November 2013

Gimme a Giveaway Winner & a Sale

Published on November 29, 2013 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

Hey, hey! Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving! How about a winner of the Girl and Parrot giveaway? Jen N, you’re the lucky duck! Congrats!

We’re also having a big Black Friday blowout sale. 60% off anything and everything in the shop, new and old alike. So you can get a Carved Initials Cut Out for only 20 bucks.

Or an Astrological Sign Cut Out for $12, customized with your colors.

But I added three new, festive prints. So a new Eat, Drink & Be Merry print is only six dollars!

A new Wishing Wishbone print is six bucks, too.

New, custom art would make a lovely, affordable holiday gift. Or get something for yourself! Use the code BLACKFRIDAY60 to activate the code and save.

Foam Plus Paint Equals Stamped Runner

Published on November 25, 2013November 25, 2013 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

Part of our Thanksgiving table setting is a gold plus stamped runner. It didn’t take long to make and cost about 5 bucks.

I bought three yards of 32 inch wide white muslin, normally $1.99 per yard, but I had a 50% off coupon. Only 3 dollars for fabric. Then I folded the fabric lengthwise, right sides together and stitched along a short and long side.

Next, I flipped it right side out and ironed it flat. Once flat (with the seams pressed), I sewed all four edges, leaving a 1 inch seam. For a little detail, I made a plus sign from a foam take out container to make a stamp. Because the foam is so thin, I taped a crayon to the back to serve as a handle.

I tested out dipping and brushing paint on using a scrap of fabric. I actually preferred the brush strokes, so I stamped it on the runner. Martha Stewart craft paints also work on fabric, so it was about two bucks for the paint.

And we can use this runner year round because it isn’t a specific theme.

I love super simple holiday projects. Usually things are crazy and it’s nice to have something fun and useful. Did you make holiday decor for your table?

Colorful Cactus & Candles

Published on November 22, 2013November 22, 2013 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

Last year, our Thanksgiving table was neutral; white, gray, copper, wood, and a dash of gold. This year I went completely opposite. Bright colors, including red, orange, yellow, pink, and gold.

I found orange and white stripe napkins at Pier 1 for 98 cents each and that set the color scheme and tone. Fun, festive fall colors, with a twist.

In place of flowers, I bought three 3 buck cactus from Home Depot and potted them in cheap glasses. Bonus, I get to enjoy them for more than a week.

To get a little more color, I painted the inside of each glass a different color. Plain acrylic paint so I can wash these out.

But it’s such a fun, happy, cheap way to add a pop. Same story for these confetti candle holders I whipped up. I had the glasses from last year (from Dollar Tree) and used the same acrylic paint to make dots.

Again, these are not permanent. Hot water and soap will clean these off.

A few mini pumpkins add more color and a fall touch.

The centerpieces are simple, because we need plenty of space to eat our feast.

I covered the table with kraft paper, then set out a DIY runner. More details on that next week.

Have you settled on a Thanksgiving color scheme?

Oh, and the winner of the Spruce book giveaway is Jackie! Congrats!!

Eames Inspired

Published on November 20, 2013November 20, 2013 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

In addition to the new shelf, our entry is getting a little much-needed organization. For my next mini project, I took inspiration from the Eames Hang-It-All Coat Rack.

No, I didn’t make a coat rack, though hooks are on my to do list. Instead, I made a cute, colorful round ball sculpture.

We had the live edge wood in the garage, and I found 1 1/2 inch wooden balls and a thin wooden dowel at Hobby Lobby, both 50% off.

A few coats of acrylic craft paint on each ball, using the Eames color scheme as a reference. A little wood glue in the ball hole to hold the random length sticks in place. Then, I drilled holes in the wood base and glued the stick in. The bit I used was slightly bigger, but toothpicks to the rescue. After the glue dried, I sprayed it all with a few coats of clear gloss.

Oh, I bought a new bulb for the lamp, too. Now you don’t see the ugly, too long CFL sticking out.

It’s a fun little piece with happy colors. And the grain of the live edge is amazing.

But it has a purpose. Oh no, this space is too small for a bunch of decorative only nick knacks.

The real purpose is a hat and mitten drying rack.

Now, when V comes home from school, I have a place to put mittens out to dry. Because this is out in the open, we don’t have to look for missing gloves in the mornings. In addition to coat hooks, I want a bin for mail, we need an outlet for the lamp, and I want to recover the ottoman seat in something more colorful.

Demo More

Published on November 18, 2013November 18, 2013 by Our Humble Abode11 Comments

Squeeee! It has begun. Master bathroom reno. It’s on like Donkey Kong. Our shower pan finally came in, so we can start tearing into this project. What looked like this on Friday:

Looks like this now:

Which is super exciting. Even though we’re down one bathroom, this is a good thing, Martha. Our once super closed off shower:

Was carefully torn apart to not damage the plumbing and electrical in the wall.

Ben had fun taking the sledge-hammer to the old tile.

I didn’t get pictures of the shower base, but let me tell you, it was gross. Even with a liner, the poured concrete and tile base leaked. This is the second layer of plywood below the shower.

Which is exactly the reason we waited for our custom stainless steel shower pan. One piece means far fewer places to leak. Exactly the reason we waited for our custom stainless steel shower base.

In about five hours, Ben took out the shower, mirror, toilet, and vanity.

The floor, however, wasn’t as quick. Tiles came up, but the OSB underlayment was a bear. Think tiny pieces.

And we discovered something unexpected. What we just tore out, was a remodel! There’s capped off sink plumbing and an outlet behind the shower walls.

Plumbing came through the floor to feed the sinks, too, so we’re not sure where exactly the tub or shower was before.

We, okay, okay, Ben will have his work cut out for him. Plumbing and electrical to deal with before things will start looking better.

But, this is exciting. So is the stack of tile, lights, and supplies in the garage. Have you started a winter project? Or a bathroom remodel?

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