Kendall's Entertaining Life

Clearly Kendall’s Entertaining Life hasn’t been so entertaining lately, but, actually, my real life has been crazy busy and highly entertaining over the past few months. I just haven’t had time to blog about it here!

The biggest highlight? A new job! I am now a full-time “Social Networking and Marketing Associate,” or in other words, a professional blogger! That’s right, this little ole blog helped me land a new job in a brand new industry! I still can’t believe that I’m getting paid to do what I love!

So that’s where I’ve been. I’ve spent the last five months working to launch my work blog, LowerOakLawn.com. I get to blog about the Dallas Design District including our new apartments, restaurants and all the cool interior design showrooms in the area. Yep, my job pretty much rocks.

Oh, and the new job also explains the two non-entertaining related posts: Doors of the Design District and Day in the Life of a Socialmediaite. Part of the interview process for my new job was to write blog post. Thanks to you faithful readers who commented on them and supported me through the interview process!

In other exciting news, I’m moving next week! Don’t worry, I’ll still be in Dallas! Just a little closer to work. I picked out an awesome apartment that is HUGE and has a perfect layout for entertaining. I’d love to hear any suggestions you have for how to arrange the living/dining room. The X marks where the cable connector is which makes the furniture arrangement a little less straight forward. Help! I could use it

Besides the great layout the biggest upgrade is the added cabinet space. There is TONS of room for all my plates, serving trays, glasses, etc. I’m sure my fellow entertaining enthusiasts can relate — keeping a fully stocked set of glassware and serving platters can sure take up a lot of space!

So that’s my update. Thanks to those of you who have kept my blog in your feed reader and I promise some great new parties this year! I’ll try to blog over here at least once a week. There you go — a new years resolution!

I’ll leave you with a little treat — some napkins I saw at Z Gallerie the other day. How true is this statement?

Now how great are those?! Totally worth $5.95.

As first impressions go, doors pretty much lead the way. A door can say a lot about a home or a business, or it can reveal very little about what lurks beyond.

Since the first step is the doorstep, that’s where I started when exploring Dallas’ “next urban neighborhood.” From the old, rustic doors of the antique shops on Slocum Street to the modern, glass showroom facades of the Decorative Center, the doors of the Design District are effortlessly chic.

Evolving from an industrial warehouse hub in the 1950s and 1960s to a center for antiques and decorative showrooms, the Design District is known internationally for its high fashion decorative fabrics and furnishings. It has become a reliable resource for decorative arts professionals who enjoy exclusive access to the area’s showrooms and stores. Interestingly, the economic downturn has led many showroom owners and artists in the Design District to re-think their designer-only policy, and many have opened their doors to the public.

Lately, the biggest door that opened for the Dallas Design District is the new exit ramp to Oak Lawn from the Dallas North Tollway. Dallas real estate development firm PegasusAblon, in anticipation of this new doorway, has invested heavily in its vision to take the Design District from a trade-only decorative destination to a vibrant, distinctive urban neighborhood.

Just a couple of years into the redevelopment of the Design District and the entire Lower Oak Lawn area, (now known as LOL), PegasusAblon’s team has effectively re-purposed and given new dimension to a treasured Dallas neighborhood.

Over the past week, I’ve been stalking LOL, touring the new apartment complexes and window shopping at the various furniture, lighting and antique shops and showrooms. The carefully crafted design of the new apartment communities is beautifully apparent. Both the Alta and Alexan Design District have developed home spaces that are unique and warmly livable for the urban professional seeking affordable style and premier proximity to Dallas’ hottest urban locales. I fell in love with the stained concrete floors, granite countertops and breathtaking skyline views.

Both communities are equally lush in amenities, including state-of-the-art gyms and A+ pools. Special features such as decorative tile back splashes in the kitchens add a custom home feel. The main difference between the two lies in the floor plans. The Alta units have a loft-like feel with open floor plans and exposed ventilation. While studio style units are available at the Alexan too, this community also offers more traditional apartment layouts.

The old saying goes; choosing a place to live is all about location, location, location. In that same vein, LOL is all about proximity, proximity, proximity. By car, LOL and the Design District are less than one minute from the Dallas North Tollway, two minutes from the AAC and Victory Park, five minutes from Downtown, six minutes to Uptown and just seven or eight minutes to West Village shopping. And with the current buzz about four new restaurant ventures planned for the LOL area, soon enough it will be the place to be — not just the place to live.

Doors are opening to a new community in Dallas — a community that is simultaneously rich with heritage and steeped in authenticity, yet artfully punctuated with a hip and ultra modern aura. The doors to LOL and the Design District are wide open with possibility and potential, giving Big D a new perspective on urban renaissance and redevelopment.

Tip: Ready to explore LOL but don’t know where to start? Check out Furniture Your Way showroom on Slocum Street, one of the oldest leather manufacturers in the DFW region. This week they hosted a massive sale, opening their doors to the public. With over 100 leather styles to choose from, you can find the look you want to achieve, whether it’s Hill Country Rugged or Dallas Modern Sleek. While I was out taking photos to chronicle the doors to LOL, the owner of the store walked right out the door to introduce himself to my friend Renee and me. He welcomed us through his doors and invited us to take a look around. Now this is a door worth gracing!

Find the Doors

Interested in checking out what’s behind all those beautiful doors? See the map below.
View Doors of the Dallas Design District in a larger map

{Photos by: Kendall Shiffler}

When my alarm blares at 7 a.m., I immediately reach for two things: my glasses and my iPhone. My eyes may barely be open, but I already have the news itch—what if something happened overseas while I was asleep? I would hate to go to work without knowing the day’s headlines.

