Who Else Wants to Go Paperless? [VIDEO] From Jackie

Today's Inspiration comes from guest blogger Jackie Be sure to check out their blog!

A paperless home has been on my wish list for a long time. I hate paper clutter and I hate managing paper.

But I also never took the time to devise a paperless system. Researching scanners and creating a digital filing system did not interest me. Thankfully there are people like Donnie Lawson to figure these things out and make them easy.

Donnie and his wife Abby, from Just a Girl and Her Blog, co-authered the ebook The Paperless Home*. If you want to rid your life of paper clutter, this is the guide you need.

Donnie and Abby were so sweet to sit down with me to talk all about their paperless lifestyle. In this video, you’ll learn:

• The biggest benefits of going paperless (from his and hers perspective)
• Where to get started on your paperless journey
• An alternative to an expensive scanner so you can start going paperless right away
• How much time it takes to maintain a paperless lifestyle
• And more!

Video not loading? Click here to watch.

Convinced? I am and I started going paperless while I was still reading The Paperless Home*. This guide holds your hand through the entire process, including:

• How to decide what papers to keep, toss, and scan
• How to choose a scanner
• How to use Evernote to create a digital filing cabinet (plus ways to keep your info secure and backed up)
• And Donnie’s entire end to end workflow for living paperless.

If you’re nervous about the technical aspects of going paperless, especially learning new software, have no fear because Donnie and Abby created an ebook + video package that includes 17 video tutorials teaching you step by step how to use Evernote. I’ve been an Evernote use for years, but I learned new tips and tricks in these tutorials.

Going paperless is a transition process, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Donnie and Abby are approaching the five year mark living paperless so they’ve tried it all and figured out a system that works.

Start going paperless today with The Paperless Home*. I highly recommend making the tiny splurge to upgrade to the video package.

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission on purchases made after following an affiliate link. I only share products I’ve used myself and love.

A Renovated 1890s Terrace House in The Netherlands By: Lauren Chorpening

I watch my fair share of home-improvement shows. I’m excited to own a home some day – hopefully a 1930s craftsman bungalow – but watching these shows has opened me up to the realities and stresses of renovations. Some issues you can expect and some seem to come out of nowhere. Tip and Michael looked at over 150 places (while living in Australia) before they found their terraced house in Utrecht, The Netherlands. They knew it would need some work and creativity to make it their own, but didn’t know all that would be involved.

Tip Atkins Moore, a teacher, blogger and creative adviser, and Michael, a sustainable IT professional and lecturer, found this 1896 home almost seven years ago after a long search. “It was a lot cheaper as nothing had been done to it for 20 years and I was up for something I could put my stamp on (silly, in hindsight, with a child under 2 and another on the way!). There was a lot to fix but [it] had good bones and some lovely, old features,” Tip says. “The largest challenge with a lot of these older homes, even though the character is fantastic, is that they were built without a kitchen or a bathroom, so finding the space for these things while still having enough room for a modern family is hard.” Unexpected challenges — like woodworm, cracked sewage pipes and having their three-week kitchen remodel turn into three months — came up within the first year of living there, but the family has seen their home through those issues and are settled in to their beautiful space.

Looking at Tip and Michael’s bright, gorgeous home, you’d never know it was in such bad shape before they got their hands on it. “I wanted to create a home that served the needs of a family with kids and could grow with us and our needs. It had to be cozy, fun and inviting because we also love to entertain guests,” Tip says. “There is still a lot left to work on to get the house up to par in terms of modern standards, so we are doing it bit by bit, as we manage to save enough money. We love our home, though, and while there are nice-to-haves on the wishlist, we live here happily and comfortably.” This Dutch home has been a labor of love and can finally provide Tip and her family with everything they need to live. —Lauren

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1TMoCaz From Lauren Chorpening

IKEA EXPEDIT’s bold new look with plywood trim By: mapemusic

Here I show you my new version of the famous Expedit.

What you need:

1. Expedit or Kallax (in my case the big 8 unit one)

2. 2 packages (4 pieces) EKBY BJÄRNUM (legs)

3. Liquid nails

4. Plywood (10mm)

5. Teak wood paint

6. screw clamps and other normal tools (screwdriver)

7. personal doorknobs (if you want)

And this is how you do it:

1. Cut and paint the plywood and let dry

2. Begin gluing the plywood on the Expedit or Kallax. (Please fix the wood with the clamps before moving the heavy Expedit)

3. Turn the Expedit on its top and attach the legs to the bottom.

4. Be careful when flipping the now heavy Expedit back onto its legs.

The post IKEA EXPEDIT’s bold new look with plywood trim appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1MkumqO From mapemusic

Overlooking NYC, A Lofted Studio Filled with History By: Sabrina Smelko

One of the things I love most about older homes is the stories and history they hold from those who lived there prior. There’s something feel-good — and somewhat thrilling — about knowing where a certain scratch in the floor came from, or discovering a stack of old newspapers under the stairs. Getting to peek into the past is a privilege I enjoy in my own home, and one that Emily and Kyle Barry share as well. Their lofted studio was originally built in 1864 and used to be a Governor’s Mansion — and thereafter a community space for underprivileged urban residents — before it became the place Emily and Kyle call home.

