Category: Our First House

Our first house, a 1960 ranch home.

Shopping Trip

Published on by Our Humble Abode12 Comments

Warm weather makes me want to get out of the house, whether for a walk, watching V play at the park or shopping.  Of course, this is about shopping, because you probably don’t want to read about our walk or trip to the playground.  World Market sent me a postcard for $20 off a purchase of $20 or more, as a birthday gift.  How thoughtful, seeing as we barely know each other.  Anyway, the boys and I strolled over to World Market, postcard in purse hand.  Here’s what caught my eye.  The Josephine Desk for $199.99.  The design is classic and simple, but I know Ben could build something for less than 200 bucks.  This desk would also look great as an entry table.

This industrial chic dining chair for $109.99.  They also have a coordinating backless barstool.  I don’t think Ben would go for an industrial style, though.  Oddly enough, the man doesn’t like the manly look.  No, he’s not gay.  Haha.

We walked out of World Market with two green Velvet Toss pillows and a bag of chocolate pennies.

It was a toss-up between the green and Moroccan blue, but I think the blue was too similar to the pillows we already have.

And the yellow-green is the perfect spring color.  It reminds me of the first leaves after winter.

After WM, we walked over to Ross.  These lamps are great, especially for $29.99 each, shade included.  Am I the only one who thinks anything more than $30 is too much for a lamp?

My sisters just came out for a visit and we took a trip to Ross to find lamps.  Ash and I saw an awesome set for $45 each, but she didn’t know if her boyfriend would.  Upon his approval, she bought these:

When she brought them in the house,with all seriousness, Vincent said, “Oh my gosh!  Those are incredible!”  Can you tell he shops with decor loving parents?

I’ve been looking for a table to sit over the theater room sub woofer, which is smarter than your average bear (name that cartoon) taller than the average table, with little luck.  Every cheap table is just that, cheap.  I like the style of this table, but I think Ben would like to build something sturdier, even if it is $29.99.

Lastly, we dropped by Bed Bath & Beyond.  This pillow would be fun to duplicate.  If you think I’m cheap because I don’t want to spend more than $30 on a lamp, you know I’m too cheap to buy a $29.99 pillow.  At least I can’t make the lamp.

Josephine desk: $199.99

Industrial chair: $109.99

Ceramic lamps with shades: $29.99

Side table: $29.99

Textured pillow: $29.99

Mr. Ev with Mrs. Meyers: Priceless.

 

We’ve never used Mrs. Meyers’ laundry soap, so Vincent picked out a trial bottle for $1.99.  Then, Ev wanted it and wouldn’t let go.  Silly boy.

We love Ross for their deals on rugs, bedding, and housewares.  We’ve snagged a few friends from World Market and got a smokin’ deal on our dining chairs.

Have you seen new items that made your heart pitter patter?  Do you have a price your unwilling to go over for certain items?  Do you use Mrs. Meyers stuff to clean your abode?  Maybe you have kids who prefer strange items over toys?

Magazines by Month

Published on by Our Humble Abode17 Comments

I have subscribed to Martha Stewart Living for three and a half years with no sign of stopping.  When we finished my office bookshelf, I started storing the glossies vertically, arranged January through December of each year.  Adding newer issues to the group was a pain, because I had a bookend holding the group tightly together.  If I dragged that bookend, my shelf got scuffed and scratched.  When I wanted to flip through old issues, I had to search through to find the month and pull each out (and put it back).  You see the bottom left side?  All magazines.

Tightly grouped with no breathing room.

I don’t know about you, but when I look back at magazines, I’m usually searching for inspiration for a particular month, season or holiday.  Then, I figured out a way to solve my problem.  And yes, it’s extremely technical, life changing and I’m the first person to have thought of this, said dripping with sarcasm.

Why not store magazines in a magazine file?  Huh, crazy thought.  But wait, there’s more.  Order now to double your offer!  I decided to devote one magazine file to each month, for a total of twelve.  Not only does this system save me time searching for, removing and putting away each magazine, but I have room to grow.

I plan for wiggle room when possible, either in shelving or my pant size.  Hah.

How do you store/sort your magazines?  Maybe you had a brilliant storage solution for another area of your home?  How many subscriptions do you have?  What’s your favorite read?

