10 Insanely Easy Ways to Update Your Kitchen Right Now

10 Insanely Easy Ways to Update Your Kitchen Right Now | redleafstyle.com

Inside: You don’t need a complete renovation to update your kitchen. Here are the easiest ways to change it up without killing your budget. Do you cringe every time you walk into your kitchen? Is it those 1960s wooden cabinets you haven’t had the budget to replace? Or, the yellow linoleum flooring you try not to look at? Or, the pile of dirty dishes in the sink? (Me too, friend.) You want to update your kitchen, but something always gets in the way. Money. Time. Effort. The kitchen struggle is real. Right now I’m living with my sister in her urban Kansas City townhouse. The townhouse has potential, but the kitchen looks outdated. It’s not awful exactly. But the cerulean tile backsplash gives both of our neutral-loving hearts palpitations. The veneered oak cabinets aren’t our style. And, you can’t even set down a cup without staining the laminate countertops. Sometimes we both want to torch the whole room. So, what’s stopping us from improving the kitchen? It’s the same reason you’re hesitating. It’s taking the leap. Kitchen remodels cost a lot of money. Shouldn’t you plan everything out? Pin tons of beautiful kitchens on Pinterest for inspiration? Have the...

Get Organized: A Collection of Home Organization Tips & Ideas

Get Organized: A Collection of Home Organization Tips & Ideas | redleafstyle.com

If your new year’s resolution was to finally get organized, don’t give up on that resolution just yet. (Statistics show that 80 percent of people who make a new year’s resolution Jan. 1 won’t stick with it by Valentine’s Day.) Get your whole house in order with my favorite strategies, tips and ideas for home organization. I’ll give room-by-room organization tips, plus cute storage ideas. From the bathroom to the office, here’s how to finally clear the clutter and get organized. 5 Ways to Use Wooden Boxes for Storage We all need to store stuff. Why not make it look good at the same time? Wooden boxes are one of my favorite creative storage solutions that serve a purpose and look attractive. You can pile just about anything in them and they make a jumbled mess of stuff much more easy on the eyes. Try these creative ways to use wooden boxes for storage. Stylishly Organize Your Home With Vintage Tins We often associate “storage” with dumpy, bulky plastic tubs and containers. When you work so hard to fill your home with items that fit your style, you might wonder why can’t storage do its job and look good too?...

How to Repurpose an Old Toolbox Into a Craft Caddy You’ll Love

When you’re crafting, do your supplies explode all over your work surface? One minute you’re crafting up a storm and the next you can’t even clear an area to work because you’re drowning under a pile of stickers, glue and paper. At least that’s my typical experience. Organizing craft supplies isn’t easy. From ribbon to pens to tape, craft supplies tend to be small, awkwardly shaped and plentiful. See how I used an old toolbox to corral my craft supplies into a convenient craft caddy. Corral your craft supplies An old metal toolbox is the perfect size for a craft caddy. It’s easy to move from room to room, which I tend to do when crafting. And this way I can keep all of the supplies for the project I’m currently working in one spot. Choose a toolbox with patina Sure, you could buy a plastic caddy from a dollar store, but where’s the fun in that? When it comes to the items in your home, it’s not always about simply being useful; It’s about being enjoyable, too. And, if I’m going to have my craft caddy sitting around the house, then I want it to blend in with...

These Are the Best Tips to Organize Your Home After the Holidays

Top 7 Tips to Get Organized After the Holidays | redleafstyle.com

Inside: Clear away the clutter with minimal effort. Here are the best ways to organize your home after the holidays. Post-holiday cleaning is the new spring cleaning. You’re already taking down holiday decorations, rearranging your kitchen or closet to make room for new items, and cleaning up after guests leave. So, what better time to organize your home? These seven post-holiday home organization tips cover areas most of us struggle with after the holiday craziness. The kitchen. The mail. Okay, everywhere. So, shake off that cookie and pie coma and get organizing. Top 7 Tips to Organize Your Home After the Holidays The organizing struggle is real. I’ve tackled every one of these tips. So, I know how long it takes to organize your home after the holidays. Taking down my holiday decorations took me four hours. Four hours. But I promise that the spacious and streamlined home you’ll have afterward is worth it. 1. Take down your holiday décor Time to undecorate! The rule of thumb is to keep your holiday décor up until the first of the year, but mine has already been down for days. It feels so refreshing to put away all of your holiday...

Travefy: Trip Planning Made Easy

The hardest part about getting away, whether over a long weekend or on a two-week European excursion, is making the plans. Booking hotel rooms. Planning must-see sites. Divvying up the expenses. It’s a lot to get done. Getting everything organized for a trip is where I struggle. I have a bad habit of procrastinating planning. I have this irrational fear that I’m going to pick a bad hotel or not do enough research to find good sightseeing opportunities, so I put off getting started. It also doesn’t help when I don’t have a good way of organizing. I’ve used everything from Word® documents to Excel® spreadsheets to a folder in my email to organize trips. None of which work well for this purpose. The best method I’ve ever used is this travel planning board, made from craft paper and Post-it® notes, which I hung on the wall. While fun, this method had its downsides. I couldn’t access it away from my house and it was a pain to make changes. When planning a two-week vacation to England, France and Wales in July, I found an amazingly better option. I used Travefy, a free online and mobile group planner. It...

Travel Planning Board

When traveling, it’s always good to have a basic plan ahead of time. Then, you can fill in the other bits with exploring and adventure! Very soon I leave for a backpacking trip through Sweden, Norway and Denmark. And, I wanted to show you the handy way my travel buddies and I planned for the trip. We taped a sheet of blank brown paper to the wall and then used post-its to mark the dates and other important info. The removable post-its were quite helpful when we had to change around the dates of the trip several times. I like the way the board looks so much, I might leave it up even after I return. How do you plan for your trips? Let me know in the comments… Keep Up With Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest....

Branch Jewelry Hanger

This project started out as a Valentine’s Day decoration gone wrong. I originally spray painted this tree branch and thought to use it to display Valentine’s Day cards clipped to the limbs with clothespins. After I did it though, it just looked silly. Really, what was I supposed to do with a card tree? Still, I was in a quirky kind of mood so I decided to use the branch to display my jewelry. I love how it turned out! Delicate necklaces draped over the limbs look slightly airy, and I adore the touch of whimsy with my metal owl nestled in the back. All you need to create your own branch jewelry hanger is to scope out the perfect branch. Look for lots of limbs and check it for sturdiness. Then, spray paint the branch in your color of choice and secure it to the wall. (I just used a couple of nails.) Done! An easy and lovely jewelry display. What do you think of this quirky way to display jewelry? Would you ever use a tree branch to show off your baubles? Let me know your thoughts in the comments… Keep Up With Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on Twitter @kirsten_hudson,...