Puttin’ On My Painting Clothes

Welp, over the last four days I did a lot of prep and painting.   Thought it may not look like I did.  You know, the main bathroom is deceptively large and then factor in the trim detail I had to work with.  It took most of my weekend, but we’re one step closer to a finished bathroom.  Last weekend, Ben installed most of the trim.  He finished up on Tuesday, installing the cap and details around the vanity.  I spent a few hours filling nail holes and caulking the seams on Wednesday.  After that, I packed up the boys and we took a trip to the lumber yard to search for the perfect crown molding.  Five samples came home with me, but I had a clear favorite.  That one, at the top of the pile.

Ben agreed, and it was the second cheapest option.  Hooray!  Thursday I sanded everything and started priming.  Then on Friday I put on the first coat of white paint.  After our home-made waffle breakfast, our little family made another trip to the lumber yard to buy our crown molding to finish off the bathroom.  Ben installed it once we got home.  Of course that gave me more nail holes to fill and seams to caulk, but the end was in sight.  While letting the caulk dry, I put a second coat of white on the lower half.  Bright and early on Sunday morning, I sanded the crown and gave it a quick, heavy coat of white.  Luckily, one coat covered the crown completely, so I let that dry and worked on the entertainment center.  (More on that project soon!)  Then I taped off the white trim to give the walls and ceiling a second coat of gray.  And so I did.  Because I worked my butt off to get this all done, I thought it be best to tell you every detail of the process so you feel like you’ve painted with me.  Haha.  I told you all of that to show you this; our (almost) finished bathroom.

While I’m biased, I’m completely in love.  And it’s nice to see the trim one color.  So much whiter and brighter.

We’ve got a few little things to do, like build faux drawers for the vanity, paint the door (which means the rest of the doors in the house will get painted as well-I think I’ve landed on a color), and spray paint the fan cover.

The rest is d.o.n.e.  As I mentioned, Ben and I had a few disagreements about trim placement.  Lucky for me, he agreed to add 1/4 inch detail trim around the side of the linen closet.

The rest of the room has a decorative trim (which also functions to hide the peeled sheet rock).

The same trim wraps around the vanity acting as a back splash.

Details make me happy.  While this trim is simple, I think it works well with the modern meets traditional aesthetic we’re going for.

Simple square door casement with a touch of detail.

And let’s talk about the crown.  We had the option to use traditional crown, similar to what is in the rest of the house, like this for 55 and 75 cents per linear foot.

But it all felt too formal and traditional.  Instead, we landed on a door casement with a slightly detailed, but still clean lined profile.  For us, this works.  We used casement as crown in our first house with great results.  And, this trim is only 45 cents a linear foot.  At that price, for our 8 foot square bathroom, the crown cost only $11.25.

Big impact for little money.  And the casement is easier to work with that true crown.

What do you think of our almost finished bathroom?  Did you work all weekend?  Or did you take some time to relax?  I’m off to work on the entertainment center now.

Gimme a Giveaway Winner: A. Heirloom & Weather Reports

Another happy Friday, folks!  As part of the A. Heirloom giveaway, I asked which state you wouldn’t want to live in.  Well, I become a total crab if I’m hot, so I’d have to say anything south wouldn’t work for me.  Specifically Arizona and New Mexico.  Our winner, Angie, would want to live in Iowa or Georgia.  Oddly enough, Alaska, Texas, and Florida got the most votes.  I kind of agree with all, just because Alaska is sooooo far away (though two of Ben’s brothers live there).  Texas and Florida are both too  hot and humid for my liking.  At this point, I’m happy living in Montana.  Sure, there are plenty of times I yearn for a larger city and miss the Twin Cities.  But we love our property.

Even if our mountain house had been a shack on this land, we would have wanted it.  Granted, it needs some love and attention, but the views and privacy alone are worth it.  And, we don’t need the weather report anymore.  Well, that’s not completely true because our forecasting skills are slightly less accurate than the professional reporter.  We have a great advantage, because we can see everything coming in or going out.

Take a look at this crisp, clear morning.  You know you’ll have a nice day when that’s the first impression.

We’ve seen a handful of stunning sunsets, too.  Red sky at night, sailor’s delight, right?

More often than not, we see weather changes in the distance.  A few weeks ago, we watched a storm come over the mountains to our area.

Cool clouds and rain to the west.

But bright, clear skies to the south.

Last week, another storm came in, leaving the mountains in a perfect silhouette.  We decided to climb the hillside behind the house for a full, unobstructed view.  And it was totally worth it.  Here’s the zoomed out view, showing the mountain range.

And here’s what it looks like in real life, up close and personal.

Handy Sammy was using my camera, fiddling with setting, and he took this great shot.

A few nights ago, a little rain shower passed over us, leaving a double rainbow behind.  That’s the best shot I could get, but the rainbow was huge and bright.

With our crazy hot and dry summer, we’ve had smoke/haze covering most of our views.  Boo.  Eventually it will clear again.  Until then, I’m enjoying pictures.  Handy Sammy suggested I take a picture of the view each day to see how things change.  I think that’s a neat idea…and might have to start; maybe this weekend.

What are your weekend plans?  Enjoying the last few days of unofficial summer?  Taking a trip?

Etsy Favs: August

Well, it’s that time of the month again.  Here’s what I added to my Etsy favs this month.

Sending snail mail is a dying habit, but this cute Hello There Card from Quill and Fox could be the push to send something out with a stamp.

This Paris Rooftops Painting by Tubidu is plain pretty.  Paris, painting, and metallic gold. ‘Nough said.

