has more pink and hints of orange, while sunset leans toward more intense orange and red. Blue is present in both, but is deeper and more intense at sunset.

Creative Bloq / Anthropologie

The difference is clearer still when you pair the paintings with the respective throws and put them side-by-side.

And that's what settled it for me. 

Anthropologie

I have convinced myself this will be money well spent since I'm sticking with a similar palette and the new throw will work with existing paint and carpet colors, as well as lamps and art.

Anthropologie

Anthro’s Open Market collection also includes a table runner—which would work as a topper for nightstands—and throw pillows in two sizes. ALL the Open Market items scream YAAS! in my book, but I also like to mix things up a bit, so I don’t plan to purchase any of the additional items.

Have I earned a reward yet for my self-control?

Anthropologie

No? Probably a good thing because isn’t it always the case that when you change one item in a room you end up changing one more, then another, then…? Turns out I already have my sights on several other items, but don’t tell Chris, K?

Anthropologie

For now I'm keeping this all to myself and hoping the packages arrive when he's out at the grocery or hardware store.

I WAS waiting for Anthropologie to bless me with a 20%-off coupon, and that arrived Friday. Needless to say, my fingers wasted NO time in clicking all the right keys. Or course, I had the throw ready and waiting in my online shopping cart, dontcha know.

And if Chris is here when it arrives, I'll just tell him it was his Valentine's Day gift to me. To us, right?

Once the snuggly throw is actually in my possession, look for more here on how it will change my bedroom. You will even get to weigh in on some of the purchase options and combinations.

Want more?

• My Anthropologie coupon included one for a friend. So the first one of you who reads this far and tries N83XNXEKWAF also gets 20-percent off! The code is good through Feb. 28 on full-price merchandise only.
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YAAAS!! Curved rattan bed takes my boho breath away

Anthropologie

I can blame most of my home decor crushes on Anthropologie, including the latest—this curvy rattan bed, which has my boho heart beating triple time. And I certainly wouldn’t mind if it came complete with the home-away-from home paradise pictured here, shallow pool and stone walkway included. 

Remember that Water Blooms Rug that started it all? Anthropologie to blame. 

Anthropologie

I really gushed a river over that one. Oh yes, I wanted the FULL version, 9-by-12-feet, $1,598. I might spend that for a rug at some point when my carpet wears out and we move to hardwoods, but I would NEVER put Water Blooms underfoot! I want to cover a wall with it, and it’s just not in the cards for me to spend that much for a wall hanging.

Not until my blog gets discovered and I become rich with endorsements and my own show on DIY or HGTV anyway. So that means probably never. 

But a girl’s gotta dream, you know. Even at my age. PARTICULARLY at my age.

And now this bed appears out of nowhere…

Anthropologie

Well, not “nowhere” exactly. It showed up in my inbox a few weeks ago in an Anthropologie email, which I couldn’t bear to delete. I just kept going back and staring: At. That. Bed.

I thought it must be a new product, so I looked through new Anthro items online, as I do occasionally for post ideas, and nothing. Nada. Zip.

I was so mesmerized by this bed, though, I spent another full week circling the email without clicking. I know my weaknesses, after all. When I finally did give in and click on the image, hoping to see more glorious pictures of this bed, all I got was a page full of quilts and duvets.

At first I was enraged: How could Anthropologie show me such a striking, heart-rending boho bed and then not even sell it? How dare they use my dream bed as a prop for linens!

Okay, I admit I was out of control for a few minutes. I see it. No worry.

When I calmed down I looked for the bed in their bedroom furniture listings and found it, where it always was…

Anthropologie

Wherever that is in this photo, could I go there? Right now? Pretty please?

And make my transport instantaneous, like on Star Trek—beam me up! Because my legs cramp jammed into car and airplane seats. And I miss my cat when I travel, so yes please, beam Maisie up with me. And give her some sort of elixir so she’s not anxious about the vacation digs and just lolls around with me, maybe chasing a few koi in that lovely pool. I can picture her perched on a sunny rock, dipping her paw in and scooping one up, so simple and right, like a brustroke in a Japanese painting.

