ABC

Published on by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

Its easy as 123.  As simple as do re mi.  ABC, 123, baby you and me girl Everett and Vincent?  Now that I have the Jackson 5 stuck in your head, let me show you a new print I’ve added to our boys room. 

It’s from Made by Girl.  Jen also has a really awesome, inspiring blog.  I really liked the bold font of this wedding print, but of course I wanted it to represent brotherly love, not a marriage.  So, I contacted Jen to see if the design could be customized.  Luckily, Jen was very accommodating.  I ordered a custom size (8 inches by 10 inches), sent color swatches for her to match, and of course customized with Vincent and Everett’s names. 

I bought a cheapo set of white frames from Michael’s ($7.99 for two 11 by 14’s!) added a mat and placed it on the picture shelf.

Of course, I love personalized art, and this print is great next to framed hospital bracelets.  The colors perfectly coördinate with their aqua, lime and sun yellow color scheme.

I have more artwork on order for this wall, so ignore the bare walls for now. 

What’s your favorite art piece?  A DIY project?  A gift from a family member or friend?  A cherished photograph?  Something you picked up on a vacation?  Do you have items you try to pick up from each place you visit?  I collect spoons, but I also try to get a photo book from each place we visit.  I think I’m going to start collect art from our trips, too.

Basement Progress: Large Bedroom

Published on by Our Humble Abode8 Comments

I have meant to post about the progress of our basement for months now.  I’m a bad friend and haven’t shown you, until now.  We’ll start with the first room we finished down there.  This room is sort of the ugly step-child of our house.  We were given loads of free solid oak trim, so we used it in here.  Now we want to change it, but don’t really care to get around to it.

Anyway, here’s what this room looked like in 2006. 

When we learned we were expecting a baby in 2007, we kick started this project.  This is the view from the entrance.

All the furniture were hand-me-downs from Ben’s boss.  This room is really long, like 18 feet by 12 feet wide.  This is the other side of the room.  The door to the left is the walk-in closet and the door on the right is the entrance.  The window is egress, too.

Last February, while scrambling (I was 8 months pregnant with Ev) to finish the rest of the basement, this room became a storage room for everything that was downstairs. 

Yes, those little legs belong to Vincent.  And yes, our sectional was a pain to get into this room and up on the bed frame.

The next shot is from June 2010, after we cleared the room of most everything.  You will notice a gradual accumulation of stuff from this point on.  Everything that is in this room is left over and unwanted junk from the main level.

We haven’t done much to this room but turn it into an exercise/storage/dumping ground and occasionally, we banish our guests here. 

Yep, not much progress, just junk.  (This is exactly how the room looked before I decided to take pictures.  In the interest of keeping it real, I left the stack of pillows and sleeping blanket on the chair.)  I have decided on a color scheme for this room.  We’re keeping the wall color until we get the energy to replace the trim and paint, but I want to add yellow and grey for a cheery, modern feel. 

Moving the exercise equipment should help, too.  Those boxes are the filled with hardwood flooring for our kitchen, by the way.  See what I mean about a storage/dumping ground?!?

Oh, and our Target rug has found a temporary home until our laundry room is finished.  Who knows when it will make it there.  Also, would anyone be interested in a messy house tour?  Is your basement a warehouse, too?  What do you do with your exercise equipment?

All You Need is Love

Published on by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

We have another free Valentine’s Day free printable set.  This set includes one print and one business card sized candy tag.

The Candy Tag is a 3 inch wide by 2 inch tall design, ready to print and add to your Valentine’s gifts.

The All You Need is Love 8.5 inch by 11 inch print is a perfect splash of color for your home.  I especially love this for a child’s room.

So, Happy Valentine’s Day a little early.

The Award and Awarding…

Published on by Our Humble Abode5 Comments

I’ve been given a Stylish Blogger Award from Vonda at Newlyweds and the Old House!  Thanks, Vonda!  I’ve never received an award before and I’m a little late to so this, but here are the rules that go along with it: 

A. Thank and link back to the person that awarded you or me in this case.

B. Share seven things about you.

C. Pay it forward to 15 (or so) recently discovered bloggers

D. Contact those bloggers about the award!

Here are my seven things:

1.  I was born and raised in Minnesota, moved to Montana because I met and fell in love with Ben.

2.  Ben is one of 7 kids, 6 of which are boys.  I’m surrounded by a world of testosterone, which is strange because I came from a world of estrogen.

3.  We added more testosterone to my life with our two boys. 

4.  Over the past three years, I’ve been teaching myself graphic design.  No formal classes or books, just trial and error and a lot of time spent with my friend, Photoshop.

5.  I’m a neat freak to the core, but don’t confuse that with being a clean freak.  My house is rarely messy, but usually has crumbs, dirt and dust bunnies. 

6.  I have never been skydiving, but I would love to go.

7.  I am envious of those out there that have the freedom and ability to travel.  If I could, I would take at least 3 vacations a year.

On to part C, here are my recently discovered bloggers:

1.  Hernando House

2.  Kara Paslay Designs

3.  IHeart Organizing

4.  Just a Girl

5.  House *Tweaking

6.  Yellow Brick Home

7.  Bryn Alexandra Interiors

8.  Everything LEB

9.  Thrifty Little Blog

10.  Chantal Vincent Art

11.  My So-Called Home

Now, I’m off to contact my awardees!

Gimme a Giveaway: Lil Gator Designs

Published on by Our Humble Abode67 Comments

*This giveaway is no longer accepting entries, Thank You!*

Last Friday, I shared my favorite recent Etsy finds.  Well, I added another to my list. 

This favorite is from Lil Gator Designs, an Etsy shop specializing in cute fabric-covered push pins.  One thing I love about Etsy is that you get to talk directly to the creator, so you can get items customized to suit your needs.  I contacted Jen to see if she is able to create magnets, not just push pins.  Jen was so nice, helpful, and accommodating and said yes, so I ordered a set of ‘Serene’ magnets.

My magnets arrived within a few days, and I love them!  The magnets are super strong and super cute.  I have big plans for these little dudes. 

I decided to order a second set, this time in ‘Sunshine’ (also magnets), to give to one lucky reader.

Prize:  One set of 8 super cute ‘Sunshine’ magnets from Lil Gator Designs.

To Enter:  There are 3 chances to enter:

1.  Subscribe to follow Our Humble A{Bowe}d, if you’re not already.  To subscribe, click the “Sign Me Up!” button under “Be the first to know.”  Once you’ve subscribed, leave a comment, which can include our Just for Fun question.

Just for Fun:  Comment on this post with the words “MAGNETO!” and tell us who your favorite X Men character is.

2.  Become a fan of Our Humble A{Bowe}d on Facebook, then come back and comment again.

3.  Add Lil Gator Designs to your Etsy favs and tell us which style of push pins you like best.

Contest Closes:  Wednesday, February 9th at 9:00 pm, central time.

Number of Winners:  One!

Ships:  Anywhere in the U.S.

Other Info:  The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday, February 10th.  Good luck!