Tag: tutorial

Handmade Holidays: Snowflakes and Berries

Published on by Our Humble Abode13 Comments

We’ve made a few more Christmas ornaments, so we decided to share with you.  The first idea was inspired by this from Pinterest.  Basically, you print a template, place wax paper over, then trace with puff paints and put the design on a canvas.  We followed most of the steps, with the exception of the canvas.  I started by drawing snowflake designs in Photoshop.  Then, I printed the design and placed wax paper over.

Using a 99 cent tube of paint, I traced over each snowflake.

After letting the paint dry for 24 hours, I carefully peeled the designs off, leaving this:

Which hung nicely and held it’s shape well.

However, not all of the designs held their shape.  Womp, womp.

Turns out, the thicker designs worked better.  To hang on the tree, just add a ribbon or wire hanger and you’re done.  But, if your designs are too thin and floppy, don’t worry, we have a solution.  Carefully roll the design and place in a clear glass ball.  Use a pencil to flatten the design, then hang on the tree to enjoy.   I hate when I think I have a brilliant idea and it turns out to be a flop.  In this case, I think it worked out well.

And here’s a glimpse from the under side.

If you want to make your own puff paint snowflakes, here’s a printable template.  Oh, and you see those red berries?  Those were super simple.  Start with a floral pick from the craft store.  I got mine from HoLo for 75 cents.  You’ll also need scissors or wire cutters and extra wire.

Then, cut the berries off the main stem, as close to the base as possible.

Group two to five berries and wrap the ends together.  Cut a two-inch piece of wire and wrap that around the berries.

Attach to your tree by wrapping the added wire around a branch.

Then you’re done!  Oh, I tweaked a few of the Epsom salt filled balls, too.  While puttering around HoLo, I wandered into the doll house section.  That’s a bad thing for someone addicted to miniature things like I am.  But, I walked away with only one package of 12 birds for $1.50 (thanks to 50% off doll house supplies).  Everett also grabbed a package of birds and threw a fit when we I took them away at the check out counter.  No, we didn’t buy them.  When we got home, I plopped a few birds in the snow globes.

I think they’re cute, and still easily changed out next year.  I’ve got a few more decorations to share next week, too.

Anyone else inspired by ornament ideas from Pinterest?  What are your favorites?  Please share links, too.

On the Drawer Front

Published on by Our Humble Abode15 Comments

Yesterday, we shared some of our kitchen progress.  On Sunday, Ben the builder and Handy Sammy worked on drawer fronts.  We have a post in the works detailing how we made our own cabinets, drawers, drawer fronts, and cabinet doors, so I won’t get into too much detail right now.  Basically, Ben cut a sheet of 1/2 inch thick MDF to the drawer sizes.  Then he cut countless strips of 1/4 inch thick MDF into 2 1/2 inch wide strips.  Then, he glues…

and nails (using the same pin nails) the thin strips on the 1/2 inch MDF.

Wipe away the excess glue and you’ve got a drawer front.

Repeat these steps twenty or so times and you’re almost done.

Ben likes to run each edge through the table saw to get everything perfectly lined up.  Once that’s done, he passes the unfinished fronts on to me.  Montana winter is setting in, so I hauled all 20 drawer fronts to the large basement bedroom to get started on filling the holes and seams.

In a way, I’m happy Ben used pin nails.  The holes are tiny, which makes filling easier.  At the same time, it makes finding the nail holes much more difficult.  Can you spy all six nail holes in this picture?

The brown flecks in the MDF make it difficult to decide whether I see a nail hole or just a spot.  But, I just filled every hole and crack I saw.  I like to use my finger to fill nail holes and a small spatula to fill the seams.

Two episodes of Bones later, I finished.

With the fronts!  I still have to fill all four sides of the drawers.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to fill some seams.  I think I’m going to go crazy after that.  After that, tons of sanding, priming and painting.  Yep, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.  And you thought our kitchen was chugging right along.  This is going to take a while.

