2013 – Page 20

Bubbling Up

Published on May 15, 2013May 15, 2013 by Our Humble Abode15 Comments

Here’s another quickie project to help you get organized. Or at least more organized, can’t fix every problem with a few hooks now can ya? It started when I saw these cute metal cloud hooks.

Then I looked at the pile of Everett’s costumes and set out to make cute hooks. A stop to Michael’s and Home Depot gave me everything I needed:

1 inch wood dowel

Pre-cut wooden shapes (I chose conversation bubbles, but there are so many fun shapes, including clouds)

Dowel screws

Sharpie paint pen

Not pictured, you’ll need craft paint, clear coat, wood glue (or your favorite strong glue), a drill, saw, and pliers. Cut the dowel to length, mine are 2 inches and sand any rough ends. Then glue the wooden shapes the front, pressing firmly. Once dry, paint all sides of the hooks. Drill a pilot hole the size of your screw shaft in the end of the dowel. Screw the in, making it tight.

I chose to write on the bubbles, to look like a comic books. Gotta love a little onomatopoeia, right? Seemed fitting since the hooks hold super hero costumes. So I wrote words like Boom, Kapow, Zap, and Thud with the Sharpie pen and gave the hooks two coats of clear finish. I screwed them to the wall (find a stud or use anchors, just to be safe) and showed Everett.

He thought they were “so nice.” Mission accomplished.

I’ve got two more that I might add, but we’ll see.

Something similar could be fun and functional in an entry, too. Maybe with names on them? Maybe not, to look like little floating art…

Rock On, Dude

Published on May 13, 2013May 13, 2013 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

For a while, the landscape of our house has been neglected. First by the previous owner and then us. Some attempts at landscaping were made, but not maintained. So when we bought this house, the front yard looked like a mess of dead, overgrown grass and weeds.

Because it was dead, overgrown grass and weeds.

All over.

Then we took a weed whacker to it and tamed the beast.

Crazy to actually see the plants tucked behind that.

But it grows back, looking a little, nay, a lot like Donald Trump’s hair; long, thin, side swept, and unmanageable. Because the hills are so steep and many large rocks punctuate the hillside, it would be impossible to maintain nice grass. Factor in minimal rainfall and it’s hard to keep anything alive without an outrageously expensive water bill. So we’re going with more rock. Doesn’t need water or maintenance, and cuts down on the dust storms.

The past few weekends we’ve cut out the weeds, laid weed mat, and schlepped rocks. Even yesterday when temps reached the mid 90’s. Yes, crazy for this time of year. Lots of water and lemonade.

Ahh, clean, blank canvas. Maybe this fall we’ll be able to plant drought resistant plants, to green things up.

If I’m lucky, some flowers for color.

Most of the front side has been rocked, but we’ve got the other side to deal with.

Which included cutting back part of the railing-less, unsafe deck to the front door to get the Bobcat across. Once the rock has been distributed, we’ll make a new walking path and steps up.

All that to say this: digging out weeds and hauling rocks is not fun, but we’re eager to get it finished and start on some fun projects. Like a deck in the backyard. Ben found a great deal on reclaimed wood, so we’ve nixed the concrete patio. Instead we’ll have a low deck. And we’re crazy excited about it.

Leather Cord Cuff

Published on May 10, 2013May 10, 2013 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

Cords. We’ve got a mess of chargers for various electronics: phones, computers, cameras, even table lamps. Here’s a super quick, no sew, and cute way to keep those cords controlled. Start with a scrap of leather and good scissors.

Cut the leather into strips. For bigger cords, go wider, but mine is about an inch wide by six inches long. Trim the ends in a cute pattern (at an angle, fringe, whatever tickles your pickle). Then fold one end over and cut a slit running lengthwise with the strip.

At the other end, cut two small notches perpendicular to the slit, not quite to the center.

Wrap your cord up and insert the end through the hole.

Done, an easy way to corral those cords at home or on the go.

Of course you could change this up by adding a snap or button. Or make several to use as napkin rings. Happy Friday, too! Whatcha doing this weekend? And special plans for Mother’s day?

Because Call My Maybe came on while writing this, here’s a video to give you a laugh this Friday.

Thank You, Spring Cleaning

Published on May 8, 2013May 8, 2013 by Our Humble Abode13 Comments

I swear I can thank spring cleaning for my most recent thrifty finds. First a Drexel dresser for the boys’ room and now two chairs and a foot stool.

I found the chairs at Habitat for Humanity ReStore for five bucks each. Sold! They’re solid wood and should be easy to refinish and upholster. Because one has a giant tear in the seat.

Oh, and the orange vinyl isn’t my fav.

For now, the chairs will live in the family room, replacing the Target slipper chairs, which are in the living room now. I’ve been looking for arm chairs with a smallish frame. Ideally I’d stumble upon something like this for a fraction of the price. But I’m not holding my breath.

Until that magical day happens, these are okay. You know, with a little lovin’.

Surprisingly comfortable, the small footprint of the chairs fits nicely in the walk path perimeter room. A little more depth would be great to feel more lounge-y. Eventually (when our kids stop wiping grimy hands on everything) we’ll man up and buy adult furniture.

How ’bout that footstool/ottoman/side table for $8? After a quick search, I saw many similar stools for sale, some as high as $300.

The cane top has damage, but the wood is in good shape. I’m considering cutting a larger piece of plywood to set on top, making this footstool a round coffee table.

What would you do to these pieces? Sand and stain? What type and color fabric for the chairs? We’ve got cream leather in the basement that I think could look nice. Thoughts?

When Pins Collide

Published on May 6, 2013May 6, 2013 by Our Humble Abode16 Comments

I’ve had a major crush on this pendant, dreaming of having it, or something similar in our entry since we bought this house.

While lying in bed last week, I remembered the traditional Christmas Finnish Himmeli ornaments.

Eureka! Couldn’t I merge these two together? I ran my idea past Ben, but he worried a single bulb wouldn’t light the entry adequately. Determined to give this a try, I decided to scale down the size to make a pendant for our bedroom. Goodbye old fan.

I started with my supplies, 36 one foot pieces of 1/2 inch PVC pipe (under two bucks for 10 feet!), wire, and black spray paint.

Using the wire, I threaded three pieces on and twisted the wire ends together.

Then strung through one of those pieces, adding two more on, securing the ends with a few twists.

I made a group of four, brought it in the house and realized it would hang down too far. So, I took it apart and cut the pieces down to 8 inches.

Treating each triangle individually made easier and tighter connections.

After twisting the ends several times, I cut the wire and pushed it inside the pipe.

The easiest way to think about this design is a hexagon turned to a six-sided star, like this:

To make the three-dimensional shape, connect the outer points with another piece. I’d suggest hanging it to make work easier.

String on the last six pieces, connecting all to the center point. And time for spray paint. We had beautiful weather, so I strung it up between two trees and got my spray on.

I thought I had a pendant kit, but used it in the guest bedroom. So this guy hasn’t been installed, but is finished. Off to ReStore to snag a cheapie pendant to hang this dude.

Now that it’s assembled, I wish I had made the top and bottom six pieces a little longer than the rest. The points aren’t nearly as noticeable as the Restoration Hardware version.