It's time for another edition of Make Your Home Awesome, via the incomparable Paige Lewin of Tess & Ted:

Unlike many interior designers, I did not rearrange my room monthly from the age of 5. However, whenever my mom had friends over for dinner or hosted a holiday, the table setting was MY domain. I loved hunting through cabinets for the right dishes, arranging the flowers purchased at Star Market, and choosing linens perfect for the occasion. In fact, to this day, my favorite part of throwing a party is setting the table.

I think a lot of people are overwhelmed by the idea of “dressing up” the table, but the truth is, you can have a phenomenal table by starting with what you own and adding a few key pieces (Christine does this beautifully). Here are five easy settings to use as inspiration for making your table shine:

1. For a springy lunch with friends, start with basic white dinner plates (my favorites are these from IKEA) and your own cutlery, then add the Somerset Napkin from Anthropologie ($10), Reactive Salad Plates from Sur La Table ($7.95), Daily Bubble Glasses from ModCloth ($24.99 for 2), and a small bouquet of coral ranunculus (image via Pinterest).

2. There’s no reason you can’t dress up the table for your kids…half of the dining experience is in the presentation! Again, start with your white dinner plates, cutlery, and glassware, then add these great cork-backed placemats from A Farmer’s Daughter ($40.50 for 4), black modern bowls from World Market ($47.94 for 6), black ticking stripe napkins from Little Blu Nest ($14 for 4), and a big bowl of red grapes in the center of the table for all the little hands to serve themselves (image via Pinterest)!

3. Get ready for summer with this coastal inspired setting. Breakfast by the ocean? Start with white dinner plates and cutlery, and add Honfleur Linen Napkins from Fresh American ($48 for 4), Naturalist Outdoor Chargers from West Elm (on sale for $24.99 for 4), Clara Tumblers from Williams-Sonoma ($27.95 for 4 short), and a few blue hydrangea in a simple glass vase (image via Pinterest).

4. Bring the summer picnic inside with this bright and colorful setting. Get the white dinner plates, glassware, and cutlery together and add Jolie Napkins from Furbish ($40 for 4), Laurentide Side Plates from Anthropologie ($12), Vista Square Placemats from Crate & Barrel ($10.95), and a gathering of gorgeous succulents (image via Pinterest).

5. Finally, bring elegance to your table with summery earth tones. White dinner plates and cutlery will serve as a base for the Melange Leaf Print Salad Plates from Ballard Designs ($49 for 4), Center Stripe Woven Napkins in Horseradish from West Elm ($24 for 4), Tortoise Shell Rocks Glasses from Furbish ($50 for 4), and a small arrangement of Bells of Ireland and orange roses (image via Pinterest).

Bon Appetit!

Images via linked sources above; compilation graphics by Paige Lewin

So remember back in January when I was yabbling away about how much I love meal kit service Just Add Cooking? Well, I'm thrilled to share that in honor of Mother's Day, 5 lucky, randomly drawn readers will win Just Add Cooking meal awesomeness; specifically, a one-week kit including three meals (for two people; $79 value)! WOO HOO! To enter to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post by midnight, May 13, 2015. Happy Mother's Day!

Image credits: Just Add Cooking

You guys, May. I'm already digging it! Warmer temperatures (according to the forecast, 70+ degrees all next week!), I'm starting to see our hosta and peony plants push up through the ground, and it looks like all the flowering trees on our street are about to burst. WOO HOO! Meanwhile, I wanted to leave you with some reads and visuals that caught my eye this week. Enjoy this week's installment of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome.

- One way you can help Nepal right now.

- How to attract female engineers.

- John Oliver's glorious Dr. Oz takedown.

- This is how fast America changes its mind.

- How to keep women with children out of the workforce.

- For a healthy heart, you may have to eat more cheese.

- Photo essay: images of empowerment.

- Let's all wax nostalgic with this musical tribute to 80's teen movies.

- What a collection of 250,000 Lego bricks looks like.

Image credit: Greek goddess dip via Pinterest

In honor of Earth Day today, and via my role in the Office Champions program, I wanted to share a couple of resources re: decluttering tech responsibly. Because if you’re like me, you have some gear that sorely needs to be scrubbed and disposed of (such as the computer I used to collect data on my dissertation experiments 15 years ago...doh!). This spring I am committing to decluttering my tech, and I wanted to share these helpful tips and resources:

1. SCRUB. One thing that definitely has hindered my recycling of old tech gear is the fear that I won't properly scrub my hardware and then face security problems later on. Here's a guide for how to back up and remove data from devices.

