Office/Library

Dog Gone Cute

Published on January 18, 2011 by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

Did you know I have a blogroll at the bottom of the home page? I do and it’s filled with my most favorite blogs, including Yellow Brick Home. Kim and Scott have created a fun, vibrant home filled with personal touches. Even better, Yellow Brick Home also offers a way to bring a touch of their style into your own home with their custom pet paintings. Seriously, how darn cute are their paintings? I just had to have one for myself, so I contacted Kim. I sent her this photo and my ideas.

I wanted a blue-ish green background and possibly a thought bubble with a bone or something in it, depending on what Kim thought looked best. I was so excited when she sent an e-mail telling me my painting was (already!) done. Later that afternoon, she sent this picture of the finished design.

I knew whatever Kim made would be cute, but this was beyond my expectations. It made me even more excited to get my painting. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long. I received it two days later! I opened up the package to find a beautifully coördinated package.

Even the YBH stationery and business cards are cute! After opening the tissue, I found this:

I love the attention to detail, too. Check out the shading on Jack’s face.

And the thought bubble and dog bone are equally cute.

When we released our Modern Portrait print line, I decided to switch up the artwork on my office bookshelves. I had a geometric cut out set.

When I ordered my painting, I knew right where I would display it. Right next to the rest of our family. Oh, here’s a cool feature; all YBH paintings are created on a 4 inch square by 3/4 inches thick canvas, requiring no frame!

I love the pop of color against the black and white portraits. I think Jack is pretty happy, too, even if she looks unimpressed.

Thanks again, Kim and Scott. Our entire family loves this custom little painting of Jackie. It’s prefect!

Office Storage: Revealed

Published on January 13, 2011 by Our Humble Abode21 Comments

To continue our bookshelf week, we’ll share our office storage system and what’s inside. Sounds like fun, no? Well, hold on to your seats because this is a wild ride. We’ll start with my wall o’ shelves. Here’s an overall picture, just for reference.

First up, these IKEA storage boxes hold my assorted envelopes.

The storage boxes to the right hold overflow and odd sized envelopes, ink cartridges, and miscellaneous junk because I don’t have drawers yet.

The large boxes at the very bottom in the center hold 12 inch by 12 inch scrapbook paper. Below those, boxes store fabric, yarn and thread.

In the far right column, I have a row of magazine files, some empty, some not.

Let’s take a look inside.

These two files have tutorial books, including a trim, origami, and Ben’s workout book. Another has the boy’s baby books and other baby items like a baptismal candle.

A few more files hold mine and Ben’s baby books and cards from our wedding and showers. To the far right is a spiral bound scrapbook.

That completes the wall of shelves, but what’s above my desk? Glad you asked!

To the right, my stock of papers fill a row of magazine files. I found three-ring binders that look similar to the magazine files at Office Depot a few years ago. One keeps samples of my designs. Another is empty but I like to keep it out so I have room to expand. Helpful hint: The binders also work great to store cds and dvds. We removed the pages from a four square dvd file and placed them in the prettier file and it’s great!

To the left of my desk I have a few more magazine files (gotta love ’em) storing mailing labels. Next to those are two boxes for mailing envelopes and files.

Oh, I created simple labels for everything, too. I know, my OCD tendencies are back, but at least it’s useful!

Above that, I have a shelf that looks purely decorative.

But I’ve got a secret. I use those pretty marble vessels to store extra paper clips, rubber bands, and pencils.

Pretty sneaky, huh? That completes our office storage for the day. I want to know if you have any helpful hints or surprise decorative storage in your home?

P.S. All the magazine files and storage boxes hail from mother Sweden (aka IKEA). The boxes are part of the Kassett series and the files are the Flyt $1.99 for 5. Great price when you need so many and surprisingly durable!

Amanda’s Rules in Use

Published on January 12, 2011April 14, 2011 by Our Humble Abode5 Comments

In keeping with our bookshelf theme, I’m back to share rules (more like tips) I follow that Cobi didn’t mention.

So, what are my rules?

1. Turn ugly books around. If you have ugly books, you have a few options to make them fit in with your aesthetic. The easiest way is to simply turn the spines to the back. Other options: place said books in a basket, magazine file or create decorative book covers using wrapping paper.

2. Don’t keep all books in the same direction. As Cobi said, place some books on their side to create pedestals. I think it’s more natural to line books along the left side, but you can face the fronts to the right, too. This will make it easier to balance the shelf and create visual interest.