Lately I’ve been drawn to the happiness of yellow, and this Triangle Printed Pillow from Jamie Lundberg.  Adorable.

And how could I resist this Gold Metallic Pillow Cover by {Me} Longings?

I think this Le Corbusier Green Wooden Block from The Colour Store would make a great bookend adding a burst of color.

How clever are these Stitched Wood Grain Pillow Cover by Stitch and Spoke?

And we’re back to my yellow obsession.  Yellow Snail Pillow from Laura Frisk, just plain awesome.

What happens when you combine flowers and watercolors?  Irresistible to Amanda art.  This Poppy Party Flowers Print by Karen Faulkner is no exception.

Geometric shapes are also a recent craze of mine, so these Stained Glass Honeycomb Drops by Bespoke Glass Tile hopped in my favorites.

Don’t even get me started on this fantastic Hanging Terrarium from Meg A. Myers Designs.  And how awesome would that be as a light fixture?!?

Apparently my inner raccoon has been on the prowl this month, because we’ve got another shiny, metallic item.  Gold Houndstooth Pillow Cover by Alive House.

Green is my favorite color, and this Ombre Green Necklace from Carton Bois is cute.

More faux bois.  Love this Faux Bois Utensil Holder by Jade Flower.  Turn it into a vase for more versatility.

Something about this Take Every Risk, Drop Every Fear from Lucius Art makes me smile.  Maybe the quote, but maybe the worn background.

Along with yellow (and metallics!) I’ve crushed on coral anything and everything.  This Coral Canvas Tote Bag by Chi Chi Dee is cute enough to pop in a frame as art, too.

Hello, pretty patterned Gray and Yellow Designer Pillow Covers from My Pillow Studio.

Today is the Day from Field Trip just puts a smile on my face.

Anyone think of Friends because of this You Are My Lobster by Rock the Custard?  Oodles of other adorable prints in the shop, too.

Rainy days make me happy lately.  And this Rain Drop Tea Towel from Homesteading Roasters is flippin’ great.

Possibly my favorite pillow cover of all time, this Patchwork X Pillow by CC Deux Vie.  Bold black and white, copper silk, and a fun pattern.  Sign me up!

So, which is your favorite?  It’s hard to pick just one, right?

Our Humble Sponsors: August

We’re switching up our sponsor appreciation posts.  Now, we’re going to share three of our favorite items from each sponsor.  Let’s get started!

If you need something printed, Vistaprint is a fantastic source for quality and affordable paper items.  Whether you choose from stock designs or upload your own, you’ll be pleased with the options.

1.  Personalized Stationery

2.  Pretty Note Pads

3.  Poppy Yellow Wedding Invitations

Colorful, fun, and funny prints abound in the Scissors, Paper, Mouse shop.  Stop by the shop and poke around; I’m sure you’ll have a giggle.

1.  Yellow and Gray Ampersand

2.  OMG I’ve Become a Cliche

3.  Don’t Be Square

Sick of wondering, “What’s for dinner?”  Emeals to the rescue.  Emeals offers a variety of meal plans, low carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, organic at many different stores, taking sales and coupons into consideration.

1.  Selection by Store

2.  Diet Specific Plans

3.  Family Menu Plans

Amy at Woodlawn Lane recently started blogging, sharing fun, simple ideas with the world.  And she sells cloth diapers.  What’s not to love?

1.  A Quick Picture Frame

2.  Painting Cabinets

3.  Cloth Diapers for Sale

S and S Babee is a small shop with hand sewn baby goodies.  Quality is top-notch and the patterns are so fun.

1.  Towel Bibs

2.  Burp Cloths

3.  Cloth Wipes

Jen at IHeart Organizing happens to be my blog bff, but that’s not the only reason I love her.  She has an Etsy shop stocked with goodies to keep you organized.  Oh, and she and her adorable family recently visited us.  Yep, they traveled all the way out here to hang out, shop, and check out Montana.  But that’s another post.  Haha.

1.  Personalized Meal Planning Printable

2.  Personalized Cleaning Checklist

3.  Customized Children’s Chore Chart

Interested in advertising with Our Humble A{Bowe}d? Here’s some info to get you started.

P.S.  As usual on sponsor shout out days, we’ll be back with our monthly Etsy favs.

Ketchup and Mustard

Going on in our living room.

See what I mean?  Of course it won’t stay like this forever.  Painting will happen, probably white for the sides with yellow for the backs.  While we’re liking more modern and industrial element for this house, I wouldn’t call this look industrial.  More like unfinished.  More trim work, framing out the cabinets, and building doors to cover the cabinets still to come.

Let’s not forget the drawers at the bottom for ample storage.

The shelves are stationary, support cleats holding each in place.

 

Ultimately, these cabinets will have a similar look to the kitchen cabinets we built.  Wrapped at the top with crown molding, shaker style trim on the sides, and shaker doors.  Instead of glass inside, we’ll use fabric to help cut down on dusty electronics while allowing heat and sound to escape.  Oh, and to hide the ugly speakers.

Speakers are ugly, but the cords are even uglier.  Fortunately, Ben is a cord ninja.  A one inch space at the back of the shelves makes tucking cords behind easy.

Drilling a hole just above the center shelf runs the cords along the back shelf (out of sight) through a hole, down the wall, to the TV.

Now I’ve got to go paint shelves so we can actually use them and get the bookshelf out of here.  You know, between caulking/filling holes/priming in the bathroomscraping wallpaper in the kitchen, and taking care of two crazy kids.  No biggie.  Haha.

What do you think?  How do you store your electronics?  Or hide cords?