Bench Warming

Published on by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

Earlier this spring, while my parents were out for a visit, my mom, the boys and I went for a walk.  On our route home, I spotted a neglected bench behind an AA meeting place.  I got closer and inspected the dated, dirty bench and realized it was an indoor couch left out over the winter.  It smelled off and had tons of gross stuff stuck to it.  But, it was sturdy and had clean, mid-century modern lines.  Because it was left outside for the entire fall and winter, I figured no one really cared for it.  I was able to find a phone number and called to ask if anyone wanted it.  My mom thought I was crazy to call about it.  I sort of thought so, too, but it’s worth a shot, right?  The gal I talked to said she needed to ask about it.  A few days later, I received a call from her.  Surprisingly, she said they didn’t see a problem with me taking it.  Within twenty minutes, Ben picked up the couch and had it in our garage.  He asked where I was going to put it.  I had the perfect solution.  On our front porch, of course, because for the past three years, we’ve had two chairs we stole from our backyard dining set out front.

Now, I know he desperately needs love, including sanding, refinishing and new cushions, but for the price, I couldn’t pass him up.  Yes, it is a he.  All men need a little work, right?  Haha.  Oh, and this photo does not do justice to the cushions.  in person, they look so much worse.  However, you can see the worn, uneven finish.

To make it look more like an outdoor bench and less like a Jeff Foxworthy “You might be a redneck” joke, I’m going to leave the back cushions off.

A deep, walnut stain, left over from the bookshelf I refinished last year would look great.  I have chosen a neutral geometric fabric for the cushions.  To jazz things up, I’ll sew simple pillow covers to change out when I change my mind.

It’s like that palindrome, a man, a plan, a canal, Panama.  Only, for me it’s a woman, a plan, a bench, pretty.  Or a woman, some fabric, a bench, bad weather.  Yeah, I couldn’t make it a palindrome, just like I can’t control the weather.  We’ve had nothing but rain this May.  Seriously, we’re usually at 2 1/2 inches for the entire month.  So far, we’ve had 5 1/2 inches and we’re forecasted for rain the entire week.  Once I find the time and we have decent weather, I’ll share more info on the update process and share after pics.  I still have to do some final number crunching to determine my best plan of attack.  Ben isn’t sold on it yet, but I’m 99% sure he’ll like it once it’s finished.

Until then, have you recently purchased or otherwise acquired outdoor furniture?  Are you sprucing up your outdoor space?  What is your must have outdoor piece this year?  I’ve coveted a ceramic garden stool forever, but I refuse to spend more than 25 bucks on one.  Call me a cheapo.  Have I sold you on the new bench?  Or do you lean toward Ben’s side?

State {of the} Art

Published on by Our Humble Abode21 Comments

Three and a half years ago, we had just finished our master bedroom and needed art to fill the bare walls.  To keep things cheap, I cut out silhouettes of Ben and myself to fit in a frame I already owned.


To add a splash of pink, I ordered 8 vintage Pierre J. Redoute botanical prints.  The 9 inch by 11 inch prints were cheap, and $3.50 frames from Michael’s were a cheap solution.

Though having art on the walls was great, we never really loved the prints in the space.  Just a little too ‘old lady’, especially when paired with the traditional trim and bed.  We’ve been wanting new art, but just couldn’t find the art.  Until recently.  We featured an Idaho watercolor painting from Poppy and Pinecone, but didn’t see Montana.  After a few conversations with Elisabeth, we had an agreement to trade custom art.  Here’s a tip: If you sell anything on Etsy, trading is a great way to save money, but get items you like.  I sent her a Family Tree cut out in orange in exchange for two custom 11 inch by 14 inch state watercolor prints.

Ben is from Montana, so I wanted his print in greens and blues.  Because I’m from Minnesota, I wanted my painting in girly colors, pinks and purples.  And here is where my custom vision turned Elisabeth into a rock star.  I needed both prints in a landscape orientation, to maintain symmetry.  For Montana, that’s easy.  Minnesota, however is usually vertically printed.  I left it to Elisabeth to somehow turn vertical Minnesota into a horizontal design without looking strange.  I knew, based on the work I’ve seen, that the prints would be fantastic.  When I received that beautifully packaged art, I couldn’t wait to tear it open to see what Elisabeth made.  Do you want to see?  Of course you do.  Here is Ben’s Montana:

And my Minnesota:

Isn’t that fantastic?!?  I know!  And, the quality was even better than I could have imagined.  The watercolor paper is rich, textural, heavy, and luxurious.  I waited until the prints arrived to buy frames, just to make sure the size worked.  I needed something to fill the wall, and two 16 inch by 20 inch frames looked great.  Then, I remembered I had one black frame sitting in the closet.  A matching frame hung in the basement bathroom holding a print from The Living Room Floor.  I snagged the frame (and mat) to use in our bedroom.  Now, I had only one frame to buy to replace the one I just stole.  I cut another mat to the same dimensions using a sharp utility knife and straight edge and popped the new State Love prints inside.

