Airstream Living

living a big life in a small house

How To Hack Ikea Magazine Boxes

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Living in a small house, I have to find storage wherever I can.  There is one built-in shelf in my hall that I use for storage. I have got all kinds of goodies hiding in those gray Ikea Kvarnvik boxes: wrapping paper, ribbon, the glue gun, essential oils and more.

But this is how I updated some Ikea Knuff magazine file boxes and I’m thrilled with how they turned out. Inside of them, I keep a few of my favorite magazines, a couple books on my reading list and a backup supply of an obsession of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks.

Let’s dive into how I hacked these into cute shabby holders. Some of the supplies are affiliate links. I’m supposed to tell you that…just so you know, it doesn’t cost you any extra.

Supplies

Check Fit

Before you get going, make sure the Knuff magazine boxes are going to fit on your shelves. Whew–good thing I checked, mine barely fit.

Prep

Give the magazine boxes a little sanding with a fine sandpaper. They may be a tad rough here and there. Sand just enough to get the baby splinters and the rough edges off. You don’t need to go crazy.

Paint

Apply a couple coats of chalk paint. I picked this one up at my local Walmart. Make sure you let the paint dry between coats.

Sand

Allow the paint to dry completely. Using fine sandpaper, begin to sand off the paint exposing a little bit of the natural wood here and there. Be sure to sand around the edges. This helps give it a time worn look. Keep going until you find the look you like.

Paint the Numbers

Hop onto your computer and print out your numbers. How cute would it be to use alphabet letters in a nursery or initials in a shared children’s bedroom? Make them your own. Choose a font you like and play around with the size. Print the numbers, then cut them out. Did you spy that I also hacked an Ikea Skogsta box?

With a pencil, lightly trace around the numbers, then fill in with craft paint with using a small paintbrush. Allow paint to completely dry.

Add the handles

Here is the tricky part I didn’t take pictures of before I started. Because the file box has a finger hole, you will need to cover this up and give something for the drawer pull to grab onto.

I just happen to have some little cardboard gift tags that were already painted black on one side. A small piece of chipboard would work great here as well. Put a couple little dots of glue or adhesive around the outside of it and cover the finger hole from the inside. You don’t even need to let it dry because when you attach the handle, it will pull the chipboard against the file box.

 

Because the file boxes are fairly thin, I did not pre-drill holes for the handles. I just lightly traced where they would be so I could see where to begin the screw from the back of the box. I used these handles and you can see that they almost cover the finger hole.

 

 

9 Ways to Find Extra Storage in a Small Kitchen

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Like many, you are ready to eat better and cook more from home. Having the right appliance and kitchen gadget for the job can chop cooking time in half. However, finding a place to keep all of those time-saving devices is a challenge in a small kitchen. Here are 9 tips to help you find the extra storage you need.

1. Crates

A wooden crate on the countertop is ideal for holding items such as cutting boards. If you cook from scratch, you probably use multiple cutting boards per day. Keeping your cutting boards right on the counter makes for easy access and frees up an entire drawer. Crates are also fantastic for storing randomly shaped items such as a food scale and rolling pin.

2. Add an Island

Adding an island in even the smallest of kitchens can add much-needed storage. This island is a repurposed bookshelf I found at an outlet store. A repurposed dresser, desk, or filing cabinet can even work. Not only can the smallest of kitchen islands provide extra storage, but it can give you extra countertop space.

3. Hang a Pot Rack

Pot racks are not just reserved for hanging from the ceiling. Hang a pot rack against a wall. This used to be my bathroom towel rack. A coat rack, an old ladder, or a mounted curtain rod can also do the trick.

4. Leave Out Commonly Used Items

Why bother putting away the olive oil if you use it every day? Keep commonly used items such as olive oil, salt, and pepper, butter, honey, stirring spoons and spatulas out on the counter. Not only does this save space, it saves time. This spatula container was a fun garage sale find and the olive oil is kept in a repurposed vodka bottle.

5. Between the Studs Shelving

Taking advantage of unused space inside the wall can add extra storage. Once finished off with some trim and shelving, the possibilities are endless! That little bit of space between the framing studs is ideal for holding narrow items such as a broom, mop, toilet paper, wine bottles, or even a prized collection. These shelves hold my cooking spices. Not only is it functional but it doubles as a piece of art.

6. Display Your Fruit

Most fruit doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Add a little warmth and a pop of color to your kitchen decor and keep your apples and oranges is a cute bowl or basket. Here are some tomatoes, avocados, and a pineapple finishing their ripening in my window sill.

7. Use Hooks

Hooks are perfect for hanging over-sized or awkwardly shaped items such as barbecue turners, ladles, and frying pans. I attached a towel rack to the side of my kitchen island. There are several ready-made hook systems available on the market. If you aren’t handy, I suggest checking into this system from Ikea.

8. Display Your Teapot

Much like the olive oil, if you use your teapot often, then just leave it on the stove. Teapots are big and oddly shaped and can take up a lot of room. Hunt garage sales or the thrift stores and find one that fits your vibe.

9. Donate Unused Appliances

A small kitchen shouldn’t inhibit you from having the right tool for the job. You should be able to keep your favorite appliances and tools. Much like we track what clothing items we wear most in our closet, do a similar inventory of your kitchen. If you haven’t used an appliance or kitchen gadget within a year, consider donating it and free up the much-needed space.

 

Why I Chose A Small House

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The Big House

I chased the American dream of the big house and got exactly what I wished for and worked hard to achieve – over 4000 square feet of an American dream.

Right away, deep down, I knew it was too much house. My husband, John, and I tried selling it just a year after we bought it. We had a sign in our yard for two years and then the housing crisis hit. We decided to hunker down and make the best of it. We did for 11 years.

I did love my big house. We raised three kids in it, hosted oodles of parties, always had room for guests to stay and even had my daughter’s wedding in the living room. But, it takes a lot to live in a big house. It uses a lot of utilities, it is a lot to keep clean, it is more to maintain, and it is a lot to fill up – and fill it up we did – with lots and lots of stuff.

Tiny Houses

Somewhere along the way John and I became obsessed with the tiny house movement and the ideals that come with it. Fewer bills, less stuff, more time, and more freedom appealed to us. We seriously considered going that route. We purchased books, I started a Pinterest board, and I subscribed to tiny house YouTube videos.

In 2009 we purchased a used motorhome to tour the United States for a month and then ended up keeping it for six years because we enjoyed the freedom and relaxation that travel provided. It had everything we needed but was basic and simple. We loved that. Could we really live tiny?

Small Houses

Why did I feel like I had to live either big or tiny? Somewhere in the middle between 400 and 1000 square feet is small. Small house living offers the best of both worlds. This seemed to be the answer for us. There were a few factors that lead us toward small.

The child. I watch all of the tiny house shows so I know you can live in them with children. It can be done. We are still raising our youngest, who is in her teens. She is an artist. Canvases, paint, knitting needles cover her bedroom floor. And, of course, she produces laundry. That stuff needs to be kept somewhere. In a small house, she can have a room of her own.

The parties. Cooking and throwing parties is my way of showing love. Spending time with family, friends, and neighbors is a major part of living. My knack for design spills over into my cooking and entertaining. In a small house, I can have a full-size kitchen with (some) room for guests to roam.

The garden. I am passionate about growing my own food. Moving dirt, pulling weeds, planning how much I need for preserving, and dreaming about the meals I will make with the harvest grounds me and makes me happy. In a small house, I can have my own plot of dirt to garden and plant fruit trees.

The Move

Sometimes, life ends up shoving you into a decision before you are actually ready for it. In late 2014, John was offered a job in the same California town we had left 10 years prior.

Many late night talks, early morning walks, and notebooks full of pro and con lists were made.  Nine months later we broke the news of our relocation and a year later we moved. This was a really good time to downsize.

We were going to buy smaller. And we did. It took us 6 months of hunting, bidding, and patience to land in our 920 square-foot urban cottage.

I would like to inspire others who want to downsize or who already live small. Having a full satisfied life doesn’t have to be restricted by the size of your house. Do you live small? Do you want to live small? Share with me why in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

6 Houses We Missed Out On – Part 2

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What? No one wants to rent a house to someone with 3 cats?! We can’t find a house to buy and now we can’t find a house to rent. Just when I was about to lose hope, enter the miracle worker, Jodi. You can read the beginning of the story here. The plot thickens and now onto house number five.

Side Note . . .

Up to this point, all the above houses we missed out on were before our actual move across the country from Michigan to California. We moved in August of 2015 and the three of us were living in three different towns, all in different guest rooms. I moved in with my parents 75 minutes away, our teenage daughter moved in with John’s parents 60 minutes away, and John stayed with gracious friends near his work.

What if we couldn’t find a house in our desired neighborhood? What if we just kept getting outbid? How much longer could we stay apart? No one would rent to us with three cats so we started looking at other options. This is when we strayed from the plan. I know, I know. We spent about a week looking at homes outside of our target neighborhood.

The Waterfront Property

We got super duper close to purchasing this house. Oh. My. Gosh. The house and the property were absolutely everything I wanted. It checked off everything on my wish list–plus some.

Do your research. This property backed up to the water treatment plant. Thus our funny little description of the waterfront property. The plant was blocked by trees so it really wasn’t that big of a deal until we looked up the property line on the county website. The backyard was technically only half the size that was currently being used. The other half of the backyard was an easement to the water treatment plant. Meaning, the backyard looked like it was twice its actual size. We spent a week asking questions and trying to find answers to see if this part of the property could ever be taken back. We could not get a concrete answer. That was too much of a red flag for us, so we walked away.

What we loved about it. The floor plan, the vaulted ceilings, the white kitchen, the large outdoor covered patio, the fruit trees, the rose garden, the berries, the giant oak tree in the backyard.

Why I’m glad we missed out. It wasn’t in our target neighborhood. This was a non-negotiable issue for us. What were we thinking? Desperate times call for desperate measures and we lost focus.

The Rental House

Our friend Jodi, aka the miracle worker, work in property management. She knew one of her clients was considering selling a house in our desired neighborhood. She contacted the owner and they allowed us to walk through. Spoiler – this is now our urban cottage because after reading there is more to the story.

I don’t know why I didn’t like it at first. Maybe it was because the tenant was there watching us walk around. This made for a really awkward 5-minute walk/run through of the house. It didn’t have everything on the wish list. I knew I wasn’t going to get everything on my list but, to be honest, I think I was tired, frustrated, and just not paying close enough attention to the miracle that was going to happen. Plus, the house just flat-out smelled bad.

To make a long story short, we told Jodi we weren’t interested in buying the house but we were wondering if the owner would rent to us month-to-month WITH the cats until we found something to buy. The answer was yes, but she would want to sell it after the holidays. This would buy us some time to keep looking and all be back together under one roof.

The Garden House

Shortly after we moved into the rental house, the garden house hit the MLS at 8:30 a.m. We toured it at noon and placed a nice big offer over asking. We were going to play the pool house game and win! This was really a yard with a house to go with it. Fruit were trees everywhere, birds and nature galore, an outdoor pergola, and a koi pond. Everything was looking great. The selling realtor told our realtor it looked good and we were the highest bidder. That was until the 72-hour mark. Boom. They got an offer they couldn’t refuse. Sold! Darn it, again.

Why I loved this house. The yard. I just really loved the yard. It felt like paradise to me.

Why I’m glad we missed out. The house was going to be a lot of work. It was a fixer-upper. I think it would have been a complete money pit.

Home Sweet Home

On a warm September evening sitting outside on our patio at the rental house, we were eating a late dinner. John said to me “let’s just buy this place.” We had moved in about 20 percent of our things – beds, sofa, and basic kitchen needs. Knowing we were going to up and move again, we didn’t want to fully unpack the storage unit.

 

We were functioning perfectly fine on just the basics in our new little home. We contacted the owner and she said she would sell to us, but not until the spring. With the busy holidays and traveling back to Michigan to see family, that timing would be fine with us.

Over the next few months, we started to fall in love with the house more and more. I began dreaming up the projects we would do to put our own stamp on it. At the beginning of April 2016, we closed on the house.

Jodi, the Miracle Worker

I really do think of Jodi as our miracle worker and this house as a true blessing. We purchased from the owner, so the house never went on the market. No chances of being outbid! Woot! We were able to test drive the house, and the neighbors, before we bought. How many people get the chance to do that?

Living small has been an adjustment but we welcome the challenge with creativity and anticipation. We have lots of plans for our urban cottage. Some of those plans are going to take years to accomplish. I look forward to sharing those projects as well as personal stories along the way.

6 Houses We Missed Out On – Part 1

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We found our house by a miracle thank you to our friend, Jodi.  Be sure to read more about her role in the story at the end of part two. It is a competitive world baby! When you are determined to live in a popular neighborhood, and you aren’t an investor that can drop cash, you need to stick to your guns and not give up.

We almost strayed from our goal at one point. We house-hunted for eight months and two of those we were all living apart in three different towns. I think shopping for a house when you are tired and desperate is like shopping for groceries hungry. Stay focused, stay focused. Here is a list of the houses we missed out on before our urban cottage came along.

Small But Super Cute

This is the first house we wanted. John started traveling one week per month four months before we moved, to transition into his new job. So, house-hunting began without me. Our teenage daughter went with him on the visit where they toured this house. They both fell in love it. The house had been listed for months and months and months, so we thought by the time our house sold it would be here waiting for us. Whoops! Sold. Darn it.

What I loved about it: it’s cute. I mean, just look at it. The flower beds, the arch, the lap siding, the paned windows. It had a white kitchen. The bathroom was black and white. The backyard was big.

Why I’m happy we missed out: the second bedroom really wasn’t a bedroom. It was a room attached to the living space that you had to walk through to get to the bathroom. It didn’t even have a closet. Though it was a Jack and Jill bathroom with the master bedroom, this floor plan wouldn’t give our teenage daughter enough privacy.

The House On The Hill

Our big house in Michigan was in a sale contract and John looked at this house the day it hit the MLS. It sits on THE main street in town, and just up the hill a block from the coffee shop, the yummy eats, cute stores, and street fairs. Because we had just gone into contract on the sale of the big house, we hadn’t gotten pre-approved yet. We got that ball rolling and two days after the house on the hill was listed – sold.

What I loved about it; it had a fireplace–something on my wish list that I don’t have in my urban cottage. It had wood floors throughout. The kitchen was a hot mess. Well, there really wasn’t a kitchen – starting from zero, in my favorite room of the house, got me super excited. It had a garage.

Why I’m happy we missed out: I can’t think of anything. I think this would have been a great house for us.

The Money Maker

This was the one that got away. We were under contract for over a month on this one. It was $100k more than we were willing to spend but, it had a money maker attached. This cutie was rumored to be an old country store in the late 1800’s. It was (mostly) updated and had a studio apartment in the back. We had planned to use the studio as our moneymaker to offset the outrageous mortgage. I was really excited to throw my entrepreneurial spirit into our new backyard business! Forty-five days into the sale, we were at the appraisal stage and it did not appraise–by a lot! The seller would not budge on the price. Bye bye, to the business idea (and cute house).

What I loved about it: the front porch was nice and deep, perfect for a big ceiling fan and lemonade with friends and neighbors. The backyard had a ton of potential. I had already mapped out where to throw parties and where I could have had my garden.

Why I’m happy we missed out: the price. Though starting and running a new business would be fun for me, it really was way too much of a mortgage for us. I’m happy I don’t have that stress in my life today.

The Pool House

Right after we dropped out of the money maker, the hunt was back on. John took a tour of this house as soon as it hit the market, and I toured it online from the other side of the country. There was so much potential in this place. We could see it everywhere. We knew that the house on the hill sold for a good chunk above asking, so we decided to offer $10k over asking with a personal letter and a picture of the family. We were outbid by $1k. Sold. Darn it, again!

What I loved about this house. After we punched out a wall, it would have had a really nice, big, open-concept living space. It had an addition above the garage that would have been perrrrrfect for our teenage daughter. It had an outdoor fireplace.

Why I’m happy we missed out. It had a pool. You may think this is a bonus, but we’ve had a pool in the past. It was great when the kids were growing up, but it takes maintenance, money, and backyard space–where I could have my garden to grow food instead.

There are two more houses we missed out on in part two of the story.