How To Create Easy Mood Boards
How To Create Easy Mood Boards

Ever since diving into interior design as a career, I have become pretty known for how I’ve employed technology to launch my path, specifically as an e-designer. Specifically, people started really noticing my renderings and my mood boards, with the latter being some of my most popular content amongst designers and design enthusiasts alike.

Spoiler: I use Keynote to create easy and dynamic mood boards. This isn’t to say I haven’t used different platforms over the years. Trust me...I have! I got here after a lot of trial & error with my deliverables, with my content, and with my business across the board. For me, this made (and still makes) the most sense. Truth be told, my gigabytes are precious so it was worth it to me to give a native application a fair shot if it meant I could delete additional software and/or have one less website login to remember.

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StudioAlbie Knowsmood board, technology, designpreneur, how to, covid19
Grove Collaborative: What's In My Cart?
Grove Collaborative: What's In My Cart?

Two years ago I made my very first Grove Collaborative purchase and I have to say, not entirely sure what to expect from a household subscription service. I was intrigued by the idea that I could get cleaning products for our home, especially now that my daughter was way more active and I was now full-time working from home. With spring cleaning around the corner, it was as good a time as any to try Grove Collaborative and two years later I still turn to them for many, if now all, of our household cleaning essentials.

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Watchlist, Vibe Check, The EditAlbie Knowsgrove collaborative, covid19, shopping
Dress Up Your Desk
Dress Up Your Desk

So if you had to ask me what my fav part of designing is, it’s the shopping! In my everyday life I love finding pretty things; and if they happen to solve a problem while we’re at it...well, then I’m #winning.

I don’t discriminate when it comes to my love of shopping, but I used to especially obsessed with shopping for my office, before switching it over to my daughter’s bedroom. A lot of the decor I purchased, I still like to switch out & rotate between my desk, bookshelf, and other areas of our home; but when deciding what to get, my desk def served as a lot of the inspiration, aka the anchor piece.

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The EditAlbie Knowshome office, small spaces, covid19, shopping
How To Plan A (Last Minute) Brand Shoot
How To Plan A (Last Minute) Brand Shoot

For two years in my business, I tried to plan a brand shoot for Albie Knows…with no success. Whether it was finding the right photographer or having it in the budget or just liking the way I looked in the mirror, there was always something in my way.

Last year, one of my designer besties introduced me to Mariah Texidor. I was blessed enough to book her to shoot my One Room Challenge transformation. The photos were amazing, but more than that, the shoot was amazing. I knew that if there was ever an opportunity to work with her again — aka I’m back in NYC — that I’d jump at the chance. 

Here’s what planning a last-minute brand shoot covers, from my perspective:

  • getting organized

  • having an awesome tribe

  • trusting life’s pivots

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Studio, Vibe CheckAlbie Knowsdesignpreneur, behind the scenes, mompreneurComment
How To Unplug, Take A Break, and Live Slow
How To Unplug, Take A Break, and Live Slow

I basically live my life online — working, shopping, and even school — and one day it hit me that I was getting completely disconnected from the “real world”.  As an introvert I will never complain about not having enough people interaction — I prefer it that way actually — but what I found was happening was that I was losing touch with myself and I was also losing my ability to connect with people — to communicate. It was almost as though I was losing a sense of reality that, if unchecked, would only get worse. So how do you unplug, take a real break, and slow down for more intentional & present living? Here are some tips that have been helping me unplug for more slow living.

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Vibe CheckAlbie Knowswork life balance, self care, covid19, new year
Organizing My Life By Organizing My Home
Organizing My Life By Organizing My Home

People always ask me why I am so organized and while the answer is usually pretty funny, it’s the truth — I’m organized because I’m lazy. My life is filled with chaos and just a lot that is beyond my control, be it personally or professionally, so getting organized it my way of controlling the controllable… no matter how small. 

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Vibe CheckAlbie Knowsorganization, my home
How To Treat Your Body Better & Stay Physically Productive
How To Treat Your Body Better & Stay Physically Productive

This time of year is when everyone is hitting reset for the new year ahead -- making resolutions, setting goals, choosing words to serve as their "North Star", etc  -- all in order to really set the tone for the next 12 months. This doesn't necessarily mean drastic changes of any kind, but there is something about a new year that really makes you go, "I need to get my ish together!" 

As someone who's made a life out of always being home, I decided to share with you some of my productivity hacks and ways that I stay focused & keep myself accountable day to day.

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Vibe CheckAlbie Knowsbehind the scenes, mompreneur, sponsored post, fabletics, favorites, covid19, fitness
Shop With Me: How To JOMO?
Shop With Me: How To JOMO?

What is JOMO? It's the JOY of missing out.

Instead of burdening yourself by worrying about what you could be missing by not being at all the places, with all the people, doing all the things, you take pleasure in having personal time. You can experience JOMO but not attending social events (aka not people'ing) or by simply unplugging, which these days, is a vacation all in itself.

Here are 28 essentials that I think are perfect for getting your JOMO on.

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The EditAlbie Knowsjomo, hygge, self care, covid19, shopping
Why I'm Not Doing Anymore Home Projects
Why I'm Not Doing Anymore Home Projects

I’ve lived — as an official rent-paying “adult” — in three different apartments…four if you count a short period of time when I thought I was grown and moved in with a roommate.  This condo was truly the first I really dug in to tackle renter-friendly projects that went beyond getting organized and putting up new paint. 

