Divide and Conquer

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Here’s a quick kitchen project we did to maximize space.  It involves the giant cabinet above the fridge, two pieces of plywood, and a tension rod.

You see, before the additions, the cabinet above the fridge was a big, open shell.  Big enough to fit a grown person in.

With one shelf and two vertical dividers, this cabinet can hold every large and infrequently used kitchen item we own.  And Ben’s jug o wine.

That tension rod I mentioned?  It helps divide our cookie sheets from our cutting board.  Not because my OCD, but because they fight if they’re not separated.

Nothing ground breaking, but it help us stay organized.

Is there anything you want to know about this house?  I’d like to address any questions before we move so we’re not jumping back and forth.  So if you’ve wondered about something, let us know and we’ll spill the beans!

Favorite Things: Green

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When I think of March, I think of green.  Because both St. Patrick’s day (even though I am in no way Irish) and spring is finally starting to arrive.  Trees are getting fresh spring green leaves, bulbs weasel their way through the dirt, and everything comes back to life after winter.  It’s a good time; my favorite time.

Kelly green fabric for a bright pop of color in a room.  Pillows?  Yes please!

I can’t keep plants alive, but I’d love to try moss graffiti somewhere.

An olive-green rug for a splash of color and pattern.

Magnetic magazine pockets can organize almost any room.  Corral papers in an office, books by a nightstand, you name it.

Did you know you can regrow green onions?  Just put the white roots in a glass of water in a sunny spot.

Replace a door wreath with a mossy green monogram.

Green is my favorite color, and I’m so looking forward to the new pops of green outside.  What about you?  Favorite color?  Favorite thing about spring?  Are you Irish?  Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Our Humble Sponsors: March

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We’re halfway through March and keeping busy.  We’re happy to welcome two new sponsors to Our Humble A{Bowe}d.  First, Ali N. with Scentsy.  I’m sure you’ve heard of Scentsy.

The Linden Warmer Wrap and Loom Warmer Wrap are so chic and look like a decorative candle holder.

Just slip your favorite cover over the silhouette warmer and enjoy the soft glow.

Another new sponsor is on board, too.  Apartment B, a shop specializing in graphic and patterned window shades.

How fun is this Nautical Stripe shade?

And this Knife, Fork, and Spoon shade is adorable.

Their graphic shades include typographic maps and this London Bus Roll shade.

Scissors, Paper, Mouse is a little Australian based shop is filled with cute and colorful prints like Down the Rabbit Hole, perfect for Easter.

And Strength of My Love for You is a sappy daily reminder to your loved ones.

Of course, there are plenty more designs to choose from, so stop by the shop and show Yasmin some love.

Joseph Thompson Woodworks is another Etsy shop with cool kitchen gear. This big, beefy board is a perfect addition to any kitchen, adding function and style.

Of course we love the coasters, too.  These striped coasters are a new addition.

E-Meals, is an online meal planning site designed to save you loads of time and oodles of money.

E-Meals offers a variety of meal plan options including vegetarian, gluten-free, and low carb.

S and S Babee is continuing to support us, too.

S and S Babee is a small shop with hand sewn baby goodies. Jenna takes custom orders, so if you’re looking for something, give her a holler.

Last but not least, my blog bud Jen at IHeart Organizing is showing us some love.

Jen has re-released her all-inclusive Household Binder Kit, complete with three cover sheets and customized pages.

Don’t need a whole kit? Jen offers single pages, too, so stop in the shop and browse through the options.

Interested in advertising with Our Humble A{Bowe}d? Here’s some info to get you started.

P.S.  Check back later today for March’s Favorite Things.

Stick a Fork in It

Published on by Our Humble Abode56 Comments
Because the kitchen is done!  All it took was a little sanding and painting on the ceiling.  Ben hates sheet rock work, hence the reason we just finished it.  And mostly pressure to get the house ready to sell.  But, it’s done, and that’s what matters.
If you recall, before we started work, the kitchen looked like this:
Almond appliances, orange oak cabinets, too small drawers and cabinets, and one large wall trapping the cook in the kitchen.  After months of work and tearing everything out to start from scratch, we’ve created this:
A warm, open, light filled, and functional kitchen.
Replacing the soffit with cabinetry has added even more storage.
A low profile vent hood keeps the focus on the wood counters and new cabinetry.
And I can’t forget the wall of marble tile.  Oh how I love thee.
We will definitely miss this kitchen, but it was such a learning process and we love how it turned out.
Because Ben built our cabinets, our total kitchen budget is about what our store-bought cabinet budget was.  Yes, that is the single most money-saving thing we did.  As you can see, our appliances more than made up for that savings.
So what do you think?  Every potential buyer has commented about the kitchen and how nice it is, which makes us happy.

P.S.  If you haven’t been following from the beginning, you can catch up on all things kitchen renovation in these posts.

Put a Balloon Animal On It

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It’s hard to believe, but E will turn two in thirteen days.  I can’t call him a baby any more.  In fact, sometimes he acts bigger than V.  He certainly defends himself (and initiates scuffles) like a big boy.  I’ve slowly been working on some birthday party projects, like cupcake toppers.

The toppers were pretty easy because I used the balloon animal graphics from the invitation.

I separated the three designs, copy, and pasted to a new 8.5 by 11 Photoshop document.  Once I had arranged one set of animals, I merged the three together, copied, pasted, and flipped horizontally.  Then I merged the two sets together and made a second set, flipping vertically to fit 12 animals per sheet, like this.

I could have made standard circle toppers, but I thought it would be more fun to cut the animals out completely.  Carefully, I traced the outline with my blade.  They’re not perfect or completely symmetrical, but they are close enough to not notice.

Several pieces of double-sided tape and a toothpick on the back of one.

The press the mirror image on top, sandwiching the toothpick between.

I won’t say these were especially quick (about 1 hour for six toppers) but they are darn cute.  With the whole moving thing and all that goes with creeping closer, I don’t know how much of my original plan I’ll get to.  But I want to make the day special and celebrate my little guy.  Now I have to learn how to make real balloon animals.  That’s right, I still have not attempted one.  How long do you suppose a balloon animal can hold air?

Have you made cupcake toppers for a birthday?  Any ideas for quick and easy decorations?