Board-formed Concrete: The Results

And we got what we were hoping for. 
Good solid concrete with wood grain, and horizontal raised lines.

Despite our issues during the pour, things look great.

A view of a wall, standing back a bit.  The impression is much more subtle than the close-up view might imply. 
Those metal tabs sticking out will be snapped off flush to the face of the wall.

This corner has a good bit more height than will be ultimately visible - the excavator got a bit carried away when roughing-out the driveway.

The concrete did have a couple trouble spots - both of which were at the places where I added inserts to create a depression at door openings. 

The idea is that a door sill is recessed a bit lower than the floor level, so that its thickness is closer to level with the floor. 

Normally, the concrete would flow under the insert and fill beneath it nicely.  Our overly-stiff concrete mix did not quite do so, and left voids in the middle. 

Luckily, these locations are not highly visible - both have concrete steps poured in front of them, which will help to conceal the blemish when patched. 

Overall the stem walls are a success, and we are very happy with them.
Now if the we can just get the next big hurdle, the slab (our finished floor!), to turn out well...