Final day of the Memorial Day Sale

Last day of our Memorial Day SALE! Make sure to stop in before 5:00 today and take advantage of 10% off store wide at our Pleasant Grove and Salt Lake locations. Plus, get a free gift with any purchase over $50!

A Summer Update

Just a reminder Finer friends, our big Memorial Day Sale is going through Monday. Don't miss out on 10% off all merchandise in our Salt Lake and Pleasant Grove stores or a free gift with any $50+ purchase.

Today, we feel inspired to give you some fun ideas for your own home summer update. Hope you enjoy! And have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Give your home a simple, summer color pallet. This can be as easy as throwing a yellow vase with flowers on the table or tossing an array of happy hued throw pillows on your sofa.

Make A Statement: Artwork Groupings

Artwork is one thing we can never seem to get enough of at My Finer Consigner. And we certainly will never have a shortage to choose from.

Fabulous artwork groupings are one of our favorite solutions to a blank wall. And the beautiful thing is--there is no right or wrong way to position artwork groupings. The sky is literally the limit.

Here are some playful, structured, whimsical groupings to feast your eyes on:

This particular room's artistic and playful flare is played up by a collage of paintings climbing up the wall.

Sarah Richardson's original and creative idea of hanging artwork below a smaller basement window is a great way to disguise what could seemingly have been a downside to the room. It merely appears to be "on purpose," now.

Proving that there really doesn't have to be a rhyme or reason for
size, shape, and even position of your artwork. This mix feels casual
and artsy.

An infusion of life, personality and sophistication is established in this grouping that tip toes up this stair case.

There's nothing wrong with a little cleanliness and structure in our lives. It's soothing; and possesses an almost a romantic quality.

By hanging a piece of artwork from a shelf, this settee is ingeniously grounded in the midst of a bookcase full of books.

Memorial Day Sale

Plus, receive a free gift with any purchase of $50 and over

and enter in-stores for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate
valid in both our Utah locations.

*No purchase necessary to enter the drawing for a $100 gift certificate. One winner will be announced from each store on Monday, May 31. Doors will close early at 5:00 on Monday for the holiday.

What's Cookin In The Finer Kitchen: Easy Summer Dinner

Warm Chicken Ranch Wraps

Ingredients

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
  

Directions

1. Cut chicken breast into strips.
2. Grilled chicken method: Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken, cook over medium-high heat 12 to 15 minutes, or until light brown and juices run clear. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover and remove form the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the salad dressing.
3. Fried Chicken Method: Dip chicken into buttermilk then roll them in the flour mixture. Fry for 3 minutes each side in a 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) skillet with 1 cup of oil in it. Combine the fried chicken strips and the cooked rice pilaf. Stir in the salad dressing.
4. Fill each warm tortilla with lettuce, chicken and rice mixture, and tomatoes. Fold in both sides of the wrap. Holding in the folded sides roll the wrap tightly from the bottom to the top, keeping the ingredients firmly packed as you go. Slice each wrap in half diagonally and serve.

Hearty Hot Or Cold Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Roma (plum) tomatoes, quartered
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the tomato halves, cut side up, on a baking tray with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with the oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 1 hour.
2. Snip the ends off the garlic cloves, and squeeze the insides into the bowl of a food processor along with the entire contents of the baking tray. Add stock, basil, and vinegar; blend until smooth. Season to taste. Serve either hot or cold.

Dessert: Easy Frozen Ice Cream Sandwiches

Customize your own irresistible ice cream sandwiches. Bake or buy a batch of your favorite cookies, fill with ice cream, and coat the sides with sprinkles, chocolate chunks, candied ginger, or nuts. Freeze on a tray until firm, then wrap tightly in waxed paper and stack in an airtight container.

Top the table with a fresh bouquet of flowers

Teacups By The Dozen

Beautiful, one-of-a-kind teacups can be found by the dozens at both our Salt Lake and Pleasant Grove locations. These lovely tea cup inspired ideas are not only easy but overflowed with charm.

