Month: August 2011

Etsy Favs: August

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It’s that time again.  Etsy time!  Honestly, Etsy posts are some of my favorite to write because I remember all the lovely things I have added over the past few weeks.

Let’s start with art, like the Ginko Leaves screen print from Bold and Noble.

For a fun, 3D conversation piece, check out 57 fish by Karoart.  Hmm, could I make a 3D clay piece?

We’re still obsessed with birds and feathers, including this watercolor painting by Amber Alexander.

An original water-color painting for $35?  Say yes to Disappear by Water Color Paper.

Combine an original art piece, feathers, and a budget and you’ll get this original feather painting by Fairysomnia.


Yep, more feather paintings. This time from La Berge.

Just for kicks, how about a feather etching from Atelier28?


Along with feathers, I’ve been eyeing several text prints, like Something Wonderful by Khamm75.

And this Love Together Forever print from Orange Beautiful.


Now that we’ve covered art, it’s time for housewares.

Fabric animal baskets from Hoganfe add style and function to a little person space.

For baby, here’s a cute wooden bird mobile from Snug Studio.

This bull/knife block/bookshelf/cheeseboard from Toro Legno is sure to spark a conversation.

These sunny yellow crochet snowflakes from Dolce Crochet would make wonderful coasters.

Speaking of coasters, this rainbow puzzle set by Artis Everything are so fun!

And another set of coasters.  I guess we have a lot of drinks.  This time, a natural set made of wood by Bella Glow.  If you have scrap wood, why not make coasters?

Apparently I have a crush on doilies lately because this mat by Gildem is really cute.  An adaptation of this would also make great, cheap art.

This chevron and gold vase by Jill Rosenwald is stunning (and expensive!).

On the opposite end of the spectrum, this white and gold paper mache bowl by Etco is affordable and elegant.  I seriously need to make something of paper mache.

Did you love paint by numbers as much as I did?  Well then, this pillow by Shop Dirtsa and you are a match made in heaven.

We don’t need another calendar, but I’m still tempted to get this perpetual calendar from Orange Beautiful.

This geeky love note card from Dawn Correspondence was too cute not to include.

To see more of my favorites, stop by my Etsy profile.  And why not my shop while you’re in the neighborhood?

Plunge into the Lagoon

Published on by Our Humble Abode59 Comments

Well, I did it.  I painted the bathroom mirror.  Before, the mirror had a finish straight from the 90’s.  It didn’t look too bad from afar.

But get up close and you’ll pick up what I’m laying down.

On Thursday, I didn’t know which color I’d choose.  After much careful consideration deciding to take the bull by the horns, I chose the boldest option, Lagoon.  If I hated the color, I could easily paint the frame a safer color, like ORB (oil rubbed bronze) or white.  I picked up another can of Rustoleum’s Lagoon blue (a super pretty greenish blue) Ultra Coverage spray paint and got started.  First, I taped off the mirror, being careful to cover every part.

Two light coats of the satin finish paint later, I had a bold mirror.  And guess what?  I loved it.  After allowing several hours of air drying time, I brought the mirror downstairs and hung it up.  I peeled off the kraft paper, but left the taped edges, just incase Ben hated it.  I don’t know how he could, just look at the drama the color adds.

By the way, the color in this photo seems off.  In person, it looks extremely similar to the Ikea bottle on the left.  This is the most accurate picture I could get of the color.

Pretty, right?!  Luckily, Ben saw it and said he didn’t care whether it was blue or the original finish.  Right after his half-hearted approval, I tore the tape off to make the mirror officially done.

Now, when you enter the bathroom, you’re greeted by this.  Hello, lovely.

And, the bold color still works well with the muted sea green paint color in the adjoining theater room.

I think we’ll keep on trucking in the peacock-blue direction.  So much so that I’m looking at everything to see where I’ll add another unexpected pop of color.  Next stop, art.  And finally putting an outlet cover on that outlet.

Do the new changes float your boat?  Like the bold color enough to try it in your own home?  Where do you have unexpected pops of color?

The Change Up

Published on by Our Humble Abode8 Comments

Despite finishing the basement nearly a year and a half ago, most of the rooms are filled with left over and unwanted furniture from the main level.  We don’t have a definite plan for decorating and we’re on a tight budget because we’re saving up money for our kitchen remodel.  Don’t get excited, we’ve made very little progress on that front, but we do have a mini change we’ll share later this week.

With guests coming tonight, I thought it was time to fix up the basement bedrooms.  The smaller of the two wasn’t so bad.

You know, if you think an industrial sewing machine isn’t so bad.  Or lack of closet doors.  The other bedroom wasn’t as great.

It’s a warehouse for chairs, exercise equipment, and flooring.

Fortunately for our guests, we’ve made some changes, but I have teased you long enough.  It all started when I got a bug up my butt to sell the massively dark queen bed from the larger bedroom.  Craig and his infamous list to the rescue.  I listed the bed for $500 or best offer, including a mattress.  A few days and phone calls later, a couple stopped by to look at the bed.  They said they’d take it, so Ben hauled the bed to their house the next day.  Finally, I could put my plan into action.

