Home Improvement

Sun Bursting

Published on May 4, 2011April 2, 2013 by Our Humble Abode103 Comments

I’m sure you’ve seen DIY sunburst mirrors all around the blogosphere recently, but because this is a hot trend (pun intended), I don’t think you’ll mind if I share another one. Last fall, I hot glued bamboo kitchen skewers to the back of a bevel edged mirror. After spray painting it white and living with it in our master bedroom for the winter, I decided it wasn’t the right fit. You see, most of the accessories and furniture in our room are black, and the white didn’t stand out against the wall like I had hoped. And the skewers we a little too thin for my liking, at least in this case. I may hang it in the basement bedroom for some drama.

So, I started brainstorming a cheap or free way to make an awesome, chunkier sunburst mirror. Then, while planning a paint chip project, it figuratively hit me. Paint sticks! They’re free and chunky. I snagged 27 from Wal-Mart thinking I would have plenty. Then, I chose a 12 inch diameter beveled mirror from Hobby Lobby (in the candle section). Candles were 50% off, so my mirror cost $3.00.

I went home ready to get my sun bursting on. I started by marking the mirror in quarters, using a Sharpie. Then, I placed a stick on each mark and filling in. Then, I realized I wouldn’t have enough for two tiers. Our weather took a turn for the worse, so I waited to get more sticks. While waiting for the weather, Kate at Centsational Girl posted about her DIY paint stick mirror. Apparently, great minds think alike. Though our plans of attack were slightly different, I knew the results would be stunning, too.

Finally, our weather cleared up and I packed the kids to go to Home Depot. I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague. Immediately, I knew the Wal-Mart sticks were thinner and had rounded corners, so I had to make a few changes.

Turns out 80 grit sand paper rounds corners of paint sticks really quickly.

Now that I had all of my supplies, I got started.

I applied a coat of black paint to the front and sides of each stick. For my first tier, I knew I had to cut the sticks so the curved edge didn’t show, so I didn’t bother painting that far.

After the black paint dried, I applied a coat of metallic silver paint. The silver is semi transparent, so the black still showed through making a really great metallic charcoal grey. See the difference?

So, after a few hours of painting, letting it dry, painting again, and letting it dry, I warmed up my glue gun. Before I could start gluing, I had to cut the sticks. With a baby and toddler in tow, it wasn’t an option to use a saw. I opted for a wire cutter.

I just squeezed hard twice on each side and then snapped it off. Worked great, but not a super clean edge. I measured 8 inches long on a sample stick and marked the back of each stick for a reference to keep the same length.

I tried to place each stick as evenly as possible. A few lines of hot glue held each stick firmly in place. After finishing the first tier, I flipped it for a quick look. I’m a likin’.

On to the next round. I was able to keep half of the sticks the full length by alternating non cut and cut. This round is 10 inches long with the curved edges hidden behind the first round. Yay for not needing to trim everything down.

With the sticks in place, I glued a picture hook to the back of the mirror with Liquid Nails. 48 hours of dry time later, I hung the mirror on our wall.

The grey contrasts beautifully against the grey/green walls.

The metallic sheen also changes with the lighting. The wall against the bench is now nicely filled with the sun burst mirror.

How about a little budget breakdown?

50 paint sticks: Free

Paint: Already owned

Glue gun and sticks: Already owned

Picture hook: Already owned (are you noticing a trend?)

Mirror: Originally $5.99, but 50% off to $3.00

Total: $3.00

Have you jumped on the sun burst band wagon? Did you go the store-bought or DIY route? Which store version do you have your eye on? Maybe you have a favorite tutorial? If you’ve made a mirror, we’d love to see yours on our Facebook page.

We’re still looking for questions for our blog anniversary. If there’s something you want to know, just ask.

P.S. We’ve had another request to size down our photos. What do you think of this change? Too large, too small? We need your opinions so we can make the best changes.

Green = Green: Nutrish

Published on May 3, 2011 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nutrish for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now, I know this may seem strange that I’m discussing dog food today. I’m sure the Tom’s of Maine post threw you for a loop, too. Yes, this is a sponsored post, but I only accept sponsorship for items I would actually use. I don’t want to push away any readers, though it isn’t home related, it does affect our family. And if you think of your dog as a member of your family, this may affect you, too.

Recently, we received a sample of Rachael Ray Nutrish just 6 dry dog food.

Nutrish dog food has only six wholesome ingredients: lamb, brown rice, ground rice, beet pulp, poultry fat, and chicken flavor. Vitamins and minerals are added, too, for complete nutrition. I try to feed my boys healthy food, why not my dog? Because the ingredients are natural, they are also dog and eco-friendly. Jack didn’t seem to care about the health benefits, but she did like the taste.

