Bella's Blog

Cookie Decorating with Kristen DiGarimore

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Bella's 7th Birthday Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:18:00 +0000

Yes, it’s that happy time again. As always, 15% off everything in the store, including sale items (almost free).This is such a great time to take advantage of our bi-annual sales event. The shop is full of lovely fall and holiday gifts, & home décor to get us all in the mood.
Not that mood, silly. The holiday mood!
Cooking for family and friends – Shopping for family and friends …Feeling all warm and contented already, huh?
See ya soon!
Sale Ends November 15th

Super Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:52:00 +0000

September's sumptuous soup class - Another delicious cooking class brought to you by Bella Kitchen and her friends from First American Title. Chef Tom Steinberg joined us again to share his methods and secrets for 3 completely different soups; Thai Chicken, Clam Chowder, and Winter Squash. Very tasty, very informative, and as always, a great time!

Next up: Cookie Decorating Night (for adults) with Kristen Degarimore - Monday, November 23rd at 6:30. If you are interested please contact us at 634-4730. Time to get in shape for the Holidays! Cost...$35/person.

Second Story Consignment

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:34:00 +0000

All the information you're looking is below if you scroll down a bit. Since our opening day of May 1, we have sold $5000 worth of recycled treasures and paid out $3500 in consignment splits.
We offer an unprecedented 70% to consignors!!
We are accepting small furniture, desks, dinaette sets, chests, benches, occasional chairs, pillows, mirrors, framed art & home decor accessories. Purses are HOT. Hurry.

Wild Mushroom Veggie Burger Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:13:00 +0000

This spring has been crazy good for mushroom picking up here! Just yesterday I took the dog up to this fine place close to town and easily found enough boletus to make lunches for a few days. Boletus are plentiful and sooo delicious. They are the northwest version of the porcini. Look them up and then go looking. The brighter the yellow bottom, the freshest & tastiest. This is what we did with the boletus we found:

2 cups finely chopped fresh boletus mushrooms, stems removed. (Do not get these wet, just brush off with a paper towel)
1/2 package firm tofu crumbled
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 can black beans, mashed
salt, pepper
3 T worchestershire
1 T soy
bread crumbs to texture.

Sautee mushrooms, tofu and onions in olive oil on med to low for about 12 - 15 minutes. Add the rest and mix well. Sautee for just a few minutes to give the garlic time to soften. Cool. Mash with potato masher if necessary. Form patties and brown in an olive oil/butter combo with cheese of your choice (or not) until nicely browned. Yum. I stacked on wax paper and refrigerated for brown bag lunches.

Sushi with Tom & Julie

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Wow, this was a hard class! There was a lecture and lab, followed by a test. Tom & his fabulous assistant, Julie, from Buffalo Gal Restaurant hosted the seminar that began with an excellent speech on all aspects of sushi and rice. They then performed a practicum so that everyone could leave the evening with a new skill to add to their culinary portfolio. Kim Mott from Idaho Wine Merchant was guest speaker and gave us history of Sake complete with tasting of three varieties. She even snuck in a pop quiz element with some Japanese beer.

Our brilliant students all passed with flying colors. Thanks, Everyone!

Sunnie

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:43:00 +0000

Sunnie walked in the door one afternoon and asked to be considered for our part time position. Her name is Sunnie! What could be better? Her name perfectly describes her friendly and helpful personality. Please help us welcome her on your next visit.

Want to Consign? Here's your info

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:13:00 +0000

70 % SPLIT TO CONSIGNORS!!!!!!! TRUE.

WHAT WE ACCEPT

Small Furniture items i.e. occasional chairs, benches, desks, bookcases, end tables, small cabinets and the like in excellent condition. Household decor & Accessories: Lamps, Mirrors, Frames, Vases, Clocks, Rugs, etc. Designer (and faux designer), name-brand purses

Acceptable items must be in excellent condition.

We do not consign items that need to be refinished or repaired, and they must be complete with necessary parts for assembly.
Upholstered furniture should look like new. (It must be clean, no fading, no stains, free of odors and pet hair, not worn or torn.)
Furniture should be of sturdy construction with solid wood (no particle board or wood by-products will be accepted).

