Year: 2010

Closet Case

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Our humble abode is definitely an efficient use of space.  We have few wasted spaces due to the floor plan, but we’ve added some details to make the limited closet space more functional.

Ben built shoe/storage cubes for the entryway, guest bedroom and boys bedroom.

The entry closet is small at 3.5 feet wide.  By adding three levels of cubes, we have tripled our shoe storage.  We’ve added hooks to hang purses and leashes on and storage bins for hats, gloves and smaller items.

Here a peek at the guest bedroom closet:

We try to keep that closet pretty empty.  We tend to have a lot of guests and we like to give them some space.

Our toughest storage solution was for the boys closet.

The cubes are the perfect size for cheap covered storage containers from Wal-Mart.  We keep diapers in 4 of the containers (we buy diapers at Costco).  Extra bedding, wipes, socks and pajamas are also stored on this side of the closet.  We use a laundry bag which hangs to save space.

Here’s a shot of the other side of the shared closet:

The cubes hold Ev’s extra blankets, burp cloths and sheets.  I hang the boys’ clothes because it would take waaaay to long to fold everything.  I’m too OCD to throw it in a drawer.  You’ll also notice larger storage bins on the top shelf.  We store large clothes for each boy in those, so we have it handy to switch out.

Our closet was one of the easiest storage solutions we created.  Our bed, built by Ben, has drawers on each side at the foot of the bed and two large compartments with false drawer fronts on each side.  We keep out of season clothes, jackets, and boots in the compartments, while storing every day items like socks, underwear, pajamas and such in the drawers.

Here’s Ben’s side of our closet.

When we remodeled out master bedroom, we changed up the closet shelving.  We removed the old single shelf and moved it up to about 1 foot from the ceiling.  The same closet rod is below.  We added a shelf about half way down the closet.  Because our closets have sliding doors, we made one side shelving.  Most of my shirts are stored here.

My side looks a little bare…

We added another closet rod to under the middle shelf.  Because we don’t have anything on that rod, we keep a laundry basket in my side on the floor.

We’re lucky to have a closet to hold our vacuüm, cleaning supplies, toolbox, and lightbulbs.

The linen closet at the end of our hall holds all of our extra towels, bedding, and even our suitcases.

We also have a gigantic pantry.  LOVE IT!!

We’re still working on the basement closets, but I promise to show those when they’re done.

Take it for Granite

Published on by Our Humble Abode5 Comments

We recently revealed our new DIY dining table, complete with a dark green-black marble top.  This isn’t the first (or last) piece of marble or granite in our house.  In fact, we have quite a bit in 1 1/4 inch thick slabs and tiles.  I thought I’d give a pictoral view showcasnig the granite and marble we have in our home.

All three of our bathrooms have granite-topped vanities. 

The main bathroom granite is Giallo San Francisco:

Our master bathroom color is Galaxy Black:

The basement bathroom counters are Verde Maritoka:

Part of my office desktop has Carrera marble, while the other areas have Brazilian Cherry.

Each bathtub has a matching granite sill to rest on.  Both the main and master bathrooms have marble tub surrounds, too.

The master bathroom floor is covered in white marble and absolute black granite checkerboard.  The main bathroom has white marble floors in a brick lay pattern.

We decided to install granite and marble as some of our window sills to protect them from moisture.

The kitchen and dining room sills are Silver Spark:

Our master bathroom has Carrera Marble:

The half wall by our stairway has a brown granite topper:

Our love of marble extends to a few pieces of furniture other than our dining table.  Two small side tables in our guest bedroom have marble tile tops.

This little table had a clear glass top, but it was easily replaced by one 12 inch square tile, left over from our bathroom remodel.

Why limit marble to counter tops when you can have a marble table lamp like this:

Just to recap, we have 4 countertops, 3 tables, 6 window and tub sills, 2 shower surrounds, 1 lamp and we haven’t remodeled our kitchen.