I quickly load the Associated Press mobile app. Home sales rose in June, the president is talking trade with Chinese officials and the Rangers won. It’s time to shower.

I drag myself out of bed, load Pandora and dock my iPhone—I only have time for a three-song shower this morning.

After my shower I open my laptop and load iGoogle to scan my e-mails and check the weather—looks like rain, no heels today. While drying my hair I update my Facebook status and catch up on what’s going on with my friends. Alison and Hudson broke up again? I make a mental note to send her an e-card later. I send a Happy Birthday wish, accept a new friend request and sign off.

I fill my coffee mug, grab my purse and load TwitterFon as I walk to my car.

When I arrive at work, I settle in by loading my multiple e-mail accounts and opening the Dallas City Hall blog—I have to check out the day’s happenings at 1500 Marilla.

I load my “Be Productive” playlist and get to work.

At noon I get a message on G-chat from a co-worker a few cubicles away.

“Bring your lunch today?” she asks.

“No. It’s such a nice day. I’m thinking of heading downtown. Want to join?” I reply.

“Sure! What are you in the mood for today?” she asks.

Feeling indecisive, I open Twitter and tweet: “Any good deals downtown Dallas today?”

Quickly I get three replies informing me that the new Jason’s Deli is giving out free cookies. Jason’s Deli it is.

At lunch we chat about new restaurants/bars we want to try. My co-worker suggests a new place on Lower Oak Lawn that she went to over the weekend but she can’t remember the name. We both pull out our phones and launch a quick search, she on her Blackberry and me on my iPhone. Both of us find the name and address of the restaurant within seconds. I check out the restaurant’s menu and text my boyfriend about the place she has recommended. He replies that it sounds good and suggests we invite our kickball team to join us there for dinner. He sends out a group text telling our team about our dinner plans.

Back to the office with 10 minutes of my lunch hour to spare. I open Google Reader and scroll through my list of entertaining and home decor blogs. I open a few interesting articles and post comments. I send a couple of emails to friends and say hi to my Mom, who works from a home office and uses Windows Live Messenger. She tells me about her new work Twitter account and that she already has 70 followers. Impressive.

Back to work.

5:30 p.m. Work is done for the day. Home at last. Phone starts buzzing. More friends confirming dinner plans. We’ll meet at 8:30 p.m. Until then I will spend some quality time with my laptop. I check Drudge, Facebook and Twitter, adding a post to Facebook about the new restaurant we’ll be going to and check out a few tweets. A tweet from @Nordstrom reminds me of their anniversary sale. I hop on over to the site and order a pair of jeans.

I also have time to send an E-vite for a small get-together at my place in a couple of weeks. I check on my blog, www.entertaininglife.com, approve a couple of comments, and begin researching my next blog topic.

I notice my Grandma is online and we chat for a few minutes before I throw on my gym clothes and hit the treadmill. I plug in my headphones to my iPod and listen to one of my favorite podcasts, “Grammar Girl.” Today she is discussing proper pronouns.

Back at home to get ready for dinner. Out of the shower and drying my hair again, I check Facebook to see that we’ve got a larger crowd coming for dinner. I check my E-vite responses and already five people are coming to my get-together. I check in with my work e-mail to assure everything is covered on that front.

Running fashionably late, I run Loopt to see if anyone is there yet. Looks like most are still in route. I hurry out the door.

10:30 p.m. back at home. I wind down by reading my favorite blogs and post a couple of Mobile Pix from dinner on Facebook. Then I check my Web site, www.designbykendall.com and discover a client inquiry about updating a Web site. I e-mail him back and then it’s off to bed.

Before sleep comes I think about this job I want to apply for and the post I need to write about “Why I love Social Media.” I think back over the events of the day. Social media helped me determine what to wear and where to eat lunch. It helped me organize dinner plans and figure out if I was running late. It compelled me to shop a sale, host a party and updated me on the day’s events—local, national and personal.

That’s when it hit me: “I don’t just love social media, I live social media.”

Photo credit: {d u y g u / CC BY 2.0}

Welcome to the newly launched blog, “Kendall’s Entertaing Life!” The blog was originally established in December 2008 as “Design by Kendall.” As readership has grew, so did the site. A few months into the life of the blog, a redesign was concepted that would give readers easier access to content through streamlined navigation and enhanced features. Design by Kendall took a three month hiatus from May to July 2009 to undergo a redesign and accommodate a branding switch.

Relaunched as “Kendall’s Entertaining Life,” the blog now has the look and feel of a professional blog. It is also equipped with plenty of room to grow. New features include:

• Popular Articles – See what others are reading by checking out our “Popular Articles” widget.
• Featured Video - Movie trailers, how-to’s and other fun videos — this is a fun way for Kendall to share some of her favorite YouTube clips. Have a video you’d like to be featured? Contact Kendall to make suggestions.
• Flickr Photo Stream Feed - The Flickr widget on the right side bar shows recently posted photos from the Entertaining Life photostream.
• Advertising space – The new site allows for advertising space in the right and left hand sidebars. A variety of sizes are available as well as text link ads. Email entertaininglife@gmail.com for ad rates.
  • Text Link Ad (left or right sidebar)
  • Small Square – 140×140 (left or right sidebar)
  • Large Square – 280×280 (right sidebar)
  • Vertical Banner – 140×280 (right sidebar)

I am very excited about the launch of the new site and am anxious to get back to blogging. Thank you to my loyal readers who have stuck with me through the blogging hiatus. Now that the new site is up I look foward to providing you with fresh, new content on a regular basis.