Tone on Tone is Hosting a 6 Wilson Giveaway

  Please go over to see my fabulously talented friend, Loi Thai, for his 6 Wilson pillow giveaway at his blog, Tone on Tone.  If you don't know Loi (and I can't imagine at this point that anyone doesn't!), you're missing out on gorgeous Swedish style.

Happy Sunday, everyone!  Oh, and if you are a blue and white lover, watch for some gorgeous Chinese blue and white porcelain coming to the shop in the next few days!

My Best Chicken Stew Recipe

     Happy weekend, everybody!  A while back, I showed my Chicken Stew on Instagram, and a follower asked me to share my recipe.  I am so not a recipe-writer, so I can't promise anything, but I thought I'd give it a go!  I am an avid cook and love to entertain.  This stew is sure to warm your party of 6 or so.

6 Wilson Chicken Stew
Time: about and hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients:
6  white potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size chunks
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 boxes of Swanson organic or Whole Foods 365 Chicken Broth (only kinds I use, prefer Swanson)
1 rotisserie chicken ( a good size one), meat off the bone and torn into bite size chunks
Frozen peas
Frozen corn
Kosher salt
pepper
dried or fresh thyme
chili powder
celery seed
2 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
1 stick butter
5 tablespoons butter
Crusty Bread to serve with your stew
You will need your soup pot, plus another pot for boiling the carrots and potatoes in broth

Add the potatoes, carrots, 3 tsp dried thyme (if using fresh thyme, add more), 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 tsp celery seed,  salt and pepper to your pot filled with one box of chicken broth or stock.  I also add a piece or two of the chicken skin from the cooked chicken for extra flavor, but be sure to remove it later.  Of course, you can use homemade stock if you have it.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium heat until potatoes and carrots are fork tender.

While the vegetables boil, melt a pat or two of butter in your soup pot and brown you onions and garlic clove over medium to medium high heat.  When the onions start to brown, turn the heat down to medium and add in 6 tablespoons of butter to begin the roux.  Whisk the butter when it melts, and allow it to brown (this will give your stew a nice golden tone).  Now add in 5 heaping spoonfuls (I use my everyday soup spoon, but you can use a tablespoon) to the butter and quickly whisk with the butter and onions until it forms a paste.

Slowly add the second carton of stock to the roux, being careful to continually whisk the butter and flour paste (roux) so that the stock and roux combine smoothly.  It will look like the consistency of frosting until all the broth is added.  (If you don't do it slowly and keep whisking, you will end up with lumps in your broth).  Add in another tsp of thyme, a dash of chili powder, and a dash of celery seed.  Salt and pepper to taste.  If you desire more garlic, you can add a dash of garlic powder.   Whisk occasionally over medium heat for 5 minutes to make sure the flour taste cooks out.

Now add the chicken to the soup pot, and then add the carrots, potatoes and broth from the first pot.  Mix all together.  Add in the frozen peas, corn, or whatever vegetables you have on hand, to your desired thickness of the stew.  Make sure to taste test.  Under salting can be bland.

Let simmer 10 minutes for the flavors to meld.

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy ;-)

While I'm an avid cook, I don't often use recipes, and I tend to make up my own, like this one.  I don't know how my recipe-writing will translate to the finished product, so my fingers are crossed!  If you have any questions, ask me in the comments and I will help out.

Hope you enjoy it!! 

Pin it to remember it...

Thursday Thoughts...Satisfaction

I was so happy to have just been voted "Best of Houzz 2013" for Customer Satisfaction (Thanks, Houzz!).  It was for Carol Beck Interiors, not for 6 Wilson, but I do try to achieve customer satisfaction with every 6 Wilson transaction.  So it got me thinking about satisfaction, for Thursday Thoughts...

Happy Thursday, everybody!  Hope it's a satisfying day! ;-)

Don't forget to check 6 Wilson to see what's new...

Why I'm Expanding 6 Wilson and What's New

  I am so excited about expanding 6 Wilson I can hardly stand it!  Today is my one year anniversary on Etsy, and it's been great.  It's an amazing way to connect with customers, and bring to the market place the things I find beautiful.  But it's not enough for me.  You see, I love doing interiors.  Like can't breathe kind of love.  And I want to offer you more.

