Chicken Noodle Souper-Duper!

Making the perfect bowl of Chicken noodle soup is not something that can be mastered the first time you make it. Nope, it takes practice (and in my case a good teacher) but I officially make awesome soup, if i do say so myself! and in this post I'd like to share a few tips.

First, making the stock from scratch. So necessary and its a wonderful feeling to know that you have complete control of what your putting in your body, nothing processed or artificial. The stock is just bowling a large kettle of water with all your 'garbage' in it. When I say garbage I mean bones and some skin from your chicken, the ends of your carrots and celery, peelings, and other day old produce sitting in the fridge. for this batch my 'garbage' also included mushrooms, a jalapeno, some buk choy, and a few branches of herbs.  You are pulling all of nutrients and flavor out of your garbage and the result will be the tasty and healthiest stock you've ever had! Add salt to taste (don't under do it) and let this all simmer for a few hours. 

The stock before its strained

strain the garbage out of the stock so whats left in your pot is just liquid. 

put your liquid stock back on the stove top and add your ingredients. Keep in mind that each item takes a different amount of time to cook so first add the celery. Then carrots (tip: don't put too many carrots in, even though its hard not too. In this case you can have too much of a good thing and the carrots will add sweetness to the soup, too many and you've botched your batch) zucchini last and then the secrete ingredient - my chicken is one of those rotisserie chickens from the deli department at the supermarket.    

boil your egg noodles separate and let them go till they are just under cooked. Then at the very end, add them to your soup. Don't put too many noodles in! it will make the soup too starchy and completely  wreck all your hard work! (can you tell that's a mistake I've made before!) 

the second half of making this soup (the part after your stock is made) should only take about an hour. Then you are ready to enjoy! It keeps well for 5 days or so. YUM and ENJOY! 

Working with Creative People

I have a new design office at Design Vertigo, its still in the store but now we have spread out to the back. Its so nice to have space to get creative! Sharing the space with me is my interior design intern, Rachael and photographer, Michael Howard from Blu Dot Photography. Blu Dot takes most of the photos for Design Vertigo's events and photo shoots. Its so nice to be able to share an environment with creative people!  Michael also shoots Portraits, Weddings, and Lifestyle photography. He is Specializing in engagement, weddings, senior portraits, children, families, fine art and editorial. His rates are crazy reasonable and hes just an all-around fun guy to work with!  Check out his facebook page often as its always being updated with fun photos and recent jobs. 

Design Vertigo's Summer Fashion Event!

Planning events is one of my favorite things to do. I love to brainstorm a theme and just run with it! You don't have to break the bank either, you just have to get creative! This summer, Design Vertigo hosted its first outdoor fashion show featuring a St. Paul fashion designer Jenny Carle. The theme of the show was 'Make everyday ordinary into everyday extraordinary'. This has been the underlying modo of Design Vertigo since conception... the knowledge that there are more ordinary days in life and why not make them special by wearing cute outfits and using fun products.  

With the decor for the show we took a sustainable approche, fitting in well with both Jenny Carle and Design Vertigo's position. Streamers were made from twine and cut up scraps of old fabric. 

VIP seating for the show was a random assortment of chairs, borrowed from La' Garage and Gallery, a secondhand shop down the street. 

Old paint cans were given a new life by hitting them with a quick spray of paint (in the partys coordinating colors of course) and  then planted sod in and grouped them going down the runway. Topping off the decor was the addition of a few balloons and thats it! 

For refreshments, we kept it simple with pink lemonade and paper cones of freshly popped popcorn.  Time spent preparing all of this was honestly a lot, but as far as dollars and cents my total bills came to about $40. Seriously can't beat that!! 

Amanda Wilde and Jenny Carle

 "Amanda Wilde, owner of Design Vertigo, and Jenny Carle share many of the same philosophies when approaching design, whether it is in Jenny’s fashion or Amanda’s interiors. The joining of these two young and creative businesswomen will make for an amazing fashion show that is sure to be lighthearted, sustainable and most definitely memorable. "

Blu Dot Photography 

Jenny Carle is an independent designer from St. Paul, MN launching her brand, Jenny Carle Designs, in 2008.  She designs are for the woman who enjoys feminine and vintage-inspired pieces, but with a modern and youthful twist. She wants women to feel comfortable and beautiful while wearing her garments, transitioning from a day at the lakes to drinks on the patio. She is committed to making her garments sustainable and chooses to incorporate found and reused textiles. Carle graduated from the College of St. Catherine’s with a B.A. in apparel design and art.

On August 12, 2011 Jenny Carle showcased her collection at a fashion show in North St. Paul, kicking off her four week long trunk show at Design Vertigo. 

