What a treat!!  Today we have a guest post from Finley, at Mommy Chic, while I’m still enjoying my Paris vacation!

Thanks, Finley!  We think so much alike!  I read this en route to Paris!  It’s marvelous!  XO!

Hello Hidden List readers!

Since THL is on the road – or still in the air – en route to the Fashion Capital of the World, I thought I would indulge in some of her Parisian vacation, {mommy chic} style.

When I think of a woman who looks so effortlessly put together, I think of a Parisian. Her look is so classic and timeless while breaking traditional fashion rules. Thanks to Inès de la Fressange, former face of Chanel, now you don’t have to be born in Paris to exude the same style. In her new book entitled Parisian Chic: A Style Guide, she offers tips like: “Make sure your wardrobe includes ‘the Magnificent Seven’ – a man’s blazer, trench coat, navy sweater, tank top, little black dress, jeans, and leather jacket. After that, it’s all a matter of composition.”

Parisian Chic: A Style Guide covers topics from fashion (“Nothing looks worse than a girl tottering about on unmanageable heels!”), to design (“I have no problem placing an IKEA sofa alongside ‘60s designer lamps.“), to children (“Just because they’re small doesn’t mean you should dress them like clowns.”) and life (“Be passionate about a man, a project, a house. It’s an instant facelift.”) It’s the little red book that everybody should have.

Get yours here.

Remember Leah Dieterich’s fun site of thank you’s?  Well, now it’s a book!

Find it at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I loved Kimberly the minute I found out that she wrote Dog Parties: Entertaining Your Party Animal.  You have to be super sweet and tons of fun to dedicate a book to celebrating our precious pets, right?  I admire her entrepreneurial spirit and her love of celebrating life.   She’s one of Dallas’ most admired Southern sweethearts and everyone’s go-to gal for entertaining with style and grace!  Her fifth book will be out in August from Gibbs Smith and will be an event planning workbook titled “The Party Planner”.  All of her books are “must haves” and offer useful information for everyone’s budget.  I’ll keep you informed about book signingopportunities as the release date approaches!

With a talent for making the ordinary extraordinary Kimberly Schlegel Whitman has taken her original and clever take on parties and created an entrepreneurial empire. While planning her own Idlewild Debutante Ball in Dallas, Texas, Kimberly found an undiscovered opportunity—a lack of quality goods for party rentals. In 1998, a quick thinking Kimberly launched her own event company, RSVP Soiree Luxury Event Rentals, and, after building up a wonderful business, she sold it in 2006. She also took the century old RSVP Social Calendar online in 1999 and continues to maintain this comprehensive list of Dallas’ finest charitable events at www.RSVPcalendar.com. Her success in this field led to the publication of four books on entertaining, countless television appearances and a daily radio segment on Dallas’ number one morning show.  She was recently named editor-at-large for Southern Living and will release her fifth book, The Party Planner, in August.

Kimberly and her flourishing business have been featured in national publications such as Vanity Fair, Elle, Vogue, Town & Country, Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Businessweek, Traditional Home, Canadian House and Home, Animal Fair, Southern Lady, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Martha Stewart’s Blueprint, Doggie Aficionado, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many more. She has been featured in the books, “Texas Women” and “Texans and Their Pets.” Kimberly has been coroneted and “Entertaining Expert,” a “Style Expert,” an “Etiquette Expert,” and an “Arbiter of Taste and Style” on the following television programs: The Early Show, The Tyra Banks Show, Fine Living and HGTV, WB in the Morning, Designing American, Designing Texas, Good Morning Texas, Good Day Dallas, NBC’s iVillage Live and was a featured event planner on the Style Network’s hit show “Whose Wedding is it Anyway?”

Kimberly is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with an Honors degree in Art History. Her community involvements are numerous and include: Christie’s Education Program in New York City, Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Debutante, Idlewild Debutante and The National Debutante Cotillion. Kimberly donates her time to many charitable organizations including the Alzheimer’s Association, The Salvation Army, The Tiffany Circle of the American Red Cross, The President’s Council of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, The Advisory Board of the Brinker International Forum, Best Buddies, and was honored with the Volunteer of the Year Award by the American Heart Association. Kimberly resides in Dallas, Texas with her real estate developer husband, Justin, their son, JR, and their Chihuahua, Lola.

Tobacco Leaf China from Mottehedah

“I am obsessed with anything “Tabletop” but Tobacco Leaf China is my absolute favorite.”

Kimberly McDonald Jewelry

“I love jewelry and I am completely obsessed with Kimberly McDonald’s pieces right now.  I got to meet her when she was visiting Forty Five Ten and she  is so charming that it makes me like her work even more! She is a chihuahua lover just like me!”

Natura Bisse Hand Silk

“You can’t understand how perfect it is until you try it.”

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Camera

“We originally bought this to take photos for my books and blog entries but I treasure it because we have captured the most treasured photos of our son with it.  It is impossible to take a bad photograph with this camera!”

