Current House – Page 95

Etsy Favs: December

Published on December 7, 2012 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

For the Friend/Hostess:

I Get by with a Little Help from My Friends and I Love You Because from Recipe for Crazy

Cubi Vignette by Thedor

Glacier National Park Photo by Montana Clicks

Give Thanks print from Gus and Lula

Red Poppy print from Rebekka Seale

Abstract Acrylic Painting by Linnea Heide Art

For Her:

Taupe Hand Knit Scarf in Arlene’s Boutique

Abstract Geometric iPhone Case from Case of Identity

Botanical Wall Calendar by Modern Printed Matter

For Him:

Phone Desk Stand from Terry’s Woodworking

Moustache Head Phone Wrap from Alvin Art and Design

Grill Bar Spice Kit from Kitchen Stories

Eggs and Bacon Poster by Creative Sobriety

Star Wars 2013 Calendar from Loopz Art

For Baby and Kids:

Argyle Reversible Baby Shoes from Little Thread Wagon

Stuffed Dachshund Toy by Friends of Socktopus

Dinosaur Hat from Suzi Creations

DIY Canvas Tote Kit from Brooklyn Assembly

For the Home:

Orange Geometric Pillow Cover by Jillian Rene Decor

Yellow Water Colors Pillow from Hettle

Bone China Bowl with Gold Rim by Made by Manos

Nesting Cloud Plates by JD Wolfe Pottery

Pen and Ink Architectural Drawing by The Ink Lab

Abstract Gray painting by Letter Happy

Just a Trim

Published on December 4, 2012December 4, 2012 by Our Humble Abode22 Comments

Well, we finally have gotten around to trimming out (most) of the new windows, settling on the same style we used in the main bathroom. Unfortunately, I still have to fill holes, caulk joints, prime, and paint everything. I know what I’ll be doing the rest of the week.

But right now, it’s nice to see trim, albeit brown and white trim, instead of sheet rock edges and home foam. The side casement is 3 1/2 inch wide trim with a 3/4 inch thick by 1 inch deep bead molding/fillet, topped off by a 5 inch tall top casement.

For the bottom half, the 3 1/2 inch casement is on both the sides and bottom with a 1 inch thick window stool overhanging the casement by a half-inch.

All the house windows are trimmed, but we still have to track down a piece of oak for the floor at the sliding door.

And then figure out curtain placement and height. In the family room, I’m dreaming of pretty curtains, hung on either side of each window and the door. Not sure yet if the sconces will hinder that plan.

But I’ve got another problem, hopefully you can help; height of the curtains. I’m assuming it would look best to hang the curtain rod an inch or two above the new trim, which is fine in the living spaces. However, I’ve already made curtains for the boys’ bedroom, before we decided on a trim style. Which means, if I raise the curtains in their room a few inches, they’ll look short at the floor. Without moving the current set up, the curtain rod is about an inch below the top of the trim.

So, do you have any ideas or tips? Perhaps you’ve sewn curtains that are now too short? What did you do to fix it?

Rockin’ It

Published on December 3, 2012December 3, 2012 by Our Humble Abode20 Comments

Right now, we’re kind of between projects. Planning some while waiting for materials to come in/get delivered for others. One of those projects is a fireplace revamp. First off, neither Ben or I like the look of the 70’s moss rock; it’s dark and looks dirty.

Secondly, the placement of the vents and fan are less than ideal. What’s a fireplace without a mantel? But most importantly, the open wood burning fireplace is a huge cause for concern. We can’t leave a burning fire unattended, fearing an ember will land on the rug and burn the house down. The ash gets everywhere, and we can’t control the intensity of the fire. So, we’ve ordered and are waiting on our wood burning insert.

Because the insert weighs about 600 pounds, Ben decided to start on the surround before we have to move a hulking insert around. To get started, Ben laid out wood (to protect the floor) and chipped rock off the hearth face.

Seeing a pile of rubble inside wasn’t exactly a good surprise as we expected the cinder block to continue up from the basement. Hoping to find better news, Ben cut a small hole in the sheet rock on the side of the fireplace. Looked like rock and cinder block.