And the texture.

In fact, she thought it was ~~finger~~ paw lickin’ good.

She finished the entire bowl within five minutes. Usually her food sits around for a day before she eats it, perhaps waiting for something better?

Everyone knows, pets can be expensive, racking up vet bills, grooming, toys and food. Healthy diet and exercise do wonders for human and dog health. This well-rounded doggie meal can help keep your dog healthy and happy longer, perhaps even reducing vet visits, saving you money.

I happen to love Rachael Ray. She seems like such a normal, caring and giving person. The kicker about this dog food? The proceeds go to charities such as North Shore Animal League America and the ASPCA. How great is that? You’re helping save animals just by feeding your dog. Gotta love a product with a cause. If you want to know more, visit Rachael’s Rescue to get the scoop.

Now that I’ve shared our experience, sign up to receive a free sample to share with your dog.

A (Nearly) Finished Office

Published on April 27, 2011March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode18 Comments

Has the suspense built enough? Are you anxiously awaiting the reveal of my office cabinets? Well, just a minute, let’s reminisce, shall we? Last spring, my office looked like this:

Almost finished, just needed drawers and cabinet doors. Over the summer, Ben made cabinet doors. We waited, and waited, and procrastinated, and waited some more until several months had passed. Then, a month ago, Ben installed the drawers in my office, filling the gaping hole to the left of my desk.

Now, after several painting sessions, we were ready to install the cabinet doors. Adding the hinges was simple enough. Ben drilled a hole for the hidden hinge to rest in, then screwed it in place.

After securing the hinges to the door, Ben hung the doors on the cabinet. After a few adjustments, finally, the other huge void in ~~my heart~~ my office has been filled, by cabinet doors.

We used the same design as the theater room and added modern cylinder handles from Home Depot for $20.00 for 10. Here’s a tip, make your own hardware template by measuring the distance from the top and sides of your cabinet. Mark on a scrap of paper, then measure and mark the holes for the handle. Poke holes to easily transfer the screw placement to each door. I made a set for a left and right side.

This little piece of paper will save time while keeping the placement consistent on each door.

To make the space even more functional, we’ve added a few extra features. Like this closet rod to store my packing paper.

I want to add a hook or two to the right, in front of the paper to hang a reusable shopping bag to corral outgoing mail.

Also on the list, adding a pull out shelf above the computer tower to get the printer off the work surface and clear the clutter.

For a dose of fun, I would love to paint the shelf a poppy color, like the pull out shelf in Yellow Brick Home’s amazing media wall.

Fun, right? You know what else is fun? Finally organizing the cabinets. While I was tearing my office apart, I decided to rearrange my shelves.

I found a cute drawing on Pinterest, so I printed it and popped it in an IKEA frame. It says, “I want a boy who will build me bookshelves.” A perfect fit for me and Ben as that is one of the traits I love about him, his handiness. One of my globes moved down a shelf and I added a vase to corral paint swatches.

It is amazing how much brighter the room feels by covering the shadowed cabinets with crisp white doors. If you follow us on Facebook, you know I’ve been painting. Any guesses on what? With nice weather comes painting, lots of it. Even though I detest painting, I’ll be happy to have it done. What is your least favorite home improvement task?

P.S. We’re still looking for your questions for us. Anything you want to know, and, it doesn’t have to be home related. It’s going to be a lame Q and A if we only have three questions. *Smile*

Birds and a Feather

Published on April 12, 2011March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode39 Comments

I didn’t intend to be such a tease when I revealed our progress shots of the basement gallery wall. After placing my templates, marked with where to nail, I had almost completed the wall.

Of course, almost included cutting a mat, replacing some temporary art and painting a few black frames white. But the weather was not on my side, until this past Sunday. Two Saturdays ago, it was 75 degrees here, which sounds beautiful, right? But if I painted then, I would have had more paint on me than on the frames because it was so windy. Sunday’s high temp was 35 with intermittent snow/rain showers, so painting was out of the question. That’s spring in Montana for you. Last week brought highs in the fifties with gusts of wind and sporadic rain, so still no painting. Finally, Sunday was perfect, 55 degrees with a slight breeze.

I disassembled my frames, breaking one piece of glass along the way (grrr!), hauled the frames, spray paint in hand, to the back yard and set up shop. Two coats of gloss white and a few hours of dry/air out time later, I was back in business. Hanging the frames was easy because I had already placed the nails. Here is the final (well, until I get bored or find new art to add in) wall:

I really love having a complete wall in our basement. And, you can catch a glimpse from the top of stairs. But, let’s take a closer look.