Leontine Linens

“Sometimes I just want to re-paint a bedroom so that I can place a new order from Leontine.  The monograms are fantastic and the look is so classically southern.  I am a bit obsessed!”

Another inspiring list!  Find all of Kimberly’s books here. Each one is beautiful and full of inspiration that will help you plan your next event with ease and create magnificent memories for your friends and family…including the pets!  Be sure to visit kimberlywhitman.com to follow her blog and her RSVP calendar.

Thank you, sweet Kim!  I knew your list would be amazing and it did not disappoint!  We will all look forward to celebrating your new book in August!  Keep us posted!  Thanks for all of your inspiration!  You make Dallas proud!  XO!

Age old question:  What should I read next?

Simply type in what you just finished reading and you’ll get a great suggestion on what you should read next!  What more could you ask for?

This  Lithuanian book agency‘s ad campaign is brilliant!

“When one reads books, he/she starts living it and identifies (or not) with main hero. These print ads for the Mint Vinetu bookstore, which sells lots of classics, focuses on the idea of becoming someone else. And provokes people to try on different personas.”

via Black & Eiffel

I can’t wait to get my hands on this “hands on” journal from Jill Bliss!

Jill has been teaching others to draw things of nature in a park in Portland and now she brings us a series of exercises in this journal to help us draw and see things better.  She shares some of her techniques and what to expect in the journal in this video.

You can find this book at Amazon, Chronicle Books and Barnes and Noble.

When you look up “glamour” in the dictionary you’re sure to find a reference to Jan Showers. She’s Hollywood glamour, elegant grace and subtle beauty all rolled into one.  I met Jan briefly in LA after she presented the key note address at the Design Bloggers Conference.  She’s absolutely beautiful and made me so proud to be from Dallas.  Enjoy finding out what one of the most successful interior designers and tastemakers lists as the top five favorites!

Understated glamour, the combination of a variety of periods and styles and the creation of comfortable spaces are the foundation of Jan Showers’ style.  Jan is inspired by art, travel, fashion, fine antiques and objects, as well as nature.  Her design firm is recognized as one of the most distinguished in the nation as is her antiques business.  Designers and buyers travel from all over the map to her showroom in Dallas to find rare and noteworthy antiques ranging from Directoire to mid 20^th c. modern. The mix of these pieces, with unusual collections of Venetian glass accessories, lamps, mirrors and chandeliers are the hallmarks of Showers’ style.

In early 2000, Showers decided to make custom pieces she had been designing for her clients available to showrooms across the United States, thus creating The Jan Showers Collection.  The Collection is available through showrooms in Dallas, Dania, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Atlanta. She has also designed an exclusive collection of hand-blown, signed and numbered glass for Neiman-Marcus. “My designs mix with different interiors from classic to modern— my criteria is that they remain timeless,” says Showers.

Jan is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers. She has been featured in Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, InStyle Home, In Style, Town & Country, Western Interiors, Veranda, Traditional Home and Southern Accents. Showers has been named as one of “The Top 100 Interior Designers in America” by House Beautiful, Western Interiors “Gold List” and has been one of the featured designers in Andrew Martin’s International Book of Design.

Jan has been the featured speaker in Los Angeles for West Week on several occasions.  Presentations have also been made in Houston, Atlanta and Dallas speaking on various topics from “The Art of the Mix” to “How to Find and Work with an Interior Designer.”  She has been a panelist with editors and designers on many design topics. In January 2008, Jan received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Interior Design from the Fashion Group International.

Jim Showers, her husband, is very important in her life and businesses. He travels with her to Europe on buying trips and is involved in many other aspects of each business.  They have two daughters, Elizabeth Showers, a well known Dallas jewelry designer and national spokesperson for the Elisa Project and Susanna Showers Moldawer, a former anchor/tv news reporter and now mother of three children as well as a contributing editor to Southern Accents.

Jan is the author of “Glamorous Rooms” published by Harry Abrams.  The book is a compilation of Jan’s work over the past 25 years and is in its fourth printing.  A new book is in the works for publication in fall of ‘11 or spring of ‘12.

Last year Jan and her daughter, Elizabeth, chaired 2 x 2 which benefited the Dallas Museum of Art and amFAR. Jan also serves as a Trustee of the Dallas Museum of Art and is involved with the Elisa Project.

Here’s Jan’s top five …

Skinmedica’s TNS Recovery Complex

“This is the greatest product ever for your skin. I have been using it for 10 years and I swear that my skin looks better now than it did then.  You can buy it through dermatologist or maybe online.  It’s the one skin product I won’t ever run out of.”

Dark Chocolate Covered Grahams from Starbucks

“You have to like dark chocolate like I do to like these, but they are delicious and habit forming.  Great with coffee or champagne.  Not all Starbucks have them, but most do.”

Martha Stewart’s Dinner At Home: 52 Quick Meals to Cook for Family and Friends

“There isn’t a bad recipe in this one and it’s simple, delicious food.  The chapters are seasonal and I love that aspect, as well.  I don’t like bread pudding, but my husband loves it, so I made it for him and it was probably one of the most delicious deserts I’ve ever tasted and so easy!”

