Tiny Treetop Table for Two

Take a craft store box and plaque, use a permanent marker to sketch wood grain on for a trunk, and use masking tape leaves and stain to craft a sweet little tree top table top. 

Find the instructions for this project in my entry in an Instructables.com competition.  You know you want to vote for the Tiny Treetop Table.

Still not convinced. Check out this photo of the table top in progress. Did you know you can use resist techniques with stain? Did you know you can get stain tinted in fun colors, and it's just as easy to use as acrylic paints?

Paper Sack Brick-A-Brack

You don't have to spend a lot on organizational items. Some of the least expensive of my husband Josh's ideas have been his best. Take this one for example. You know that space at the top of your cupboards that never gets used, the bit between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling? Josh has figured out brilliant ways to put that to use using the most mundane, practically free materials. My favorite are the common paper lunch sacks filled with odds and ends such as birthday candles, rubber bands and disposable gloves. He printed out a swanky, swirly label for each and it looks like a project Martha Stewart would be proud of. Take that expensive treasures in The Container Store.

How are you using the space beneath your stairs?

In most houses there is wasted space walled away that you may not even be aware of. This is the part where I wish we owned our place. There are plenty of walls I may be inclined to poke around in to find out what hidden spaces I might reclaim for storage. One example is the wall to the side of our tub. They pulled the wall in to put it right up to the side of the tub, but I suspect the space behind it is vacant, walled away for contractor convenience, not necessity.

In many houses, under the stairs is the prime candidate for space to be reclaimed. Ours is already used to the max by a pantry, which you'll get to see in a future post as soon as I clean it out.

In this photo from a House Beautiful story on making tiny nests in your home, you'll find an under the stairs room built in space that might have been wasted. And this is no Harry Potter dungeon room. It's open, yet unmistakably cozy.

If you're going the storage route, you'll love this brilliant solution from Work Bench Magazine. They include the plans, so it's for sure worth a visit.

Under-stair playhouses are fun, too. This one by A to Being Creations is sweet. She includes instructions and photos of steps along the way. If you have kids or grand kids and are considering a conversion, you can definitely learn a thing or two from blogger Ashley Perry. 

Taking Cues From The Big Apple

I used to be frustrated that our place was so small until I put it into perspective. Our tiny townhouse would be a Taj Mahal in New York City. We've had friends move to the city and have to get truly creative, keeping canned goods under the sofas, books in every room, and no space wasted.

In that vein, I'm always looking for great ideas out of Manhattan that I can use in Sin City. Here are a few I particularly admire.

The staircase dresser is the coolest detail in this New York loft. 

Go Vertical with Kid Bunk Bed Solutions

We have one set of boring plain jane bunk beds and a crib in the kids' room. One day I'm determined to be more creative with that space.

Here's an idea I LOVE. When your square footage is limited, go vertical.
What about this lovely loft bed. 

It wouldn't be safe for us to give them a rolling desk chair in the air now. Our kids are still pretty small and attempt to kill themselves on a standard bunk, but maybe someday.

If we owned instead of renting, I would love to go with built-in beds like these lovely corner beds, which can be found along with scads of other great built-in bunks on this blog.

Tiny Table for Two

When your house is tiny every square inch has to count, even when it comes to fun things such as toys. Sure, the Barbie Dream House is great, but if you can't get it into your kids' room, it's useless. Space-saving, organizing toys are a hit with us.

This little table is a perfect example of a dual-use toy. It's a table suited for any doll, stuffed animal or child.

But it's more than that; it's a storage solution for little dishes, cups and food, too. Willow is excited to demonstrate her table's versatility as seen on this video from our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/WillowandJuliet.