But here’s the thing — this is still only a 2 bedroom apartment, meaning the whole place has a total of six “rooms” (eight if you count the laundry closet and balcony) to play with. I knew that this meant I was not going to have a limitless amount of projects to tackle; I knew that at some point I would be project’d out…and that point is now. 

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Vibe Check, Look BookAlbie Knowsmy home, design therapy, reversible design
2020 Valentine's Day Gift Ideas
2020 Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Full Disclosure: I do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, and I never have.

That said…

I do respect the significance that Valentine’s Day has for other people — it’s a day to celebrate and share love, no matter the relationship — romantic, familial, or otherwise.

Valentine’s Day isn’t about romance, it’s about love…

So I’ve pulled together 20 of my picks for gifts for all the people that you love.

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The EditAlbie Knowsvalentine's day, gift guides, shopping
What I’m Reading: January 2020
What I’m Reading: January 2020

This year one of the things I wanted to do more of was read. Since I’m already an audible user, I figured the very least I could do was use my account more. Over the past two years, while I’d defused my audible account pretty regularly — listening to way more books than I’m certain I would’ve actually read — I knew I wasn’t really getting my full money’s worth. So I challenged myself to listen to at least two books a month — one fiction, one nonfiction. 

This month I’d already tackled my two books, both leftover from 2019 — “With The Fire On High” by Elizabeth Acevedo and “Dapper Dan: Made In Harlem” by Daniel R. Day. These are both books that I downloaded (I kid you not) back in November but I just never got around to listening to them.

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The EditAlbie Knowsaudible, books, amazon, shopping
Mood Board Inspiration: January 2020
Mood Board Inspiration: January 2020

Inspiration can be found in all places, in all things, including driving through a “snow storm” after picking up the kiddo from school. Cognizant of how design inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places, I decided to start pulling the palettes from the scene — literally just with a color dropper — just to see what colors were really resonating and it was really illuminating.

From one spontaneous moment in time, I was able to capture what really was (is) an amazing color palette. And now here we are… the first of 12 mood board inspirations for 2020.

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Look Book, The EditAlbie Knowscost plus world market, lulu & georgia, mood board, h&m home, shopping
2020 Vision Board: Curating Your Year Ahead
2020 Vision Board: Curating Your Year Ahead

I have never ever EVER been one to make resolutions but I do believe in trying to set the tone for my year. In the past, I’ve created a vision book, started a gratitude list, and chosen a word of a year…just to name a few of the ways I’ve always attempted to ensure I have a great new year.

Going into 2020 I was in desperate need of a reset and decided to take creating a vision board seriously this year.

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Vibe CheckAlbie Knowsvision board, shutterfly, my home, new year
Kitchen Update: Removable Wallpaper Install
Kitchen Update: Removable Wallpaper Install

If you’ve been hanging out with me for even just a little bit, then you know I’ve never let the fact that I rent that in the way of making our home actually feel like our home. Yeah, we have a lease, but that’s not an excuse to give up entirely on good design; so from the time we moved in — Spring 2017 — I have tackled a bunch of big & small renter-friendly upgrades…

For me, however, the biggest challenge was always the front of the apartment where the common areas are — living room, dining room, and kitchen — because of how “warm” the whole area is…the beige on beige on brown! In terms of renter-friendly upgrades, the only thing I’d tackled in this space was adding a peel-and-stick backsplash to the kitchen. I’d conceded that I couldn’t do much in the kitchen, but figured if I could at least cover some of the painted walls & add some visual interest with a backsplash, then that would be enough — it wasn’t.

That’s when it hit me…WALLPAPER!

Putting wallpaper in areas like kitchens & bathrooms is always a risk/gamble, especially removable wallpaper for the obvious challenges of heat & humidity; but with the right wallpaper brand, you can totally get something that’s a winner.

To tackle this big new crazy idea of mine, I knew Milton & King would be the perfect partner!

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Look BookAlbie Knowsmilton & king, kitchen, my home, wallpaper, reversible design
So I Wrote A Book...
So I Wrote A Book...

I realized I never came on the blog or on my YoutTube channel and actually TALKED about my book. And while I never mentioned it on my Instagram, I never really really got into why I wrote a book and all the sentiments behind this endeavor. 

For an entire week — the first week of February to be exact — I woke up every day at 4 am just to write. While my husband and daughter slept, before the sun was even up, I wrote. Within that first day, I had listed and named my chapters, like outlining a term paper, and before I knew it a book was unfolding before me. The next few weeks were spent learning all about the self-publishing process, working through and editing my ideas with friends and peers. And in the midst of all this creative chaos, eventually, a book was born. 

I channeled into that book all the stuff I struggled with sharing here on the blog or on social media; it felt like a safe, undistracted space to just talk about what I wanted to talk about when it came to curating and creating a home you’d love… hence the title, Curate The Home You’re In: Effortlessly Create Your Everyday Dreamscape. 

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Studio, Vibe CheckAlbie Knowsbooks, behind the scenesComment
Retail Therapy... Recent Haul Favorites
Retail Therapy... Recent Haul Favorites

I have a confession to share: I’m an emotional shopper!

While, in general, I am pretty intentional when I am shopping. I try and myself to prevent buyer’s remorse, but a lot of times, when I am in an emotional tizzy, more often than not I get my relief from shopping. I comb through my wishlists and start adding to cart, or I take a drive to one of my fav retailers and take out my stress on my wallet.

P.S. don’t be like me… be better than me.

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Vibe Check, The EditAlbie Knowsmy home, target, hobby lobby, h&m home, shopping