April 2012 – Page 4

The Color of Spring

Published on April 9, 2012October 18, 2012 by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

Despite this winter being remarkably nice and tame, I’m excited spring is here. Small signs are popping up, quite literally, all around. Before planting rose bushes in the front bed, I had an assortment of bulbs and perennials. Each year, one rogue tulip shows up.

All of our fruit trees made it through the winter, too. It’s interesting how different trees and leaves look, even as buds. Tight clusters on the cherry trees.

Larger leaves on the pear trees.

The Italian plum trees are the slowest to leaf out. Look at the small flower-like bunches on our maple trees.

To me, this is the color of spring. Bright, fresh, and new; not the dark green of summer.

Bleeding hearts are starting to sprout buds, with bright green leaves.

I’m enjoying it while I can, because this fresh spring doesn’t last long. And, we won’t live at this house for another spring.

How is spring in your area? Already in full bloom? Just starting like it is here? What’s your favorite element of spring? Fresh flowers? Warmer weather? Fresh green leaves?

Gimme a Giveaway Winner: SallyHP & Easter Goodies

Published on April 6, 2012October 18, 2012 by Our Humble Abode10 Comments

It’s Friday. Can this day get any better? I think it can. I get to announce the winners of the SallyHP giveaway. Angel P and Maggie, consider this your birthday, too. And, it’s Easter weekend, so here are a few Easter ideas.

Edible bird’s nest:

Egg dying techniques:

Egg carton chicks:

Doodle Easter eggs:

Origami bunny rabbit:

Bunny folded napkin:

And, Stylelist included our Hoppy Easter printables in a round up. Check out the other great ideas.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Stairway to Heaven

Published on April 5, 2012April 5, 2012 by Our Humble Abode23 Comments

Way back in December while in Minnesota for family Christmas, Ben worked on a not so little project at my sister’s house. You see, she has an open staircase, similar to the Brady Bunch set, with slightly better safety features.

Brady-inspired stairs + over spaced balusters = safer than Brady stairs.

Where am I going with this? Well, Ashley wanted bookshelves under her staircase. Ben gets bored in Minnesota, so he offered to help her. Before he could make bookshelves that tie in to the stairs, he had to rework the treads. He started by ripping the carpet off.

Then, Ben used L steel to build support brackets, cutting a long piece of steel into many 10 inch pieces.

Ben made a template and drilled holes through each bracket, screwing the supports in place.

Originally, Ben and Ashley agreed to plane down the original treads to reuse. One tread later, the planer belt broke and they couldn’t find a replacement. On to plan B. Ben proposed joining two 2 by 12 boards together to make one thick and beefy stair tread.

Ashley told Ben to do whatever he would, so he bought enough wood to finish the stairs. Careful cutting, lots of glue, and screws later, the new treads were ready for install. Ash, the boys, and I left and came back to see this:

Oooh, ahhh. Luckily, we still had a day left in Minnesota, leaving time for Ben to build some bookshelves. He used the same process for building the stair treads to make the shelves.

Fast forward several months because Ashley and Arik have finished staining and sealing.

Isn’t that awesome?!? All that storage and I love that it’s a small reading nook. What do you think? Do you have a fun staircase? How about a little reading nook?

Whoop, Whoop

Published on April 4, 2012October 18, 2012 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

After last week’s rug failure, I redeemed myself at a local thrift store. My sister, V, and I stopped in to see if there was anything we should know about. We browsed the lamps, dinnerware, and toys without success. Fate brought us past a few rugs, so I scanned the rack and saw a small rolled up rug, backside facing out. The West Elm tag caught my eye, so I laid it on the floor and saw this:

A 3 foot by 5 foot 95% wool (the lighter raised areas are rayon) Ayo rug for only 25 bucks.

I sent a picture to Ben asking what he thought of it. No response. After talking it over with my sister, we agreed it could work as either a large bath mat or an entry rug. Then I noticed a few small pieces coming out of the raised areas. At checkout, I pointed this out. Because of the defect, the clerk took $10 off so I paid $15. Putting this in the rug win column. Excited to find a place for it in the new house.

March Acronym

Published on April 3, 2012October 18, 2012 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

March just marched right past us after being especially busy selling our house, hosting family, and planning a cute little boy’s second birthday. Here’s how March happened for us.

Marketing a house to sell and a munchkin birthday party: We sold our house within two weeks of putting it on the market, and we’re sharing our knowledge of fliers, handling showings, and FSBO tips.

Munchkin’s balloon animal themed party including cupcake toppers and well, balloon animals.

A success and failure: A cute little kids table and a rug disappointment.

Round ups: Of our favorite green things and lingering projects in this house. Organizing our cutting boards and cookie sheets and how we planned my office.

Catch up: On house projects. With the decision to sell our house, we had a lot of work. Painting our living room, touching up paint, and finishing our kitchen.