And Chris would be there, too, ‘natch. His presence would constitute one half of Maisie’s recipe for relaxation. Mine too.

But before I get too lost in Lala Land…

This dreamy creation is officially called the “Curved Rattan Bed.” Kind of lackluster for such a beauty, IMHO. It’s available in queen and king sizes for $1,798 and $1,998, respectively. At least you can't say I have bad taste.

Anthropologie

I have no idea how long Anthropologie has carried it, but long enough for it to show up on other home décor blogs (which, of course, you’ve never seen because you only read Boho Home).

Amber Interior Design

I suppose I missed seeing it sooner on the Anthro site because I try not to look at the more expensive categories (which is all of them on Anthro, but especially furniture). Like I said, I know my weaknesses. You’d think since I have a beautiful bed of my own, only a few years old itself, I wouldn’t be susceptible to this kind of addiction.

BoHo Home

My bed and bedroom. Beautiful, isn’t it? But alas, I am human, ergo I am weak.

I just got done updating textiles and lamps (read about planning, the muddle in the middle, and completion). A new bed would mean starting over AGAIN, so $1,998 PLUS new bedding, lamps, curtains and art. My existing art made the transition of this last update, but I don’t think it goes all that well with the curved rattan bed. 

And paint. We’d definitely have to repaint. That is, IF I were going to give into my home decor desires, which I'm not. Chris definitely doesn't share my appetite for home decor eye candy.

But you do, don't you? 

So you must agree, this bed looks mighty sweet, up close & personal...

Anthropologie

But since I won’t be getting it anyway, what does it matter? It might matter to YOU, I suppose, if you’re in the market for a new bed and this one caught your eye too. And a bit of pretending (for the reader’s sake, understand) might just exorcise my demon crush. 

And since it’s all make believe anyway, I may as well go all the way and outfit an entire room. Heck, I’ll throw the Water Blooms Rug in there, too, and even plan to use it on the floor. How’s that for decadent?

So here goes…

First up, textiles:

I took a lighter approach than my usual color orgy and chose white bedding with a delicate mint embroidery.

FROM LEFT: Pilar Palm Coverlet and Shams, Feathered Palms Sheet Set, Palm Tassel Curtain.

To that I added just a smidge of Boho Susan pop...

FROM LEFT: Handmade Wool-Embroidered Pillow, Alyssa Kantha Quilt, Kantha Embroidered Pillow Case, Beachcrest Home Matchsticks Roll-Up Shade.

The solid-colored kantha quilt would be arranged neatly across the foot of the bed as an accent and handy for napping. Each of the throw pillows would lie against a stack of bed pillows. I stuck to two because I didn't want bedding to compete with the bed.

Matchstick blinds, of course, would be hung beneath the curtains, except for the door to the pool (remember, we're in that exotic-looking spot), where I would just have curtains billowing in the tropical breezes. I do love matchstick blinds!! What a way to see and not be seen, in daytime anyway.

Now for the big stuff: Furniture, rug, lighting.

| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. |

There. Absolute gorgeousness. Swoonworthy, if I do say so myself. BTW, I mean for the Water Blooms Rug to be angled under the foot of the bed. I just love that cute dressing table, and I've wanted one forever, so I decided to have it here at least. And isn't too cool how those slipper chairs pick up the colors in the rug, like a watercolor painting?

I think I'll call this style Hollywood meets Bollywood. Glamour and exoticity (yeah, it really is a legit word) in one package!

Ready to buy that bed? 

Go HERE. Just don’t tell me about it if you do. I don’t think I could stand it. If you feel guilty enough to try to make it up to me, you can follow my blog with Bloglovin. ;->

Sweet dreams!!

