The perfect chandelier adorns your dining room table like timeless Tiffany earrings. The pendant light transforms your kitchen from yawn to yummy. With the flick of a switch, the table lamp casts soft shadows creating an ambient room.

Use these can’t-go-wrong formulas for hanging your chandeliers and wall sconces!

Finding the perfect home lighting is only the first step to lightening up. Did you know:

1) Sconce height should be 60″ from the floor to the center of the light.

2) Breathing space between your sofa and wall decor should be 6-8″.

3) Length + Width (in feet) = the ideal diameter in inches of a chandelier for your room.

4) The correct chandelier size for your dining room is equal to one-half the width of your table.

5) The chandelier should be hung 30″ between the bottom of the chandelier to the top of the table for an 8′ ceiling.

We think having a fab motorcycle jacket is one of the best things you can do for yourself! It’s that soft piece of timeless leather in your closet that gives you a sense of comfort. It’s that piece you can pair with almost ANYTHING! A few fashionable New Yorkers gave us inspiration…and here’s how we made these looks achievable with our own version for $69.99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This bright color pop look is all the rage! We love how she paired sleek stripes with color and made it look effortless. The key pieces: back & wihite striped tee, pop of red, pop of yellow, and motorcycle jacket! Here’s our take…its a little more laid back, so totally achievable any day you want! A. Dodson’s ‘Zip N Go’ jacket {$69.99}, striped tee, tight pencil skirt, a chunky yellow necklace, and the pop of red?…LIPS!

 

      What BETTER use of your Summer maxi then to toughen it up with a motorcycle jacket?! We paired our ‘Zip N Go’ jacket with a floral maxi in the back of the wardrobe! SO cute. (Underneath are some biker boots & leggings).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love this “polished rocker” look! The key is pairing a cutesy full ABOVE the knee skirt + a fabulous motorcycle jacket! How we made it work: A. Dodson’s ‘Zip N Go’ jacket, a flouncy leopard skirt (this one was a thrift store find from the 90′s!), leggings, and high heels to complete it!

 

 

It’s that time of year, bring on all things green & lucky! Here are some fun ideas for the whole family to enjoy while the leprechauns are on the loose.   Click on each photo for how-tos and recipes!

 

 

 

 

It’s time for another installment of the A. Dodson’s Small Business Everyday initiative. At every turn the girls (and boy) at A. Dodson’s are scouring the earth, ok fine the town, for small businesses who are kicking some behinds and taking names. And when we find them, we climb the tallest mountain and start screaming their name (ok fine we start blogging which is really close to the same thing). There’s no such thing as competition in our book because, as far as we can tell, we’re all in this thing together!

So… *clearing throat* here goes! We love these guys and we think you should, too!

CAFE STELLA is a coffee shop in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood and we love them for mixing up freshly roasted coffee, great homemade food and found objects. And they offer fresh almond milk if you don’t care for milk or soy in your latte. This husband and wife duo is lovely and sweet, kinda like the creama on my espresso. When you go, tell “Maurice” we said hi!

And what goes better with a cuppa Joe than a gourmet donut? Uh, NOTHING! So next on your tour of A. Dodson’s favs is O’doodleDoo’s Donuts. Right down the street from us, in fact dangerously close to us, is a little unassuming building that you may not notice if you weren’t keenly trained to look for the SOLD OUT sign. They’re open everyday beginning at 5am until the donuts sell out. They make each donut from scratch, by hand with whatever flavors float their boat (and are in season). Check their Facebook page for daily flavors. Today they listed 11 including baby ruth, blueberry pancakes n bacon, whoa! Bacon? Gotta go!