3. Use decorative pieces as bookends. Put pretty, heavy objects to good use.

4. Add art to create layers. Place small art in front of books or hang art on the back of the bookshelf.

Find that adorable bird printable here.

5. Hide ugly items behind books and art. We all do this, why shouldn’t you? It’s valuable real estate! If you have ugly items that you need access to (not especially often), tuck them in behind a frame or books.

6. Display decorative pieces you love or have meaning. Not every piece will have meaning, but buy items you love. It’s a bonus if they function.

7. Give yourself room to expand. Not your waistline (like I do) but with your shelves. If you use storage boxes, leave empty ones on the shelves, this way you’ll have a place to put overflow without rearranging everything.

8. Take pictures. If you like an arrangement but need to move items around, take pictures before removing everything. This will give you a reminder if you just can’t get the new arrangement right.

9. Organize your books! Find an organization technique that works for you. My books are sorted by genre (fiction, biography/autobiography, science, classics, travel, history, and miscellaneous). Then, I group each genre by color and display in rainbow order with white, black, and brown at the end.

Cobi’s Rules in Use

Published on January 11, 2011 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

Yesterday, we shared Cobi’s five tips to create a beautifully balanced book shelf. We didn’t share many photos of our bookshelf, with those rules in mind. Until I saw our bookshelves featured on The Steven and Chris Show along with Cobi’s rules, I never thought about the reasons our bookshelves looked good. I just knew I liked it. We followed almost all Cobi’s rules. The exception being adding height to the top, ours are built-ins.

So, here’s a pictorial example of each rule.

1. Heavy items should go on the bottom.

Large storage boxes, magazine files,magazines, and encyclopedias fill the bottom two rows shelves.

2. Add height to the top. Again, we can’t do that.

3. Use books to create pedestals.

This stack of books are topped by a silver cup (desperately needing a good polish) given to me as a baby. I have another book pedestal with a simple IKEA vase.

4. Stand back and look for balance.

Your bookshelf doesn’t have to be completely symmetrical to be balanced. The easiest way to achieve balance is to create a zig zag pattern down your shelf of books. Then, fill in what’s left with decorative items.

5. Negative space.

This corresponds with rule number four. Once you’ve placed all of your books, you can fill the remaining areas with decorative items. In this example, I’ve placed two wire buildings and two candle holders in the open space. Notice they are on opposite sides of the shelf to create balance.

Five Tips to Decorate a Bookshelf

Published on January 10, 2011 by Our Humble Abode24 Comments

If you follow us on Facebook, you have already read that our office bookshelf was featured on The Steven and Chris Show, a Canadian design/talk show. To say I was thrilled is an understatement. The downside? The show doesn’t allow streaming outside of Canada, so I couldn’t watch it! Recently, though, I received a dvd of the segment from a producer, so I’ve been able to bask in all the glory. So, I guess I may be called an ‘expert’ on decorating bookshelves? That’s pretty extreme, but here’s the photo that was shown, taken from this post.

Here’s the play-by-play on what was said about our bookshelves.

Steven said, “This is well-organized.” Chris (who is more minimalist) said, “To me, this is flawlessly done.” Their guest, design expert Cobi Ladner, said, “That is beautiful because you’ve got your storage, you’ve got your books there, but it still looks great. There’s a knack to that and there are certain rules that you can apply to make that happen.”

So, what are Cobi’s rules?

1. Heavy items should go on the bottom. This isn’t limited to literal weight, but also to visual weight. Boxes, baskets and large collections, such as our encyclopedias, should stay toward the bottom.

2. Add height to the top. This makes a bookshelf feel more built-in, even if it’s not. If you have a stand alone shelf, adding baskets to the top to fill the space between the shelf and ceiling will help the shelf appear built-in.

3. Use books to create pedestals. Don’t let decorative objects take up cupboard space, put them on display. Stack larger books and top the stack with a decorative object, adding height and drawing attention to that object.

4. Stand back and look for balance. If you have one side that seems more filled or visually heavy, shift items around to make the shelf feel more balanced.

5. Negative space is usually what makes the beauty. Don’t feel like you have to fill every space with books. Adding the decorative objects with space on all sides will create a reprieve for the eyes. Your shelf will also look less like a library or bookstore and more like a display with books mixed in. If you have tons of books, don’t feel that you have to have every book you own on the same shelf. Add a small stack to a coffee table, nightstand, or another bookshelf elsewhere in the house. Create book pedestals there to display more decorative items, too.