YAAS! I wanna go where boho deer and antelope play house

I’m late to the game with my antelope carpet crush, but I think it’s a look that has to grow on you. And boy, has it!
I’m certainly not tired of my current carpet, and it’s scarcely three years old, so we’re certainly not talking replacement. But oh how I wish I’d seen antelope patterns when we last carpet-shopped! Chances are I wouldn’t have talked Chris into it, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

Maybe if I showed him some of these dreamy antelope-carpeted rooms…

Paul Raeside

Designer Garrow Kedigian used Stark Antilocarpa in his Montreal sitting room, as well as on the staircase. He quips that it's an homage to Canada's fur-trading industry and admits the pattern is a hard-sell with his clients in spite of its neutral qualities. See/read more about this home at House Beautiful.

BHG

I love how the antelope mixes so well with bright colors and bold prints--even other animal prints (though I've never seen a green cheetah).

Animal prints always go well with flora and fauna--it's the nature tie-in--but antelope even tops its animal kingdom brothers in my book.

Jan Showers via The Peak of Chic

I swear I could get even MORE work done with this underfoot. That desk is nothing to sneeze at either! Follow the link to see more spaces by Jan Showers Interior Design.

Connie Newberry

This taupe antelope warms up the dark gray sofa and walls without getting in the way of those sensational pops of red.

A reality check and a story

Because dreams are all I have of antelope carpet for now, I got to wondering how the carpet compares with actual antelopes. Not that I’m planning to hunt one down and skin it, or even adopt one as a pet. But the carpet is so beautiful, I knew the animal had to be, too.

Turns out there are many varieties of antelope, some with vertical stripes, some with horizontal bands, some with dots and stripes, etc. Interestingly, the antelope carpet I’ve seen looks most like the animals in the lower left photo, which are spotted deer rather than antelope, so more connected to what fascinates me about this carpet.

The first summer in our condo was unbearably hot, so we were always looking for weekend entertainment that kept us cool. The car AC kept up with the 100-degree temperatures better than our HVAC, so we took a drive in the country. Western Indiana’s Parke County has a higher concentration of covered bridges than any other U. S. county—31 in total—and holds a Covered Bridge Festival every fall. We’re not much for crowds, so we never attend, but the four routes to see the bridges make beautiful, leisurely drives off-season when they’re not jammed with festival-goers.

On one of those routes we happened across a doe and her two fawns nibbling on corn in a field. The corn in Indiana gets pretty high, so all we saw at first was the mama’s head bobbing up and down as she ate. Then, out of nowhere, these two smaller forms leapt up and down, first one, then another, then the other again. We pulled over to the side of the road to watch, but once the doe saw us she bounded across the road into some woods, where she turned and waited for her offspring to follow, which they did, awkwardly, one by one. We got a good look at the babies then, and they still had their spots!

The way the three of them pranced in the corn reminded me of musical notes dancing across a score, and now whenever I see antelope carpet I think of those two fawns and that day. How we decorate our houses should tell a story, right? This carpet would do that for me.

'Species' of antelope carpet

Stark, Couristan, Karastan, and Glen Eden all make variations of antelope carpet in different shades and pattern intensities. Most of the choices fall in the tan-to-chocolate-brown range, but taupe and gray options are offered as well. One manufacturer even has a blue version, which isn’t at all what I had in mind, but in the right setting it would be stunning.

I like that most antelope carpet reads as a neutral but adds visual texture. And it maintains its neutral stance even when lots of pattern and color are used along with it, as in this example:

MeKenzie France via The English Room

The top left photo shows how the Karastan Exotics carpet looked during installation, without furniture, window treatments and other décor, while the other photos show the finished room. There’s a lot going on here for sure, but the carpet pattern gives a fun movement to the madness, don’t you think? See/read more about the renovation of this family room during last fall's One Room Challenge at The English Room.

Taking stock

New carpet is at least five years down the road for me, probably longer. So if I can’t have antelope carpet, what are my other options?

1. Antelope fur pillow case, 100% polyester, 20 by 30 inches, $27.99
2. Faux antelope hide rug printed on faux suede, 58 by 93 inches, $199.
3. African Queen II wallpaper by Rasch, $79.98 per double roll.
4. Patterned jacquard antelope throw, 100% cashmere, 50 by 65 inches, $299.

