Seasonal & Holiday Decorating

Sealed With a Kiss

Published on February 11, 2014February 10, 2014 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

V is so excited for his class Valentine’s day party. We’re packaging up pencils, Hershey Kisses, and Tootsie Rolls for each classmate. And each bag is ‘sealed’ with a kiss.

He has been talking about seals for the past month or so, so it seemed perfect for this little punny sticker. If you like it, you can print your own set.

I printed mine on a full sticker sheet, then used a paper cutter to separate each. I left the personalized notes out for these photos, but here’s the matching card.

Happy early Valentine’s day! Do you have any special plans?

Broken Hearted

Published on February 5, 2014February 5, 2014 by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

As we’re all aware, Valentine’s day is just over a week away. While I love the opportunity to show a little extra love to my special men, I’m not so into red and hearts. Instead, Ev and I partnered up to make a two toned heart pillow. He chose the paint colors and I did the rest.

Using scrap paper, I made a half heart template and lightly traced it on my fabric with a pencil. Using a yard stick, I made a line across to separate the triangular base from the top.

Martha Stewart craft paints claim to be good on fabric, so that’s what I used to fill in. If I weren’t stuck inside due to crazy cold, snowy weather, I would have used fabric.

I’d rather have a lovey design with year round colors, so Ev did a good job with his choices. Dude knows how to pick ’em.

Here are two more fun heart pillows you could make to add some love to your house:

DIY geometric heart pillow:

Gold pleather heart pillow: Yay for more modern versions of an old favorite.

Where do you stand on Valentine’s day and the decor that usually goes with it?

Blogger Stylin’ Home Tour: Cozy and Colorful

Published on December 12, 2013December 11, 2013 by Our Humble Abode37 Comments

If you’re coming from Iron and Twine, welcome to the party! So many wonderful ladies have shared their fantastic tours already. Check out the first three days here:

Monday:

Lindsay – The White Buffalo Styling Co.

Roeshel – DIY Showoff

Jess and Monica – East Coast Creative

Laura – Finding Home

Jesse – Scout and Nimble

Sarah – Sarah M. Dorsey Designs

Angela – Number Fifty-three

Gwen – The Makerista

Brittany – Brittany Makes

Tuesday:

Ashley – The Handmade Home

Anneke – This, That, & Life

Gina – Shabby Creek Cottage

Cassie – Primitive & Proper

Caitlin – Desert Domicile

Jenna – Rain on a Tin Roof

Sarah – The Thriftress

Carolyn – Sweet Chaos Home

Jamie – So Much Better with Age

Shavonda – A Home Full of Color

Wednesday:

Emily – Jones Design Company

Jamie – C.R.A.F.T.

Lucy – Craftberry Bush

Michelle – Decor and the Dog

Whitney – The Curtis Casa

Kristin – Bliss at Home

Summer – Simple Stylings

Sarah – Lacquer and Linen

Danika – Gorgeous Shiny Things

Kelly – View Along the Way

With so many talented women and amazing ideas, I feel like a slacker. But, here’s our Christmas home tour. How ’bout we start in the family room. Because the fireplace is in here, it got the most attention.

Our mantel is decked out in bright colors, including a short strand of the felt garland I made. The merry & bright art is something I sketched out and painted on a piece of black foam from the Dollar Tree. For the past four years, I’ve made silhouette ornaments of each family member. And in years past, I’ve hung those ornaments on stands to place on a shelf. This year, the silhouettes mark each stocking, including a custom paint color. Our deep green chevron coffee table adds more pattern and color. When paired with red plaid scarf pillows, it’s a slight twist on traditional red and green. Original scarf tassels are a fun touch, too. Next to the fireplace is slightly less colorful and more glam. Lots of gold, white, some black, and a bit of blue. Ben’s first deer has a glitter star. You know, to girl him up a little. On the other side of the room I sewed plaid flannel pillow covers. Nothing says cozy like flannel, I always say. This buffalo check is great all year, too. In our less finished (okay, not even close) living room, I decorated the entertainment center. Though we have plans to build doors to hide the ugly electronics and cords. Gold on navy Holy Night song lyrics are Christmas-y, without screaming Christmas. Below is a wintery scene, complete with bottle brush trees, a hedgehog family, and squirrel. The dining room decor is much simpler. Our tree is in the corner. Large jingle bells hang from the chairs. And another snowy scene sits on the table. A cheap acrylic frame from Michael’s holds Epsom salt, trees, and mini birds. And a bokeh tree, because I can’t help myself. Thanks for stopping in! Pop over to Cuckoo 4 Design. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the tour.

Thursday:

Kennesha – Restoration House Interiors

Jenna – SAS Interiors

Chris – Just a Girl

Kelly – Eclectically Vintage

Michelle – Iron and Twine

Amanda – Our Humble Abode

Julia – Cuckoo 4 Design

Bethany – Dwellings by Devore

Lindsay – Makely Home

Jennifer – Dimples & Tangles

Friday:

Shauna – Perfectly Imperfect

Traci – Beneath My Heart

Jen – The Chronicles of Home

Jennifer – Tatertots and Jello

Kristin – Hunted Interior

Eileen – A Creative Day

Gabbi – Retro Ranch Reno

Shannon – Shannon Berry Design

Lakeitha – Lakeitha Duncan

Kristen – KFD Designs

Jessica – Dear Emmeline

Sarah – Royal Marigold

Carmel – Our Fifth House

It Felt Nice

Published on December 2, 2013December 2, 2013 by Our Humble Abode7 Comments

This Christmas, our theme is school, per V’s request. He started kindergarten this fall and absolutely loves it, so it made sense when he wanted to carry it to Christmas. Hobby Lobby had everything we needed to deck our tree. Wooden letters and colorful felt. I bought 8 different colored sheets of felt. Then, cut them in thirds, lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch ish strips.

With my sewing machine, I stitched on long chain, keeping the pieces close to centered.

When I ran out of pieces, the garland was roughly 30 feet long. Not bad for two bucks worth of felt!

We wrapped it around the tree, then hung our painted letters. A few silver ball ornaments, last year’s cubes, and all the silhouette ornaments I’ve made of the boys.

And here she is, a school themed Christmas tree.

V and I talked about our Christmas theme in October, so it was funny to see a similar tree in Martha Stewart Living this month.

Colorful, letters, and painted wooden cubes. Have you started holiday decorating? Do you have a theme each year? If so, what’s your theme this year?

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?