May 2011 – Page 4

A Little Q and A

Published on May 13, 2011November 2, 2012 by Our Humble Abode7 Comments

We asked you, you asked us and now we’re answering your questions.

Q: How did Ben and I meet?

A: Through a mutual cousin. Yes, I said mutual cousin, not friend. I swear though, we’re not related. My mom’s sister married Ben’s mom’s brother. Ben and three of his brothers were visiting Minnesota. I was working as a real estate agent and my cousin lived in the building I was hosting an open house in. I met Ben and his brothers and wanted to get to know him better. After realizing he liked me, too, we carried on a long distance relationship for 8 months before getting married in June 2006.

Q: Will we have any more adorable kiddos in the future? A little princess perhaps?

A: That has yet to be completely determined. We’re both content with our two boys. A little girl would be nice, but we’re still in the baby phase with Everett, so we’ll see how we feel in a year or two.

Q: What does Ben do for a living?

A: Ben works as a private contractor.

Q: What made me want to start blogging?

A: It’s not really a question of what, more who. My cousin, Jenna and my two sisters visited us the beginning of May 2010 to meet Everett for the first time. Jenna asked if I had ever considered writing a blog. In truth, I hadn’t because I didn’t think anyone would be interested in reading something I wrote. Admittedly, I’m not a great writer and I think I’m often too matter-of-fact. After discussing it with her, she convinced me to give it a try. So, on May 14, I wrote my first post and I’ve been at it ever since. Turns out, I enjoy writing this blog and sharing our ideas and home improvements with anyone who is willing to put up with me. I guess that’s you. Haha.

Q: How did we increase our ‘viewer-ship’ to the level that it’s at today in a year?

A: A lot of hard work and some luck. First off, write about something you enjoy and are enthusiastic about and stick to it. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. If you don’t enjoy what you’re writing about, why would others? Most of the blogs I read are home improvement because that’s what I enjoy. It was natural to begin writing about home improvement, so 90% of the posts we write are home related. Know your market. Secondly, blogging is a community, so be active. Comment on other blogs, guest post, send links of projects to other blogs, ask to be added to other’s blog rolls. If you don’t spread the word about your blog, how can others? Be yourself and remember that your blog is just that, your blog. If you don’t enjoy it, stop or make a change. Try to write as often as you can without spreading yourself too thin. Keep posts interesting and if you’re feeling uninspired, take some time off to regroup. That’s what we’ve done. Really though, we’re not experts. We’re still in the beginning stages and we’re figuring things out as we go. We’re like Nemo in the blogging ocean, tiny and sometimes lost.

Q: Can we tell you a little more about the area (city, neighborhood) that we live in?

A: I know I’ve never shared which town in Montana we live in. In all honesty, I’m a little paranoid about people finding our house. So, without sharing which city we live in, I’m happy to give more details about our neighborhood. When our house was built in 1960, this area was on the fringe of the city. It has since expanded, but the majority of homes nearby were built in the same time frame and are also humble ranchers. I’m fairly sure we’re the youngest homeowners on our block, with most of our neighbors nearing their 70s, so its quiet. But, we’re close to downtown and many shops, including our favorite pizza place, MacKenzie River Pizza. If you ever visit Montana, stop in for a gourmet pizza. You won’t be disappointed.

Q: If there was one thing we could change about our house (that is physically impossible for us to do), what would it be?

A: We have been able to make the interior of our home pretty much what we would like, the exterior, however, is a different story. If I could magically make our home a little taller, I would be happy. Landscaping a rancher is difficult, for me, at least. And, I would love to have an actual porch, not a walking path from the driveway to the front door.

Q: If money wasn’t an issue, what would we do to our house?

A: If money weren’t an issue, we would have renovated our kitchen already. I dream of a kitchen with white cabinets, marble backsplash and an open feeling. Hopefully soon, we will have the time, money, and energy to tackle this project. Because we have a little rancher, I don’t think an extravagant interior would suit the home.

Q: What is my favorite spot in our house?

