Gimme a Giveaway: Our Humble A{Bowe}d

*This giveaway is no longer accepting entries, Thank You!*

This post is a little early because I’ll be pretty busy tomorrow, so you’re getting this now!  We’re back with another giveaway from our print shop, Our Humble A{Bowe}d.  The winner can choose their favorite print from the options below.

Carved Initials:

Bird Family:

I Love You This Much:

Love Math:

Love Tree:

Want a chance to win?  Here’s how it works:

Prize:  One 8 inch by 10 inch customized print of your choice.

To Enter:  Subscribe to follow Our Humble A{Bowe}d, if you’re not already.  To subscribe, click the “Sign Me Up!” button under “Be the first to know.” 

Bonus:  Comment on this post with the words “PRINTED” and tell us what patterned (chevron, faux bois, etc.) item you’re lovin’ right now.  (I shared my love for FLOR’s Sophistikat rug)

Contest Closes:  Thursday, September 30th at 9:00 pm, central time.

Number of Winners:  One!

Ships:  Anywhere in the U.S.

Other Info:  Only one entry per e-mail address.  The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Friday, October 1st.  Good luck!!

Simple Solution: Crown Moulding

Do you love the look of crown moulding but can’t afford it?  Maybe it’s just a little too difficult for you to install on your own?  Well, we have a solution for you.

Rather than using actual crown moulding, use decorative casement trim.  Choose a trim with one 90 degree angle and a flat back, similar to these:

Place the square edge along the ceiling and secure with nails. 

This trim is very easy to install and is more affordable than actual crown moulding.  Of course, the ‘crown’ moulding won’t have a 45 degree angle from the wall to the ceiling.

Paint the ‘crown’ the same color as the rest of the trim and it will make the room look polished.

Hit the FLOR

I love me some chevron these days.  As you may recall, I recently painted a chevron pattern rug.  And now, I’m drooling over this new pattern from FLOR.

Yep, more chevron!  I was wondering when FLOR would jump on the proverbial bandwagon.  Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.  My name is Amanda and I’ll be your captain for the day.  Please welcome our newest member, FLOR.  Welcome to the chevron bandwagon, please enjoy the trend while it lasts.  Thank you and have a great day!

Now that I got that out of my system, let’s move on.  I’m loving the pattern and the $12.99 price tag isn’t too bad, either.  So, what’s stopping me from buying this beauty?  My children (and I’m cheap)!  We already have two rugs made up of FLOR tiles, but they get everything dirty.  True, you can remove a single tile to wash or replace, depending on the soil level, but I’ll stick with my current rugs until my boys can be trusted.

The Sophistikat pattern isn’t the only new design I’m lovin’.  Check out these puppies.

Posh Croc is a nice subtle pattern at $14.99 per tile.

Road to Damaskus (love the punny name!) is a pretty pattern that will set you back $12.99.

Faux Bois by Ms. Martha Stewart herself is $19.99 per tile.

How about Lattice by Martha?  Only $18.99 per tile.

FLOR designs have come a loooong way.  I remember when they had only solid colors in a few textures.  Ahh, those weren’t the days…

Just Like Tom Sawyer

Our Montana summer seemed more like a Seattle summer thanks to the unusually frequent rainfall.  What does this mean?  We didn’t get many outdoor projects done this year.  Fortunately, we didn’t have many on our list.  We did, however, get our fence painted, finally!  Last summer, we primed it, but it didn’t hold up to the elements very well.  So, over the weekend, Ben used a pressure washer to remove any loose, chipping or peeling paint.

Isn’t this lovely?

After some reasearch, Ben decided to use an opaque white stain by Behr, specifically formulated for outdoor wood and siding.

Using a sprayer, Ben applied an even coat, then used a brush to smooth it all out.

We also closed the open area where we had planned to install a gate.

When we built the fence, we had large, communal garbage cans in the dead end alley.  I guess our garbage man ran into a few too many things while backing up, so the city gave us individual garbages.  Why am I telling you this?  Because we no longer needed access to the alley as our garbage is now up front.

Long story short, one more item has been checked off our to do list!

Paper Party Banner

Vincent’s third birthday is tomorrow!  I cannot believe he is already three; time flies.  We’re having a birthday for him on Saturday with friends and family, so I whipped up a simple, affordable and reusable party decoration. 

To make this banner, you’ll need paper or cardstock in any color(s) that tickle your fancy, a circle cutter or punch, string, glue or Mod Podge, and an old paint brush.

I used a handy-dandy adjustable circle cutter made by Making Memories.  I got this as a hand me down from a friend and never used it until now.  The beauty of this tool is the ability to cut circles from 2 inches to 9 inches in diameter, all with one tool.  I set the blade at three inches and started cutting.  It takes a few tries to get it to cut nicely, but after that, its smooth sailing.  The trick is to lightly run the blade around a few times, rather than one heavy round, which will tear the paper. 

So, cut out tons of circles. 

Then, fold in half, aligning the edges.  If you used cardstock, you may want to run a bone folder along the crease to make it sharp.

Gather your glue, paint brush and string and get ready to assemble. 

First, tie a loop in the string, to make it easy to hang.  Do not cut your string yet, unless you have a specific size you need.  Then, apply a thin layer of glue or Mod Podge to one side of the folded circle, adding a little more in the crease.  Try to keep the glue thin so it won’t spill over the edges.  

Place the string into the crease and fold the top over, pressing tight.  To make sure your spacing is even, cut a piece of scrap paper to the desired width and place between each circle. 

Continue gluing circles until the desired length has been reached.  Cut the string, leave about 6 inches from the end of a circle.  Make another loop for hanging.  You’re ready to decorate. 

I plan to hang these banners in the trees at the party, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek.  So, for now, the banners are hanging from the ceiling  in the boy’s room.  The colors of the party happen to be the same colors we chose for the boy’s room. 

Just a little note: if you are interested in this project, but don’t like the look of the half circles, you could do this with any shape.  You will have to cut twice as many shapes, then follow every step except the folding.  Instead, place another shape on the other side. 

What are your favorite DIY party decorations?  Cupcake toppers?  Tissue paper pom poms?  Do tell!