As the summer break rolled into the fourth week our tiny apartment started to feel much smaller with the kids home all day long. It was apparent that even the kids craved a little individual space  - they converted their bunkbed into a three (separate) compartment fort - desperate times call for creativity and innovation. While I wholly support the idea of some personal space, I could not embrace the aesthetics of the thing. Also, nary a blanket could be found and Mummy could not get comfortable on the couch. A fort makeover was in order. Our Fort These instructions are specific to the IKEA SVÄRTA Bunkbed and SVÄRTA Pull-out Bed  but could probably be adapted to another similar style of bunk bed. This project cost me about $60 ($20 per child). You will need: Bed Tent  - $20 Curtains - $16 Curtain Rings - $2 Tablecloth - $13 Grommet Set - $6 Binder Rings - $2 Cable Ties - $0 (I had left over from a previous project; I only needed five) Inst...

Our family of five recently downsized from a four bedroom townhouse to a 1070 sq. ft. apartment and we have no regrets. We are committed to keeping only the things we need and love, and letting everything else go - a simpler life beckons. Our 1070 sq. ft. space We've sold, gifted and trashed a staggering amount of stuff this last year and our journey to a well organized, uncluttered life continues. Getting rid of things is not easy. Our best efforts to get started are typically thwarted by sentimental attachment, how much the item cost when we acquired it, what we perceive the current value to be, the thought of how much work is required to dispose of the items, and so on. We move a lot. My husband's job requires that we pack up all our worldly belongings every few years and move to a different country, possibly a different continent. Necessity propels us, motivates us, to start our cleaning out with the things that weigh the most or take up the most space. The ar...