5 on Friday: A Thankful Friday

1/ We have a hole! It only took us 55 frustrating days to start and numerous threats that I would start digging myself. But, it's been a busy week on our lot! As long as the weather cooperates, we're on-track to be framed out by Sept. 1.

2/ My mom bought her first can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Look how happy she looks! Of course, I had to tweet it. I've been obsessed with ASCP for over a year...so, the interaction that followed totally made my day. I just know Annie was sitting in her little cottage in Oxford, cup of coffee in hand. Doing a little tweeting before she started painting her next project.

3/ Last year, Mr. VB and I participated in a handful of local festivals and fairs, selling our tables and restyled and vintage home decor. But, with the move this year, we've had to put it all on hold. I totally forgot that we were chosen for an Etsy Pop-Up Shop in Oct. This week we received some of the pre-show promo...it's curated by Jessie Miller, a contestant on HGTV's Design Star! We decided that no matter what, we've got to make it happen. We've got alot in storage we can pull out and we'll be doing some last minute searching over the next several weeks to add even more.

4/ At the same time, we were contacted by someone from the very first show we did. She bought a console table from us and now wants another one! We couldn't turn down a returning customer. Here's the inspiration:

The table is 7 feet long...so, Mr. VB wanted to find a single piece of wood. We lucked out this week and found the perfect piece. It's a very large piece of white oak that was harvested about 50 years ago in Ohio. It's supposed to be close to 100 years old! (You can follow along with those adventures here).

5/ To round out all of the craziness...I'm heading back to school! Well, I'm just taking a couple of interior design classes. I thought it would help out as we progress with the house. Who knows where it could lead...

Have a great weekend!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We have a hole!

Is this considered "getting ahead of myself?"

Vanilla Bean Blogiversary!

Five years ago today I started this blog. My vision was to create a place where Mr. VB and I could chronicle and share our cooking adventures. Over time, we discovered a love of DIY, decorating, painting and building furniture. And, we've shared it all here. Thanks for reading and being a part of it!

What's a blogiversary without a cake? It's just a blog.

Since we are in the middle of summer, I wanted to make something that incorporated one of the best summer fruits: blackberries. There's a small farm near our apartment that boasts fresh blackberries. I stopped in and got what I think are the largest berries I've seen in my life.

I kind of winged it on the recipe. You'll notice I didn't include any measurements below. It's a trifle -- layering cake, whipped cream, liquor and berries can hardly get messed up without proper measurements. Just use your best judgement. It will be awesome. Trust me.

Summer Blackberry Orange Trifle

Adapted from Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home (Hyperion, 2010)

Ingredients

• Orange pound cake (I used this orange pound cake recipe from Ina Garten)
• Cointreau or other orange liqueur (we had Patron Citronge on hand)
• Juice of 1 orange
• Whipped cream
• 1 cup of fresh blackberries

Instructions

• Cut the cake into cubes and drop 4-5 pieces in a mason jar (or whatever glass serving dish you are using). Drizzle with orange liqueur.
• Then squeeze the juice from the orange, drizzle this over the liqueur-soaked cake.
• Arrange the blackberries over the top of the cake and add some whipped cream.
• Repeat layers until your jar is filled. 
• Try to show restraint long enough to take pics of your lovely creation.
• Make additional jars of trifle for yourself company.

5 on Friday

One of my favorite blogs, Running from the Law, recently started posting 5 on Friday: five things that are on your mind, things you've been busy with, stuff you are loving -- right at this moment. This is the perfect series for me, since I've always got about 15 projects going at one time! So, here's my first 5 on Friday:

{1}

I've been wanting to try my hand at Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint for awhile. I finally picked up a bag of Tricycle (red) to use on our dresser (I'm trying to bring some color into our new house). But first, I practiced on a stool. After watching the tutorial video 3 4 times, I finally got enough courage to try it. It didn't turn out how I imagined (no wonderful chippiness that typically comes with milk paint). My measurements were a little off...so, I'll be back at it again this weekend.

{2}

Mr. VB has been working practically around the clock. Second shift (5:30 p.m.-4 a.m.), seven days a week. Which means I see him a total of about 6 hours a week. It totally sucks. Last week, he got an unexpected day off and we spent all of it lounging by the pool. It was wonderful. I'm hoping we get to do that again this weekend.