Searching for Inspiration...

Today I am aching for inspiration. I need to create, to discover, to feel the power and magic you can only experience when you transform nothing into something. But what? I feel like I've been trapped this summer. Trapped in this store, in this town, in this frame of mind that is just itching for a muse. What should I do, or where should I go? I need to find a place that will spark my mind and stimulate my spirit. Because right now, I feel like I'm standing still and its killing me.

Fashion Obsessed?

Check out the FASHION at the Design Vertigo retail store! 

"Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow."

We were so lucky to get an apartment with a porch! (I had almost given up hope on having outdoor space) But here we are and its a huge! We absolutely enjoy life out there! Herbs and flowers were planted in pots throughout the space and we also tried to include as many climbing vines as possible too to grow up and over the railing. I bought our plants at both Bachman's and Highland Nursery and i'm very pleased with the quality from both but Highland had some really really fun varieties! 

This Spring's Porch freshly planted up. 

This summer's porch in bloom! 

 I love to watch my garden grow...

Planters this spring...

"Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof."--Julie Moir Messervy                                


"Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on earth." -- Dorothy Frances Gurney

Planters now! (and Kayden, my cat, enjoying them... especially the chives!) 

Summer Friday Night Art

This summer local artist have gathered infront of Design Vertigo during the Friday night car show to gain exposure for their work and sell to the public!

Erik Blume Photography had car show art for sale both framed and prints. He'll be back later this summer to sell his art again! 

Ann Shilling Paper Craft Consultant sold her handmade cards and journals. She will be teaching an art class here at the store on August 9th...there is still room to sign up!

Girl Creations sold her wallets and jewelry made from vintage magazines.

Relic Charm sold her one of a kind jewelry created up cycling vintage jewelry. 

Window Shopping

Creating window displays is one of my favorite jobs at Design Vertigo. Using unexpected materials to create visual impact allows me to express my creativity and draw customers in off the street!

This display will be up for another few weeks and then a new creation will take shape and hopefully continue to  grab the attention of passer-byers.

Fun at the Farmers Market!

St. Paul farmers market has been downtown since 1852.The Market is operated by the St. Paul Growers' Association, Inc. The association allows only fresh, locally grown produce to be sold--directly from the grower to the consumer. I learned that downtown is actually the only farmers market location that does not allow produce to be trucked in. 

You can also purchase bakery goods, cheese, poultry, buffalo, venison, beef, pork, lamb, maple syrup, eggs, bagel sandwiches, honey, organic plants and produce, flowers, plants, shrubs and many other items all while your enjoying festive music by local musicians. 

 I left the market spending $20 and almost unable to lift the two bags of produce and flowers! Such a delightful way to spend a beautiful sunday! 

I paid $4 for all these flowers! Can't beat it!  

Insider tip: If you shop the last half hour on Sunday, most everything is a dollor less.

Mansion Mission: Living Room is Now Livable

Welcome to the update in the mansion mission. I moved into this apartment in the back of a dusty, old, historic mansion a month ago now and boy oh boy do we love it! (well, we love it now that we've done so much work to it!) So please keep in mind, this is still a work in progress but I think we have some clever and affordable solutions that you can take away. 

The living room before we moved in (don't mind my brother)

The living room today

As you can see there has been a transformation. A fresh coat of paint form the ceiling on down to the fat baseboards made a huge difference for not a huge price tage...just a huge labor of love. But so worth it to have the all the amazing molding pop.  

Before

Now

So I still have these big walls with nothing on them. Painting helped for sure, but I needed more so that it didn't look empty. I wasn't about to go drop a bunch of money on huge art that I'm not in love with so the solution I came up with was THE LIGHTING. The two pendents are the clear stars of this room for so many reasons. one- what I was just explaining with the huge empty walls...the shadows that the light cast on the walls fills them up and gives life and energy to the space. Its also the perfect amount of mood lighting for our regular evening activities; TV, dinner, fire (yes it works!) for task lighting there are two wall sconses and I'm on the hunt for a table lamp. And the other reason these lights are perfect for the space is because they are very modern and offer an unexpected element in the historic room...the juxtaposition of the modern with the historic takes the space to a new level of chic and offers a freshness to the room design. 

These lights can be purchased at good ol' IKEA! There are two sizes (mine are the smaller option) and they only cost $100 for the pair! You seriously cant beat it. People that don't have a modern style are always scared to shop Ikea but as you can see, combining styles works. I don't want to necessary live in an ikea showroom either, but you can find home decor for such a great price and then you make it your own. In the photo above, you can see my modern lights in my historic home with my vintage chairs and my crate and barrel side table (and soon the windows will have sheers)... it works and it feels like home to me!