Ikea Hack: Functional Filing, Finally!

There may be no Random Round Up this week (I've been seriously slacking in the photo taking department), but I do have something: My very own Ikea hack.

Ikea hacks (any hack, really) are always so fascinating to me. I love the idea of taking something you already have and turning it into something better, more useful, or prettier. The really great ones always give me a little pang of jealously too; Why couldn't I come up with that?!

Well, my time has come. Enter an old Ikea three-drawer cabinet on casters. I always referred to it as 'the file cabinet', but that's where the functionality stops. I've had it for about 10 years, and every time a piece of paper came through that was deemed important, in it went. In a pile. In a drawer.

Those ten years of crap had added up - evidenced by the archeological dig-like cleaning process - and it was time to make this guy actually useful. First, determining how to deal with the too-shallow-to-hold-files drawers (why?! why make a file cabinet that can't hold files?!).

Not even as tall as a standard Sharpie.

I easily popped out the bottom of the middle drawer, making it
a single drawer twice as deep when used in tandem with the bottom drawer.

Then an unplanned for problem: The files were too narrow for the drawers. News flash: If something requires me leaving my house, I'll pretty much try anything to make that not happen. So what's a girl to do? Why, bust out the handsaw on the kitchen floor and tear apart that old drawer bottom I knocked out.

Way too narrow for the drawer width - Nothing for the files to hang from!

I measured the space I needed to fill and sliced off two pieces of the drawer bottom.

A few small nails in each side, and my drawer was now the perfect file width.

What I didn't show was the last step: Affixing a small bracket (similar to this) on the inside of the two drawers so they both pull out simultaneously. The cabinet still looks exactly the same from the outside - A simple three-drawer cabinet. But inside, oh the functionality!

Presto! The files now hang down into the bottom drawer. Plenty of space!

Pre-bracket adding: Now the two drawer fronts line up with eachother
and pull out and push in with just a tug of the center drawer handle.

The entire project took under an hour, and the bulk of my time was spent wrangling that dang hand saw. If you had something electric or scrap wood that was the already right size (or, ahem, files that fit because you measured first like a smartypants), you could get this done in 20 minutes or less.

I never thought I'd use 'file cabinet' and 'magical' in the same context, but it really has been a pretty wonderful experience to be able to give some paper piles a home. I'm almost looking forward to next tax season so I can smugly go pull all our documents at once from their neat little stash. Almost.

Random Round Up: Slow

I was internet silent last week, and that feels strange. Not even a Monday Random Round Up! The truth is, last week was crazy, and this week is shaping up to be no better. And I'm sure you can relate to this: When I get home from work lately, I'm tired.

There are studies out there that show the more bored you are, the more creative you get. Welp, I'm the furthest thing from bored in recent weeks, and it's really affecting my creative juices. I feel like a broken record saying I'm waiting for inspiration to strike, but, well, that's just the way it is right now.

Here are a few pretty pictures for the waiting room, at least:

New phone means new case, and I made another studded version. DIY tutorial here.
This floral case is by fashion designer Anna Sui.

A cereal bar potluck at work. Brilliant, right?

People are calling it "Februly" around here - My camellia is in full bloom.

Someone is enjoying the sun making an early appearance.

A birthday lunch date for the men in my life took us to a spot with a gorgeous view.

The goal is simple this week: Make it through without face-planting into my keyboard at work. Have a good one, guys!

Random Round Up: Hangover

It seems like the whole state of Washington is hung over today. Not in the drank-too-much way (although, I'm sure there's plenty of that too), but more like the post-emotional-roller-coaster, we-came-so-close kind of way. People are just... melancholy. A Seahawks Superbowl loss will apparently do that to folks.

Tuck was less than impressed with the whole thing.

Those mint cookie-brownie bars from my last post were a big hit!

Pre-game - Happy and hopeful!

How I watched the fourth quarter.

This shirt was the only thing that seemed appropriate to wear today.

I know I'm probably supposed to be wallowing with the masses, but I'm pretty focused on the stellar season, the come-back win two weeks ago to even make it into the Superbowl in the first place, and a team that brings a state together like none other. Looking forward to next season - Thanks Hawks!