Does filling holes, priming, and painting drive you batty?  How about waiting for paint to dry?  I’m so not looking forward to all that painting, but I want pretty drawers.  Wish me luck.  Hopefully we’ll have something to share in a week or two.

Handmade Holidays: Glass Ball Ornaments

Published on by Our Humble Abode19 Comments

Christmas is only 27 days away, so we thought it would be fun to share our handmade ornaments.  I decided on a ‘Winter Wonderland’ theme this year.  So snow, snowflakes, trees, pine cones, feathers, reindeer, birds, owls, and polar bears were the main focus.  Some are super simple, others are a little more complex, but all are cheap.  I thought we should start with the easiest ones.

To start, find clear glass (or plastic) ball ornaments.  HoLo (Hobby Lobby) sells a twelve pack for $7.99, but Christmas stuff was 50% off making the balls four bucks.  While at HoLo, I bought a package of brown and teal feathers, also half off, costing $1.00.

I bought the feathers for the teal colored ones, so I pulled those out.

Then, it’s as simple as removing the cap, tossing a few feathers inside, replacing the cover and hanging on the tree.  Ben said these are his favorite.  I kind of agree, but I still have a few more ideas so we’ll see.

I bought the iridescent balls, but I think I’d buy plain glass ones for the feathers if I could do it again.  The coating makes it difficult to see the feathers clearly.

After making six feather ornaments, I made six snow filled balls.  Instead of spending money on fake snow, I poured a little Epsom salt inside.

For the snow ornaments, I think the iridescent finish is fabulous.

Once you’ve filled the ornaments, hang those suckers on the tree, too and admire the sparkle.  Yes, I am a raccoon.  I like shiny things, so Christmas is the best time to appreciate all things sparkly.

If you’re looking to keep your Christmas decorations cheap, these are perfect for you.  I spent $4 on the glass balls and another dollar on the feathers for a total of five bucks for twelve ornaments.  Each ball cost $.41 cents.  Score.

The boys and I put up the Christmas tree this weekend while Ben installed our upper cabinets.  We still have ornaments to make, so here’s a fun bokeh picture of the tree.

What did you do this weekend?  Set up your Christmas tree?  Did you make ornaments?  Do some Black Friday shopping?

A Boatload of Thanks

Published on by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

With Thanksgiving three days away, we thought it was time to share a simple table setting.  Several weeks ago, while at a thrift store, I found a beautiful gold ringed glass and pitcher set.  My sister and I both wanted it, so she took four of the six glasses and the pitcher.  Those two glasses I got sparked this place setting.  Not one to like warm colors like red, I decided on a color scheme of blue and gold.

While at HoLo (Hobby Lobby), I spied bandannas for 99 cents each.  I bought one in an aqua color to see if it washed well.  If it did, I thought it would make a perfect napkin.  Luckily, after one wash cycle, it softened enough.

Then I started thinking about seating cards.  I didn’t want to do the same turkey idea we did last year and I wanted something multi purpose.  Something sparked.  A vessel to hold bread.  Like a boat!  Yes, that’s just what I needed.  Only I didn’t want it to scream, “I’m a boat!”  Incorporating leaves seemed like a perfect sail.  That’s what I did.  See, a little bread boat.

To make each boat, I cut each sheet of 25 cent felt in half, then folded that half in half.

I pinned the short ends to keep things in place and folded it in half width wise.  With sharp scissors, I cut an angle through all four layers, wider part at the top.

Blanket stitch (or whatever hand stitch you prefer) the short ends.  Now it’s time to make the mast and sail.  Start by printing this template on colored card stock.

I found the easiest way to make the leaves even was to print half of the design, fold it over, then cut each leaf.  Don’t worry about being too precise with cutting on the line.  When you’re done cutting, flip the leaf so the printed part is on the inside.  Repeat until you’ve finished cutting two leaves per place card.  Then, cut a bamboo skewer to about 5 or six inches long and wire each guest’s name on a leaf.

Spread a little glue stick over the inside of each leaf, including a little in the middle.

Fold the leaf over and press firmly.

Repeat with the named leaf.

Poke the stick into a roll.  Pop the roll in the felt boat and you’re done.