Together with her mother, Emily runs Rehabitat, an interiors and styling business, and Kyle works in Brooklyn at West Elm’s headquarters. When they were first looking for a new apartment, the large windows, open staircase, rooftop patio and view of the city that this home offered caught their eye. Located in the heart of booming Jersey City, the couple’s lifestyle strikes a balance between quiet suburbia and the busy hustle-bustle of the city, and they relish in being central to local shops and restaurants — namely the countless flea markets and antique stores at arm’s reach. Emily admits to being a bit of a thrift-store-o-holic, so the biggest challenge when it came to decorating their space was editing down and practicing restraint so as not to collect and stockpile too many things. She admits, “I’ve moved on from furniture pieces to accessories and artwork only because we’re running out of space!” Like many, they think of their home as an ever-evolving space. “The second I think we are [done decorating], I get bored and want to switch something around, or redo the gallery wall, or repaint something,” Emily says. “I’m always battling between what I love about our space versus what I wish was different.” But no matter how many faults they find with their lofted studio space, they feel truly lucky every day to have found such a diamond in the rough. –Sabrina

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1VloMr7 From Sabrina Smelko

Thrifty Glitz in the Motor City By: Garrett Fleming

What I love about revisiting a home that we have previously peeked inside of is that the stylistic evolution is always so fascinating. Three years ago, we featured Tracey and Mike Tilley’s sunshiny bedroom makeover, and today they have been generous enough to let us see the rest of their mid-century, ranch-style abode in Detroit, MI.

Anxious but excited, project manager Tracey bought the home after growing tired of tossing money into a pit of rental properties. With such a passion for decorating, it no longer made sense for her to invest so much time and effort into a temporary residence. The hardwood floors, coved ceilings and abundant closet space helped this property win out over more updated and convenient homes. Luckily, the one-bedroom home’s previous owners did a fantastic job maintaining some of the space’s original, 1950s charm. “I got good vibes the moment I walked in,” Tracey says.

Eager to have “a clean, blank canvas to work with,” she spent the first few months of her time in the home refinishing floors, tearing out carpet, and painting walls and ceilings. The decorating process has been slow, yet nothing but enjoyable. With a love for scouring vintage shops and keeping her decor in constant rotation, Tracey set out to mix “inexpensive pieces from big-box stores with vintage, flea-market finds.” Eleven years later, she is still finding clever ways to achieve the look she loves for less. Working on a budget meant that some extra DIY headaches were endured, but Tracey says it’s all been worth it. I have to agree. Truly one-of-a-kind pieces fill her rambler. There’s even a disco ball in the dining room and a full suit of armor guarding the breakfast nook. All these quirky touches set the mood for a fun and glittering home I am sure you’ll not soon forget. Enjoy! —Garrett

Photography by Kate Sassak and Tracey Tilley

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1SxnODM From Garrett Fleming

BH&G Building A Dream House: Navy Bedrooms From Melissa Bahen

Today's Inspiration comes from Better Homes and Garden's Style Spotters Melissa Bahen.

The master bedroom is probably the most ignored room in my house when it comes to style. In our old house, the master bedroom was upstairs with all of the kids’ rooms, so aside from the hours we spent sleeping and getting ready for the day, we really weren’t up there much. But in the Dream House, the master bedroom is on the main floor (and oh my gosh, I LOVE IT!), so I actually spend quite a bit of time in there. Since my office in the basement is still a work in progress, when I have time to work, I go to my bedroom. When I have phone calls or video conferences, I go to my bedroom. If I just need a second to relax, I go to my bedroom. So it has started to occur to me that my bedroom is pretty hideous and that it is in dire need of some TLC.

I’ve been really enamored of navy bedrooms lately. I know our walls are gray, which I don’t plan on changing because I love them, but I think gray and navy make a swell color combination. Here are just a few of the bedrooms that have had me swooning over navy lately…

photo from House and Home

I love the brass sun burst mirror paired with the navy walls in the photo. I’ve discovered during my extensive navy bedroom research that at least 75% of navy bedrooms contain at least one star burst or sun burst mirror. I’ve already started looking for mine in preparation.

photo from West Elm

As much as I love the navy walls, I don’t plan on painting my bedroom blue. I spent a lot of time choosing that beautiful gray paint, and I’m gonna keep it! This bedroom is probably more the direction our master bedroom will take, with gray walls and dark blue accents. I love the color combination of dark navy and foggy gray.

photo from Pottery Barn

Here’s another beautiful room with lighter walls and rich navy accents. I love how the dark blue rug under the bed helps anchor the room, and really highlights those blues.

photo from Steven Ford Interiors on Houzz.com

I think this bedroom is so beautiful. The walls are navy and the bedding is navy, yet the room feels light and airy and open. Note to self: achieve this in the Dream House master bedroom!

photo from Lesley Graham

photo from Hello Lidy

These two beautiful bedrooms belong to my friends Lesley Graham and Lidy Dipert. While the walls in both of these rooms are black, they have the same dark wall/bright room effect as the navy rooms that I love.

What do you think of this trend in navy bedrooms? Do you love it as much as I do?

Dilapidated child’s easel becomes chalkboard wedding sign By: IH guest

I wanted to make a sign for my wedding to tell guests where to sit, but didn’t have a concrete plan. Then one day I found a dilapidated child’s easel in someone else’s trash (which turned out to be the MÅLA easel by IKEA). It was covered with chalk and marker, but I saw the potential.

The biggest transformation came from sawing off the legs (which also removed the tray), to make it look less like a child’s easel. Then it needed a fresh coat of turquoise paint, new chalkboard paint because the previous owner had used it so heavily, and finally I used a chalk pen to add the hand lettered seating instructions. I’m so pleased with how it turned out — it looks so different than where it started, despite still being a chalkboard!

More details can be found on my DIY blog, Plaster & Disaster.

` Sage Ruth

The post Dilapidated child’s easel becomes chalkboard wedding sign appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1I60iYB From IH guest