June 2010 – Page 4

Master Bathroom Reno, Take 1

Published on June 11, 2010September 9, 2010 by Our Humble AbodeLeave a comment

Our master bathroom was awkward, to say the least. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of it, but here’s a layout:

As you can see, there was a lot of wasted space and even more doors. The master bathroom, and therefor, the master bedroom, were connected to our kitchen!

Ben closed the door way to the kitchen and added a shower stall in place of the small closet. The wall on the other side of the shower had to stay because the furnace duct work ran through it and out the roof. Notice the electrical panel:

Ben ripped up the linoleum floor, replaced it with ceramic tile and installed trim. Not great, but better than the walk through.

The original vanity and toilet stayed, too. Not pretty!

So, after two years of living with this, we decided to take the plunge and renovate the master bathroom…

How To: Light It Up

Published on June 10, 2010September 12, 2012 by Our Humble Abode7 Comments

Another item checked off my to do list. Our dining room light fixture wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite what we were looking for. So, I ordered this light fixture from CB2. The only problem? The fixture is meant to be plugged in to an outlet, not hardwired. That’s okay though, I have a handy hubby.

Here she is in the box:

Before we could install the fixture, we went to Lowe’s to buy a 2 in 1 ceiling plate. Because the light is meant to be plugged in, one was not included. Not to worry, we found one in a brushed nickel finish for $4.98. It is however a little more traditional than I was hoping for. Oh well.

We went home, ready to install. First, turn off your breaker. You can never be too safe!! Then Ben removed our old fixture.

He installed the new mounting hardware for the box cover and we measured the height (32 inches) from our table. Ben marked the cord and cable to know where to cut. He adjusted the cable to hang at the proper height and tightened the screws in place.

Then he cut the wiring, leaving 3 or 4 inches more than he needed. He stripped the ends and connected the proper wires to one another, securing with wire nuts.

I held the fixture while Ben hung the ceiling plate.

After about 10 minutes, we had a brand spankin’ new light fixture.

I think it’s great. What do you think?

How to: Add a Custom Touch to Framed Pictures

Published on June 9, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

Remember how cheap I am about artwork? Well, I have a few quick, easy and cheap ideas to spruce up your frames.

Idea number 1: Spraypaint the frames.

First, remove the glass, mat, photo, and back. Wipe the frame free of dust. Then lay down newspaper in a well ventilated area. Spray the frames, keeping the can about 8 to 12 inches away to avoid excess paint drops. Allow adequate dry time. Pop the photo back in, hang and enjoy!

Idea number 2: Double mat your photos.

First, buy or cut the outer mat to the frame dimensions. Cut the opening 1 inch larger than your photo. Then, buy or cut another mat with the inner dimensions slightly smaller than your photo. The outer dimensions should extend at least 1 inch beyond your outer mat’s frame to make sure coverage of the edges.

You can choose to use the same color for both mats OR add more focus on the photo by using a color that coordinates with your photo.

To make this look, I cut my white outer mat to fit my 16 inch by 20 inch frame. Then I cut a 5 inch by 7 inch opening which will accommodate my 4 inch by 6 inch photo. Then I cut another white mat 7 inches tall by 9 inches wide with a 3.75 inch by 5.75 inch opening. I painted the inner mat blue, leaving the depth white. After the paint dried, I taped my photo in place and then centered my small mat on the large mat. Place the large mat in your frame and hang!

Idea number 3: Draw a border on your mat.

To get this look, use a gel pen or marker in any color (I used a silver metallic gel pen on a black mat). Using a pencil, mark your edges at two or more points to make straight lines. Once you’ve marked all sides (with as many borders you’d like), line a ruler to your edge and make your lines. Do this several times to make a thicker band of color.

Here is a detail shot:

Idea number 4: Frame 3 dimensional objects in shadow boxes.

Simply glue or tape your items in place. I am a fan of foam adhesive tape to get your item off the page.

So, there you have it. Four quick and easy ways to add interest to your art.

Flower Power

Published on June 8, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

Spring is by far my favorite season. Everything is bright green, flowers are blooming and birds are chirping. The flowers are a big selling point for me. Anyone who knows me should know that I cannot keep indoor plats alive. Sometimes I think they commit suicide because they know their fate. Rather than having dead indoor plants, I have outdoor plants, which Ben lovingly tends to. Probably The only reason they are still alive.

Two years ago, Ben built two window boxes and new shutters for the front of our house. Here they are this year with my purple and green color scheme in full bloom:

It was such a beautiful day yesterday. It has rained for the past few weeks-very unlike Montana. So beautiful I decided to take a few photos of our house. The roses are beginning to bud out, leaves are green and the sun was shining! Just don’t pay attention to the hoses…

I’m very pleased with our shade plants, too. They have filled in very nicely:

Four long years ago, I transplanted a group of peonies from my great grandma. After three years of small buds and no flowers, I have this:

I’m pretty sure I will have at least 4 flowers! YAY!! Now we need to fill in with rock-and paint our fence…

The Curtain Call!

Published on June 7, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode5 Comments

I’ve been wanting to add some color to our living room for quite some time. Repainting is out of the question for now due to small children and lack of time. So, what else makes a big impact while being cheap? Curtains, of course!

I considered sewing curtains, but decided to look for a pre-made set first. First stop, Target. And guess what I found? Two sets that I liked. Target rarely lets me down.

Option number 1: The first set is made be Fieldcrest. A navy blue with a lovely overlapping circle pattern and lining. Perfect for blocking light and adding privacy.

Option number 2: The second set are from Target’s Home line. The faux silk has the texture of real silk, but unlike real silk, these curtains can be machine washed and dried. Perfect for homes with kids with sticky jam hands. And the color is great.

I bought both sets to get Ben’s opinion. He liked the navy curtains becuase the color would help hide dirt. BUT, the sea green color, texture, and airyness almost matched the dining room curtains I sewed last year.