Here’s another cheap and festive idea.  Pour dried beans or peas in a small juice glass, toss in a tea light and you’ve got a cute candle holder.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you’re probably stressed enough worrying about the food.  Keep the centerpiece simple by corralling various candles.  Keep it cohesive with similar colors.  I even added a small brass owl for fun.

If you’re anything like I am, you’re unreasonably attracted to miniature dishes.  Put these to good use when hosting a large dinner group.  Fill with butter or even salt and pepper to cut waiting and passing.

Usually we don’t use table cloths.  Two crazy boys + table-cloth + tons of dishes = pile of food and broken plates on the floor.  No, it’s never actually happened, but I can see it.  This year, we’re having more people than we have in the past and our table doesn’t expand.  Which means we’ll have to use a folding table for extra seating.  Therefore, we’ll need a table-cloth to cover the ugly table.  I found this shower curtain on clearance for $3.74 at Target and thought it would be a perfect table-cloth.

How about a budget breakdown?

Tablecloth: $3.74

Bandanna napkins: $.99 each

Felt boat place cards: $.15 each

We already had the gold charger, white plates, glasses, salt and pepper shakers, leaf dishes for butter, and candle holders.    Oh, here’s a thrifty tip.  If you’re looking for cheap chargers, check out the dollar store.  I saw some there a month or so ago.

There it is.  Our Thanksgiving table setting.  It’s nothing too fancy, but it glitters and sparkles, which makes me happy.

What’s your favorite turkey day color scheme?  Do you prefer something more traditional or do you like to mix it up?

Manormous Cabinet

Published on by Our Humble Abode25 Comments

All of our lower cabinets are in and we’ve even installed one of the three uppers.  A giant cabinet over the refrigerator, in fact.  We decided to frame out our refrigerator for a more finished look.  This started with hanging the large cabinet, screwing into the joists and studs along the back wall.

Now do you realize how huge.  It is 36 inches wide, two feet tall and 29 inches deep.  In a small kitchen, every inch counts.  Actually, when I was painting the insides of the lower cabinets, I accidentally painted this guy because he was that big.  Moving on.  After installing the cabinet, Ben screwed a small strip of plywood to the floor.  The sheet of plywood screwed into the cabinet and this small strip to keep it from shifting.

He did the same thing on the other side, too.  Another strip of 3/4 inch plywood on each side filled the gap between the fridge and wood nicely.

We’ll cover the ugly edges with a face frame for a smooth, polished look.  But this already does a lot to make the kitchen look fancy and custom.

The doors still swing open all the way because the panels are set back slightly.  We also made the opening a standard size as we plan to get a new refrigerator when this one conks out.  And it helps detract from seeing the fridge when you walk in the front door.

Of course once we get the dishwasher, which should be here today, install the counters, (we’re hoping they get the wood by tomorrow), and hang the other upper cabinets, everything will look much more cohesive.

While we’re discussing cavernous kitchen storage, let’s look at the newly installed drawers.

Obviously we still have more to install.  Well, we have to build them first.  But the drawers on either side of the stove are in.  Those puppies are massive.  43 inches wide to be exact.  Oh, and you can see the rope lights.  Vincent wanted to show you.

I’ve already started putting things in the drawers, too.  What used to be split into three drawers now fits in the top right drawer.  Yep, every single utensil we own is visible with the pull of one drawer.

The middle drawer has all of our mixing bowls, strainers, a salad spinner, and food storage containers.

And the bottom drawer holds our pots, pans, baking dishes, and toaster with room to spare.

Other drawers have some stuff, too, but nothing else is in a permanent place.  Before we started the kitchen reno, I had a few moments of concern about having enough storage space.  Now, I’m wondering what I’ll put in the other side.  Not really because we still have food in the pantry and dishes in the guest bedroom closet.  But we’re both so excited about the space we’ve gained without enlarging the footprint of the kitchen.

So how ’bout you.  Are your drawers over sized?  No, not your pants.  Have you encased your fridge for a high-end look?  Do you have similar items dispersed all over your kitchen?