2. DONATE. What would feel better than giving your old hardware a new life? You can donate equipment to people in need via the Microsoft Refurbisher program. So cool!

3. RECYCLE. In many instances, you need to pay to recycle your hardware. Microsoft offers sponsored recycling opportunities in your area that will enable you to recycle your hardware for free.

And if you're looking to further green your everyday life via technology, definitely check out OneNote. It's a great digital note-taking app that allows you to go paperless via photos and notes. Yay for less scraps of paper floating around!

Disclosure: This post was inspired by my role as a compensated Office Champions ambassador; ideas and opinions are, of course, my own! For more in this series, check out my 9 tips for digital decluttering and 6 financial things to do to make being a small business owner less painful!

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I recently shared about Gabrielle Blair's brilliant new book Design Mom: How to Live With Kids: A Room-by-Room Guide (which, by the way, is the #1 best seller in Home Design & Construction on Amazon!). And now I'm cordially inviting you to Gabby's Boston book tour stop at Trident Booksellers & Cafe Tuesday, April 21, 7pm. I'll be leading a Q&A with Gabby and there will be goody bags, treats, mingling, and you can get your book signed by (and no doubt snap a selfie with!) Gabby. Come join us for a fun evening!

Image credit: Seth & Kendra Smoot

Happy Saturday everyone, I hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend. I'm starting to crawl out of the crazy that was the first sixth of this year (seriously, what was up, first sixth of the year??) and absorb things on the internet again (ironic, I know, given that I'm an internet publisher), so I want to get back to Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome regularly. Enjoy this week's installment and see you back here on Monday!

- A tribute to one of my beloved college professors.

- Go on and back these cool dolls for boys.

- I was in tears over these hilarious stock photos with Vince Vaughn.

- Loving this cool educational partnership between Scholastic and my beloved ONE to help families to learn about energy poverty.

- Can family secrets make you sick?

- This post made me want to start reading with Laurel again.

- Worrying about stuff is a sign of intelligence

- An indie bands stands up to McDonald's no budget offer.

- Dirty little secrets of tidy families

- Have you ever thought about starting a capsule wardrobe? This is basically what I do (but didn’t realize there was a name for it!

Image credit: peanut butter millionaire shortbread bars via Pinterest

Last summer I shared about the brilliant interior design work my friend Paige (of Tess & Ted) did on our home and I'm thrilled that she is going to do a recurring series on home decor and design for Boston Mamas. She is so clever! Paige believes that everyone deserves a cozy, pretty nest and for the first post in the series -- Make Your Home Awesome -- she shares recommendations for impacting, affordable stools and poufs.

From Paige:

Nearly every time I design a room for a client, a stool or pouf makes its way into the final floor plan. These great multitaskers are one part extra seating, one part side table, one part foot rest, and all parts useful. If you need a quick room refresh, a hit of color, or a functional piece to fill an empty space, one of these 15 options should do the trick.

1. Add a touch of mid-century modernism to any room with the addition of this classic butterfly stool from France & Sons ($109).

2. This tufted-and-gold stool from Target is terrific for adding color and sophistication. At under $60, try two in front of a fireplace. (The small bench version is superb, as well.)

3. Need some pattern in your life? Add a powerful, classic graphic with this cubic pouf from CB2 ($129).

4-5. Looking to add a contemporary and playful style to your home? Take a look at the ErgoErgo stool ($100) and Riki stool ($45), both from the MOMA Store. Take note, the Riki is made of cardboard (!), but holds over 1,000 lbs. If that’s not excellent design, I don’t know what is.

6. If you need a some extra seating that doubles as storage, try the Bubble Stool from the Container Store ($39.99). Perfect for a playroom! 

7-8. Natural and neutral is a winning combination for both this rush grass storage ottoman from Wayfair ($69) and this wool wrap pouf from CB2 ($129).

9. Feeling bold? Add texture to a nursery or family room with this furry white pouf from Amazon ($41).

10-11. Classic and chic, X-stools have been the darlings of the design world for a while now. The Brendan x-base stool from Cost Plus World Market ($64.99) and green floral stool Target ($29.98) both illustrate how upholstery alone can completely change the look of this simple and elegant form.

12. While this is a slight departure from the traditional definition of a pouf, I couldn’t help but include this awesome gold beanbag from Urban Outfitters ($129). I might just have to get this for my office.

