Saturday Link Up!

Just a couple of things I wanted to link to today.  Enjoy your weekend!

It's that time of year....everyone is thinking about their outdoor spaces.  We posted an article here on the blog about it a couple of weeks ago.  (Read it here).
This article from Houzz also has a lot of great outdoor kitchens.  10 Outdoor Kitchens to Flip Over.

contemporary landscape design by orange county landscape architect AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc.

This totally isn't stone or design related, but I loved this proposal video. So cute!

Saturday Link Up!

Here are a few articles from around the web that I enjoyed this week and wanted to share...

• Totally unrelated to the topics on this blog,  Over Achieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies on the oh-so-funny blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat.  It's kind of mean, but it's really funny.  I don't have kids, so I didn't know what the Elf on the Shelf was that I kept seeing on Pinterest.  I finally googled it one day.  It's a cute idea and I'm the type of person that would totally do it if I had kids, but my first thought was Really!?!  Parents put way too much pressure on themselves for the holidays!  Anyway, read the post, it's worth the laugh.
•  20 of the Coziest Kitchens Around on Houzz.
• Innovative Cabinets Creations by Venegas and Company on Design Shuffle.  There are some really beautiful kitchens in this article.
• 10 Elements of a Great Home Bar on Houzz.
• 10 Ways to Get Your Kitchen Ready for the Holidays on Houzz.

Things That Must Go: Parade of Homes Edition

If any of you listen to Radio From Hell on x96 you'll recognize the feature 'Things That Must Go'. Here's a description from Wikipedia on what exactly this is....
"Every other Wednesday, Radio From Hell presents "Things That Must Go". Each host then presents a list of pet peeves.  The list has included Dr. Phil, The Buggles, "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep", The Orlando Jones Show, Rachael Ray, fake British accents, and public bathroom stalls without a hook on the door.
Alternating with the hosts' irritations is the "Listeners' List of Things That Must Go", for which listeners are encouraged to send in E-mails detailing the things they feel "must go"."

Every year when I go to the Parade of Homes I think of my own list of 'Things That Must Go'.
This year has been no exception, I went to the Salt Lake Valley Parade of Homes last weekend and while it definitely wasn't as bad as last year, there were some homes that could use improvement.
At the risk of offending some people, here is my list of Things That Must Go: Parade of Homes Edition.

1. Homes that aren't finished.  Usually this is an unfinished basement.  If you must not finish the basement, please leave a note at the top of the stairs telling me it's unfinished.  I could care less about walking down there and looking at cement.
2. Basements that are finished but not furnished.  There are plenty of furniture shops and designers that will lend furnishings for the Parade of Homes.  I can't see one reason why you wouldn't furnish and decorate the basement.  Again, if you insist on not furnishing and decorating the basement please leave a note at the top of the stairs telling me not to waste my time walking downstairs to look at empty rooms.
3. Homes without window coverings.  (This actually comes from my friend, Susan, who owns  Home Touch Window Fashions).  I agree though, this goes back to the home being unfinished.  You will need window coverings when you move in and a Parade home is supposed to be a finished home. 
4. When you can't actually walk into a room.  They will put ribbons or rope at each door and you can't walk in.  Sometimes there will be a bathroom through the bedroom and you can't even see it! 
5. Seeing the same house over and over and over again.  Okay, I know the Interior Designer's don't get together and plan the design of the homes, but it seems like in every Parade there are multiple homes that look exactly the same!  Designers please, think outside of the design box!
6. Horrible decorating.  Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I swear there are some really horribly decorated Parade Homes every year.  It's actually usually less in the decorating and more in the finishes.  Ugly tile, countertops, etc.  My friend and I joke* that we will offer our design services for free if you just want us to go over everything before it's installed.  (*By joke I mean we are serious.)

So tell me, do you agree or disagree with my list?
Also, what's on your list of Things That Must Go?

I Finally Used My Whiskey Stones!

I love these really cool Whisky Stones, so I recently bought myself a set.
I finally used them the other day.  Not with whisky, but with tea.  I needed ice cubes and decided to try these instead.
I wouldn't suggest using all nine of them at the same time, I did because it was the first time I was using them and I thought it would be fun.  My glass was quite heavy with all nine of them in there.

Sidenote:  Have you tried Tazo Brambleberry Tea?  I am so in love with this tea, it's amazing!  It was on sale at my grocery store a couple of weeks ago and I really went overboard in buying them.