Why do we have so much marble and granite you ask?  We love the timeless look, durability and we can get remnant slabs for a great price.  And, it’s almost easier to work with than wood.

Gimme a Giveaway: Our Humble A{Bowe}d

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

If you are like I am, you’re constantly searching for great, affordable artwork.  I became quite frustrated with my quest and decided to create my own custom artwork and prints.   I wanted to give one lucky reader one customized 8 inch by 10 inch print from the following options. 

Carved Initials:

Bird Family:

I Love You This Much:

Love Math:

Love Tree:

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

To Enter:  Comment on this post to tell which print you prefer and the colors you’d like.

Bonus:  Blog, Twitter or Facebook with the giveaway link.  Then, leave another comment including your blog post, Tweet or Facebook link.

Contest Closes:  Monday, July 12, 2010 at 9:00 pm, central time.

Number of Winners:  One!

Ships:  Anywhere in the US of A.

Other Info:  The winner can customize their print with colors, text such as names, family names, dates, and initials, and quantity of birds in the Bird Family print.  Only one entry per e-mail address.  The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Tuesday, July 13th.  Good luck!!

Fruits of Our Labor

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I know I have said before that Ben is obsessed with fruit trees.  In the four years we have been married, he has planted 17 fruit trees throughout our property.  Sadly, because we had a very rough spring, two peach trees and one pear tree died.  Ben is on the search to find replacement trees with no such luck. 

Most of our trees are combination trees.  There is one main trunk with 3 to 5 varying types of fruit grafted on.  We now have 7 cherry trees, 3 apple trees, 3 pear trees, and 2 plum trees.

We have gotten a few pears, apples and cherries from our trees last year, which were the best fruit we’ve had.  I’m most excited for our own cherries.  There are many small cherries so far:

Here’s a close up:

I can’t wait to taste them! 

We have a lot of apples waiting to be made into apple crisp, too:

 Have you planted any trees?  If so, any fruit trees?  What’s your favorite type of tree?

Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Hand-Me-Downs, Oh My!

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Garage and estate sales, second-hand and thrift stores are great places to find cheap pieces of furniture and accent pieces.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my Target; I wouldn’t be a Minnesotan if I didn’t, but sometimes it just doesn’t cut it.  I’m here to show some of my favorite used finds. 

This bench  floats my boat with its dark wood and small size.  This is actually the first piece of furniture Ben and I bought together while browsing a local used furniture shop.  It wasn’t necessarily a fantastic deal, but it was love at first sight, so $60.00 didn’t seem too bad. 

Recently, I started collecting globes.  I love the way they make a room feel.  I found this big guy at a local thrift store for $10.00. 

When I lived in Minnesota, I worked as a real estate agent in Minneapolis selling condominiums.  A couple that lived at my building put three of these Duncan Phyfe chairs by the road for FREE!  I snatched them up right away and we have used them for many larger gatherings.

My aunt has a cast iron match holder similar to this one that I have loved for quite some time.  When I stumbled across this guy at shop in town, I didn’t hesitate buying it.  It’s adorable and useful in its home on our wood chute, right by the fireplace. 

Last summer, my great-aunt gave us some of her old serving dishes, including this footed bowl.  It looks so cute holding our fruit on our kitchen countertops.

I think this mirror is by far the best garage sale deal we’ve ever gotten.  It was kelly green, but we spray painted it black and now it looks almost identical to this mirror that retails for $599.00!

I also bought a slew of large, medium and small glasses from a Minnesota thrift store to use as vases for our June 2006 outdoor wedding.  We had three different vases per table, each with a different type of flower.  It was much more affordable to create three smaller arrangements, rather than one large arrangement.  I’m not very good at arranging several types of flowers in one arrangement, so this was our solution. 

I’ve shared my favorite cheap finds, what are yours?  Any places you swear by if looking for a particular item, say lamps?  Do any have a special meaning or make you think of a certain someone?