WHAT WE OFFER
We offer a 70/30* consignment split; that is, for each item sold, 30% of sale goes to the consignment shop and 70% to the consignor. We have a 60-day consignment period where items can potentially be marked down up to 50% after 30 days. Any unsold items not retrieved within 10 business days from the end of the contract period are forfeited to the Store.
WHEN WE ACCEPT CONSIGNMENT

Small to medium-sized furniture pieces can be brought in during egular business hours, 10:30 to 5:30 daily and 11:00 to 4:00 Sunday. For consideration of larger pieces, drop off a photo or email a digital photo to: lisa@bellakitchen.com Any information you can provide about the piece(s) i.e. Manufacturer, date of purchase, original purchase price, where it was purchased, etc. is very helpful.
If we feel your furniture piece is suitable for consignment, we will contact you so you can make arrangements to bring the piece in. Piece must be brought in at an agreed-upon date, as space may not be available at a later time.
Pricing
We will price your furniture items at a fair market value, while also offering value to our customers. It is our policy not to compromise the consigned price by accepting offers or bargaining. Furniture will be sold on a cash and carry basis; we do not currently offer pick-ups and/or delivery. We accept payment with Visa and MasterCard in addition to cash and checks.

Bella's Upstairs Consignment

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Bella's Upstairs Furniture Consignment

Opening May 1, 2009

Reasons to Shop & Consign Furniture

1. Make money on your unwanted items. We offer an intimate showroom, in a successful retail shop with high visibility and customer traffic.

2. People love a bargain. Today’s consumer is more economical and would rather buy furniture and home décor for a half to a third off its original price so they can have money to enjoy other things in life.

3. Surprising great name products as well as fun & funky items at a tremendous value.

4. Increased professionalism for this retailing format. Quality pre-owned items displayed in a trusted retail environment. We take pride in providing high quality merchandise and exceptional service.

5. Sell your previously owned items with greater security. Our consignment showroom eliminates having prospective buyers coming to your home after you run a classified ad.

6. It’s easy to consign. Compared to the work and time involved in preparing and conducting a garage sale. Plus we promote and display your items seven days a week.

7. Consigner gets more for items. We work with you to get the best price at fair market value. Our wish list matches customers’ wants with your items and we let them know if their special home furnishing piece comes in.

8. Shoppers know to shop often. Many styles and items to chose from as our merchandise changes weekly. Shoppers have increased awareness and check back often which increases exposure to your consigned items.

9. Local commerce. Items consigned belong to your friends and neighbors. Putting money back into their hands is putting money right back into our community, not sending it out for redistribution through national giant chain stores.

10. It’s fun. Really fun. When treasure hunting in our store, you never know what you may find.

11. Increased awareness of eco-chic recycling. Resale is possibly the oldest form of recycling known to man. People would rather consign or donate their unwanted or unneeded items than just add to the waste stream.

Economic Stimulus at Bella

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Our very own Stimulus Plan. 15% off everything in the store, including sale items!! A bail-out designed to give our loyal customers restored consumer confidence. We only have this sale twice a year, in the spring and fall.

New this Spring:

Silk Flowers! Nice quality silks at fantastic prices. Even better during the sale.

"Twist" A new line of fun and earth friendly cleaning products.

Our Sun Valley Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:47:00 +0000

Our oldest son, Brad, has made his home in Sun Valley/Ketchum. We try to visit him at least once a year but mostly cajole (read bribe) him to come home for visits because of the costs involved. This year we invited our great friends, Chris and Kay Trelease to join us and to make even it more special, made reservations at Sun Valley Lodge. If you've never indulged, this is a strong recommendation. We felt like royalty and were treated as such in this opulent, gracious lodge. Most of all we had fun.

Evenings in the lounge with the Paul Tillotson Trio. I could write a separate blog just for this

Soaks in the outdoor pool-sized hot tub.

Every convenience and accessory you can and can't imagine in the locker rooms

Saunas

Robes

Chocolates on the pillow

Shuttles to the mountain

Ski Storage at the mountain

Relaxation in the grand library

Apart from our amazing accommodations, we had a really fun, interesting, and so-so tasty dinner at the Rickshaw Restaurant in Ketchum. Go to the website (eat-at-rickshaw.com), read the menus and the reviews and for heaven's sake get there. So many beautiful flavors! These are small plates so we each ordered two and shared. So, we were able to taste ten varieties of flavors, textures, presentations, etc.

And to the folks at Rickshaw, thanks for so graciously seating us at 9:00 p.m. We are all from the restaurant industry and understand.

Oh, and we skied, too.

mikwright greeting cards

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:41:00 +0000

Bella has a new line of greeting cards! A little naughty, a lot silly, a bit nostalgic and pee-your-pants funny. The girls from Oregon gathered around to share the fun and the funny.

