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Bar-rowed Time

Published on February 7, 2013February 7, 2013 by Our Humble Abode13 Comments

Yes, that misspelled title is a hint. The nook in the family room has gotten a little attention. By attention I mean a tray, bottles, glasses, and paper straws. A bar tray.

After discussing shelf and TV options, I received a reader email suggesting setting up a small bar. I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe because I don’t drink and Ben usually sticks to red wine. But I like the function of it, at least until we decide the TV situation. Seeing as we’ve got no plans to upgrade our current set up, this bar is something useful.

And I already had all the supplies in the house. A tray from Pier 1 a few years ago, thrift store glasses, coasters, a squirrel nutcracker, and bottles of alcohol. I liked the different shapes and sizes of the bottles the alcohol came in, but didn’t like the labels. A hot bubble bath made peeling the labels off a breeze. For a little shine, I spray painted the bottoms of each bottle, letting the over spray create an imperfect ombre . A few spritzes more on the tops, too for a cohesive set.

One problem though, how to label these? Right now I’ve got pieces of tape on the bottoms, only until I decide on real labels. Any suggestions? Maybe chalkboard sticker labels? If we decide to make the bar a permanent fixture, I might get a few decanters or even bottles from Ikea.

And maybe a fun ice bucket, a container for limes and lemons, and bar themed art. Any other bar essentials I’m missing? Do you have a bar cart or tray in your house? For some reason, it feels like a fancy thing to have.

P.S. Thanks for your votes over at the Homies!

Arch Adventures

Published on February 6, 2013March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

Where were we? Oh, that’s right. We had torn out the arched doors. Time to rebuild and get ready for paint. For both doors, Ben started by building small walls to frame out the tops to normal door height.

Immediately, we liked the definition of family room and breakfast nook/kitchen.

A few pieces of sheet rock, tape, mud, and MDF trim (more durable than sheet rock and we got away without seams) closed off the studs, both large and small doors.

The living room ceiling still needs a coat or two of mud.

So will the small door to match the knock-down texture on the walls. Boo to textured walls.

The living room side will remain flat, but we’ve still got more mud to add for a seamless patch.

Then we’ll sand it smooth, add trim around the doors to match the windows, and finally get some paint on the walls!

I know it doesn’t look like much now, but it feels so different already. Trim around the small door just feels so much more finished.

Just a few more simple steps and we can cross the family room off our to do list. At least until we decide its time to get/build new furniture.

So tell me, have you added or removed a wall for a completely different use and feel of a space?

P.S. We’ve been nominated in the Home Project & DIY category for Apartment Therapy Homies. Thank you! Voting ends Friday.

You A-Maze Me

Published on February 5, 2013February 5, 2013 by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

As usual, I like to make free printable designs for holidays. Valentine’s day is no different. Like last year’s sticker design, I wanted to come up with a candy free option. This printable is even easier. No folding or special packaging required. Just cut on the lines, fill out names, and the kiddos can complete the maze. For a little extra, you could even use washi tape to attach a colored pencil to the back.

Print sheets have 9 2.5 inch wide by 3.5 inch tall cards to hand out to classmates. A-Maze Me for boys:

And hearts for Girls:

Don’t forget about last year’s folding cards and free prints.

Are you making Valentine’s for your kids? Maybe you have already? Care to share your Valentine craft or project? Anything Valentine’s day related is fair game.

Are We in St. Louis?

Published on February 4, 2013February 4, 2013 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

Because this house has arches. Four, actually. Which is four too many for our taste. One separating the family room from the breakfast nook and kitchen.

An arched door in the family room near the top of the stairs.

One in the living room directly above the railing. And one more from the dining room to the kitchen.

With the family room as our focus, it was time to tear three out. All three are too close to the ceiling to have added our new crown molding above, have poorly patched sheet rock, and don’t fit our style. I really detested the proportions of the corbels turned stopping point in the living room. And the placement. I understand wanting to visually separate a large expanse, but above the railing seems redundant. It also makes the window and door look off centered. Although, we did like the placement of the one between the family room and kitchen. Ben started by taking out the oak columns on either side of the arch.

Followed by scoring of the sheet rock corners to reduce damage to the ceiling and walls. Then pulled out the arch supports.

Leaving us with a two by four across the ceiling.

On to the next arch at the stairs. Ben and Handy Sammy followed the same steps.

And left us with a beat up top door frame.

Now, we could have stopped there, as we had done the work for the family room side. But, the arch above the stair railing would have been in the way of the new door trim (and we already had a big, dusty mess to clean) so we yanked out the last arch, too.

Ben’s favorite part of any home project is the demo.

And we’re already working on patching and rebuilding. Stay tuned for the next episode of Arch Adventures.

Gimme a Giveaway: Lily & Val and Our Humble Abode

Published on February 1, 2013February 28, 2013 by Our Humble Abode110 Comments

This giveaway is closed. Thanks for entering! See who won here.

We’re officially in February, the month of love. How about a love themed giveaway? I think so. Allow me to introduce you to Lily & Val, a lovely Etsy shop with chalkboards galore. Real chalkboards, digital chalkboard designs, and pretty chalkboard prints. Here are a few of my favorites.

Where There is Great Love, for the Valentine lover.

Julia Child Quote, for the foodie.

Let It Be, for the musician.

Culinary Herbs, for the chef.

But wait, there’s more! Two winners will get their choice of print from Lily & Val and two prints (of your choosing) from our shop. Maybe Venn Diagram, for a dose of geek chic.