They all leave me feeling kind of flat. What about you? No spots on the pillow case, I'm not a wallpaper fan and I especially don’t think I’d like this in anything except MAYBE a bathroom, the “hide” looks more like a cow than an antelope, and the throw is just boring.

Grandin Road

Now here's pillow that's more to my liking. It's from Grandin Road's natural hide pillow collection, is 20-inches square and sells for $95. It's actually called "spotted" so it may be emulating a deer rather than an antelope, but that's okay. Kinda pricey, but I might be able to work this into the master bedroom refresh I'm planning. It will at least make it to my mood board because I KNOW it would look good on my bed.

What about an AREA rug? Any dealer who carries the brands mentioned earlier could probably custom order an area rug. But thankfully that won’t be necessary.

Ballard Designs

Why? Because Ballard Designs added antelope to its animal print area rug collection this year.

Here’s a closer look:

Ballard Designs

Ballard’s antelope hand-tufted rug is 100% wool with a cotton backing and comes in five sizes, ranging in price from $149 to $849. I’m thinking low-end…a 3-by-5 foot accent at either the foot of our bed or at the side I use (so I can admire it while I’m getting dressed).

It’s not wall-to-wall by a long shot (swerve for puns), but maybe it will tide me over until our next carpet-hunting safari.

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YAAS! Call Me Mellow Yellow

Welcome to the first "Yaaas!"--the new label for my recurring design crush features.

I’ve admitted before to a pillow addiction. Not a surprise, given my proclivity toward boho home decor, right?

It’s not that I use too many at once (though hubby Chris would dis any number larger than two). It’s that I keep changing them out. I buy something I like, then a few months later I see something I like better.

Several months ago I discovered Nourison Fantasia series pillows on the Target website and have spent the time in-between drooling over them—obsessing about which ones I’d buy IF I chose to spend that much and how I’d arrange them.

Here are the four I (finally) narrowed it down to:

I love the bright colors and the funky bohemian look—unique, handcrafted and global, but not hippie-dippy. I came close to this look once, but Maisie-cat kept pulling the long pom-poms off the corners of two of the pillows, which took its toll on the silk covers. Another two (zebra print) eventually picked up more stains than the washer could whiten.

Since then, I've floundered in a sea of inadequate pillowing.

You can’t say I didn’t try to satisfy my habit with cheaper pillows, though I confess I might have paid for a chunk of the Nourison pillows with money spent on ones that didn't deliver but couldn't be returned.

Here's the spaghetti path my thought process took:

• I experimented with solid blocks of color in all lumbar pillows in turquoise only, turquoise and lime, turquoise and magenta, turquoise/lime/magenta, even turquoise and orange. 
• I tried kilim pillows (too scratchy, and the corners kept fraying out). 
• Multicolor sari pillows (also too scratchy AND raveled).
• In a moment of absolute desperation I resorted to the pillows that came with the sofa (gray shot with orange), though that one only lasted a day. 
• Somewhere along the line I let a little red back in with a vibrantly embroidered ikat pattern—and it looked better, but it didn’t cap my wanderlust. 

I longed for more texture and to get back some of the funky feel those zebra and pom-pom pillows had. I also wanted to ditch the symmetrical look of matching pillows at each end of the sofa and make every pillow different—a mix of fabric, shape AND size—something Anna Spiro suggests in Absolutely Beautiful Things.

All this convinced me the Fantasia pillows truly had it all, and I needed to bite the bullet and buy. So I moved them to my online shopping cart, where they sat for over a month while I went back and forth about which ones and mixed and matched with other makers.

About that shaggy yellow one…

Also Nourison. I saw it on Overstock while comparison shopping (Target wins on most counts). Yellow is not a color I gravitate to in my own home or even my wardrobe, and I’m not big on Mongolian lamb either. But that pillow reached out and spoke to me.

At first I was dismissive. Then I couldn’t rest thinking how the color perfectly matched the pops of bright yellow in the Fantasia pillows and would add a whole new dimension to my living room.

I argued back... 

You’re $85, and while I CAN afford to pay that for ONE very special accent pillow 

once in a great while (see how I start to rationalize?), it’s ridiculous to do so.