We also have beautiful, hand crafted cards from Nancy Pape of Shooting Star Graphics. Whether you need a card that's hilarious or heartfelt, we may have the perfect card for the occasion.

SPECIAL OLYMPIC SNOWSHOEING

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:04:00 +0000

Our little town is honored to host the SPECIAL OLYMPICS this next week. Wow! Three hundred athletes will compete at Ponderosa Park in Snowshoeing categories. Snowshoeing competitions will be held at Ponderosa State Park in McCall, Idaho, USA.

With approximately 385 athletes, coaches and officials representing 50 Special Olympics programs from around the world, Ponderosa State Park will host the Snowshoeing events offered at the World Winter Games including the 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1600 m, 5 km, 4 x 100 m Relay, 4 x 400 m Relay and 25 m and 50 m.

WINTER WONDERLAND - AGAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:47:00 +0000

It's that time again! People from all over will visit our little town to see the magic of icy fun. Some of us will hide until the hoardes go home but lots of us will join the party. Fireworks right over your head, wacky parade fun, games of all kinds & incredible sculptures, both amateur and professional.

Evening Shopping Extravaganza

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:52:00 +0000

4th Annual McCall
Evening Shopping Event

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH
4-8

We'll stay open late. We'll woo you with truffles & port wine.
We'll have special pricing to help save the economy & the world.
We'll play Christmas music. Quietly.
We'll do our best to make your holiday shopping fun, relaxed & social.

A festive evening guaranteed to put you in the Christmas spirit.

So much more civilized than the whole four o'clock in the morning crowd rush thing, don't you think?

Cookie Decorating Class

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:39:00 +0000

An Adult Only Evening with Kristen DeGarimore

Martha is good but Kristen is better!

A just-for-fun class for the holidays. We will supply each participant with a package of tools of the trade for gorgeous holiday cookie decorating. We will learn the basics and not-so-basics of artistic cookie decorating. A great evening for friends to get together. Thursday, December 4, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. right here at Bella Kitchen. $24 per person. Call Lisa at 634-4730 or email at lisa@bellakitchen

A HANDBASKET (6th Anniversary) SALE

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:59:00 +0000

We at Bella Kitchen hear that the economy is going to HELL IN A HANDBASKET!
So, we decided to put HANDBASKETS ON SALE.

Then we thought, what the heck, since it’s also our 6th anniversary - Let’s put it all on sale.

15% DISCOUNT ON EVERYTHING
including stuff already on sale!!
Together we can save the world - Or at least some hard earned dollars. Mention this blog! Sale expires November 5th, 2008

COOKING CLASS!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Sweet and Savory Cheesecakes!

Kristen DeGarimore, a.k.a. Dusty Baker, will host a class with tantalizing recipes for the fall and holiday season. Desserts and Appetizers great for sharing with friends and family. And of course, we will serve wine, coffee and tea. Join us for a fun, entertaining and informative evening!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

6:30 p.m.

at Bella Kitchen

Located Upstairs at the Hotel McCall Courtyard

Call 634-4730 for reservations.

FRESH FLOWERS!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:42:00 +0000

The spirits of the Flower Merchant has moved us. We are offering fresh flowers at Bella! So, this is how it works...We send out an email with a menu of what's available. You order and prepay. The flowers are delivered within a couple of days and you pick them up at Bella.

If we don't store and have no waste, we can offer a great price. Interested? Send us a quick email and we'll add you to the list. Then we'll let you know when we are ordering. If you see something you like you can add to our order. Fun, huh?

A New Face at Bella

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:56:00 +0000

Meet Ardis (Ardie) Hewitt! Ardie has generously agreed to come to the store and help out a couple days a week. She is quickly becoming familiar with the store and you will love her kind and friendly manner. Ardie and her family moved to McCall a couple years ago, love the area and plan to make their home here. Next time you are in the store, please make her feel welcome.

Bella Loves Odos!! Lisa, John and Murray, too. Odos has been our partner at the store for over three years! Not one to meet a stranger, he has made many friends and return customers at Bella. We are so grateful for his help but more grateful for his friendship. He will still be around from time to time but mostly, finally retired.

Help Wanted!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Yes, we are doing great in our new location and we are looking for just the right person to join us. This is a year around, part-time position approximately 15-20 hours per week. Starting wage is $10 per hour with increase after a short probationary period. Bella Kitchen is open seven days a week and you may be asked to cover for vacations of up to seven days.

