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Friday, October 28, 2011

The Boutique is Back On!

   Have you heard? Finch's Holiday Time Boutique
is back in action!
After taking a year off to get married, move and try to settle in, we are back!
Mark your calendars for Dec. 3rd and 4th - Come and shop and you'll get to see some of our lovely home updates in person - if that isn't enough motivation!! Plan to complete a TON of your holiday shopping early because there are going to be really great stuff made available by over 50 local artists/designers/crafters, + 1 designer from Philly and 1 designer from Denmark (just bc you move, doesn't mean you can't participate from afar - we love you Lynn & Vân!)

Have a peek at the Boutique Blog: http://finchsboutique.blogspot.com/

So that means I am also full speed ahead making cute little items for the sale and getting ready to transform the new place into a 2-day boutique. So! Now I get to share some of what I'm working on along the way :)

I've been making little Nugget Finger Puppets!


and these little "Tea-For-Two" sets
(2 tea bags + 3 sugar cubes - ready for the fanciest of tea parties...)




I have lots more in the works - I'll be sure to share more as I go :)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Front Entry Way Progress

So we have begun to address some of our wish list for the front entry way.

Wish List Item #1: Table to stash keys and mail or notes or...
  After some looking (lazy looking, only online and Ikea) we came up with this table on Target.com:
Things we like about the table: Size: it's pretty small, but it IS 12" deep, so it will fit in there without snagging your pocket on the way by + I like the little drawer. Sturdy/Well made.
Things we don't like about the table: natural wood, ugly wooden knob, kind of boring.




Luckily, we are able to remedy the things we DON'T like pretty easily: With the help of (you may have already guessed) our trusty friend SPRAY PAINT!, a trip to Anthropologie for a cute, new knob, and two little decorative wooden scroll details (that I glued on before we painted), we were able to get this table looking better in no time.




Voila!

Wish List Item #2: Mirror - We dug out the round mirror from the Mpls house - I think it's just the right size. This one is easy.



Wish List Items #3: Something to sit on to help get on/off shoes, etc. - something light weight though and small...
  Well for now, one of our little Ikea ottomans will do the trick - I like the pop of green with all of our gray.
and it fits right under our new little table too!
Finch approved!

Okay. More to come.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Thanks for the Soup, Food Network Magazine!

Kevin made a tasty Broccoli-Cheddar soup last night for dinner - from the cover of Oct. Food Network Magazine. It was pretty darn good, although Kevin made a few tweaks and would prob do a few more next time too - just to add a little more flavor. It was a really quick meal - good for weeknights.


looks even better than in the magazine

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli florets  + we had fresh cauliflower from our crop share box, so we added that too
  • 1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)
  • Croutons, for topping (optional) - shouldn't be 'optional', should be a 'must add' - we use garlic croutons & they were SO good in there.
  • + we added fresh garlic
  • + we added yummy bacon bits for topping

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. (Kevin says next time he would saute the onions + some garlic and add them at the end with the broccoli so there would be some more chunks of veggies) Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add 3 tablespoons water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain.
When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and transfer the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth, leaving the filler cap slightly open to let steam escape (or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender). Return the soup to the pot and thin with water, if necessary. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper.
Add the cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired.
Over all it was really tasty - I added extra salt and garlic salt - but I like things pretty salty. We made some garlic toast for dunking - yum!
Per serving: Calories 589; Fat 34 g (Saturated 18 g); Cholesterol 97 mg; Sodium 931 mg; Carbohydrate 50 g; Fiber 8 g; Protein 22 g


+ a special thanks to Kym Martin for giving Kevin us the first year subscription of Food Network Mag. for our wedding!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Master Bedroom Plan + Mykea = Cool

  We've been planning what we want to do with out new master bedroom. The master bath is complete (with exception of a light fixture and mirror still...), so it would be nice to move into the room soon. We are still living out of the guest room next door - it would be sweet to have a permanent bed (+ I have this new duvet that I've been waiting to use until we are for the fresh-start in the new room).

  We've selected a light gray for the walls of the bedroom (Sherwin Williams "Aloof Gray"), but recently decided that we need to choose an accent color to add some warmth. I'd been planning for all this gray and white, and according to Kevin it's going to "start feeling like a hospital" soon. And I agree - we don't want things getting too sterile and too 'cold' when we'd def prefer a cozy space. Accent of yellow? orange? green?

  So! the PLAN = sticking with some gray and white, but adding in some color and transforming furniture where we can, to make it unique and comfy - WHILE still being functional and with lots of storage!

 
Bedroom To-Do List:
- Paint Walls Gray + New Accent color (the color we still need to select)
- Order new window treatments - I think we're going super simple with fabric honey-comb blinds. Maybe later we'll add a window panel - we'll see.
- Furniture: you know how much we love Ikea (yes, Ian, we ARE aware that there ARE other stores beside Ikea and Target...), we'd like to get a new bed frame and dresser, etc. and 'do stuff to them'. Spray Paint? Maybe. We'll see.
- Find a cool dresser for me - but NOT a dresser that is too matchy-match with the other furniture...
- Accessorize: artwork on walls, lighting, new duvet + we can't forget Finch's bed - perhaps he should get a new duvet too? hmmm..... I think I see ANOTHER new project looming...


  We have already purchased a big 'ole MALM dresser (the one with 6 drawers) to serve as Kevin's main dresser storage and holder of the bedroom TV. The main problem = that it's stark white. A big white rectangle.
 
  My first thought is to add some fun drawer pulls to alter the flat drawer fronts (although the drawers don't require them to open) - but then I found Mykea on a blog the other day. Mykea is a site, based in Amsterdam, that sells decorative decals SPECFICALLY to fit your Ikea furniture - beds, dressers, wardrobes, coffee tables, side tables, etc.

  Kevin and I have selected our favorite design, and we've ordered it up to fit the new dresser. Guess what? Big surprise: it's gray and white. Clouds!
This SHOULD be what it will look -  Before & After"

We will keep you posted on whether this turns out or not...

Plus! Here are some other pretty cool decal ideas from Mykea - would be great for transitioning kid's rooms.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Owen's Big Day!

Happy 1st Birthday to our nephew Owen! Hooray! So glad we could celebrate with the Birthday Boy today at the park :) The weather cooperated and it was a really nice day to be out.

Owen loves his Grandma Bonnie!
...almost as he loves his birthday cake. Anna made this super cute blue/green cake for Owen, and yummy raspberry mousse filled or peanut butter cream filled cupcakes for us! SO good!
We gave Owen his Birthday Crown (Target of course...) and I made him his very own Jimmy Doll!
The party was super fun - and when you get Owen and his cousin Brooke together - silliness ensues...




That Brooke makes the silliest - and cutest - faces...