An animal died to make this silly pillow. 
I won’t encourage that by buying it! 

When Overstock reduced the price to $77, my rhetoric softened...

Well, the lamb is ALREADY dead. No turning back there.
It would be horrible for it to have given up its skin in vain. 

It’s STILL a ridiculous price, but if I'm sure this pillow is the ticket 

to set my sofa-scape rocking and rolling, then maybe it's okay.

The lambs are killed for their meat. The skin/wool is a byproduct.

(I looked it up.)

Maisie-cat would love grooming it.

I indulged my obsession by toying with images.

I still felt a little conflicted about how to mix the different sizes and patterns. Did I need more pillows than usual? Could I mix the new pillows with their predecessors for a plumper look? (A miniature Chris is sitting on my shoulder shouting, No! No!! NO!!) 

I added images of those other pillows to my mock-up. No, they didn’t work.

Then I was inspired by this pillow arrangement, in a living room that will be featured for its art in my post tomorrow:

Patrick Cline

The sofa itself looks curated because of the pillow mix. That’s the look I wanted, albeit with more colorful pillows.

My living room is basically a neutral canvas:

Which allows me the flexibility of an entirely new look by an easy change-out of accessories and accent colors.

• Walls = PPG French Gray Linen, a light gray that in natural light has a slight green cast
• Carpet = Mohawk Bohemian Beauty in Light Ray 
• Sofa = charcoal gray chenille, similar to the one here though plumper and more rounded. 
• Woven blinds mounted inside window frames 
• Mixed woods and metals 

Other givens:

• One lumbar pillow for Chris, who watches TV from the sofa and needs it for his back
• As few pillows as possible to keep Chris from complaining and the sofa always being a mess

Here’s what I settled on, minus the yellow shag:

The throw (from Karma Living, a recent find on Zulily) adds texture, brightens up the dark leather chair, and mixes well with the Fantasia pillows. The purple print (Jitterbug by Crypton) covers a wing chair I’ve lately moved into the room, switching out the other leather chair to my office. That one Fantasia pillow looks rad with it!

I placed my order Monday for all four, delighted to find a 20-percent off sale at Target! 

Now enter Lambchops…

POP! Better, right? I know. I need to order it.

And maybe I need just one more

Perhaps a darker solid round pillow to add to the mix of shapes? Like this felt flower petal pillow from Rizzy Home, also at Target, but not included in the sale. 

Here's how that looks:

Too much? It's five vs. four, and odd numbers are supposed to be more appealing, but in this case I'm not sure.

Thing is, the only review said the flower pillow wasn’t soft, nor was it made all that well, particularly for the price. It’s obviously just for looks—who’d want to rest their head on all those little layers? I could return it to the store easily enough, but I’m thinking maybe I should wait and see. I like round and I like this color. I could even make one. 

Or maybe the suggestion of round in the righthand Fantasia pillow is enough.

What do YOU think?

1. Only Fantasias 
2. Fantasias + yellow lamb and leave it at that 
3. Fantasias + yellow lamb + blue flower 
4. Fantasias + yellow lamb, but wait for (or make) a different round blue pillow 

I'm leaning toward #2. How 'bout you? Tell me in the comments so I can finally get some sleep!!

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Gift of recordable storybooks keeps on giving

My nephew Ryan texted me a couple photos over the weekend of his children listening and reading along to the Hallmark recordable holiday storybooks I helped my Dad personalize for them five years ago.

Mom had just passed away in September of that year, and Dad’s health was precarious.

Ryan and family planned to come for Thanksgiving that year, along with his parents. My brother’s family traditionally visited at Thanksgiving, and the day after we always had our Christmas with them. We hadn't exchanged gifts in several years, but when I saw a magazine ad for the books and a coupon, I decided to make an exception.

Turns out Dad was a natural-born narrator (we already knew he could spin a good yarn), and I was a pretty good technical coach. We had fun preparing the books together, and we both enjoyed surprising his great-grandkids. I think their parents—my Dad’s grandkids—were just as thrilled.

