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Olive You

Published on June 16, 2014June 16, 2014 by Our Humble Abode20 Comments

Green has always been my favorite color. As I child, I realized green brought life and zest to my pictures/drawings. I’m finally done cheating on green with blues and determined to bring in more of it.

Ironically, about four weeks ago, I was amassing green paint samples to change out the vanity. Then I got an email from Better Homes and Gardens asking if they could feature our master bathroom in an upcoming I Did It article. Umm, yes!! While they had a team out here, they wanted to photograph the main bathroom, too. Double yes!

So I put my plans on a brief hold. After the photo shoot (two weeks ago) I set my plan in motion. The quick makeover added more green and natural elements to the main bathroom. It feels so different now, even with the few simple changes:

Even better, I spent only $6.99 for a small can of Tate Olive by Benjamin Moore paint. After clearing everything off, I taped the edges and gave two coats of paint. Taping everything inside the vanity was the biggest pain, but so worth it.

Once fully dry, I restocked the shelves. On the bottom, I put toilet paper in an old wooden crate I found on the side of the road. Green + old wood = love. Towels we already had along with a basket left over from the photo shoot fill the top.

On the shelf stack I have clear lidded jars filled with soap, cotton balls, cotton swabs, and band aids. More toiletries, and another navy and white striped bin below.

The dipped woven basket is a great small clothes/towels hamper. In place of a normal trash can we have a geometric patterned hole-less ceramic planter. Another prop from the photo shoot; Char (the stylist) is a genius.

With the new natural scheme, the quirky Woman/Man art and shower curtain didn’t feel right.

Instead, this old oil painting fills the space and looks right at home.

I’ve had this painting for four or five years and never had the perfect spot for it. Until now, where the natural setting and wood frame complete the design.

By the door, I wanted to add a little life, so I made another copper bud vase and filled it with boxwood clippings.

A white striped shower curtain we had in our old master bath is super simple. Maybe too plain though. I’m thinking of adding a strip of green along the bottom. It’ll add length and bring more green over to this side.

A low light plant and white flower dish fill in one side of the vanity.

A white and wood soap pump from Target and woven cup round out the other side.

Shopping the house for accessories made this change without taking a toll on my wallet. Of course it helps when I have a few props left from a photo shoot, too. Even if I had to buy those this make over would have cost about $50 total.

Historic Photograph Art

Published on June 12, 2014June 12, 2014 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

Ben and I celebrated 8 years of marriage on Tuesday. Eight years! That seems crazy. Several weeks ago, I was wandering through a local consignment shop and spotted an interesting black and white print of old barns and a butte in the background.

I flipped it over and it said it was a historic photo of the town Ben grew up in. How perfect! I bought it and saved it until Tuesday.

Adding meaningful art to our home has always been my goal. This sweet photo is the perfect piece above the bar area.

Though I gave this as an anniversary gift, an old photo would also make a thoughtful Father’s day gift. A google search has tons of options. Like this St. Paul scene:

Or Minneapolis with horse-drawn carriages.

Of course, don’t print a photo with copyright, but there are options. Or you could photograph a special place and turn it to black and white to look more reminiscent of times past.

Stacked Stone Steps

Published on June 10, 2014June 18, 2014 by Our Humble Abode8 Comments

Just last summer, we made a bocce court in the front yard.

In part because we like to play. Also to use up some space without the maintenance of grass. Then, last fall, we got a giant rainfall that washed a bunch of dirt down the hill and flooded the court.

Water took out a wide swath of rock, spreading out creating a mess for us to fix.

Finally, we’re getting around to fixing the front. And making a few changes while we’re at it. Before, there was a slightly steep edge down to the court. Using left over stone pavers from the back, Ben built a handsome set of stacked stone stairs.

Additional stones make up a walking path from the deck edge down.

The court still needs a new layer of rock. It’s looking very sad, still.

If (or when?) we get another huge rain, we’ve taken preventive measures. There’s a natural drainage trench along the house side. We continued it along, diverting it around the landscaping. A steeper side should contain water and channel it down to a set of wooden steps.

Hauling rock filled five gallon buckets up sixteen steps wasn’t the most fun chore, but it’s almost done. I’m even more excited to add plants.

Au Natural

Published on June 6, 2014June 6, 2014 by Our Humble AbodeLeave a comment

For the past two years, the hall bathroom has looked like this:

White and light gray walls with a bold blue vanity and coral accents. While I love how fun, happy, and bold it is, I’m feeling the need to change.

More recently, I’ve been drawn to natural colors and elements; rustic woods, earth tones, leafy greens, plants and botanicals. This bathroom doesn’t have any of those pieces. Nor does it have the same feel as some of the more recently finished rooms.

To make it flow better, I’ve got a few simple ideas that will change the vibe. Leaving the walls alone, I can still infuse nature and color.

A quart of paint can easily cover the vanity in a new color. I’ve got scrap wood in the garage I could use to make boxes or picture frames.

Just yesterday, I found a really neat vintage wooden crate free by the road. We’ve needed a lower toilet paper bin for a while, so the shelf doesn’t get scuffed pulling it out. This character rich crate is the perfect piece with a few felt pads on the bottom.

To complete the quick refresh, I’d love to paint the vanity a warm mossy/evergreen. Something with plenty of color, but still slightly muted. A few new bins and baskets for added function would be nice, too. On the large wall, I’m debating between one large botanical style piece or three (maybe even a grid of six) smaller nature prints. Maybe a plain white shower curtain? Not sure on that yet.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to start on it this weekend, now that this crazy week is almost over. Last week of school paired with another exciting event is a lot to handle in such a short time. Getting back to normal feels really nice right now.

Somethings to Love

Published on June 3, 2014June 2, 2014 by Our Humble Abode8 Comments

After sharing things we don’t love about this house, I thought it would be nice to tell a few of the things we wouldn’t change. Not even for a million dollars. Hands down, the property; location, neighborhood, privacy, schools, and views. More than anything, this is what attracted us to this house.

We can see several mountain ranges out the front.

Ever changing weather:

And seasons. It’s really amazing and such a treat to watch, we’re still beyond excited about this two years later.

The back is tequally wonderful, but in a different way. We’ve got a steep hillside that come with its own challenges, but there’s abundant wildlife. Mule deer, rabbits, birds, Red Tailed Hawks, rock chucks, even a beautiful fox. Even better, the back is almost completely secluded. No houses behind, just one on the side.

Inside, we love the bright, light filled rooms. With the entire front facing south, we’ve got tons of natural light throughout the seasons.

An open floor plan is perfect for entertaining and general living with young kids. It’s so easy to see where they are and what the need help with/are fighting about. The front entry, living, and dining rooms all flow together. Along the back, the hall, family room, breakfast nook, kitchen, and office are an open space. Eventually, when we remodel the kitchen, we’ll open up the wall between the kitchen and front dining room to make a much more open concept space.

Large outdoor decks are wonderful, too. We usually use the back deck because it gets a lot of shade.

It seems strange, but another thing that really drew us to this house was how little it had been improved. It kind of gave us a blank slate to work with to make it our own.

Those big items are impossible to change, and everyday we are happy with our decision to move. This is our dream house. Actually, we never even dreamed we’d own such an amazing home. Even if it is a big work in progress. Of course there are little delights, too. Like the abundant closet space, cozy built ins, a main fireplace. Heck, with every dirty project I’m thankful for a big utility sink in the garage. If you ever have the option to put one in, do it and thank me later. Haha, you don’t have to thank me, but you’ll be happy you did.

What do you love most about your home? Something you changed? Or something you’d never be able to change, like a location?