IKEA Hackers debut: Billy Mod (or, “Dra Ut Hyllan”)
A few years ago, I bought my first condo, which had a loft floorplan. Most of the room was one big ground floor, with a small lofted bedroom and even smaller study area/second bedroom. As such, I promised myself that every piece of furniture in the living room would either (1) serve at least two purposes to reduce furniture clutter, or (2) act as storage. Thus I decided to transform my little Billy shelf into a new IKEA family member, which one of my coworkers dubbed “Dra ut hyllan” (apparently... Read The Rest →
DIY: State of the Patio Garden
I love making small spaces feel cozy and smart! Our patio is no exception. It’s not just small. It’s TINY. So it was a thorough challenge to make it my garden, a storage space, a relaxing area, AND a grilling station. But here’s how we did it! Loveseat on the left, with my larger plants (dwarf fruit trees, pepper plant) next to it; grill front and center; and two different sized storage sheds against the wall to the right (Suncast brand). In between them I sandwiched a stacked plastic bin for... Read The Rest →
DIY: Office reorganization!
Ben and I have been living in our new condo for a year now, and as such figured it was time to re-organize our office. We both do a significant amount of work at home for freelance, personal projects, and/or extensions of office work. Our condo has a really nice lofted workspace, but it’s not very large and it’s not rectangular, which made exact measurements and some creativity very important. Before pictures: A couple things that bothered me about this setup: Ben and I had two separate desks wedged... Read The Rest →
A day in the shoes of a model
About a year ago, two of my friends got married. For their engagement and wedding photographer, they booked Ed Pingol (of Ed Pingol Photography), who already came well-recommended from the bride’s group of friends. I had not yet become a serious photography hobbyist at that time, so I didn’t fully appreciate just how amazing this photographer was until I saw the result of his work after the wedding. His pictures are just incredibly BADASS, there is no other way to describe them. Fast forward to the end of 2010. Ed... Read The Rest →
Nike Women’s Marathon 2010
On October 17th, 2010, I did something I never thought I’d be able to do: run a marathon. Since I was 22, I’ve had on-and-off back pains of varying degrees – X-rays confirmed I had mild scoliosis. I also developed neck and knee pains at a pretty annoyingly young age – and on top of that, I’ve spent most of my life on the more curvy side of things – in other words, I’m not and never will be built like a gazelle. But in 2009, I learned of the... Read The Rest →