This is a gift that keeps on giving, year after year, to all within its reach.

This Friday, a few minutes after midnight, marks two years since Dad passed. But thanks to these books, his great-grandchildren still know his voice and his love for them. My only regret? I wish I'd known about these books sooner and done the same with my Mom. 

Shucks, I wish I had one of these books for myself so I could hear both their voices again!

Building a family tradition

“Each year we bring out the books when ‘Elfie,’ the elf of the shelf, shows up,” Ryan says. “Each night Pap—‘Great Grandpa’—reads to the kiddos.”

Jack—who is 7 and shares a first name with his grandfather (my brother) and two now-deceased great-grandfathers—received Frosty the Snowman. Big sister Kylee received The Night Before Christmas.

A way to talk about the cycle of life

“Kylee was super-emotional last night, but we just hugged her and listened to the story over and over,” Ryan says. “I think she was emotional because she understands more now that she is 9 and knows Pap is in heaven. I tell her that her great-grandparents are always watching and enjoy seeing her and her brothers grow up.”

Ryan’s wife Christy snapped this picture Saturday. "I came up, and she was quietly listening to your Grandpa reading The Night Before Christmas," Christy said to Ryan. "I had to leave the room because I started to cry.”

My brother Jack, responding to the texted photo of his granddaughter making the family rounds, replied, “I DID cry.”

Good therapy

“Honestly, the books are great for the kids and therapeutic for me,” Ryan says. “It's awesome to hear Pap’s voice still. The kids are always excited about it and say, ‘I want Great-Grandpa to read to us.’ Cameron joins in the fun, too.” 

FOUR GENERATIONS (clockwise from upper left): My brother Jack, his son Ryan, Ryan's son Cameron, my dad (a.k.a. Pap and Great Grandpa), and Ryan's older son Jack.

Cameron, who’s 4 now, only “met” my Dad once, when he was about five months old, at dad's 90th birthday bash. Because many miles separate us, I mostly know Cameron through pictures (that sweet smile and those dancing eyes!) and through stories my brother and sister-in-law tell me. He’s full of spirit and fun—lots of attitude—all of which means he and Dad would have been thick as thieves.

Many options

Hallmark offers 22 different recordable titles on its website. Of those, five are Christmas or winter-holiday themed. Read the reviews, but keep a box of tissues handy. Adults with terminal illnesses use these books to say good-bye to and comfort their adult children as well as grandchildren. My nephew is testament to the books’ effectiveness at any age.

These three interactive books allow for both parties in the title to respond to the same questions, providing a unique interchange that lasts a lifetime.

All the books come with easy-to-follow recording instructions that take you through page-by-page. You get infinite “do-overs,” and when you’re satisfied with the “take,” there’s a lock feature so it doesn’t get accidentally erased. One page down, then move on to the next, easy as that punkin’ pie Great-Grammy used to bake.

Did I mention the books also help pre-readers put sounds to words? Well, now you know. So there!

Seriously, neither Kylee nor Jack could read when they received their books, but at 4 and 2 they loved them anyway. The illustrations are beautiful, and the books are extremely durable. Your littles ones will follow along the script while playing each page, just as Kylee and Jack did, and play it over and over to learn the words. 

Special savings for a limited time

Book prices are $24.95 and $29.95. But Hallmark has some special offers coming up for the holidays, so plan ahead and follow the links for details.

• Cyber sale: 20% off total purchase, online only Nov. 25-30.
• $5 off recordable storybooks (priced $29.95) online and instore, Nov. 30-Dec. 13.
• Free ship-to-store for any purchase, free ship-to-home for purchases $50-plus after promo codes are applied. No code necessary for either.

Pap Jack’s tip

I initially suggested buying one book for Ryan’s family to share and another for his sister’s family. But Dad immediately and emphatically said, "No," that each of the four children should have his or her OWN book. So that’s what we did: Frosty for the boys, Clement Moore’s famous poem for the girls.

Turns out Dad was right. Again. But this was one time I didn’t mind admitting it.

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