Anyway, the Whisky Stones worked!  They made my tea cold without watering it down.  I had washed them in the dishwasher before using them....but that was mostly because my friend licked a couple of them to see if they would leave a residue on his tongue (it didn't) or if they would taste funny (they don't). 
I will say they didn't make my drink as cold as ice cubes would, but that didn't bother me.

Also, I was worried the tea would stain the stones.  I threw them in the dishwasher again after I was done with them and they washed up just fine...no stains! 
Full disclosure: they don't recommend putting them in the dishwasher, on the box it says to just rinse them in water. 
Anyway, the Whisky Stones were fun and I'm sure I'll be using them again and again.

All photos by me.

Top Kitchens and Baths of 2010, Impala Black granite kitchen and Christmas decor!

I'm a sucker for end-of-the-year lists. I don't know why, but I really like summing up the past year every December.
So of course I'm loving all the articles on Houzz lately.
Check out the Top Kitchens of 2010 on Houzz.

traditional kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn

And, The Best Bathrooms of 2010, again on Houzz.

contemporary bathroom design by san francisco architect Michael Tauber Architecture

Small & Chic in C-ville is one of my favorite blogs.  She just did Impala Black granite in her kitchen.  She has great Before and After pictures of her kitchen here.

Photo from Small and Chic in Cville.

I have the weekly Whiteout Wednesday feature here on our blog because White Kitchens are definitely all the rage.  Which makes this Houzz article even more interesting to me for some reason...18 Inspiring Not-All-White Kitchens.

modern kitchen design by new york interior designer Amy Lau Design

In the Christmas spirit?  This is not stone related, but Studio Ten 25 has been doing a really fun Christmas Open House on her blog the past week.  It's always fun to see inside other people's homes....I say that in the least creepy way possible.

Christmas Decor in the Kitchen

It's the week of Christmas, can you believe it?

I haven't put up a Christmas tree in seven years.  Am I a scrooge?  Maybe.
We moved into our house seven years ago on December 13th.  That was the first year that I didn't put up a tree because there was just too much going on with the move.   One year we were in Hawaii right before Christmas, but I don't have many excuses for not decorating beyond that.
I don't have kids, so I think a lot of it is I just don't want to put forth the effort.   Mainly the effort of taking it down.  I HATE taking all the Christmas decorations down.

Something happened this year though.  The Saturday after Thanksgiving I woke up and HAD to have a Christmas tree THAT DAY. 
We had done real trees in the past, my husband had actually gone and cut them down himself.  He wasn't willing to do that this year though.  So I drove around and luckily found a wonderful Tree Lot and paid too much money for a beautiful tree that smells delightful.

A not-so-great photo of my tree.  I still need a tree skirt.  My adorable dog Mahlee wouldn't move to let me take the picture, so you get to see her as well.  :)
I don't have a lot of ornaments and what not and I used to wrap a wide silver ribbon around the tree, but I was loving the actual tree this year and didn't want to cover it up too much. 

So, now I have a tree.  I have a few other decorations up as well, but not much. 
Today I ran across a photo of this beautifully decorated-for-Christmas Kitchen.  I love how it's not over the top decorated, just a bit of greenery.  This is how I'd decorate my kitchen for Christmas...if I were to do so.

Photo from The Washington Post.

It got me thinking.....  Do most people put up Christmas decor in their kitchens?

Here are a couple more Kitchens with beautiful holiday decor.

Photo from Country Living.

Photo from House to Home.

So tell me, do you put holiday decor in your kitchen?



Holiday Bake-N-Blog: Chocolate Orangey Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm off the granite topic today...talking about cookies.
Kelly at JAX does design is hosting a Bake-N-Blog: Holiday Edition today.  I participated in the cupcake Bake-N-Blog back in August.  My cupcakes weren't anything to write home about, but I feel much more confident in my cookie making skills than I did my cupcake making skills.
Anyone who knows my husband knows that he loves orange.  He loves the color and he loves anything orange flavored.  Thus the reason I chose this recipe. 
I signed up for the Chocolate Orangey Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I definitely made the right choice, these cookies were DELICIOUS.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 tbsp orange zest

1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp orange juice
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

The granite is Lapidus with a honed finish.  You didn't think I was not going to talk about granite at least once did you?  :)

The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of orange zest.  I zested (is that a word?) two oranges and had about 1 3/4 tablespoons of zest so I just used all of it.  I think this was the best decision I made that day.  The extra orangey-ness was what put these cookies over the top in my humble opinion. 

 Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a large bowl, beat butter till its light and fluffy. Add sugar, orange peel and the egg. Beat on medium speed till combined. 

Add the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Combine to form a stiff dough. Now add the orange juice and mix to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be sticky....and by sticky, they mean sticky!

With the help of a spoon, place small mounds of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1/2-inch thickness with the help of a fork. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until sides are firm.

Cool for a couple of minutes on the sheet and then cool completely on wire racks.

I don't bake very often at all, so when I do I really only make two or three different kinds of cookies.  This cookie will be added to my few that I make though.  They were really, really tasty. 

Thanks Kelly for hosting the Bake-N-Blog.  Check out her blog for links to the other participants.

Microscopic Views, Before and After and Blog-N-Bake. It's a little random here today.

Sure I love a remodel that costs buckets of money.  Who doesn't (besides the actual person paying for it)? 
It's great to see a remodel that is done on a dime though.  Check out this fantastic Before and After from the adorable Nothing but Bonfires blog. 

Paul Anater of the Kitchen and Residential Design blog does it again with this fascinating post called A Microscopic View of Some Counter Materials.  Very cool stuff.

What's this image above?  You are going to have to head over to his blog to find out!

Last thing today, I'm participating in the Bake-N-Blog again.  It's the holiday edition and while I did not enjoy the cupcakes I made the last time, I'm giving it another try because I think I'm better at making cookies.  We'll see....

Stay tuned for a riveting post about baking cookies on December 1st.  ;)

I don't get Twitter, Nate Burkus, Junk Mail and more. Today is random.

Some days I just have random things to talk about, bear with me as today is one of those days.

First, this may be weird, but I need some Twitter help.  Does anyone have any good advice or links to articles I can read about maximizing your enjoyment of Twitter? 
We (MGS by Design) have a Twitter account and I have the app on my schmancy phone....but I'm just not really getting what the hype is about.  So I think I'm missing something. 
I have a confession about this as well.  It's kind of embarrassing considering I'm 30 and not 65 years old, but I'm having a hard time with the language of Twitter.  I feel like I only understand about half of what you guys are saying. 
Oh, and how do you all keep up with it?  I'm assuming via your cell phones?
Anyway, help please!

Source.

More relevant to the stone world....  Check out these 5 Stainless Steel Backsplashes on HGTV's website.  Good inspiration if you are looking for backsplash ideas.

Source.

Next, I hate junk mail.  I paid a company a few years ago to eradicate my junk mail.  It was TOTALLY worth it. 
I also hate phone books.  I think they are so wasteful!  I just take them straight to the recycle bin as soon as they arrive on my doorstep. WASTE-FUL.
Seriously?  It's 2010.  I don't think many of us actually use those phone books anymore.  We all use our cell phones and computers right? 
Anyway, my point to all of this is that you can opt out of receiving the Yellow Pages!  I didn't know until my husband forwarded me the link a few days ago.  Fantastic.  Click here to save a tree.  :)

Source.

Do you watch The Nate Show? 

I'm watching my tivo'd episode as I type.  It's pretty great.  I'm thinking I should take a trip to NYC to attend a taping of the show.  Nate, if you are reading this, I'm open to an invitation!  ;)

 I love this article, 10 Fresh, Out-of-the Box Kitchen Designs by Brian Patrick Young.  As the title suggests, there are 10 beautiful kitchens (like the oh-so-pretty kitchen below), but even better is the author.  He is funny and I enjoy funny.

traditional kitchen design

Source.

That's all the randomness that I have for today.  Hope you are all having a great Thursday!

FAQ Friday: We're talking photography.