13. I’m loving this DIY modern take on a Colonial milking stool ($5 for materials!).

14. Add a global feel in sunny yellow with this leather Moroccan ottoman from Overstock ($135). 

15. Looking for a piece that can work both inside and outside? Consider this ceramic garden stool from Domino ($138).

Image credits: images sourced via links above; compilation image by Christine Koh

When the last snowpocalypse hit, I will admit that one of my first concerns when potential electricity loss came up was WHAT WOULD I DO ABOUT MY COFFEE? Sad, I know! But, the experience reminded me of a conversation we had with friends about pour-over coffee and hand grinders + the fact that our electric coffee was dying, so I decided to order a manual coffee system. It has worked great so I wanted to share the solution with you!

At first the idea of pour-over coffee seemed hard to me (there are lots of instructions online that make it sound really hard), but it's really not hard! Just heat up water (some say not to boil the water but I do...it's fine!) and pour it over grounds in a filter set up in a pour-over system. Here's what you need:

1. My friends have a Chemex and it is beautiful, but I wasn't ready to plunk down that much cash before knowing whether we'd like the pour-over system. I ordered the Melitta carafe ($10.99!); it's not as pretty but it totally works. You will also need the #4 filters for the Melitta carafe.

2. Coffee grinding is optional. You could always grind beans at the store, but if you're buried in a snowpocalypse, the store will not be an option! My friends have this Zassenhaus coffee grinder but again, I wasn't ready to drop that much cash. I order the Kalita coffee grinder and it works great. An unexpected bonus is that the circular shape and size makes it very easy to hold and grind. Even Violet and Laurel have had fun using it!

I'm sure there must be benefits to the Chemex and Zassenhaus but if you're looking for budget entry into the world of pour-over coffee then try the Melitta and Kalita options. We've been using this system daily for over a week and the taste is great, I really enjoy the mindfulness of the process, and it makes me excited to serve coffee to friends too!

Oh, and also, if for some reason the gas went out during a snowpocalypse and we weren't able to use the stove, we could heat water with our Primus propane stove or Whisperlite camping stove. Just trying to give you all the coffee preparedness options!

Image credits: coffee thumbnail via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; product images via Amazon

Today is Clean Out Your Computer Day -- a day to review and delete old files and programs -- and as many readers know, I love random holidays like this, especially when they inspire me to get more organized! As part of my work via the Office Champions program (and because I was in desperate need of laptop cleanup!), I thought it would be helpful to share my top tips for digital decluttering, and also how to keep those precious files safe.

1. Make note of your disk space. This is a super quick step and really more for your data collection gratification. Make a note of your remaining disk space so you can see your starting point.

2. Delete old programs. Go through and delete old programs you no longer use. Sort by most recently used applications for specific details on usage to help your process.

3. Break the process down into small chunks. The idea of cleaning out your entire computer can be a daunting one. Break the process down into small chunks so it feels more doable and so you can enjoy the satisfaction of checking off sections. For example, start with cleaning off your home screen (I have a terrible habit of dumping temporary files there) and then work your way through individual folders.

4. Clean out folders, tackling digital photos LAST. Clean out and delete/reorganize files and folders. I recommend tackling digital photos last because of the nostalgia rabbit hole factor. Get in a good rhythm with the easier files first!

5. Be ruthless. As you tackle #4, BE RUTHLESS. I recommend this tactic with physical decluttering and the same goes for digital decluttering. For example, with photos, delete images where people have their eyes closed, mouths open and full of food, etc., as well as repeats of the same shot or photos that really don’t contribute to storytelling in any way. I like to think of the process as curating the very best images; I may shoot, say, 300 photos at a party and I'm happiest when I can reduce that collection to 25 or so images.

6. Empty your trash/recycling bin and check your disk space again. This is the gratification side of step #1; you’ll feel happy seeing your increase in disk space!

7. Back up your data. After some catastrophic file losses in the past, I cannot recommend backing up your data enough! I use both an external hard drive + cloud service. Using something like OneDrive or Dropbox is awesome so you can access your files from anywhere. (To learn more about how Office and Dropbox work together, see here and here!)

8. Run a scan. Once your hard drive is cleaned up, I recommend running a scan. Just initiate and go make yourself a cup of coffee!

9. Maintain a digital decluttering routine. Prevent future overwhelm by maintaining a digital decluttering routine. If you digitally declutter once a week, or even once a month, the process will be quick!

Have other great tips to share? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Disclosure: This post was inspired by my role as a compensated Office Champions ambassador; ideas and opinions are, of course, my own!