The bird, feather or tree theme + collection of white frames = cohesive gallery wall. All of the art came from Etsy, was a free printable or something I made. Here’s a complete gallery wall source list, from left to right:

1. Northern Flicker by Mai Autumn.

I just ordered this print, so I printed off a temporary design until I receive it.

2. Original Pressed Feather, for sale in the Our Humble A{Bowe}d Etsy shop.

3. Nesting Hand Cut Silhouette by Jessica Alpern.

Jessica, and the rest of her work is fantastic as well, so fantastic that I couldn’t resist her Spork, Welcome to the Family cut out for our kitchen. But, if you’re looking for bird, feather or tree cut outs of your own, might I suggest Leaf Skeleton, or Peacock Feathers?

4. Willow photograph from Ara133 Photography, which I mentioned a while back.

5. Polymer clay wall flowers. Find how I made them here, though I did make a new set of three.

6. Collection No. 18 by Lori’s World, a gift from a friend. Check out the other amazing bird related prints, too.

7. Bird print I mounted to a 4 inch square piece of MDF.

8. Baby Feather Original Petite painting from Renée Anne. It was a toss-up between the feather and this Bird I Once Knew petite print. The feather won because it is an original. Shipping was fast and the painting is of great quality.

9. Family Tree cut out, customized in colors of choice, in our shop. I’m really great to work with, too. Haha. But really, try it for yourself. *Wink*

10. Free bird printable from That’s Happy, mentioned here before.

11. Bird painting I recently whipped up.

12. Autumn Landscape print from Siiso.

It was so hard to decide on something from the Siiso shop. Every new print I saw was just as fantastic as the last. I also bought the Blossoms 35 print as part of a housewarming gift for my sister. She loved it! Tell Yang Yang hello from us if you order.

13. 5 by 5 Float print by Cat N Photography.

I also bought the Heart print for our guest bedroom. Cat is great. If you’re looking for interesting photography, just ask Cat.

14. I Believe There is Someone for Everyone print by Amy Ruppel.

I’ve admired her work since seeing Nicole’s commissioned painting, so it’s cool to have her work in my home. Some day, I’d love an original.

Last but not least, number 15, Autumn Feathers by Miles of Light.

The photo is so realistic, Ben thought I had framed feathers. When I told him it was a print, he had to inspect it to believe me! I don’t know how she does it, but Romina takes such beautiful photos. If only I could learn her secrets.

See any art you want to order? Have you made any bird, feather or tree art? Have you seen the Geico Bird in the Hand commercial? Definitely not their best, but I do love their woodchuck commercial. And Ben does a great impression of the grumpy farmer. Do you have a themed gallery wall on your home? Maybe you know a few photography secrets or tips?

Please note: We were not compensated for this post, we simply love the items we’ve purchased from these shops and want to share with you!

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

P.S. We’d really appreciate your vote! Thank you!

Cool in the Shade

Published on April 6, 2011April 7, 2011 by Our Humble Abode19 Comments

Have you found a great lamp base with an ugly shade at a thrift store? I did, for ten bucks. The base is great, but the shade has seen better days.

One support was broken, leaving the shade lopsided. The bright teal, stained pleated fabric shade wasn’t doing it for me either.

So, I took the shade, er, matters into my own hands. We had a small scrap of canvas left over from sewing a drop cloth curtain for our laundry room. It was perfect. Neutral and free! I set to work on transforming the lampshade. While my iron was heating up, I ripped all the teal fabric off.

I measured the circumference and height of my shade and cut a piece of canvas slighty larger, keeping one finished edge of the dropcloth. Using iron on tape, I hemmed the edges to fit.

I clipped the extra fabric from the corners to cut bulk.

Now I was ready to start on the shade. To cover the shade, first I taped my unfinished edge in place.

Wrap the fabric around the shade, smoothing out along the way. Tape the finished end in place and in a few other places, just to prevent movement. Hot glue the unfinished edge to the shade.

Run a thin bead of hot glue between the edge of the lampshade and the fabric. Press down to secure.

When you reach the finished edge, hot glue in place. I was almost finished with my shade. I still had to fix the broken support. I dug a bamboo skewer out of the drawer and cut it to fit in the shade. Then, I added a dollop of hot glue to the shade to secure the skewer. Worked like a charm!

I popped the shade on the base and it looked like a million bucks. And we finally have a lamp for the basement bedroom.

Of course, there are tons of options to update a lampshade, like dye, ribbon or coffee filters, to name a few. Have you updated an old shade? Maybe you’ve transformed a thrift store lamp or two? We’d love to see your ideas, so share a link, too.

P.S. I turn a quarter of a century old today, maybe I’ll have some b-day goodies to share with you…