{3}

Last year, we started a little side business, Red Door Furniture Co. Jeff makes awesome tables out of old doors and I've discovered a love of painting and restyling home furnishings. We've sold our items at local festivals and fairs -- but, our ultimate goal would be to have our own space some day. This little retail space is available just a couple miles from us...isn't it cute? I love the old hardwood floors and exposed brick wall. It would be PERFECT for a our dream store front.

{4}

I've been addicted to Caprese Salads lately. With the heat on the rise in STL, I'm thinking tonight's dinner will feature this and a glass of wine.

source

{5}

I'm completely biased, but the sunsets in New Town during the last month have been spectacular. I love hopping on my bike, heading down to the lake and sitting on the little brick wall to watch the sun go down. It's so peaceful and quiet -- I'm absolutely in love with it!

Check out other 5 on Fridays at the good life blog. Have a great weekend!

Kickin' Off Summer

Summer is here! After much huffing and puffing, we are finally all moved in to our temporary place as we build our home. This will be the first weekend in months that we don't have yard work. Aren't packing, cleaning or prepping to sell the house. We somehow managed to smash a 4+ bedroom house into a 1 bedroom apt. (let's just say the garage is stuffed). 

Believe it or not, this was at the end of an 11-hour moving day!

This summer is all about getting to know the new community we're building in, New Town at St. Charles (I'll be talking more about that later). We lucked out and found an apartment within walking distance. The community is based on the principles of Traditional Neighborhood Design and New Urbanism. We can walk to the local market and post office. There's lakes, bike trails and tons of outdoor spaces to play. The restaurants and shops are all just a short walk or bike ride away. So, first up...

Operation Bike
Walking around on foot will get exhausting (just ask my sister)...so, we're in the market for something a little speedier. I have my eye this little guy:

Garden
We're a little late in the game, but we'll be getting a garden going this weekend. Because most of the yards in New Town are small, there's a community garden area where residents can rent raised garden beds. I've been a little addicted to Caprese Salads lately, so I can't wait to get my own tomatoes and basil growing.

Source

Outdoor Concert
Summer is all about outdoor concerts and New Town has monthly concerts in its amphitheater. On Saturday, we'll be packing up our cooler and heading on up for Jeff's favorite of the summer: reggae fest. And I plan on making one of my fave summer cocktails: a Spanish drink called Tinto de Verano (meaning red wine of summer). It's like sangria...but alot less work! Simply mix red wine and sparkling lemonade in a tall glass. Serve over ice and enjoy.

Source

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
I grew up in MN. Where rhubarb is as abundant as the lakes. I was a little shocked to learn that Jeff has never tried it. I've been scouring Pinterest and have a list of strawberry rhubarb crisp/bars recipes to choose from.

Source

We're packing alot into the first weekend of summer...what's on your agenda?

Flashback Friday: Building a Raised Garden & a Mini Getaway

I've been doing more packing and waiting around for utility inspections than I care to share here. So, I thought I would do a flashback today. Thanks to Pinterest, our DIY raised garden is the most popular post we've done. You can check out how we built ours (for under $200) here.

We did manage to sneak away last weekend to Chicago for a few days. We took Amtrak (about a 5 hour ride) from STL to Chicago's Union Station. It was our first time on the train and we loved it. We were both able to kick back, drink some wine, and enjoy the view. (It beats only me one of us getting to do that if we drive).

Cruising along

 

Springfield, Ill

As all good mini-vacas should, our Chicago to-do list mostly consisted of food we had to eat. As you can see, we take this very seriously...

Fist sized t-rav at Gino's East

 

The second best sandwich of his life.

We also did a TON of walking.Which, unfortunately, didn't counteract all of the pastrami, Italian beef sandwiches, deep dish pizza, toasted raviolis, crab balls and french macaroons that I consumed. And beer. I just kept telling myself that the next couple weeks of packing, moving a crap-ton of heavy boxes and lifting furniture will just melt those Chicago carbs away!

The bean.

Chicago from Navy Pier

On the Move...Again!

After a nearly 12 month slumber, I'm excited to bring the Vanilla Bean blog back to life. It's been a crazy-busy year for us. We started new endeavors that had us constantly creating, building, painting, sewing, and selling. However, our future plans are going to put a screeching halt to most of that work. (More on that below). I get cranky bitchy if I don't have a creative outlet. And, quite frankly, I miss the VB blog.

