Idle Hands Awake

Scandinavian Workspace Makeover — The Reveal

06.01.16

This post is sponsored by IKEA Stoughton, but all opinions are entirely my own!

Last weekend I went to a wedding where I contracted some sort of awful plague. As I write this, the remnants of two boxes of tissues are strewn around me, I’m binge-watching Frasier, and my throat is so hoarse I sound like a 50-year old chain smoker who just ran a mile.

But I don’t care because my Scandinavian workspace makeover is FINALLY finished.

I’ll skip the usual apologies and reasons and blah blah blah let’s just get to the pictures.

Insert squeal of delight here.

In case you missed the rest of the workspace makeover saga, I’ve already published a whole heap of embarrassing before pictures. The short version is that everything was cluttered and dysfunctional. Too little work area in one room, too large a desk in another.

Nothing a trip (or three) to IKEA can’t solve.

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DIY

DIY Leather Box Handles Using Thrifted Belts

05.25.16

When you find the most amazing washi tape known to (wo)man, you naturally need a cute little storage box just for it.

And since I am apparently all about thrifted leather this year, it seemed obvious to turn these plain wood storage boxes into something a little more special with a simple handle made of old leather.

Just look at that texture! It’s the perfect place for my favorite craft supplies.

To make these DIY leather box handles, hop on over to Shrimp Salad Circus for my latest contributor post. Then come back here and tell me what your favorite craft supplies are. If one of them is copper wire, we can be besties.

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DIY

How To Hang Heavy Shelves on Horsehair Plaster Walls

05.18.16

This post is sponsored by IKEA Stoughton, but all words/ideas/opinions are entirely my own!

Last year I discovered that my local hardware store teaches mini home repair workshops on the weekends. Which is how I found myself trekking over one morning, chai soy latte in hand, to watch a demonstration on plaster walls.

I was the only person who showed. Apparently plaster walls are not as riveting to my neighbors as they are to me.

But if you’ve ever lived in a pre-1950s home, you know the agony of those crumbly plaster slabs masquerading as walls. Boston-area readers, I know you’ve been there: how hammering a tiny nail hole turns into spackling a tennis ball-sized gash. Or how the cleanup from that tiny hole fills an entire vacuum cleaner cup with dust and bits of horsehair (ew ew ew ew ew). Or how it’s impossible to hang anything heavier than a cheapo 8×10 frame.

Well, my home repair nerdiness has paid off, because I have learned a secret. And that secret has allowed me to finally, finally have the modern, open, bright white Scandinavian workspace of my dreams.

That’s right, you can hang up stuff in your charmingly impractical turn-of-the-20th-century home. All you need is a little piece of hardware you’ve probably passed a million times while bee-lining it for the copper pipes in the plumbing aisle: the toggle bolt.

If I sound a little info-mercially, it’s because I’m practicing for my debut Vanna White impression below, which is not embarrassing at all. But first, everything you need to learn how to hang heavy shelves on horsehair plaster walls: Read More

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Design

How to Shop Ikea Like a Pro (and avoid buying the whole store)

05.04.16

This post is sponsored by IKEA Stoughton, but all words/ideas/opinions are entirely my own!

1980s Germans spent a lot of time watching MacGyver, listening to techno—and, apparently, going to IKEA.

At least, that’s what my family did.

Don’t worry, we did other fun things too, hiking and zoos and movies and normal family things. But because of IKEA’s inexpensive meals and built-in childcare, some of my earliest memories with my parents—both struggling students at the time—are of ball pits, mini POANGS, and Swedish meatballs.

So believe me when I tell you: I love IKEA.

Fast-forward 20+ years, and Adult Me is still filled with glee whenever I “have to” go to IKEA. And I mean, what’s not to love? The affordable designs! The silly names! The vast showroom that lets you realize that you, too, can have a chef-worthy kitchen!

And for those of you whose own fondness for everyone’s favorite Swedish import has been hampered by a lack of enthusiasm for shopping in general, don’t worry. As a life-long IKEA shopper (a truly enviable title, I know), I’ve compiled some tips for how to shop IKEA like a pro—and even avoid buying the whole store when you finally do get swept up in the awe of it all.

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My Home

Scandinavian Workspace Makeover — The Before

05.03.16

Before I share these photos with you, I have to tell you something.

WE ARE NOT SLOBS.

It’s just that, when you combine an almost comical lack of storage with a tendency to ~~hoard~~ collect supplies, and add in a dash of chronic health problems that often leave you too tired to finish projects or clean up after yourself, you end up with this:

Or this:

It’s unreal how much CRAP you can inadvertently collect in six years. We’ve reached a level of non-function in our little one-bedroom apartment, and nowhere has that become more apparent than in my “workspace.”

The the too-small wobbly folding cart engulfed in clutter and the too-large desk by the window where the glare makes photo-editing impossible just don’t inspire productivity. Shocking, I know.

Which is why I’m beyond giddy to finally announce that IKEA Stoughton has partnered with me for a Scandinavian workspace makeover. That’s right, IKEA, baby.

!!!

I’ve been sitting on this secret since early March and OHH, is it good to get it out into the world!

This is going to be epic, you guys. It’s my Scandinavian workspace inspiration come to life—bright white shelves, organized storage boxes, plants. I’m excited.

But no makeover is complete without a few painful “before” pictures, so just grit your teeth and allow me to give you a little tour. This is REAL LIFE, folks, crappy iPhone photos and all. Read More

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