Category: Current House

Three or four years ago a house up the street went on the market.  Because we’re nosy curious, we went to the open house.  Oddly enough, it was the same layout as our house before Ben made any changes.  Several months ago, the same house went up for sale.  Naturally, we had to check it out again.  In the three years between open houses, a lot of changes had been made.  We thought it would be fun and interesting to compare and contrast similar angles between the open house and our house.

I think it’s safe to say the renovations in this house were made with the intention of flipping.  Typically that means safer, more ‘beige’ decisions to appeal to the masses. Because we plan to live here a while, we’ve made decisions that we like, without much consideration for resale.  We had always planned to open up the wall in our kitchen, but saw this before we had done anything.

The stairs have also been relocated along the north wall where our entertainment center sits.

We thought it was fun to see another version of the same layout.  What are your thoughts on the different takes?

This giveaway is no longer accepting entries.  See who won here.

It’s no secret we’re huge fans of personalized, pretty, and affordable art.  Raise your hand if you are, too.  Oh, good.  Then you’ll love this weeks giveaway courtesy of Celadon Home.

Michelle, the creative genius, designs 12 inch square wall panels using hearts cut from assorted paper media.  This includes books:

Dictionaries:

Sheet music:

Wedding Vows:

A drawing:

Love letters:

Or your photos:

Getting married soon?  Michelle also offers a custom guest book alternative.

Several hearts are also customized with names, dates, and initials, suited perfectly for any occasion.  The result is a completely one-of-a-kind show stopping piece everyone will ask about.  And now you’re asking, “How do I get my hands on one?”  Here’s how:

The Goods: One original, signed 12 inch art square, personalized to your taste.  A $49.99 value!

To Enter:   We ask that you please subscribe to Our Humble A{Bowe}d.  If you don’t want to receive e-mail notifications, that’s fine.  Let us know if you follow us through Google Reader or another form and it will also count.  To subscribe, click the “Sign Me Up!” button under “Be the first to know.”  Once you’ve subscribed, leave a comment, which can (but doesn’t have to) include our Just for Fun question.

Just for Fun: Tell us how you make a house your home.  Splash a little color on the walls?  Hang things up?  Organize your little heart out?  Nothing but move stuff in?

For additional entries:

1. Add Celadon Home to your Etsy favs, come back and leave a comment telling us what your favorite item is.

Contest Closes: Thursday, November 3rd at 11:59 pm, central time.

Number of Winners: One!

Ships: Anywhere in the U.S.

Other Info: We will select the winner using random.org and announce on Friday, November 4th .  Good luck!!

All  images found via the featured Etsy seller’s listing as linked above.

Kitchen work resumes today with electrical.  Then we’ll try to install cabinets and get our kitchen sink back.  Before we started tearing apart our kitchen, I had trolled Pinterest for kitchen inspiration.  Some ideas we’ve already had, but it’s nice to see it in action, like this corner cabinet, extended to the counter.

And all drawers for the lower cabinets.  I love the glass storage containers, too.

Who was the genius that decided to cut a hole in a cutting board over the garbage can?  Seriously, that’s better than sliced bread.  I wouldn’t make the cutting board a drawer or have the hole centered, but it’s something to think about.

Another brilliant idea, toe kick drawers for thin items like cookie sheets and muffin tins.  Not an inch of wasted space.  But do the drawers drag on the floor?

Disguise a pull out spice rack behind a decorative pillar.

I’m a total sucker for built in dividers, and this knife block/spice rack/utensil storage is no exception.  I hope to do something similar.

I would never have thought to add nail head trim to the edge of a cabinet, but I really like the look.

Always losing measuring spoons and cups?  Well, I don’t, because I don’t bake, but this is a great option.

This idea really rocks my socks.

Why?  We’re going to lose a lot of our upper cabinet storage when we renovate the kitchen, which means I’ll also lose my spice cabinet.  Hopefully we’ll have enough room in a drawer for spices.  The chalk board labeled tops is a great touch.

Again, I hope we can figure out a way to re-create this under counter pantry.

Helllllloooo organization.  How I love thee.

I can’t wait to have pretty, glass fronted cabinets and paint the inside a poppy color.  I mean really, what’s not to love?!

This is a pretty flush mount our stainless apron front sink.

Hopefully we’ll have a few fun “Why didn’t I think of that!” ideas to share down the road.  Kitchen work resumes today with electrical.  Then we’ll try to install cabinets and get our kitchen sink back.

Are you inspired by any of these ideas?  Did you find any as mind blowing as I did?

We’re knee-deep in installing the new hardwood floors, which look amazing so far, by the way.  So, we’ll keep the brief.  For the Shabby Apple giveaway, we asked your favorite fall drink.  I’m obsessed with Starbuck’s Caramel Apple Cider.  Seriously, love it, without whipped cream.

Jenn, the winner of one beautiful necklace, loves pear cider.  I’ve never tried that, but it sounds interesting.

Hopefully we’ll be back later this afternoon with a floor post.

Hello, friends!  Another Friday is upon us, which means the weekend is close.  We accidentally (text from another giveaway) asked your favorite rainy place.  I would love to take a trip to Niagara Falls.  We meant to ask whom you’d most like to have tea with.  I’d have to say James Roday from Psych, just to see if his personality is at all similar to his character Shawn Spencer.  Man, that show cracks me up.

Ashleigh, our winner, said her favorite rainy place is her cousin’s lake side cottage in New York.  She also happens to love the ginko leaf pattern necklace.

Good choice, Ashleigh.

So, what are you up to this weekend?  More kitchen work for us, I hope.

P.S.  We’ll be back again this afternoon with more counter top details.  And a few pictures.