Kai's great IVAR cot

Materials: 2 x IVAR shelf 80 x 50 cm, 2 x IVAR side panel 50 x 125 cm, 1 x IVAR side panel IVAR 30 x 125 cm, 1 x blind ENJE white 60 x 250 cm, 4 x RILL roles, 1 x OBSERVAT�R Cross-brace, thin rope, screw, paint, Mattress

Description:
1. Drill ventilation holes in one shelf.
2. Cut the two 50-cm IVAR side unit to about 70 cm.
3. Cut the 30-inch IVAR side unit into two 80 cm long wooden spacers.
4. Paint all wooden parts.
5. The IVAR shelving unit assembled according to instructions.
6. Stabilize anything with brackets and screws (except the mattress board to ensure that the height is adjustable).
7. Screw the bottom rollers.
8. Fit between the two sides panels the 80 cm long wooden bar top.
9. Cut the Roller Blind fit for the side pieces (2 pieces 60 x 80cm and 2 pieces x 60 x 43.5 cm) and attach with a staple gun (under the bed surface mount only slightly to the left board height adjustable).
10. Drill small holes in the sides pierced and pull through a thin rope or a washing line or a cable.
11. Cut mattress if necessary, clean linens, finished.

1. The cot has wheels. So the baby is always near you.
2. The mattress is adjustable in height.
3. The mattress is 50 x 80 cm. The baby can lie long in bed.
4. The cot has storage space for wrapping things or toys.
5. The baby can see through the transparent side panels.
6. The cot has a good amount to save for their own backs.
7. The cot is very easy to build.
8. We find that the cot looks great.
9. The baby bed is only about 72�.
10. If the baby is too big for the baby bed, the bed is simply turned back into a shelf.

~ Bianca Reinecke, Germany

Roomy shoe storage

Materials: Expedit, Enje

Description: 2 girls sharing a flat = many shoes

So many that finding a cheap, good looking and roomy storage solution was difficult.

I then came up with this very simple hack:

- get an EXPEDIT shelf (4x4 in our case)
- build it
- get an ENJE roller blind (140cm)
- fix the ENJE blind on the top of the EXPEDIT
- put all your shoes inside
- close the blind

~ Gabrielle, Switzerland

Customised Blinds to match your curtains

Materials: Enje Roller Blinds

Description: Buy IKEA Roller blinds. I chose Enje as they are very light weight.

Cut the desired material to size. I did a band at the bottom the height of the curtain pattern repeat. These blinds are only decorative and will not be pulled down so you won't be able to tell that the material does not go all the way up.

"Hem" the material using fabric glue and an iron to get a straight edge at the top and the bottom. Leave the material at the sides with a good overlap.

Stick the hemmed material onto the blind. Very important tip - put the glue directly onto the blind and NOT the material as it will soak through. Tip #2 place a bin bag under the blind to stop the glue getting onto the surface you are resting on. Tip #3 - remove binbag as soon as you have finished gluing otherwise it will also be stuck to your blind ;)

Leave the blinds to dry - laid out flat.

Trim the edges so there is a cm overlap. Put glue on the blind and fold over the overlap - iron straight - to get a nice neat edge.

Hang the blinds. Enjoy the fruits of your labours :)

~ Kate

Fantasy Shade

Materials: Ikea ENJE Roller Shades

Description: I first came up with the idea of the Fantasy Shades when I moved to New York City from San Francisco. I created the Fantasy Shades to create illusory shadows, giving the impression of a fantasy world outside your window. Imagine an alternate reality beyond your window with a view of cherry blossoms, tree branches or even a city that you miss. I would look out my window and miss San Francisco and with that came my first creation of the Fantasy Shades.

I used a photograph of the San Francisco skyline, with the Golden Gate bridge, and developed a silhouette image on Photoshop. I then printed that silhouette image on a silk screen to then be screen printed onto a white Ikea ENJE Roller Shade with white ink. The light from behind the shade would make the image look gray, like a shadow really giving you the effect that outside your window was San Francisco. Since then I have created different scenes including the New York City skyline, a silhouette of a tree in Rome and so many more.

See more of Melissa's fantasy shades on her online store.

~ Melissa Borrell

Nature-inspired Enje roller blind

Materials: Enje roller blind, hacksaw, scissors, acrylic paint

Description: Washroom windows are always a challenge. We wanted some privacy, of course, but I love natural light and did not want to cover up the window with opaque curtains or blinds. So we bought a white IKEA Enje roller blind. Enje roller blinds are great because they provide privacy but still let in a ton of light.

Our project involved a two-part hack. First, we had to cut the roller blind as it was a bit too wide for the window. We measured the inside dimensions of our window frame as the blind mounts inside the frame. We then removed the fabric from the roll and cut it to the right width. We drew a faint pencil line along the fabric and carefully cut along the line with a pair of sharp scissors. We then used a hacksaw to cut the metal rod that the curtain rolls onto as well as the metal piece at the bottom of the curtain. The rod is easily removed from the hanging hardware and the metal piece at the bottom of the blind has removable little caps on the ends, so even if your cuts are a bit rough it won't be noticeable.

After we hung up the blind, we thought it looked a bit plain, so I decided to decorate it with some paint. I drew a tree design with pencil and filled it in with brown acrylic paint. The paint took to the fabric really well. We still get lots of natural light during the day and it looks great at night too.

See more of the nature inspired roller blind.

~ Steph @ BirdHouse Family, Canada

ENJE makeover

Materials: ENJE roller blind, fabric, waterproof pva, metal ruler, scissors

Description: I wanted a really striking blind for my newly finished bathroom, but couldn't afford a custom one.

I started with a basic white ENJE roller blind, which luckily was exactly the width of the window (no trimming!), and some of my favourite fabric I had been hoarding for a special project.

I then stuck my lovely fabric to the blind with waterproof PVA glue, in about 20cm sections, using a metal metre rule as a smoothing tool.

All I needed to do then was trim the excess fabric from the edges of the ENJE, let it dry for about an hour, and hang it!

It looks even better than I had imagined!

You can see the full process of my custom blind here.

~ rachel lc, belfast, N.Ireland