A: This is pretty easy, my office. I’ve only had it for a year and I love everything about it. I have tons of storage for books, accessories and work supplies. Everything in that room is there because I love it. I don’t have to run anything past Ben to get his approval. I like that. Ha.

Q: What part of our house do I hate most?

A: Hands down, our kitchen. The previous owners (who also had the house built) renovated it around 1997 and everything in it is something my grandma would like. No offense, Gram, but I just don’t like it. And it is starting to fall apart. Most of the hinges have snapped a piece off that keeps the doors open, so we have self closing doors, which is annoying. The countertops are stained, the floors are a pain to keep clean and the appliances are almond. I think that sums that up.

Q: What do we think most people think when they walk in our house for the first time?

A: Most often, people say something like, “I didn’t expect this based on the exterior.” I think most of the time, that is a compliment, too. Maybe because we haven’t spent much time on the exterior, or because it seems like the run-of-the-mill 60s rancher.

Q: What 5 items would I buy right now if I could?

A: A Silhouette machine, a Canon Rebel with macro lens, Peekaboo Clear Nesting tables from CB2, a rug for my office, and I’d hire a maid to clean my house once a month.

Q: How do I accomplish so much and have time to blog with two kiddos? I would love to know your secret!

A: Our kids are great. They usually hang out and watch what we’re doing, whether home improvements, crafts or playing toys. I try to write posts during nap time, but usually I’m holding Everett. If I have a post idea, I create a post title and a brief description. Sometimes, these posts are in the draft for months, just waiting to complete a project or take photos, so I’m not always quick.

Q: What is on the wall between the upper cabinets and my desk? Looks as though it’s magnetic…

A: It is magnetic, magnetic primer by Rustoleum, to be exact. Seven coats of primer and two coats of paint later and my backsplash is magnetic!

Q: Where do we come up with these wonderful ideas?

A: We get inspiration everywhere. From magazines, blogs, open houses (yes, we frequent open houses) to fabrics, store displays, and materials. When I see something I like, I save it or take a picture. Then, I analyze it and see what we can make.

Q: How do we budget our household to allow for home improvements/decor & still be a stay at home mom?

A: This is a long, multi part answer. First, our mortgage and interest rates are low. We pay off the loan with the highest interest rate first, then move on. We don’t have fancy cars, our newest car is 7 years old, but they’re paid off. We limit our unnecessary expenses by shopping at Costco to get bulk rates, going out to dinner once a week (or less often), and we rarely, like twice a year, go to a movie theater. By keeping our daily living costs as low as possible, we save money for home improvements. We also use credit to our advantage. When we make large purchases, most often, we’ll put it on our Home Depot credit card, if they’re offering no interest for a year or whatever time period. That allows us to use the products and pay a little at a time. Also, Home Depot offers a discount if you open a card, which comes in handy for a large purchase.

When it comes to budgeting for a renovation, we do our research to see what our material costs will be. For example, our main bathroom renovation, from gutting to completion, cost $2000.00. Then, we save money until we’re ready to tackle that project. Because we do all the work ourselves (we’ve done every improvement except having a well drilled and cutting the concrete foundation for larger, egress windows), we save ourselves at least 50% of the cost of hiring the job out. Do as much of the work yourselves as you can to keep the costs down, while retaining great workmanship and quality materials.

Most decorating is done as cheap as possible, again, by doing it ourselves. If I see something in a store or magazine, I try to figure out a way I can make something with a similar, if not exact look for cheaper. Or, I find new ways to use materials we already have. Try to avoid impulse buys, unless you really love the item. Don’t buy something simply because it’s cheap, you’ll probably waste money on it.

I know that wasn’t completely helpful, but Ben is our financial advisor and there are so many tiny details that I can’t even begin to get into. And we’ve been fortunate that Ben’s job has been stable, which in today’s market can be rare.

Q: Can you borrow my husband for a week to tackle some building in your house?

A: Oh, sure, he wouldn’t mind. Haha. Now, I have a question for you. Have you voted? Today is the last day, so let’s give it our best shot.