With nothing to lose, we pulled off the sheet rock to see what we were looking at.

Some block and some rock. Really makes us wonder what the previously covered up the cinder block. Knowing there was cinder block on the other side had us hopeful again, so we chipped away at a rock on the other side.

Cue the sad face, more rubble. This was the biggest blow to our plans because this side extends into the hallway.

It seems this rock isn’t a façade, rather a structural part of this fireplace, which means it has to stay. Now we’re stuck building over the rock, which is less than ideal on the hallway side. We’ll build out as little as necessary over the rock to keep the hall as wide as possible, but we’re bummed. Rebuilding the front isn’t as much of an issue because we’ve got space to extend, but we have to work within the confines of the inlaid floors.

Until the insert arrives, our fireplace will look sad, like this.

With the insert, we’ll be able to get accurate measurements necessary to rebuild and reface.

P.S. We realize removing/covering the moss rock isn’t for everyone, but neither of us have ever been fond of it, so we’re doing what works best for us.

Rice Blend Risotto

Published on November 28, 2012November 28, 2012 by Our Humble Abode12 Comments

Typically we don’t do much cooking during the summer months. We’ll make meat on the grill and have salads to avoid heating up the house. But when fall and winter roll around, we’re ready to cook again. Well, I’m ready to cook. Ben’s ready to bake. Nothing fancy, just simple dishes that are tasty and healthy. I’m a carb lover and risotto is so tasty to me. So here’s my twist on a classic risotto.

We shop at Costco and love the Organic Harvest Medley rice blend for this dish. The rest is stuff we usually have in our fridge or pantry. Except the leek. That was left over from another meal, so I used it. An onion is all you need. Oh, don’t forget to add salt and pepper to taste.

I’m not a big fan of crunchy onion, so I finely mince it and cook thoroughly.

Once the onion is cooked, I add rice, Better than Boullion (or chicken stock) to the pan. Just enough to cover.

Simmer, keeping covered, but check occasionally. Stir to prevent sticking and add more liquid when the rice looks dry.

Once the rice is soft, remove from heat. Either add cheese to taste after plating, or add enough for the whole batch.

Because this is such a large batch, I add cheese per person. Of course you can add any cheese you want. I like the zing of a little blue cheese, but don’t add too much or it gets overwhelming. Any left overs go in a storage container that I heat up and eat for lunch. I always make a large batch of rice to enjoy later on because it takes a while to cook.

What’s your favorite fall or winter food? Soup? Meat and potatoes?

Open Season

Published on November 21, 2012November 21, 2012 by Our Humble Abode27 Comments

Ben’s happy about hunting season. I’m excited for painting season. Okay, it’s really not a season, more of an itch I need to scratch. A desire to make this house feel more like us, and less like the previous owner. And what bigger, cheap, and quick change than paint? So I’ve hoarded samples and painted swatches on the walls. For the guest bedroom, I’m set on yellow, though it is proving to be difficult.

On the far left is Anjou Pear by Ben Moore (which I got for the boys’ room, but tested in here, too), middle is Willow’s Gold from Dutch Boy and the right is a 50% tint of Willow’s Gold. During the day, I loved the middle color. Sadly, the CFL bulbs turned the pretty greeny-gold to key lime at night. More swatches, this time in the tan-ish gold department. I think I’ve pinned down a color from the chips shown.

Finding a pale, muted green-blue-gray for the north facing family room is really hard, too. Now I’m considering painting the living room a blue-green and use Wood Smoke in the family room. The blue colors seem to look better in brighter, sunnier spaces.

I have made some paint selecting progress. Anjou Pear by Ben Moore for the boys’ bedroom. During the day, it reads as a warm green, but at night it takes on a more muddy green. Against the tan it looks a little crazy, but the striped curtains tone it down.

And I’m gearing up to paint all the doors Squirrel by Behr, color matched to Glidden. Actually, I’ve already started.

The dark color should hide dirt and grime, and the muddy gray modernizes the shiny brass door handles. We’re happy with the quality of the six panel doors, but some of the grain makes the doors look a little like plastic.

Sun rises and sets are stunning this time of year, too. Here is a shot from last week, with a perfect crescent moon.