Retail experience helpful but not necessary. Love of cooking also helpful but not mandatory. Will train someone with a pleasant, customer service-oriented personality. Must be flexible and able to work weekends. Basic computer skills - Word, a simple spreadsheet and email. Must be able to lift 35 lbs and stand for long periods. Previous experience with cash register and the ability to count change required.

Hours are 10:30 - 5:30 daily and 11 - 4 on Sunday unless a three day weekend in which case Sunday is treated the same as Saturday.

Job duties include but are not limited to: Greet customers, assist in shopping, unpack freight, price and place inventory, and manage inventory files. Wrap gifts and pack items for shipping. Operate cash register and perform credit card transactions. Light cleaning - dust, vacuum and mop. Sound like a fun job?

Please send resume to lisa@bellakitchen.com to apply.

The World

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:19:00 +0000

The products of the world are at Bella Kitchen. While we can't get away to travel the world, we can get a small fix from shopping from importers of fine worldwide products. Take a look.

USA (LamsonSharp Knives), Canada (Accents de Ville), Mexico (Outdoor rugs), France (Comptoir de Famille), Germany (Waechtersbach dishes) Italy (Vietri Dinnerware), Poland (Polish Pottery), Czech Republic (Glassware), Spain (Olivewood spoons), Portugal (hand painted pottery), Turkey (Olive Pots), India (Linens), Malaysia (decorator bowls), Indonesia (Acacia Wood), Thailand (Brooms), Vietnam (Bamboo Bowls) Japan (tetsubin cast teapots), and yes, even China.

Our favorite TV show is Globetrekker. PBS, Monday nights at 8:00.

Your Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:34:00 +0000

Until the website is updated please take a moment and see what's up at Bella.

A few thoughts that have come after the move...

Expanded Linens?

We want to offer more selection of table linens. Good idea?

Fresh Flowers?

Yeah, since we are in the space once occupied by the famous and much missed Flower Merchant, the subject has come up. We aren't florists BUT we thought we might be able to offer fresh cut flowers ala carte and by order. Kind of along the lines of, "Fresh Fish Friday". Pre-ordered from a menu. If we don't have to store them we could theoretically offer flowers at a great price. Interested?

Cooking Demonstrations?

Lots of interest in Cooking Classes. We are looking into it. Promise. Suggestions?

The Grand Re-Opening?

Probably schedule the last week of August. I understand from one of our reps that the vendors like to donate stuff for door prizes and such. Good food, fun prizes and always fun inventory. We'll make it an event. Suggestions?

How about greeting cards? Do you have a couple really great cards that are favorites? Take a peek on the back and email or stop in and let Bella know who your favorite card creators are. As you can imagine there are at least more the 23 different creators out there.

Suggestions?

A very big THANKS

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:29:00 +0000

To all who helped make this move incredible. In fact we were the INCREDIBLES!! With a few extra cast of characters...

Tracy - Magnificent Colorist and Painteress. Three people, Five Hours - Total Transformation. Saved us hours and hours and dollars and dollars. Thanks for your expertise and really fun company.

Maria and Marv - WoW! Not only did Maria spend hours unpacking and stocking shelves, she has an eye for the dramatic and arranged the shelves with a fabulous flair. Then - get this - she and Marv GAVE us this beautiful antique wood stove. A perfect addition to the store. That's superhero stuff.

Gail - Gave up her precious Sunday off and spent the entire day helping us haul and unpack, haul and unpack. She worked her fanny off! She asked for nothing in return. Great company, too. Thanks so much, Gail.

Odos - Well, what can we say...He was kinda, mostly there in spirit. But his heart and physical self were more concerned with the planet Venus. We love ya, Odos.

Brock - Three very long days of hard work with a smile and song. So glad you came along for the ride. Thanks, Brock.

Beau - Most Valuable Player! with a Drill and Table Saw and a Router and a Bag of Levels. Unbelievable technical support. Made all the fixtures work and work in a most professional and aesthetic way. A pleasure to work with. Truly a superhero.

And my sweetie - John. Thanks for your love and support.

We did it three days. We didn't break a thing!! It was totally meant to be!

New Digs

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa, John, Murray and Poppie) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Here we are in our new space. We seem small because we are so faaar awaaaay. So much space - so many fun things to look at in a whole new light.