It’s one thing when you’re assembling one small thing, but when you’re assembling an entire wall of bookshelves (like I’ve done a few times recently), that big stack of ironclad boxes can seem pretty daunting! This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

I’ve broken nails, given myself cardboard paper cuts, and said a few choices words @#*$! while trying to open IKEA boxes. Not only is it extremely frustrating, it also adds a lot of unnecessary time to an already time-consuming process! I’ve seen recommendations that you wedge a screwdriver, a pocket knife, or a putty knife between the flaps to open IKEA boxes, but watching the videos of these methods you can see that none of them are smooth and easy. With each of these sharp implements you run the risk of damaging the furniture inside, the floor below the box, or worst of all, your fingers!

I’ve heard people joke that IKEA should include instructions on how to open IKEA boxes. It’s funny because it’s true! But guess what?! I’ve actually got the instructions and they come straight from an IKEA employee. On a recent trip to IKEA, my husband spotted an employee opening boxes at lightning speed so he went in for the details. The employee showed him his very special tool… wait for it… a plastic lettuce knife!

If you’ve never used a lettuce knife before, it’s simply a lightweight, serrated plastic knife. Lettuce browns quickly when the leaves are torn or when sliced with a metal knife. An inexpensive lettuce knife is ideal for prepping salads because it’s serrated edge is sharp enough to provide a clean cut, and the plastic keeps the lettuce from turning brown. Additionally, these knives won’t damage counters or non-stick surfaces and they’re safe for fingers (making chopping lettuce a great task to delegate to kids who are eager to help in the kitchen).

The same characteristic that make a lettuce knife great in the kitchen apparently also make it the perfect tool to open IKEA boxes. The serrated edge slides easily through the glue between the flap and you don’t risk any damage or injury in the process! Watch this video to see just how easy it is…

This makes opening an IKEA box so quick and easy that I can’t believe this tip isn’t more widely known! I don’t know if all IKEA employees are taught to open boxes this way, or if we’ve just got some really clever folks at the store here in Denver, but either way, I’m so glad we learned this little trick! I’ll never open an IKEA box any other way!

Ok, now that your boxes are open, I guess you’ve got no excuse not to assemble that furniture! Sorry, not sorry

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This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

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My friend Melissa came to visit last month, and when she asked me for our WiFi password, she was met with a blank stare. Since it’s saved on both my computer and phone, I never have to type it in and honestly had no clue what it was. I assured her that when Scott got home, he’d be able to tell her. Well, Scott came home from work, and about 10 guesses later he had to go and reset the password. About an hour later we were finally able to get her online so she could finish some work, and I realized that we need to make it easier on us and our guests.

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Monica, of Monica Wants It, is a gal after my own heart… taking budget busting inspiration, and getting creative to make her own version for a fraction of the cost!

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This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

A couple of years ago, I had my eye on some new canisters for the master bathroom, but I knew eventually we’d be doing a major reno project and wanted to hold off on buying new canisters until then {we finally got around to that graphic glam bathroom makeover this spring}. Since I wasn’t ready to spend any money at that time, I decided to dress up my existing canisters with something I already had on hand – silver washi tape.

I created stripes on the canisters using the washi tape – with each piece of tape overlaping slightly in the back.  I ensured that each stripe started and ended in the same place, allowing me to turn the overlaps out of view.

And when I was done – less than five minutes later – my canisters had a whole new look!

I used them in the bathroom for two years after adding the washi tape, and it never peeled off. They looked just now as they did then. I’m no longer using them in the bathroom {because they were replaced with new beauties from CB2}, but I’ve relocated themto my husband’s closet where we’re using them to store collar stays and similar small items.

Last fall when I was planning our laundry closet makeover, I had visions of black and white stripes dancing in my head, but since the laundry closet doesn’t have a lot of room for decor, I had to find ways to incorporate the stripes into my functional items.

I started by adding some striped washi tape to the edges of the shelves {be sure to read that tutorial if you want to try it, because they’re is a trick to getting it to stick!}

I also added the same black and white striped washi tape to two different sets of canisters to create stylish storage for all of my laundry room essentials.

First up, I bought 8 BURKEN jars with lids from IKEA for the bargain price of $2.99 each. I compared my roll of washi tape the jar lid and determined it was exactly the same width. I love when things work out that way! I quickly added one strip of washi tape around the top of each jar.

I love the way that, with the addition of the washi tape, these canisters now coordinate perfectly with my lidded, striped jute basket, which serves as a lint collector. If you are looking for other laundry closet storage solutions, I have got lots of tips and tricks.

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This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission. This post is not sponsored,

When designing our guest room, I really wanted to create a space that would be comfortable for our guests, day and night. Since we often have friends stay with us when they are in town for business, I thought it would be nice to give them a place to work. I was thrilled to find a coordinating white Parson’s style end table and “mini-desk”, which work perfectly as nightstands on either side of the bed.

I just love the simplicity of Parson’s style tables, with their straight, modern lines and simple shape. The only downside of this furniture style is that the open back can make hiding cords a challenge.