Teacup Candles

*Antique teacups that have lost their saucers still make sweet gifts when fitted with candles.

Tools and Materials
Nested pans
Partially burned candles
Candy or candle thermometer
Tongs
New wicking
Teacups
Wick sustainers
Wooden skewers

Teacup Lights How-To
1. In a small pan set over a larger pan of simmering water, melt down old candles; clip the thermometer to the upper pot, and keep temperature at about 185 degrees. Remove old wicks with tongs.

2. Cut a piece of wicking to the cup's height plus 2 inches. Clamp one end to a wick sustainer; tie the other end around a skewer. Dip wicking and sustainer into melted wax to coat them. Remove and stick sustainer to cup's bottom.

3. Pour in the wax, stopping 1/2 inch below the cup's rim. Allow wax to set, about 1 hour. The candle will harden with a well in the center. To even it out, use another skewer to prick a circle of holes about 1/16 inch deep around the wick. Pour in melted wax until surface is 1/4 inch below rim. Cut wick.

Teacup Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients
1 package chocolate cake mix
Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa powder for dusting teacups

Frosting and Decorating Ingredients
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 16 ounce jar marshmallow cream
Pink paste food coloring
Assorted candies or small fruits for topping

Let’s Bake Cupcakes!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray *teacups with cooking spray and dust inside with cocoa powder.

1. Make cake mix according to package directions substituting the same amount of milk for water and adding vanilla extract. Divide batter evenly between 24 prepared heat proof teacups filling ¾ full. Place teacups on cookie sheets and bake for 20-25 minutes or according to package directions for cupcakes.
2. Remove from oven and cool on racks for 10 minutes. Remove teacups from cookie sheets and cool on racks for 15 minutes before frosting and decorating.

* All pottery and porcelain teacups/coffee mugs are oven-proof and safe to use in oven temperatures up to 450 degrees F.

Let’s Make Frosting!

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Beat in half of the sugar until fluffy, add the remaining sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and pink food mixing well to blend color evenly.
2. Stir in marshmallow cream until well blended.
3. Frost and decorate cupcakes.

Kids Cooking Shop Kid-friendly Cooking Tips

1. Have children choose the flavor of cake mix and different colors of frosting for cupcakes.
2. For birthday parties, write the name of each party attendee with paint pens on the teacups after baking and decorating. Let the kids choose colorful ribbons to tie around the handles of their cupcake teacups.

Teacups used as jewelry organizer

This beautiful teacup display is the perfect touch in this charming, country kitchen.

Not only are the tea cups functional in this application, but
they add a great splash of color and dimension to this kitchen.

Friday Favorite: Perfectly Tufted

This sweet red chair is perfectly tufted. I feel that if this chair could speak it would say, "Curl up in me with a good read." This chair is also a sweet price at $399 including the ottoman.

This chair would look great with a bronze finished floor lamp or accompanied by chocolate or camel leather sofa.

This piece will go quick. To purchase this chair, call (801)453.9888.

What a Sectional

This elegant piece just arrived at the Pleasant Grove store.

What's Cookin' In The Finer Kitchen: Entertaining

As the weather warms up and the sun comes out I suddenly want to entertain. And this week, Birthday parties have been on my mind. In doing a bit of research, I have found an abundance of irresistible ideas. Here's some inspiration for your kiddies next birthday bash!

Picking the theme of a party seems to be a bit of a daunting task, at times. My advice, when choosing a theme for your child's party, it can be as easy as their favorite sport, movie, hobby, or color.

These ideas are absolutely scrumptious--and they taught me that the sky is the limit. These beautiful images were found at: birthdaygirlblog.com.

Theme: bright, energetic colors accompanied by a multitude of
playful patterns

*One of my favorites Theme: Sweet as Candy

Theme: Sports

Theme: Pinwheels

Theme: You guessed it, Princess! This party is simply precious.

