Category Archive

hacks

How to build a Japanese-style heated floor desk

I’m all about floor-furniture like the kotatsu, a 14th-century invention used in many Japanese homes all winter. It’s like the floor-oriented table often associated with Japanese homes, but with the added convenience of a heater and blanket. Sometimes I have daydreams about how awesome it would be to have one of these suckers. SO WARM. So cozy. None of the crampy discomfort of a western-style desk!

I’ve got a little floor-desk of my own going on, and this IKEA hack came just in time for me to play with.

Make a creepy, glowing light for your yard or a party

Halloween rocks, but it can be hard to find time to do anything around the house when you have limited time and money. In this post you’ll learn how to make a spooky light for a party or to set up a creepy yard.

Housekeeping realization: put your toiletries in baskets to keep your bathroom organized

My housemate Darby and I — we’re very similar — seem to be constantly figuring out really simple things, like what people use baskets for. Sometimes we feel like our brains just don’t work, especially when it comes to putting things away. If that makes sense to you, this is the thread in which to share the incredibly dumb things you’re incredibly proud of having figured out.

Hack Halloween: Add dread to a space with gauzy cheesecloth shapes

Do you need a convincingly decrepit room on a budget? Do you want to pull off a haunting Halloween look on the cheap and easy? You’ll love today’s halloween hack: cheesecloth.

Jack-o-lanterns last longer with one additional item from the drugstore

Halloween rocks, but it can be hard to find time to do anything around the house when you have limited time and money. This month, I’m posting several Halloween Hacks each week — really simple ideas to stretch your Halloween dollars and make the season spookier for all. If you have additional ideas, pop ’em in the comments!

Six ways to cool down — without cranking the A/C, getting in the pool, or turning on a fan

What food will help me cool off?! What can I do when it’s too hot to sleep? And how can tea make getting by in the heat easier?

standing desk photo

Turning a bookcase into a standing desk — super-perfect for the DIY-challenged

This is an embarrassingly simple project. Not a single item was purchased, nor a single tool used. I’m a hands-on, DIY kind of chick, but for this hack, you don’t have to be.