So, here we are. To bring you up to speed, here's where we stand today...

We're moving! Again. Back in 2009, we made the move to a larger house. While we love this current house, we're in a different frame of mind now. What we didn't quite think about back then is that more house = more of everything. More cleaning. More yardwork. More bills. More rooms we don't actually use.

Last summer we tentatively made the decision to move. We started stalking the community we wanted to move to. During the winter, we made some updates we knew had to be done. We made a deposit on a lot to build on. On April 21st, we had an open house (and the first time we let any prospective buyers in). Two hours later we were under contract!

I just recently came across the term "right sizing." I like it so much better then "down sizing" -- which is depressing to me. Our current house isn't right for us. The one we'll move into in October is.

Eventually, we'll be going from 5 bedrooms to two. A much smaller backyard. And moving to a close-knit community where we can walk to the local market, pool, shops and dining. (I'll share more on where we've decided to move soon!)

Right not, we're waiting to close on our house. Once we hand over the keys, we hope to start building (a 3.5-4 month process). While we build, we've found a tiny one-bedroom apartment. We lucked out and got one within walking distance to where we are building. We'll be able to watch the entire process. Start enjoying our new neighbors and community. And, when it comes to finally moving in, going from a one bedroom to two bedroom won't be such a shock. Here's a peek at where we'll be in the next few months:

As you can see, there's no room to build tables. Little room to paint and sew (Although, I'll be doing as much as I can). But, it's where we'll make all of the design and decorating plans for our new house. I cannot wait! And, since we'll have no yard work and little upkeep, we'll be doing alot more cooking to keep busy.

Stay tuned for an exciting summer and fall!

Join Me Behind the Red Door

It just dawned on me that I haven't invited all of my Vanilla Bean followers to join the VB household for our newest adventure. After toying around with the idea for nearly a year, in April Jeff and I launched an Etsy shop featuring one-of-a-kind tables we make from salvaged doors. Our little online shop also includes unique found, handcrafted and reclaimed items for your home.

It's been a busy six months, but we are blogging about everything at Behind the Red Door. We would love to have you hop on over and follow us! We're still writing about DIY projects and tutorials, travels and trends -- we're just keeping it more focused. Next month, we'll be rolling out a monthly recipe series that I'm really excited about.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Jessi & Jeff (Mr. VB)

New Updates! Vanilla Bean Breaks the Silence

It's hard to believe it has been three months since we last spoke. I'm sorry for giving you the silent treatment!

How have you been?

What have you been up to?

While I haven't been blogging -- things have been busy around Vanilla Bean. Don't get me wrong...some things are still the same. Master bedroom progress has not moved since February. But, we've still been occupied with projects around the house, cooking and lounging around many other things.

Let's take a look...

 Mr. VB was busy this winter, building a bar in the basement.

It's called The Alaskan and is the new hotspot in our subdivision (as you can tell from the photo below).
It even has its own Facebook page!

He took it a step further and made his first batch of homemade brew this spring.

The first batch of Hollandbush Lager was delicious...and I am eagerly awaiting the next batch. (Once we get through the first one!)

We also kept the VB kitchen hopping. We roasted some garlic.

Made birthday dinners, such as Porcini-Crusted Filet Mignon with Fresh Herb Butter and
Garlic Truffle Fries.

On Jan. 1, I started Weight Watchers in preparation for our spring vacation.
I lost 20 pounds and gained a new wardrobe!

Thank you Jennifer Hudson and Skinny Taste for the inspiration and recipes!

 

Then, Mr. VB and I took to the seas for a Transatlantic cruise!

I'll post more pics later, but we visited Florence, Barcelona, Pisa, the Azores, Cartegena and Saint Tropez.

We ate delicious food....

Drank unforgettable caramel macchiatos... 

Took a moment to think about all the delicious food (and wine) we were enjoying...

Then, got right back out there and had some more!

I can't wait to show you the beautiful outdoor market in Barcelona and the new outdoor project we are working on at the house. We'll talk more soon!

Say Hello to My Little Friend

It's snowing again in St. Louis! I spent a lovely day inside, baking cookies for my valentine, roasting garlic, reading on my Nook, and watching this little guy out my window. Well...big guy. I guess all of us aren't counting points all day long!

We whipped up some tasty recipes this weekend -- I can't wait to share them with you!