The new frames are much larger than the two 11 by 14 frames we had on each side.  I hung the new frames on the old nails, so the art interacts more with the bed, which I like.

When walking down the hall, I catch a glimpse of the Minnesota art.  Also, the art reflects beautifully in the new sunburst mirror directly across the room.

For another fun, custom touch, (you caught a glimpse of above) I framed a 5 by 7 wedding invitation from Ello There.  Just goes to show art is anything you find beautiful.  We added our ceremony information and customized the colors to match our decor.  It is such a cute print, and an adorable wedding invitation.  And, I’ve added even more birds to our house.  The paper is a nice smooth, thick card stock of great quality and Maddy was a pleasure to work with.  She put up with my annoying questions and accommodated my requests.  Yes, this is a trend.  I am annoying and have many requests.  Moral of the story, I’m a pain in the arse.

A lamp, cheapo 5 by 7 frame, $1 ceramic bird, and black lacquer and capiz jewelry box are the perfect bedside table accessories to round out our bedroom makeover.  Both fun and functional.  Just my style.  Our personalized, colorful bedroom art overhaul makes me smile every time I go in.  As does the cost of the revamp.  Just $10.00 for the print, an art trade, reused frames and a three dolla paint stick mirror.  I had all of the supplies for the silhouettes, for a grand total of $13.00 spent for an entire room of art.

Which room have you spent the least for art?  Where did you find it?  Maybe you made it.  Any tricks you’ve found to keep the cost low?

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

A Finished Office

Published on by Our Humble Abode23 Comments

!!!!!  Yay!  This is the moment I’ve been waiting to share for a year.  For Mother’s Day, I we went out to breakfast, then did a little shopping.  Not the fun kind, though I did get a new Leatherman Squirt in bright blue.  That’s fun, right?  Ben bought me a bouquet of Kermit mums.  Love how fun they are.  When we returned home, I requested asked Ben to install the drawer fronts in my office as my Mother’s Day gift.  (Three years ago, I requested a new end table, which is now in the guest bedroom).  Being the fantastic hubby he is, he did.  I wasn’t able to get any during shots, so I’ll make sure to take some when we install the laundry room drawers.

Ben had already installed the drawers, but the drawer fronts couldn’t be built until the drawers were installed.  Which means waiting, which I’m not good at.  But, Ben built the fronts and it was my turn to prime and paint.  A few afternoon naps and three coats of paint later, the fronts were ready.  We went from this:

Which was already a huge improvement over this, both in looks and function:

Now, I can officially say my office is finished.  Well, the building, I’m sure it will continue to change and evolve over time and use.

We continued with the Shaker style panel, but had to make a few minor adjustments.  Can you see the difference?  It’s like a drawer version of Where’s Waldo?

If you haven’t noticed it, good!  That was the goal.  If you’re wondering, pay close attention to the horizontal pieces.  The top drawer front is only 5 inches tall, the second is 5 1/2 inches tall, the third is 8 inches and the bottom is 12 inches.  All of the verticals are 2 1/2 inches wide, but the horizontals are not.  Why, you ask?  Because, the top drawer would be completely flat if the horizontal was still 2 1/2 inches.  2 1/2 + 2 1/2 = 5  The second drawer would have only 1/2 inch between the horizontals, which isn’t enough room for the drawer pull.  So, drawer number 1 has 2 inch horizontals, leaving 1 inch for a pull, while the second drawer has 2 1/4 inch horizontals, with an inch for a pull.  Pretty fun, right?

After some convincing of Ben, he agreed it wouldn’t look completely stupid.  I hate the back-handed compliments.  And if it did, it was my idea and not his office.

I love the finished, seamless look, especially paired with the connected squares trim pattern.  I think the doors and drawers finish off the space perfectly, concealing every ugly, strictly utilitarian office essential.  Well, almost every one.  We still need to build, paint and install a pull out shelf to set my printer on.  It is ugly and needs to be hidden.

Ben admitted when he finished installing the doors that he was jealous of my office and has plans of a hostile takeover.

The clean white drawers and cabinets are the icing on the cake. 

Have you finished any lingering projects?  What took so long?  Weather?  Supplies?  Lack of motivation?  Just know you’re not the only one with outstanding projects.