A big thank you to everyone that entered to win a custom print from our shop, Our Humble A{Bowe}d. I love all the patterns mentioned, too. Stripes, chevron, quatrefoil, moorish tile, faux bois, and more.
Down to the nitty-gritty. The winner of one 8 inch by 10 inch custom print is…
lucky number 17, Andrea P! Congrats, Andrea!
If you didn’t win, you can buy any of our prints or, stay tuned for future giveaways.
Recently, we have had a few requests to show some of our favorite home furnishings. So, without further ado, welcome to our latest, greatest and newest series featuring beautiful furniture and accessories I’m currently coveting. We do plan to make this a post series, but for those of you out there looking to get the updates as soon as we add an item, don’t fear. You can subscribe to an RSS feed, conveniently located below our shops, to receive up to date info on the items we’d like for our own abode.
First on the list is this beautiful Z Gallerie Rose Pillow, on sale for $34.99.
This 6 foot 7 inch by 9 foot 6 inch faux bois Martha Stewart rug is a steal for $152.80, available at Home Depot. Who knew Ms. Martha had a line at Home Depot?!
How beautiful is the branch side table from West Elm? Yes, that was rhetorical, we all know it’s amazing. It’s a little out of our current price range at $179.00, but definitely worth every penny.
I l.o.v.e this glass links chandelier from Z Gallerie, too. The best thing about this light? It’s versatility. The beautiful links are formal enough for a dining room, but still fun and interesting enough for a bedroom.
If the branch side table didn’t tickle your fancy, maybe this sleek and elegant mirrored side table from Target will. Place this table in a living room or bedroom and it will be a show stopper.
What are your favs? We’ll keep you posted on any new, beautiful finds we stumble upon.
My cousin, (and pseudo sister) Jenna, is pregnant with her first baby and is due November 5. (My sisters and I threw her a baby shower a few months ago). She knows she’s having a boy, but she wants gender neutral decorations. We gave her a hand-me-down crib bedding set that has jungle animals, similar to the Tiddliwinks Safari bedding at Target.
Jenna asked me to create two custom art pieces for the nursery. Her only requests were to include the nursery colors (chocolate-brown, sage green and cream), monkeys, giraffes, and birds (to coördinate with the bird mobile I made as a shower decoration/gift). That’s it. The rest was up to me. I love free rein designs. Jenna had already purchased two IKEA Ribba frames with mats. I considered designing two custom 12 inch square prints to fit the frames, but decided to create custom cut paper scenes. A year or so ago, I created a cut paper scene of Ben and I in our wedding attire as a custom art piece for our home.
The first piece features a cartoonish monkey hanging from a palm tree with a bird flying by.
The second piece has a giraffe standing in tall grass, a little bird perched in the giraffe’s back, and an Umbrella Thorn Acacia type tree.
Both pieces are entirely hand-made with pieces cut from cardstock. While in Minnesota recently, I visited her house to help with some final nursery touches, including matting and framing her new artwork. We didn’t get around to hanging the pieces, but we’re both very pleased with the result.
I am taking orders for custom art pieces, including cut paper scenes, silhouettes, prints and modern paintings. To see samples, ask questions or place an order, please visit our Etsy shop.
We have this little bookshelf in the boys’ room. My mom gave it to us, but it was originally her grandparent’s shelf. It’s functional and cute, right?
Well, it’s not so cute when the books have been removed; the finish has seen better days.
The top was even worse, too!
We have had this bookshelf for three years (or more) and have never done a thing to it. Until now, that is. I finally got an itch to refinish this sad little guy.
It all began with a random orbital sander. I started by sanding the top with 220 grit paper to completely strip the stain finish. Then, I worked my way down the sides, sanding with the grain of the wood.
Once I had the top and outsides sanded, Ben removed the back and I worked on sanding the fixed shelves (both the top and under sides) as well as the inside walls.
After completing all the smooth flat surface areas, I began the tedious, time-consuming task of hand sanding the detailed areas of fluted half round and the finials. This involved 100 grit sandpaper, folded in half to get into the crevices of the fluting. It took a good two hours to get the detailed areas sanded smooth, but I knew the end result would be worth it.
I wanted to keep the dark wood tone, so I bought a quart of Minwax Dark Walnut stain.
Using a synthetic bristle brush, I began applying the stain in small areas to the shelves. Working quickly, I wiped the area with an old, cut up T shirt to remove excess stain. I kept a ‘wet edge’ of stain to prevent any overlapping that might make the color uneven. I continued this process until the entire bookshelf had a coat of stain.
I let the stain dry overnight. Once Everett went down for his morning nap, Vincent and I went back to the garage to give the shelf one more coat of stain. The second coat gave the rich, luxurious walnut tone I had in mind.
Now that I had the color I wanted, I needed to protect my hard work. I applied two coats of Varathane Diamond Water Based Polyurathane satin finish to seal the wood and prevent scratches and future damage.
Just a little note: This was my first attempt to completely refinish a piece of furniture. By no means am I an expert, but I think the bookshelf turned out pretty great. It was time consuming, but not very difficult or expensive. Speaking of expenses, I here’s a budget breakdown.
Sander and paper: $0.00 (already owned)
1 Quart Minwax Stain: $7.78
Varathane Polyurathane: $0.00 (already owned)
Total Spent: $7.78
Time:
Sanding: 4 hours
Staining: 2 1/2 hours
Polyurathane Application: 2 hours
Total Time Spent: 8 1/2 hours
Not too shabby, huh?
Did you know I am having a love affair with Maxx and Ross? TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less, that is. Yep, I love ’em. Can’t get enough, in fact. Why do I love thee? Because they have great deals on awesome items. Like this stoneware bowl by Target. Original retail price: $11.99, Ross price: $3.49. Sold!
I guess the bowl was designed to hold baguette, but it actually works really well as a fruit bowl. I also found this ugly gold decorative vase for $6.49.
I do have a plan for it, just need to carry it out. Then, I found a large decorative outdoor planter for $6.99, talk about a deal! The cheapest thing Home Depot and Lowes had in a similar size was $30.00. Both TJ Maxx and Ross are great places to look for bedding, too.
The comforter in our guest room came from Ross and I recently picked up a set of King sized 400 thread count grey sateen sheets from TJ Maxx for $29.99. Yep, it’s love at first sight.
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