Category: Our First House

Our first house, a 1960 ranch home.

All Oiled Up

Published on by Our Humble Abode11 Comments

And ready for the body building competition.  No, not me, our counters are all oiled up.  Now they’re ready for competition.  Last week, Ben sanded the filled areas, which means we could finally coat every counter with mineral oil.  We still have more oiling to do, but they’re looking good so far.

So far, we’ve applied four coats of oil, letting it soak in completely.  Between each coat, we lightly ‘sand’ the surface with super fine steel wool.

Our goal is to get the counters well oiled before installing the upper cabinets.  It will be much more difficult to oil thoroughly with the cabinets resting on the counters.

While the surface isn’t impermeable, it does hold up well.  Right now, we’re careful not to leave water spots or other semi-liquid stuff on the counters for too long.

As for our home-made wood filler, it worked quite well.  The seam on the peninsula is barely visible.

A small crack on the counter by the stove filled in nicely, too.  Ben accidentally hit the cabinet with the sander, so I’ll have to repaint this cabinet bay.

The peninsula had a crack as well.  These are from the center of the tree, but we couldn’t cut this out.

Because the crack wraps around the end of this piece, the color difference is most visible at the end cut.

Ben had to make a few special cuts by the stove because the top sits above the wood.  We also cut a 45 degree angle so the counter didn’t stick out beyond the stove.

Sorry for the lack of kitchen progress posts, too.  We have had cold weather, so Ben can’t do much work in the garage.  Yesterday, we finally had a day above freezing, but we used the nice weather to rake leaves.  Fortunately Wednesday is our trash pick up.  I bet our garbage men loved us because we left them this little gift.

With about ten more bags on the other side of our driveway.

What about you, how has your weather been?  Raked your leaves yet?  Do your kids request photo shoots when you pull out your camera?  Do they request to see their pictures?

Belly Up to the Bar

Published on by Our Humble Abode42 Comments

With our bar top in place, we’re on the hunt for good-looking, durable, affordable stools.  The list doesn’t stop there.  We also want 30 inch stools with swivel, backless seats under 100 bucks each.  Of course I started my search where I tend to find a lot of affordable items, Ikea.  I saw these adjustable height swivel stools for only $40 each.

I don’t care for the black finish, but that could be changed easily enough with spray paint.  We do have a bigger issue though.  While Ikea is known for their can’t-be-beat furniture prices, they’re also known to be cheap.  And our closest Ikea is twelve hours away, so we can’t test them before buying.

So I switched gears and searched local stores.  In my opinion, World Market has quality furniture at reasonable prices.  Our 32 dollar dining chairs have held up wonderfully, looking just as great today as they did over a year ago.  For some reason, I’ve been drawn to more industrial furniture lately, so these Cargo Stacking Stools caught my eye.

Did you notice the problem though?  Yeah, no swivel feature.  And their lightweight design worries me.  I just imagine two little boys falling off and bumping their heads.  Gotta find something else.

Ben likes the saddle style stools.  I’m not the biggest fan, but they’d do the job.  World Market has an online only Schoolhouse Bar Stool for $69.99.

Yet again, I don’t care for the black finish and the stationary seat.  And we’d have to pay 30 smackeroos just to get them to our door.  I seriously hate paying for shipping on furniture.  {If you like the saddle style, here’s a set of two for only $94.99.}

Then, we found the perfect stools.  Twist Swivel stools for $109.99 each.

Let’s start with the good news.  Until Thanksgiving, World Market is offering a 25% discount on all furniture, which makes each stool $82.50.  Definitely not the cheapest stool available, but they’re pretty, I’ve seen them in person, the stools come fully assembled, and the tops are an adjustable height.  Oh, and the online reviews are fantastic.  Twenty-nine rave reviews in fact.

Now for the bad news.  Yesterday, the boys and I took a trip to World Market specifically to buy three stools.  Wanna guess what they told me?  They’re sold out.  And they won’t offer a rain check on the discount.  Boo.  I tried ordering online, but shipping is forty dollars, for a total of $287.42.  Double Boo.  To top it off, the new shipment of stools will arrive around December first.  If only World Market shipped to their stores free.  These beauties would be on their way to my home.