One of my favorite products for hiding cords are the clear Command Round Cord Clips, like those pictured below. By simply placing them every so far along the back edge of a table, and down the back of the leg, you can easily guide your cord in the direction you need to reach an outlet, while keeping it neatly out of sight. The clear adhesive strips that hold the clips in place stick firmly, but remove easily {and damage free}.

Obviously the power switches on both lamps need to be easily accessible from the bed. In order to position the on/off switch in a convenient and easy to reach location, while still keeping the cord mostly out of sight, I used another of my favorite Command products. They are called Picture Hanging Strips, but they are good for so much more than that.

The picture hanging strips come in pairs that stick together like velcro, so I placed one strip on the back of the lamp’s power switch…

…and I attached the other half of the picture hanging strip to the side of the desk leg. I chose a spot that was easy to reach whether sitting at the desk or laying in bed.

Then all I had to do was press the two halves of the picture hanging strip together, and the on/off switch was securely held in place at the back corner of the desk. I did the same with the nightstand lamp on the other side of the bed.

At this point, I could have used a couple of Command Round Cord Clips to hold the cord in place the rest of the way down the desk leg. But the clear cord naturally hung nicely down the leg of the white desk, and because it’s positioned so close to the bed, it’s barely visible.

Ta-da! No more cord dangling behind the mini-desk.

Not only does it look nicer now, but it makes it much easier to turn the lamp on and off without having to get out of bed! Style and function – my favorite combination!

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This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

A couple of months ago, I came across some really fun wood crates at H&M Home, which, by the way, is totally my new favorite place to shop! About half of my master bathroom makeover that I revealed yesterday came from there as well.

But back to the crates…I knew they would make perfect planter boxes in my kitchen – the hard part was deciding which ones I really liked all the color and text options. You can check them all out here:

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To turn my two new crates into flower boxes, I bought a few bricks of floral foam.

Then filled with a second and third stem on each end of the box. Three stems of hydrangeas perfectly filled each crate – making them look full, but not squished.

Finally, I lifted the blooms and added a leaves at the ends of the crates.

I tried adding additional leaves, but discovered that they just covered up the lettering, which I didn’t want to do.

I love the way these quick and easy indoor flower boxes add a bright pop of color to the kitchen, and I’m happy to know that they’ll look great all through the spring and summer and there is nothing my black thumb can do to kill them!

The rough, natural texture of the wood and the stenciled lettering of the H&M crates creates a nice contrast against out sleek glass sideboard and modern decor.

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Acrylic trays are HOT right now. I see them in just about every catalog I get in the mail, like these from West Elm and CB2. They are all gorgeous, but with price tags between $30-50, I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the money.

But then, last spring, I bought an acrylic box frame to frame a photo, and as I laid it down to insert he photo, I realized that it looked exactly like an acrylic tray. So, on my next trip to Michaels, I picked up two more acrylic box frames – an 8×10 for $3.99 and an 8.5×11 for $4.99 {you can also find lots of other sizes of acrylic box frames on Amazon}.

The acrylic box frames are intended to stand up right with a photo inside, but with the photo removed, laying down, the frame becomes a great knock-off for a high dollar acrylic tray.

I wanted my tray to have some personality, but I also wanted to be able to update and reimagine it for each holiday or season. I picked a brightly colored piece of 12×12 scrapbook paper from my craft stash.

Since the paper was larger than the 8.5×11″ frame, I needed to cut the paper to size. I laid the tray on top of the paper so that I could decide what portion of the design I wanted to use, then used a pencil to trace the outside of the tray on to the paper and cut it out. {Note that if you want to place paper inside the tray, you should instead trace the cardboard insert that comes with the frame, rather than the tracing the outside of the tray, in order make the paper fit in correctly.}

Because I want to be able to frequently restyle this tray, I simply affixed the paper to the bottom of the tray using a few strips of double sided Scotch tape {one in each corner}.

By placing the paper on the underside of the tray, the paper is protected and will stay looking nice no matter what I put inside the tray.

Of course, scrapbook paper is just one way you can style a DIY acrylic frame. The options endless!

Last spring, I also created a tray to hold our tv remote and coasters on the coffee table shelf in our living room, and an 8×10 frame was just the right size. I added some gold and teal polka dot stickers.

When I spread out the sheets of polka dots to get an idea of how many would fit on the tray, I realized that the sheet of polka dots worked great as a template for perfectly spacing the dots on the tray.

I laid the tray on top of the teal polka dots and placed the gold polka dots on the tray in line with the dots below.

It tray tucks neatly on the shelf of the coffee table, in between our stacks of art books. {My real art books, collected from museums around the world, have been temporarily replaced with kid-friendly board books about famous artists}.

Less than minutes, less than $5, and the style can be updated anytime. That’s my kind of project!!

How would you style your acrylic tray?

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Place the flat side of a foam brush into the paint, ensuring that some of each color will be on the brush. Then drag the foam brush forward to load paint onto it.

Then drag the foam brush across the paper to create a band of all three colors.

This super simple, modern painting was the perfect addition to our sideboard! It adds a bright and bold touch to our spring and summer decor, and it just plain makes me smile!

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