You see, I have always disliked the king mattress being in the smaller room while the queen bed was in the larger room.  Why didn’t we just put the queen bed in the smaller room?  Because the bed with headboard was too long to fit in the small room while leaving room to walk around the bed with the sewing machine.  Yes, I did just say sewing machine.

So, on Wednesday while Everett was napping, Vincent and I set to work to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.  First, I hauled the king mattress into the large bedroom and the queen box spring and mattress in the small bedroom.

We still have to get a bed frame and make a head board, but the size of the bed is much better for this room.  It allows for a larger side table.  I bought this table for only 25 bucks from Home Goods on our recent Minnesota trip.

It’s super lightweight, but the design is versatile.  The faux crocodile top adds interest, too.

With the king bed in the large bedroom, the mattress sat right next to the La Z Boy, so I had to think of an alternative layout.  Knowing we can’t get rid of furniture just yet, I worked with what I had.

I moved the chair over to allow for the bed to be centered on the back wall with a nightstand on either side.  Makeshift art that I hung above the bed and two small ottomans at the foot, just to give them a place.  We still have a pile of hardwood flooring stacked along the wall, but it’s the only place we can store it, so it stays.

The rocking chair now sits closer to the door, taking the place of the dresser.  To make the chair placement seem more intentional, I created a little reading nook, complete with a small side table and floor lamp.

Now, you see this from the doorway.

To the right of the entrance, we have a bookshelf Ben built, which originally lived in Vincent’s bedroom.  You know, before Everett was born and we needed to make space for the crib.  Really, we don’t need this bookshelf any longer, so it may find a new home via Craigslist.  Until then, I wanted to make it seem useful.

Ben’s weights had to stay, but by adding a blanket and towels, it can serve as guest storage.  A few random books, candles, vases, a mirror, and art add a little more visual interest, but still a far cry from finished or pretty.

While we’re on the subject of guest storage, where did the dresser go?

In the smaller bedroom, across from the bed.  Still, not perfect, but our guests now have a place to unpack and set junk.  Hopefully, some day, we’ll find a better place to house the manly sewing machine.  Overall, I think the rooms look better, and, we gained $400 by selling the too huge bed frame.  So, that’s how we updated the basement bedrooms without spending a cent.  Of course, we plan to add art, furniture we actually like, and accessories to make the rooms feel more complete.

What do you think of the changes?  Any free suggestions for improvements?  What changes have you made without spending any money?

Gimme a Giveaway: Gadanke Winner!

Published on by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

Wow, one of the last Fridays this summer.  Where has the year gone?  Fortunately, we have good news for one lucky reader.  Random.org chose number 22, Rebekah, as the winner of the Gadanke giveaway.  Rebekah, you get to choose from several great journals!  Congratulations!

Summer’s end is sad, but I’m getting ready for (and dare I say looking forward to?) fall weather and apple crisp.  Definitely apple crisp.  However, I will miss the spray paint ready weather summer offers.  Guess what I did yesterday?  I spray painted something.  Well, several things.  Any guesses what I painted and which color(s)?

Feeling Peacock-y

Published on by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

Our basement bathroom is sort of boring.  Lots of beige and white with some green.

I want to change that, but we’re not replacing the floor or repainting.  So, how can we add character without hours of work?  By adding interesting elements, like cute deer hooks for towels, and color, of course.  You probably already guessed which color we chose to add based on the post title.  If you’re dense, we chose peacock blue.  Why?  Because blue and green look great together and the adjacent theater room is sea blue/green.

This all started with a harmless trip to Ikea in December when I snagged a set of three Limmaren bottles.  We use the clear bottle in our bathroom for mouthwash and love it, so I decided to fill the blue bottle up for the basement.

For another splash of peacock, I bought a three dolla hand towel from Target.

So far, so good.  I still have to convince myself Ben to paint the mirror a similar shade.  I have no qualms about painting the mirror, because I definitely don’t like the current finish.

But, do I use spray paint with limited options?  Maybe the same color we used for the shelving?  Or a more boring route, ORB to tie in with the other fixtures?  Or old-fashioned latex for a custom color?

I have about 10 ideas swirling in my brain for art, but I need to try some things out to see what I would like best in the space.  I know I want something long and narrow over the bath tub, but would it look strange to have another long, narrow piece over the toilet, sitting on the shelf?

That blank wall to the right of the toilet bugs me, but eventually we will finish the steam shower under the stairs so a door will swing out toward that wall.

More color to come, but I haven’t decided on other items.  This rug from Urban Outfitters is fantastic, but could be too busy in the space.  And it’s a simple cotton rug and Ben would hate that it doesn’t have a non slip backing.  However, the size and price is right.  You know what they say, “If the rug boot fits.”

Usually a shower curtain would add a ton of color, but we don’t need one because we have a tub only.  However, a small window sits above the bath tub.

 The window is the same size as the other small windows in the bedrooms.  Could we treat is sort of like the window in the basement bedroom?

Would it look odd to hang a boldly colored, fun patterned curtain there?  While I’m showing you the basement bedroom, you should know that they saw some changes yesterday.  I’ll share more on that next week.

What would you do?  What other ways do you add color to a bathroom?  Any art placement ideas?  How much is too much in a bathroom?