Blog Fest: Gimme a Giveaway

Published on May 12, 2011May 26, 2011 by Our Humble Abode159 Comments

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

In honor of turning the big 0-1, we have a special art package giveaway.

First up, a 12 inch square charcoal grey Notre Dame Rose Window print from Little Brown Pen.

Remember when we bought one for our basement? We scored one for you, too.

In honor of our big day, we decided to toss in a few items from our shop, like this 8 inch by 10 inch Bee Happy print in sun yellow and charcoal grey.

We’re also sending a 5 inch by 7 inch Pressed Feather Original print.

The Goods: One art package including one 12 inch square Rose Window print in Charcoal, one 8 inch by 10 inch Bee Happy Print and one 5 inch by 7 inch Pressed Feather Print.

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.” Once you’ve subscribed, leave a comment, which can (but doesn’t have to) include our Just for Fun question.

Just for Fun: Share something that makes you happy. A song, memory, person, anything.

For additional entries:

1. Add Little Brown Pen to your Etsy favs, come back and leave a comment telling us what your favorite item is.

2. Like Our Humble A{Bowe}d on Facebook, come back and leave another comment.

3. Vote for our office and boys’ bedroom, then, in a separate comment, tell us you’ve voted.

Contest Closes: Thursday, May 19th at 9:00 pm, central time.

Number of Winners: One!

Ships: Anywhere in the U.S.

Other Info: We will select the winner using random.org and announce on Friday, May 20th. Good luck!!

Blog Fest: Craft Challenge

Published on May 11, 2011May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode8 Comments

We asked if you had any questions for/about us to answer for our big anniversary. We got a craft question and I thought this would make a great new series, hence, Craft Challenge. Something like Stump the Chump, but with crafts.

Christy said, “Don’t laugh…but what can you possibly do with small cat food cans? They recycle, but there has to be something cute and crafty that to do with them.”

What would we do? I would find a wooden dowel, epoxy, a drill and perhaps spray paint to make a swivel organizer, similar to this one:

To create this, first clean the cans well, removing all labels and smooth the top to prevent cuts. Drill a hole the size of the dowel, near the edge of all but one can. Slide the cans on the dowel. Then, epoxy the dowel to the edge of the bottom can and let it dry. You might have to keep something heavy in the bottom, to prevent tipping. You can cut a piece of picture matting for a top, too. Spray paint to match your decor and fill with paper clips and rubber bands for an office. Sort jewelry, or plant succulents or other small plants, too.

Do you have a craft challenge for us? Maybe you have something you just don’t want to throw out. Or need an interesting use for an everyday object. Let’s see how creative we can be.

And, we’re featured on Remodelaholic today!

There’s still time to ask us anything for Friday’s Q and A post. Ask away!

Blog Fest: Kitchen Mood Board

Published on May 10, 2011May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode15 Comments

This is a big renovation year for us, just like two years ago when we finished our basement. Soon enough, we’re going to pour a new concrete patio. Over the weekend, Ben and I discussed our kitchen. We already had a general idea of the design elements, so we were talking the nitty-gritty details. Cabinet layout, whether to go with all drawers or keep some cabinets, assorted toe kick options and things of that nature. That inspired me to whip up a mood board to give you an idea of where we’re headed. We’re looking for classic traditional with modern touches, something like this:

Here’s a break down of our major components:

1. The paint will tie into the living room and I really want a warm, mid tone grey. We haven’t picked absolutely settled on a paint color, but I like Kendall Charcoal (HC-166) and Cape May Cobblestone (1474) by Benjamin Moore. Both colors are favorite greys selected by Ben Moore himself, well, the company.

2. We’ve used these modern cylinder drawer pulls on our entertainment center and love the look, so we’ll use them both as drawer pulls and door handles. Helpful hint: You can buy packages of 10 at Lowe’s for about 1/2 the individual price.

3. Rather than a standard undermount sink, we’ve fallen for the look of this stainless steel apron front sink. It’s both traditional and modern, all in one. Oh, the smaller size (6 inches smaller than our current sink) will allow us to move our trash from its current location to the left side of our sink. By doing this, we’ll also gain another drawer stack. (Right now we have a small cutting board cabinet).