So, I thought I’d check Overstock because shipping is usually super cheap.  I found stools similar in style to the Twist stools.  Though these stools cost about 10 bucks more a piece, Overstock is offering free shipping for a total of $275.97.  Too bad a few reviews mentioned the stools can be wobbly when adjusted to a taller height.

Then I found another adjustable height stool for only $49.99 each.  I love the price, sadly the adjustment height is only up to 24 inches.

Now I’m wondering if World Market will offer a similar discount or coupon in the near future.  Or, should I cater to my impatient side and buy something that I like the look and price, of on Overstock?  I really like the simplicity of these stools.  And at $40 per stool {$159.98 for four stools, coming in at $127.44 cheaper than the WM Twist stools}, I could let the lack of swivel top slide.

The sixteen reviews are great, too.  A few small dings, but that’s bound to happen.  Ahh, decisions!

Here’s what I ask of you, friends.  If you’re aware of any World Market furniture coupons or discounts after December 1 (when they’ll get the shipment of Twist stools), please let us know.   I’m worried we won’t find a similar discount, which means we won’t justify buying the World Market stools.  You can also help by sharing your opinions and/or experience with the Tabouret style stools.

Are you patient enough to wait for your first choice?  Or are you like I am, needing to get your hot little hands on something right away?

A Boatload of Thanks

Published on by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

With Thanksgiving three days away, we thought it was time to share a simple table setting.  Several weeks ago, while at a thrift store, I found a beautiful gold ringed glass and pitcher set.  My sister and I both wanted it, so she took four of the six glasses and the pitcher.  Those two glasses I got sparked this place setting.  Not one to like warm colors like red, I decided on a color scheme of blue and gold.

While at HoLo (Hobby Lobby), I spied bandannas for 99 cents each.  I bought one in an aqua color to see if it washed well.  If it did, I thought it would make a perfect napkin.  Luckily, after one wash cycle, it softened enough.

Then I started thinking about seating cards.  I didn’t want to do the same turkey idea we did last year and I wanted something multi purpose.  Something sparked.  A vessel to hold bread.  Like a boat!  Yes, that’s just what I needed.  Only I didn’t want it to scream, “I’m a boat!”  Incorporating leaves seemed like a perfect sail.  That’s what I did.  See, a little bread boat.

To make each boat, I cut each sheet of 25 cent felt in half, then folded that half in half.

I pinned the short ends to keep things in place and folded it in half width wise.  With sharp scissors, I cut an angle through all four layers, wider part at the top.

Blanket stitch (or whatever hand stitch you prefer) the short ends.  Now it’s time to make the mast and sail.  Start by printing this template on colored card stock.

I found the easiest way to make the leaves even was to print half of the design, fold it over, then cut each leaf.  Don’t worry about being too precise with cutting on the line.  When you’re done cutting, flip the leaf so the printed part is on the inside.  Repeat until you’ve finished cutting two leaves per place card.  Then, cut a bamboo skewer to about 5 or six inches long and wire each guest’s name on a leaf.

Spread a little glue stick over the inside of each leaf, including a little in the middle.

Fold the leaf over and press firmly.

Repeat with the named leaf.

Poke the stick into a roll.  Pop the roll in the felt boat and you’re done.

Here’s another cheap and festive idea.  Pour dried beans or peas in a small juice glass, toss in a tea light and you’ve got a cute candle holder.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you’re probably stressed enough worrying about the food.  Keep the centerpiece simple by corralling various candles.  Keep it cohesive with similar colors.  I even added a small brass owl for fun.

If you’re anything like I am, you’re unreasonably attracted to miniature dishes.  Put these to good use when hosting a large dinner group.  Fill with butter or even salt and pepper to cut waiting and passing.

Usually we don’t use table cloths.  Two crazy boys + table-cloth + tons of dishes = pile of food and broken plates on the floor.  No, it’s never actually happened, but I can see it.  This year, we’re having more people than we have in the past and our table doesn’t expand.  Which means we’ll have to use a folding table for extra seating.  Therefore, we’ll need a table-cloth to cover the ugly table.  I found this shower curtain on clearance for $3.74 at Target and thought it would be a perfect table-cloth.