Theme: Red and Robin's Egg Blue

The greatest thing about a child's birthday party menu is that it can be as simple as you would like. Some of my favorite birthday party's I've attended have had menus as simple as PB&J, vegetable cups, and cupcakes. Whatever the menu be, presentation is everything! Trust me, you'll be weak in the knees after seeing some of these pictures. Enjoy!

Menu: Cake, cupcakes, and treats in candy jars.

Menu: Wraps and fruit-ka-bobs, taffy shaped sugar cookies,
cupcakes, and cake.

Menu: We're seeing a lot of candy. I'm not complaining. I love the
presentation--the beautiful cookie sandwiches are lollies look delectable.

Menu: PB&J sandwiches in fun cutout shapes, salads, vegetables,
and, of course, goodies.

Menu: Perfect for the circus themed party--popcorn, peanuts, goldfish
and cotton candy.

I had some of the most fun finding great party favors. I have posted some wildly creative and spectacular favors for you to take a peek at.

These favors are simple upside down reeses cups with the
darling custom stickers adhered to the bottom. So
creative and classy!

Just goes to show that favors don't have to be treats-- these sand pail
favors are so fun for this beach themed birthday party.

Darling Party favor bags. The presentation is so perfect!

One more reason I love Chinese Take-out boxes. They are so darling
and perfect for a small favor.

The Perfect Gift

We are pleased to announce that gift cards are now available. The perfect gift for the Finer Lovers out there! Packaged in a lovely white box with our patented black and white stripes and topped with a perfect black bow. Can we say that the best things come in small, beautiful packages!

Spring 2010 Color Forecasting

Sources are telling us that the Spring 2010 color pallet is compiled of a bouquet of cheery hues. I went out and about this weekend to do a bit of shopping and I repeatedly saw yellows, oranges, reds, blues, and greens. Every color seemed to have one commonality: energy, personality; and simply put, happiness. Isn't that what we all need a little bit more of in our lives?



I am tickled to say that the girls have been doing a great job selecting fabrics to upholster our custom pieces featured in our Pleasant Grove and Salt Lake stores. Fabrics that are truly what the forecast predicted: cheerful, playful, and injected with happy colors we all just can't get enough of.

Here's a sneak peek:

*Pictures coming soon!

We are so excited to have interviewed and spotlight the lovely and ever so talented Kirsten Krason of Sixth Street Design School for our Spring Makeover Week. I hope you are as inspired with her answers to our questionnaire as we were. Thanks so much, Kirsten! Enjoy, all!


1. What was your spring inspiration?

My spring inspiration for this room was the yellow Dwell Pillow I got at Target. Winters in Utah can be long and that pillow is exactly what I need to get in the spirit of Spring! I also created a little "Spring" banner to hang across my clock. I hardly get any money for seasonal decorating so this was something cheap and easy to make. The fabrics I used are bright and cheerful!

2. What was the biggest success of the room?


I feel like the biggest success in this room are my lamps. So many people skip out on lamps when it comes to decorating their spaces. Lamps help create mood lighting as well as create a layered look to your space. I searched and searched for the perfect table lamps for this room. I had something exactly like these in my head so when I saw them at Homegoods I knew they had to be mine! I like them because they are a fun and exciting addition to this room.

3. What was the biggest challenge in the room?

My biggest challenge with this room was making it feel cozy. It is a large and long room with dark hardwood floors. I started by bringing some pieces of furniture away from the walls. This made the room feel smaller and cozier. I also added a large rug to soften the floors.



4. What advice would you give our readers upon completing the project?

I don't feel like my room is even "finished" yet! But as I get closer to finishing it I realize that I have learned a lot along the way. The biggest piece of advice I would give people is to fill your room with things that make you happy. Seeing my lamps, pillows and pictures in this room make me smile everyday.

Kirsten, thank you for all of the wonderful advice and insight. Best of luck on finding those last few "Finer Finds."