The Row

This relatively new clothing line is wonderful.  I love to buy pieces rather than ensembles or suits.  Their fabrics are wonderful, the designs are timeless with a little edge and I always feel great in them.  The clothes are designed by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, and I heard from someone who knows fashion well that they really do design the clothes and select all of the fabrics.  I had no idea that they were this talented.”

Nonna

“Hope you live in Dallas if you’re reading this…When you go to this restaurant, you will think that you’re really in Italy because the pastas are so, so amazing.  I am obsessed with several things on their menu…the spaghettini with spicy tomato sauce (they change their menu every day) is a great carb splurge, which I simply have to have every once in a while!”

Thank you, Jan, for sharing your own “Hidden List”!  Your book, Glamorous Rooms, tops my list of favorite design books and has a special place in my living room where I often sit, read and find inspiration.  I’ll be the first in line to get your new book!   You make every Dallas girl proud!  XO!

Get your copy of Glamorous Rooms here.

I’m thrilled to kick off a series that will take place once a week for the next few months called “My List Revealed”. I have lined up some of the most inspirational people I know.  They will share five things that are on their Hidden List.  You’ll hear about that one go-to recipe that takes 2 minutes to whip up for unannounced guest…fabulous dive bars or hole-in-the wall restaurants…secret obsessions for collecting unusual things…go-with-everything nail polish colors…small indulgences and grand adventures…watch carefully as these lists are revealed!

I loved meeting and chatting with Tracy Porter during the Design Bloggers Conference in LA at the end of February.  She’s beautiful, inspirational and full of an evident love for life.  I’m over the moon that she’s kicking off our series…

Tracy Porter…  lifestyle, home and fashion designer inspires women from  all over the world with her eclectic goods, inspiring style advice and encouraging spirit.   Tracy has been featured in numerous books, blogs, and magazines, including O,  PEOPLE, FAMILY CIRCLE, ELLE, BETTER HOMES & GARDENS, and VICTORIA.   Tracy’s television appearances and features include OPRAH, E!, and HGTV.
In 1991 Tracy and her husband John  started a hand-painted luxury furniture line created from their  farm’s vintage chicken coop. Now selling to thousands of retail stores and boutiques around the world, Tracy Porter is renowned for her fanciful dinnerware collections (favored by Neiman Marcus, Horchow, Bloomingdales), and inspired designs for the home.  Tracy has also added… soulfully-designed apparel, hand-bags, jewelry, and shoes www.tracyporter.com to her eclectic mix.

Tracy’s well-known ever-inspiring lifestyle blog www.blog.tracyporter.com is home to a chorus of chatter. The blog was created by Tracy and team to have a richer connection to her customers around the world.   She delights in chatting daily with readers and produces a lifestyle on-demand video series offering a peek behind the scenes into her design studio and home. Tracy, her husband + business partner, John, and their four young boys live in Santa Barbara,CA.

Tracy encourages and inspires women to be true to themselves… to let their passions lead!

Here’s  five of Tracy’s favorite things…

Mariage-freres earl grey tea

“I’ve been having a lusty love affair with earl grey for years…the minute I wake I want it…and then all day long…!I even bring a big silver tea tray up to my studio with a small creamer, sugar cubes, pretty spoon and a gorgeous wicker covered carafe that keeps my tea hot all day long!  I lived in Paris for a few years, and this was a very lovely indulgence indeed!”

Aveda….Nourish-mint smoothing lip color

“# 320 Sugar-apple  This is my go to color! I often wear little or no make-up…so I pop on this gorgeous pink, a hint of blush, one of dusters + cowboy boots…. and I am ready to fly into my day!  It gives me a delicious 1940’s….new pretty feel. It is truly lyrical….!”

Taschen Paris Bookstore

“This is a hop over the pond…but…if you are going to Paris, plan on going to TASCHEN! I adore their style, their books rock my world….cool sophisticated global.  p.s.…you can buy most of them online from your armchair!”

Greenlee’s Bakery Cinnamon bread

“Hi, my name is Tracy Porter and I am addicted to Greenlee’s cinnamon bread. It would be a problem …. But only if I didn’t love it so damn much!  I am officially ruined for any other morning toast with my tea. This is a must have in freezer and refridg. Period.”

Lillet Aperitif

“I am a dessert girl…so I keep this on hand for the times when we linger at the table dragging forks through pastries. It is sublime.”

Tracy – I’m heading to Paris this summer and you’ve just added a new stop to my itinerary!  I love book stores!  Thanks for the tip!  I’m also creating a special place in my freezer for a readily-available loaf of Greenlee’s cinnamon bread!  My mouth is watering!  Thanks for kicking off my series with an amazing list!  XO!  Kel

Adorable for a child’s room!  Booktree by Kostas Syrtariotis

via Likecool

Jillian Tamki has created some amazing book covers for Penguin classics that will soon be launched!  Find her blog here.  I can’t wait to see the “making of” pictures once the books are released!  For now I’ll enjoy these beautiful previews!