So this is pretty off the topic of stone and countertops, but I get a lot of questions about what camera and lenses I use when taking photos of jobs we do.  So I thought I'd address it all here.
I'm not a pro, but I do enjoy photography.
I shoot with a Nikon D60, and yes, I really do like it.  I ride on my husband's research though, so I don't have all the details of why this is the camera I own.  He likes the Nikon brand so that's what we have.  We have always had the Nikon brand since we've started using DSLR cameras, so I can't say how I feel about any other brand.  It's been a great camera though, we haven't had any problems with it and it's fairly simple to use.....especially considering I am not a technology guru, I'm only a granite guru.  :)

 I think the reason why I get asked about my photography though is due to the lens I use.  When shooting most kitchens and pretty much every bath, I use my Sigma 10mm-20mm lens.  It's a wide angle lens and it's amazing because you can easily get the whole kitchen or vanity in the picture, even if you are in a small room.  It's a pretty pricey lens considering I only ever use it for job photos, but really it was worth it in my opinion.  We bought the Sigma brand instead of the Nikon though, I don't think I could justify the price of the 14mm Nikon lens! 

Here's a picture that I took using this lens.  This was a big kitchen,  if I would have used even an 18mm-55mm lens I don't know if I would have been able to get the entire kitchen in the shot.

Photo from MGS by Design.

The downsides of a 10mm-20mm is that it can cause distortion, so I wouldn't suggest using it for portraits.  With architecture and landscapes you can generally avoid the distorted look and if it does happen it's usually fixable in Photoshop. 
 For edge details and really close up shots of stone I use a 105 mm macro lens, this lens is probably my favorite lens in general, it's pretty awesome.  I also have a 35mm f/1.8 that I love and the price is killer.  It's great for the indoor shots because I don't have to use a flash. 
Also in my bag, if you are interested, is an 18mm-200mm, which is what I keep on my camera most of the time because it's so versatile.  And then I also have a  70mm-300mm.
So that's it.  Let me know if I missed anything!          

Bake-N-Blog.....Espresso Fudge Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Please humor me today while I talk waaay off topic and turn the subject to cupcakes.
I am participating in Stacy Edwards' Bake-N-Blog event today. 
I made my cupcakes this past weekend.  I originally signed up for the Coconut Sponge Cupcakes with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream, but then I noticed no one had signed up for Cupcake #1..... so I changed my selection with Stacy and ended up making the Espresso Fudge Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing instead.

Let me begin with the fact that I am not a baker.  I have only made cupcakes from scratch one other time in my life.  Usually I take the easy route with a box of cake mix.  When I did make them from scratch a couple of months ago it's because I had bought a box of strawberry cake mix for my little sister's birthday (she was turning 13) and then remembered when I got home that she hates strawberry.  I didn't have time to go back to the store and so I made chocolate cupcakes from scratch....and they fell sunk.  I filled them way up with the frosting so you couldn't see the huge hole in the middle and my sister loved them because she loves frosting.
My point in telling this story is that I should have remembered that the cupcakes sunk and taken a lesson from it. 
Well... I forgot to learn my lesson. 
I think I needed to add more of whatever ingredient you add when you live at a high altitude (is it baking soda?), because my cupcakes sunk again! 

Other than that they were fine I think.  They were way too sweet for my liking, I would take out the chocolate chips that go in the batter if I were to make them again.  Also, I couldn't taste the espresso at all.  I even sprinkled some on top but I think the sweetness just overpowered all espresso flavor.  So that would be the other thing I'd change....more espresso, like double or triple the called for amount.
I chopped up a dark chocolate bar and put that on top instead of the chocolate chips.
I took my pictures of the cupcakes on top of a piece of Carrara marble, I had to tie in stone somehow!

To read about the other cupcakes made during this Bake-N-Blog celebration go to Stacy's blog for the links.
Thanks Stacy for a fun idea!

Bake-N-Blog

Today I'm going a little off topic of what we usually talk about around here. 
Staci at Staci Edwards Design blog is hosting a Bake-N-Blog event on August 19th.  Participants sign up for one of the 33 cupcakes that are on the Ming Makes Cupcakes website.  On August 19th we will all blog about the baking experience and how they taste.  I'm not really a baker, so this is definitely going to be a challenge for me, but I thought it would be fun to participate.  Plus, I've watched a couple of episodes of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network now that I have TV and I've been wanting to try my hand at making some funky cupcakes.
I wanted to make Cupcake #30 (picture below) but it was already spoken for.



So instead I'll be making Cupcake #20 Coconut Sponge Cupcakes with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream.  Can you tell that coconut is my absolute favorite flavor? 

Anyway, pardon the distraction if you came here to read about stone, and humor me on August 19th when I talk about baking again. 
If you would like to participate go to Staci's blog and sign up.