4. It’s no secret that we (really, I) love Carrara marble. We have it in both bathrooms and we’re adding some to the kitchen. Because our backsplash is minimal, we’re planning a cut it ourselves subway sized, brick-lay marble backsplash. Something similar to this, but cheaper because we’ll buy 12 inch square tiles to cut ourselves. Not literally ourselves, but we will do the cutting.

5. We love custom details and a good price, so Ben has decided to build our kitchen cabinets rather than buy. The square recessed panel, like the cabinet doors in my office, is a clean style with just enough detail.

6. Since we love our DIY welded steel and marble dining table, we’d love to add more of the same marble. I don’t know the name, so I’m sorry that I can’t give those details.

7. A set of matching LG stainless steel appliances is on our list including a backless range, dishwasher and refrigerator.

8. A few months ago, we were lucky enough to find 3/4 inch thick cherry-stained hickory hardwood flooring on clearance, so Ben bought what was left.

Some things might change and others already have. We’re not completely certain on the paint color and we already know the marble remnant we used for our dining table is no longer in stock. We’re searching for a single hole, pull out faucet in brushed stainless or nickel. We’ll also need to find the worlds smallest functioning microwave to keep on the counter, or another secret stash.

We have a few projects to tackle before we can start gutting the kitchen, but the planning is on like donkey kong. While we’re planning, I’m curious what kitchen features you have and couldn’t live with out? What about the gadgets you thought would be great but weren’t? Have any kitchen products you’d like to recommend? A faucet or tiny microwave, perhaps? Do you have all drawers? If so, any regrets?

P.S. Voting ends soon. Please vote for our office and bedroom to give us a chance at $5,000 for our kitchen remodel.

Blog Fest: Patio Planning

Published on May 9, 2011November 2, 2012 by Our Humble Abode13 Comments

With a year of blogging under our belt and seeing only one renovation project start from square one is a little depressing. Too bad we didn’t hop on the blog train before we started finishing our basement, huh? Well, this year, we’ve got some big projects in store and we’re going to take you along for the ride. Let the Blog Fest begin! First project on our to do list, rip up the old and pour a new concrete patio.

I’ve already shared my annoyances. First, I think it would be helpful to share the layout of our current patio. The walkway to the garage is completely covered with dirt, so I didn’t bother drawing that in.

The grey us where our current patio is, the dark grey as rock and the brown circle toward the top is the Ash tree, which we will cut down at some point. The south-east corner doesn’t extend completely. The new patio will, like this:

Over the weekend, we started planning the layout by pounding long nails into the corners. Vincent had to help, of course.

With the stakes in place, Ben wrapped string around to form a perimeter. Then we moved a few nails to tweak the design and took a few walks around to test the layout.

We decided on an angled path from the main patio area to the garage.

In addition to breaking up a ton (or several) of concrete, here is the plan:

Our current patio is roughly 8 feet wider than the planned patio will be, but will remain the same depth from the house. We’ll add an angled walking path from the new, smaller patio to the garage. The concrete will go around the basement bathroom window well (the half circle), up to the house. A walking path will sit a few inches from the edge of my office window well (the white box with rounded corners), leaving room on either side of the window for rocks with a small plant. I’d also love to have a row of hydrangeas along the eastern edge of the patio, to soften the edges and act as a pretty barrier between the yard and patio. And because I love hydrangeas. And because our yard slopes there and it may be tough for little feet to manage. And because I love hydrangeas.

We’ll keep the concrete stairs because they are in perfect condition, just need a good cleaning. The new concrete slab will sit a few inches higher than the surrounding grass to help keep dirt off, but three or so inches below the bottom stair. This should help explain.

Because we’re removing the area where the grills are, we’ll have to relocate the grill. Probably to the right of the stair was you walk out, south for the men reading this. Why is it that men always use North, South, East and West when giving directions while women usually use right, left or straight? Or landmarks. When we pour the concrete in the back, we’ll also pull out the pavers in our front walkway to pour a seamless concrete slab extending from the stairs to our concrete driveway.