13thandMore

Making Trash look good.

I FINALLY was able to purchase this $60 trash bin at the Conran Shop. It has been out of stock for the past 6 months at least. I literally gasped when I saw it was available.

It will be mine in a few weeks. I ordered black, even though I was tempted to get it in red. The black will be so nice in our sexy new kitchen!

Isn't it super cute? It is a nice size at 12 gallons, and super slim. OH, and not $500 dollars! Why would ANYONE want to buy a trash can that was that much money? They aren't even that great. Yes, I am looking at  you VIPP. I even read a blog that I won't name that I respect very much except for the fact that they actually purchased the VIPP tiny little bathroom can for $250 bucks! I don't care how cute it is- that is just gross. I can't wait to get rid of the hideous stainless steel modern looking can we have now. Classic design is the way to go.

  Come to me!

Egg poaching mysteries solved!

If you have ever wondered how to do this, or have heard all the crazy nonsense surrounding poaching an egg, you will know why I made this video. NO-the egg doesn't have to be only 2 days old, NO- you don't need vinegar of any kind, and you don't need any special water or magic spells.

It really is super easy. I promise. Here is the video I made for some friends to prove you don't need to do anything crazy- just keep the water from a rapid boil and enjoy!

I also highly recommend seasoning your eggs with Herbs de Provance----sooooo good on eggs!

disclaimer: I suck at talking, holding a camera, and cooking at the same time- so my use of the English language seems a bit...well...it's just bad. I also look like crap because I was out running errands- with a hat on and was a bit sweaty. FUN!

French Press for success...

So how many french presses have you broken? I have gone through 3. First one I got was broken by a friend, then the next  two were just from Ikea- but they ended up being broken as well. I finally wised up and decided to find a version that could not be broken, and I found this-

A Frieling stainless steel french press. This baby is not only sleek and unbreakable, but it is also keeps your coffee warm and has a very tight and high quality build. The mesh is smooth and tightly woven, and there are no pokey metal edges that stab you or catch sponge in them while trying to clean it. 

My only regret is not getting a bigger one. I went for the 17ounce because it said it made 3-4 cups, when in reality it only makes 1 full mug or 2 very small mugs.  I should have splurged and gone for the bigger size, even if it did mean a bigger price tag- it would be worth it. I know I will never have to replace it- and even though you can't see how much coffee is left- it never looks gross and dirty sitting on your counter.

This beauty has already paid for itself in the quality of the brewing and the fact that I wont have to replace it every few months because my cats knocked it over in the sink or my clumsy hands had some other mishap.

I may just get a jumbo 42oz in case we ever have company.

Merry Christmas Niff!

I thought I would share a few of my favorite kitchen gifts from the Holiday.

First- our friend Ashley, famous for his amazing illustrations on post-it notes, made us a painting of one of his little pen drawings.  Probably one of the coolest pieces of art we now own. Thanks Ash.

Birthday Robot by Ashley Stiegerwalt

Next- I got a few goodies from Sutter's sister Mary Beth, who went shopping at Anthropology for me!

First is this adorable little "oven-to-table baking dish." So cute and perfect for a dinner for 2!

I already have this Farmer's egg crate in white, but I couldn't help but want it when I saw it in robins egg blue! I actually use these to hold my jewelry- It is perfect for ear-rings and rings.

And to add to my (very small) owl collection, She got me a owl trivet from Urban. It goes so well with my

(thrifted) owl salt cellar- don't they make a good pair? I have another owly fellow that needs a DIY installation- and I will post that process as soon as I can.

 

My very dear friend and business partner is Liz MacDonald, co-owner of Melo Studios, maker of amazing and deliciously aromatic soy candles (now available at wholefoods). She gave me this darling candle in a vintage pyrex bowl. You NEED to own a honeysuckle candle- it makes the whole house smell like summer in the country all year long. 

Alongside the candle are my favorite flower (albeit smelly) paperwhites! I just love how fast they grow and seeing all their spindly roots grow down into a bowl of river rocks. I always plant mine in water and rocks, rather than dirt. These are now 2 weeks old and look how well they are doing. Thank you Eleanor, and Mrs. Sutter for knowing me so well!

 

That does it for my holiday goodies for now. I have a few more of course, but I do feel a little guilty for having so many nice things! Happy new year!

Whistles and Bells!

YAY! The kitchen is a few steps closer to being completely finished. Things I need:

Light switch cover near back door- on my Christmas wish list!

Knobs for the pantry- Thanks to Eleanor for picking them up for me! She saw the ones I wanted on sale at Anthropology and went ahead and got them. I LOVE YOU E!

Some sort of phone - we don't have a working land line but we have this big ugly outlet plastered into our wall- so we have to get something to cover it.

So now I have 2 out of 3 of these things crossed off my list.

Check out these adorable Knobs! on sale for $8.00 a pop!

 

I love how the brass mimics the yellow and the mother of pearl echos my walls and floor. My wall color is "Oyster Shell" by Benjamin Moore- so it seems appropriate.

Then we have my new (albeit vintage) rotary wall phone- via ebay! Isn't she beautiful? I was dead set on a yellow phone- but could never find one at a price I wanted to pay. Then I came across this black and white- and I think it is actually a much better fit. The cord is even perfect.  Lets basque in it's cuteness...

 

Not bad for $13.00 eah?

Let's leave today with an awesome picture of my cat Steve- trying to blend in. He is lucky I didn't sit on him!

kitchen remodel part 1

I am finally doing it.

After thinking about this forever, I am finally starting a blog to document styling and remodeling our house, as well as just housewares and fun things I love. My house is FAR from being finished or well done designed by any means- but I am on my way and I wanted to show my fun finds with the world.

Home is where the heart is right?  Thanks to the remodel of my kitchen, I actually have something to post about and it is finally (almost done), aside from a few knobs for the pantry my Dad built.

Here are some before and afters to gander at. I can not tell you the joy this room brings me!

but FIRST, some before shots...

This was when we first decided to buy the place. We never really changed much besides moving the fridge to the other side of the room and taking down the curtains. I can't believe we lived with this for years!

 
And Now for the finished product- taking us about 3 months, and 12-15,000 smackers (including all new appliances and a professional carpenter, and new Pella wood windows $$ !)

View to the backyard. hickory cabinets and concrete counter tops, a (new to me) old double basin

cast iron sink and lots of shelves! NO more cabinets! and believe it or  not we have WAY more storage now.

My dad built me this pantry system which is 88" tall and super deep. My dad seriously is the best!

loads of shelving and a new very affordable range (Jenn Aire) and hood by Chevallier. The hood was purchased on Overstock.com for a great price. Range and Fridge I got from Number1Direct.com.

View of side window with our stunning new molding (that looks original to the house), thanks to a master carpenter and the best help I could have ever found. Eric Madden Custom Carpentry.

Larger view of my ingenious floor plan. Everyone thought I was crazy for wanting VCT flooring- but it really paid off and gave us a huge bang for the buck. The floor was probably the cheapest thing in the kitchen, and very easy to install.

looking into the house and at my adorable restored yellow door. It makes you WANT to go into the basement!