How about a budget breakdown?

Tablecloth: $3.74

Bandanna napkins: $.99 each

Felt boat place cards: $.15 each

We already had the gold charger, white plates, glasses, salt and pepper shakers, leaf dishes for butter, and candle holders.    Oh, here’s a thrifty tip.  If you’re looking for cheap chargers, check out the dollar store.  I saw some there a month or so ago.

There it is.  Our Thanksgiving table setting.  It’s nothing too fancy, but it glitters and sparkles, which makes me happy.

What’s your favorite turkey day color scheme?  Do you prefer something more traditional or do you like to mix it up?

Gray Matter

Published on by Our Humble Abode28 Comments

As we’ve shared, we’ve decided to paint the lower kitchen cabinets a medium grey.  Pewter Tankard by Sherwin Williams because it is warm without being beige.

Originally, we thought we’d paint all the cabinets white, just to keep everything light and airy.  Then, we examined the oak cabinets and realized how much grime was actually on the doors.  Partially due to the lack of pulls, but probably more because of two small boys.  So, we decided to paint the lower cabinets grey to disguise the dirt.  We’re also adding sleek drawer pulls.

After installing the face framing, filling the nail holes and joints and sanding smooth I gave everything a coat of primer.

Don’t worry if your primer doesn’t have 100% opaque coverage.  The point is to cover bare material for best paint adhesion and stain blocking.

Then, I finally started painting the cabinets.  For a super durable painted finish, we decided to use Acry-Shield paint by Columbia Paints in an eggshell finish.

Ben used this on exterior doors at the apartment and it has held up wonderfully.  Something super durable also costs more than normal latex paint, and this stuff ain’t cheap at $52.39 per gallon.  We decided to off set the cost by painting a coat of the cheaper Glidden before the Acry-Shield.  That, and we still have two gallons of Glidden paint left over from the drawers.

We considered spraying the cabinets before installing, but decided against it because we wanted to add the face framing after for the smoothest finish possible.  And  we should be able to touch up the rolled finish down the road without it being obvious.

For the record, I love the way the gray cabinets and red toned wood counters look together.  Haa-taa.

Even though we opted for a rolled finish, we still wanted it to look as professional as possible.  To get the smoothest finish, I worked in small sections using a good quality paint brush (we prefer Purdy) to get along the edge of the counter tops and the box detailing.  Right after using the brush, I follow up with a foam roller barely covered in paint.  Glidden paint goes on nicely and has a reasonably long working window.

After painting a coat of cheaper paint as a ‘tinted primer’ I started with the good stuff.  Actually, I tried, but it had a layer of gunk at the bottom that I couldn’t get to mix in.

I took a trip to the paint store and they replaced my old gallon of paint with a new, clump free can.  Back at home, I painted a thin and even coat of Acry-Shield.  It was a slight learning curve.  The paint is slightly thicker and dries a littler faster.  To counter this, I worked in smaller sections and made sure to go over the brushed areas well with the roller.

The color matched the Glidden paint perfectly, too.

Here’s what our kitchen currently looks like:

Sorry for the off colored photos.  It gets dark far too early for my liking these days.

You can see our stash of tile and sconces.

I’m glad to be done with that part of painting, but there’s still tons more in my future.  Gotta paint all the drawer and door fronts once they’ve been built (20 drawers and 8 cabinet doors).  And I’ll have to paint the giant refrigerator case.

New York

Published on by Our Humble Abode13 Comments

Today, I thought I’d share an art piece I made for Patricia from PVE Design.  If you recall, she painted a beautiful picture of our home and was kind enough to trade art with me.

Patricia loves New York City, particularly Central Park, so I suggested a cut out map piece similar to the one I made of Savannah, Georgia.

With her approval, I started cutting, and cutting, and cutting.  It took a while, but it was well worth the effort.

It’s a large one, too measuring about 18 inches by 24 inches.

Patricia recently wrote a rave review on her blog and I couldn’t be any happier with her reaction.  Thank you so much Patricia for your beautiful art.  We hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours!