What’s wrong with this picture? It’s another Becky D.I.Y. Disaster!

I’ve decided to reveal my complete lack of skills when it comes to Do-It-Yourself to you, because at least a few of you seem to find it funny. I read ReadyMade, I come up with all kinds of overambitious ideas, and when I go to execute, the results are laughable. I finally bought some new sconce/chandelier lampshades at RE-Store the other day (that place is AWESOME!) for $2.95 each, new in package (I also picked up some earplugs for my neighbor’s weekly two hour leaf blowing extravaganzas, for ten cents each). I absolutely adore the print on this pair I bought at IKEA, but like everything else I have ever bought there, they were a near miss – while my sconces require clip shades, this was one of those weird shades with a ring that fits below the bulb, and probably only works on lights from IKEA. Inspired by IKEAHacker, I figured it would be an easy fix. For some reason I felt sure this involved stolen coffee stirrers from the coffeeshop and packaging tape.

(Pardon the D.I.Y. Photoshopping Above) By the way, these stayed like this for about a year. They were actually straight for about a month or so, but because they were at the top of the stairs, this was the main view of my handiwork I had of at least one of them as I looked up. Let’s get one more look at how this was working out:

Usually I have a hard time living with things that are crooked, but this was such a lost cause and I hate bare bulbs so much that I just ignored it. Do you have anything around the house like this that you’ve just let go forever?

After feeling motivated by our Organization Blogfest last week, I’ve decided to try and implement a series on organizing each Tuesday for as long as I can keep coming up with them, or as long as I can keep finding others who are much more organized than I am. In taking Holly Becker’s Blogging Your Way e-course, I met Flavia Heupel, who shared the great blogging organization system she’s put in place for her blog, Estilo Home. I asked her if she’d like to share it with our readers, and Yea! She said yes. So without further ado, take it away Flavia!

-Becky

If you are anything like me, you are constantly searching for inspiration for new blog posts, whether it’s from a newspaper or magazine, an online store, or a beautiful pillow you saw while window-shopping – the list can go on and on. Since starting my blog last year, I have been jotting down notes and ideas for blog posts on scattered pieces of paper, which usually end up anywhere from my day-planner, my desk at work, the coffee table in my living room, or the bottom of my purse. And my massive collection of dog-eared and ripped-out magazine pages is no different. As one could guess, this method of brainstorming is not the most effective when you are staring at the computer screen thinking about what your next blog post will be!

In need of a solution, I implemented and personalized a system originally suggested by Holly Becker of the Blogging Your Way e-course: the style files. In doing so, I re-purposed a file storage box that I already owned into a simple, yet effective system to store and organize all of my ideas in one place.

The key is to figure out the right categories for your inspirational images and notes. As I write about interior design, my file is loosely organized with folders for designers and stylists; products and stores; inspiring rooms; as well as a folder for mood board inspirations, which could be anything from artwork to a nice outfit. I can then file all my scribbled notes and ripped or printed out source pages into the relative category. I have left some room for the magazines that I can’t bear to damage, with the pages of interest flagged so I can easily locate the items that sparked an idea or thought.

This method has been extremely effective for me to organize my thoughts, overcome writer’s block, and has saved me a great deal of time as I no longer have to search and dig for my notes. Once I write about an item, I either throw the notes out, or file them in one of my decorating files that are organized by room and style. To implement this system, you could easily use an accordion file, or a simple box with dividers or file folders. I highly recommend it!

Flavia Heupel is a PR Manager and author of Estilo Home, a blog which follows a design-obsessed woman pursuing her love for Interior Design while balancing a full-time job, a happy marriage, and a condo to decorate.

Before it gets too after-the-fact I need to take a quick break from our Organization Blog Fest to give a quick THANK YOU to the fine folks at notNeutral and Intelligentsia for the delicious latte I was served upon my arrival at the notNeutral booth at the The International NY Gift Show a few weeks back – delicious.

To give a little background: notNeutral has collaborated up with the best coffee people in the country – Intelligentsia – to create a line of durable and beautiful ceramic cups intended to be the “perfect vessels for all things espresso”. The entire project took 36 iterations and almost two years of effort:

“Our desire in designing this particular piece is a seamless marriage of form and function that aids the barista in the perfect pour and balances effortlessly in the drinker’s hand. In this case, the perfect cappuccino cup.

Indeed, THIS is a lovely coffee cup and lucky for me I was able to put one through the paces and enjoy some caffeinated goodness in the process!

We’ll post more about the project later but for now I just wanted to thank the fine folks at Intelligentsia and NotNeutral for the hospitality. Intelligentsia has several locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and now a instructional facility here in NYC. If you’re interested in advancing your barista skills I highly recommend checking out their classes. More on the cups here. Thanks fellas!

From the New York Gift Show

On location Intelligentsia barista pulling shots of liquid gold from a La Marzocco GS/3:

For some inspiration this Monday, I’m sharing a chat with Scot Herbst of Kaiku. How might you be inspired by Scot? Well, for one he’ll inspire you to forget the stroller and get back to the good old days of wagon pulling with his Kaiku Zen Wagon. Second, you’ll be inspired by the phrase “simplexity.” Finally, you’ll see what might cause someone to feel as though they were incarnated as a saltwater fish in the their past life. Enjoy the Q&A!

Hey Scot, I’d love to touch upon your background a bit. I see you’ve been on the design team for Specialized Bicycle and Nike and designed the HP Touchsmart. What was the turning point or catalyst to starting your own product line?

Yes, it’s true.  I do have a background in outdoor recreation.  Perhaps that’s why I love our wagons so much…when we had our little ones, I was always looking for excuses to get outdoors with them.  My wife loved cruising around in this beautiful BOB stroller, and I thought to myself, “Hey, I’m more of a wagon dad, but there’s no ‘beautiful’ solution for me!” So 2 yrs later, voila. And the Touchsmart, well, I’m embarrassed to say it—I’m a little bit of a geek as well.

So, Kaiku {ky-koo} is Japanese for “to grow.” How/why did you pick it as your brand name?

We don’t do plastic.  “Wood.  Steel.  Rubber.”  That’s our mantra.  It all grows…well, all right…but you see where I’m going with this.

How would you describe your design style/philosophy? How has it evolved over the years?

I worked with the famous Mexican designer Alberto Villarreal when he coined the phrase “Simplexity.”  I always loved that, blending Read the rest of this entry »