Sooo, I spent the past two days in New York City, at the NY Now gift and accessory show, with my pal Robin (a fantastic Interior Designer in Rhode Island :) searching for beautiful things that represent 6 Wilson style.  Here are just a couple of the things that caught my eye...


Hand blocked linens,

exquisite handmade and hand painted Chinese porcelain from the porcelain district in China (this is not mass produced factory stuff)...

gorgeous food safe plates from an artist in Turkey...

lovely throws made in Maine...

and these funky, beachy candlesticks for a bit of humor and interest for your summer home.

This are just a peek at what might be coming to 6 Wilson when it goes ".com".   It's all in the planning stages now.  I am beyond thrilled to use my interior decorating skills to put together a small shop that will (hopefully!) speak to you and your own design style. 

In the meantime, please continue to visit me at 6 Wilson on Etsy, for handmade, one of a kind pillows and vintage finds.  Oh, and yes, I will continue to offer my pillows even as I grow the shop ;-).

If you're getting all the snow I am today, stay safe and warm, wherever you are!

Thursday Thoughts about Worry

You know how sometimes, you get so worried about something, or someone, or the what ifs, that you loose your way a bit?  A dear friend is making major, unexpected, life changes.  I thought this was a great Thursday Thought to send today, and it might speak to you, too ;-)

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 Choosing faith.  You?

Chairs and More Chairs

When I finished my recent chair makeover, all I wanted to do was move on the next one I'm planning.  But dang, the decorating budget just isn't expanding as fast as the dreams!  That ever happen to you?

So to keep the love light burning, I've been collecting images on my Chairs board on Pinterest.  One can never have enough inspiration, right?  Let's look at some beauties...

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While the lines of the chair above add so much visual interest to that nook, the dressmaker details on the one below take.my.breath.away.  The upholstery job is perfection!

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The Ethan Allen chairs, below, are a favorite, but I must confess I don't find them comfortable.  And I am a huge Ethan Allen fan, so it takes a lot for me to say that...

And this next blue one?  Hello, lover...your pattern and skirt are divine...(although the room is a tad too formal for me :)

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I would take these two wildly different style leopard chairs in a heartbeat.  The one above speaks to my antique bones, while the one below would be phenomenal mixed in with antiques (like a bit of it in the image)!

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Check out this pair of wing chairs.  Makes my heart stop.  I kid you not.  Total traditional lines with a kick to the bold stripe application.  Sweet.

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Can we talk about the chairs below?  Clean classic, near modern lines, with a nod to tradition with the updated tufting and nailhead placement, set in an antique lover's room.  Yes.  I die.

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I'm loving the warmth of the wood in this cool bathroom below.  So nicely unexpected...

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I adore Julie Nightengale's work, and these velvet chairs strike two items on my love list: velvet and french wood frame.

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This next wood frame is killer in such a great eclectic mix, don't you think?  I confess I wouldn't have naturally thought to put it near a Victorian (?) table.  Genius.  Homey.

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I love the fabric pattern in the room below, paired with those gorgeous wood framed chairs.

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This last one is such a great unexpected look of a frame not at all expecting that fabric on it!

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I have always, always, had a thing for chairs.  Only recently have I gotten rid of some in my basement stockpile (as I keep my eyes open for new ones!).  I could so easily do without a sofa and just do chairs.  Could you?

Thanks for stopping by, friends, talk to you soon,
 

My New Favorite Blue and White Room

Here's my new favorite blue and white image.  It made me gasp when I saw it on Pinterest. 

Brenda Eastman, designer, via BH&G

 The texture of the navy grasscloth and its rich color - to.die.  The warmth of the dark wood chest? Yum and just enough to balance the weight of the bed.  And that glossy navy bed - are you kidding me? Soooo gorgeous. My style in a nutshell.  #6WilsonStyle, too.

You know what I would add if it were mine?  This slipcovered chair and pillow.

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I'm a sucker for classics.  I'm going to be looking for some blue and white fabric for new family room drapes in the near future.  I'll share with you what I find.  I can't live without a blue room any longer.  The time has come.  Stay tuned.

Oh, and there's a bunch of new blues in the shop you might want to check out ;-)

Happy Monday, and thanks for starting your week with me,