Accessories

Recent Ross Deals

Published on September 27, 2010September 27, 2010 by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

Did you know I am having a love affair with Maxx and Ross? TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less, that is. Yep, I love ’em. Can’t get enough, in fact. Why do I love thee? Because they have great deals on awesome items. Like this stoneware bowl by Target. Original retail price: $11.99, Ross price: $3.49. Sold!

I guess the bowl was designed to hold baguette, but it actually works really well as a fruit bowl. I also found this ugly gold decorative vase for $6.49.

I do have a plan for it, just need to carry it out. Then, I found a large decorative outdoor planter for $6.99, talk about a deal! The cheapest thing Home Depot and Lowes had in a similar size was $30.00. Both TJ Maxx and Ross are great places to look for bedding, too.

The comforter in our guest room came from Ross and I recently picked up a set of King sized 400 thread count grey sateen sheets from TJ Maxx for $29.99. Yep, it’s love at first sight.

Hit the FLOR

Published on September 22, 2010May 4, 2012 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

I love me some chevron these days. As you may recall, I recently painted a chevron pattern rug. And now, I’m drooling over this new pattern from FLOR.

Yep, more chevron! I was wondering when FLOR would jump on the proverbial bandwagon. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. My name is Amanda and I’ll be your captain for the day. Please welcome our newest member, FLOR. Welcome to the chevron bandwagon, please enjoy the trend while it lasts. Thank you and have a great day!

Now that I got that out of my system, let’s move on. I’m loving the pattern and the $12.99 price tag isn’t too bad, either. So, what’s stopping me from buying this beauty? My children (and I’m cheap)! We already have two rugs made up of FLOR tiles, but they get everything dirty. True, you can remove a single tile to wash or replace, depending on the soil level, but I’ll stick with my current rugs until my boys can be trusted.

The Sophistikat pattern isn’t the only new design I’m lovin’. Check out these puppies.

Posh Croc is a nice subtle pattern at $14.99 per tile.

Road to Damaskus (love the punny name!) is a pretty pattern that will set you back $12.99.

Faux Bois by Ms. Martha Stewart herself is $19.99 per tile.

How about Lattice by Martha? Only $18.99 per tile.

FLOR designs have come a loooong way. I remember when they had only solid colors in a few textures. Ahh, those weren’t the days…

Paper Party Banner

Published on September 20, 2010September 27, 2010 by Our Humble Abode5 Comments

Vincent’s third birthday is tomorrow! I cannot believe he is already three; time flies. We’re having a birthday for him on Saturday with friends and family, so I whipped up a simple, affordable and reusable party decoration.

To make this banner, you’ll need paper or cardstock in any color(s) that tickle your fancy, a circle cutter or punch, string, glue or Mod Podge, and an old paint brush.

I used a handy-dandy adjustable circle cutter made by Making Memories. I got this as a hand me down from a friend and never used it until now. The beauty of this tool is the ability to cut circles from 2 inches to 9 inches in diameter, all with one tool. I set the blade at three inches and started cutting. It takes a few tries to get it to cut nicely, but after that, its smooth sailing. The trick is to lightly run the blade around a few times, rather than one heavy round, which will tear the paper.

So, cut out tons of circles.

Then, fold in half, aligning the edges. If you used cardstock, you may want to run a bone folder along the crease to make it sharp.

Gather your glue, paint brush and string and get ready to assemble.

First, tie a loop in the string, to make it easy to hang. Do not cut your string yet, unless you have a specific size you need. Then, apply a thin layer of glue or Mod Podge to one side of the folded circle, adding a little more in the crease. Try to keep the glue thin so it won’t spill over the edges.

Place the string into the crease and fold the top over, pressing tight. To make sure your spacing is even, cut a piece of scrap paper to the desired width and place between each circle.

Continue gluing circles until the desired length has been reached. Cut the string, leave about 6 inches from the end of a circle. Make another loop for hanging. You’re ready to decorate.

I plan to hang these banners in the trees at the party, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek. So, for now, the banners are hanging from the ceiling in the boy’s room. The colors of the party happen to be the same colors we chose for the boy’s room.

Just a little note: if you are interested in this project, but don’t like the look of the half circles, you could do this with any shape. You will have to cut twice as many shapes, then follow every step except the folding. Instead, place another shape on the other side.

What are your favorite DIY party decorations? Cupcake toppers? Tissue paper pom poms? Do tell!

Goodwill Goods

Published on September 3, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

After a long week of hanging with our boys, I pawned them off on Ben to do a little retail therapy, alone. I know the moms out there understand how great this is. I find thrift stores are difficult to go to with kids. Target usually has the same inventory, but thrift stores are ever-changing, so it takes more searching. Off to Goodwill I went. I didn’t find much, but I wasn’t looking for anything, either. I did find a cute stone bird.

I did think twice about this guy, trying to keep my bird obsession in check, but he wanted me to rescue him from the shelf. So, I did. I immediately snatched this brass leaf-shaped bowl.

I left Goodwill $4.50 lighter with two more projects in the works.

Come back soon to see what I did to update my finds. For now, though, I want to know what specific items you go to thrift stores to find. Dishes? Furniture? Lamps? Spill.

Sew it Begins…

Published on August 24, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

I love patterns and pops of color to freshen up a room. One easy way to add pattern, color or both is with fabrics. Pillow covers are an easy, simple and affordable solution. First, find a fabric you like. I chose this pink geometric pattern for $7.00 per yard from Joann Fabric. Determine the size of the pillow insert you’ll use; you can also buy inserts from Joann. I bought a 16 inch square pillow form.

To make your pillow cover, cut a piece of fabric 1 inch wider than your insert size and 6 to 8 inches longer than double the pillow size. To make a 16 inch pillow cover, I cut my fabric 17 inches wide by 42 inches long.

Starting with your fabric face down, fold your short ends over about 1/2 inch and pin to secure. Then, fold over again, pinning in place. Sew a straight line across. Do this to both ends. Flip your fabric over, right side up.