IKEA Heights

Dude, just watch this. It's hilarious.

IKEA Heights from DaveAOK on Vimeo.

Light bright.

How awesome is it that this old tissue box has been upcycled into a light fixture? I love the color and I also love that an IKEA lighting cord is used in this project (we all know how much I love IKEA).

Boots N Gus has a lot of upcycled items that caught my eye- another being the mason jars turned lights that would look amazing strung up outside for a patio party.

Ribbet Ribbet, sip it.

One of the last times Kev and I visited IKEA I picked up a couple of these Mata frog bowls (in blue and green) for pennies in the "As Is" section. I also got one of the sippy cups. It's weird that we'll now have to accumulate child-friendly dishes. I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to store everything in the kitchen once baby's needs go beyond a boob, a spoon and pureed fruits and veggies.

I'm all about longevity.

Since Kev and I are expecting a baby in August, I've just barely started to look at what we're going to need.

Let me just say- there is a LOT of stuff babies need. I'm scared. The Pink House is going to be bursting at the seams if Kev and I don't get our acts together and organize non-stop for the next 6 months.

Anyway. I browsed IKEA briefly a few weeks ago and fell in love with this idea of a crib. It has 2 levels for baby, which is a very common feature for cribs. I understand it keeps baby from falling out after learning how to stand up and be tall and stuff.

Additionally, this crib converts into a toddler bed when baby no longer needs to sleep behind bars. Awesome. Also, there is an attachment to put under the crib that serves as a drawer you can nudge open and closed with your toe. Probably your baby toe because it's so smooth. I think that's such a great idea for storage.

While I'm not crazy in love with this actual crib, the design is genius. It will save me and Kev money in the long run, and sneaky storage drawers will save my sanity when it comes to organizing the small room baby will share with all of our bookshelves.

Sorry baby, you don't get your own room just yet.

Simple pleasures

I'm home sick today. I should say I came home sick today. After two hours at work I realized I was not going to successfully carry out a full day.

I've been snuggling with my puppy and a Sprite all afternoon. My favorite thing is to see Maddie get up from her blanket nest and stretch her hairy little chin up to the ceiling. She notices someone walking by and starts to growl but it ends in a yawn. It's so precious that I can forgive her heinous dog-food breath.

Unfortunately I have to kick it back into high gear soon because there is so much going on this weekend. My siblings are having our Secret Santa exchange tomorrow and there is a requisite Saturday trip to Lowe's scheduled as well. Plus I have to visit IKEA so Kev can try out a couch I love. All the festivities and chores need to be done in time for me and Kev to get back up to Ogden before 4pm so Kev can work a show at WSU.

Perhaps I can have a Sprite drip installed to help calm my stomach while I get things done. Or maybe I can sneak a few bites of the homemade bread that's baking for a party this evening. Nothing like food made with love to make a body feel better!

I almost started to believe I was imagining this sofa.

At the end of 2009, IKEA had a promo on a three-piece living room set referred to as KLAMBY. It was a sofa, loveseat and chair for $699. I didn't pay any attention to it because I don't have that kind of space in my living room for a set.

However, one day while passing time in Draper (I'm pretty sure Seth and Kev were doing man stuff so I decided to go to IKEA), I sat down on a KARLSVIK sofa to browse the new 2010 IKEA catalogue.

I really loved the sofa. It was petit and had nice lines- I noticed it wasn't as modern or moduar looking like a lot of the other IKEA couches. It also didn't come across as too stuffy either.

Since sitting on that sofa, I had no luck finding it in the 2010 catalogue or online. It made me crazy! It wasn't until I went back to IKEA with friends Bethany and Natalia that I verified the KARLSVIK sofa does indeed exist. I even made the girls sit on it with me so I could prove to myself that it was true.

It's currently listed for $299 and I've been talking about it to Kev non-stop since my first encounter. I did some research online and discovered that I missed a Black Friday opportunity to get the KARLSVIK for $199. Bummer. I guess it was worth sleeping in though.

I keep trying to imagine it in my living room with my discounted, tent-sale red couch. I'm so over the college chairs I've been using as supplemental seating and I'm ready to add a more substantial mate for the existing couch.

This weekend Kev will be putting his own bum on it to see if it's worth saving up for. Wish me luck!

Sometimes it's ok to get fancy

I usually buy candles from ROSS or D.I., but it can't hurt to pick up a few "fancy" candles from IKEA. There is a fantastic selection and the prices are comparable to thrift stores. IKEA has everything from scented to un-scented, pillar to potted, tea lights to candle sticks. There's also a vast array of vessels for displaying the candle of your choice.

Deck the halls with IKEA

I promised my dear Kev that I'm not going to buy any additional Holiday decorations this year. We have been gifted many wonderful things from family, and our neighbor just gave us a ceramic Santa for our front porch (it reminds me of the small ceramics my Grandma Fluff used to make). I'm going to use all my resources to make the home feel festive and full of cheer. But that doesn't have to stop you from going to IKEA and purchasing one of these 11 inches wreaths for $3.99. Happy Holiday shopping! Let me know if I can find other wonderful, inexpensive decorations for you.

Bring in the sunshine in

Oh winter. I hate you. I've been thinking of getting more plants for the Pink House because I just can't bear the dreariness that is winter. Everything outside is so dead and gloomy. I need a pick-me-up when I get home after driving in the slushy gross streets of Ogden.

Etsy is an unconventional place to buy plants, but it's still fun to look. To avoid crazy shipping, I also love getting plants from IKEA. I've had better luck there with keeping plants alive than when I've bought plants from Home Depot/Lowe's.

Delight in IKEA

A trip to Seth's almost always means a trip to IKEA. If I visit him without getting cinnamon buns from the IKEA bakery he won't let me come back.

During this lovely General Conference weekend, I had a specific project in mind that I knew IKEA could help me fulfill.





I bought the gold-leaf drawings from D.I. and they were in hideous old wooden frames. The drawings look so much better in matted Ribba frames. Thank goodness for IKEA. Can't wait to put them up in the Pink House!

For the kitchen

Right now I have an old-school library desk in my kitchen. Maddie's kennel fits nicely under it, and the little shelf above the writing space allows me to keep plants, candles and metal tins out of the way while still adding visually pleasing elements to the kitchen.

Kev and I use the writing space for our unsorted mail and as extra prep space. The built-in counter original to the house probably measures a total of four feet. One foot is consumed by our petite microwave, and more precious inches are used up by the ever-present toaster (I need my poptarts!) and our knife block.

That's why I want something like this from IKEA:


Or this:



They offer a greater sense of permance (although the library desk is quaint and I do love it) and much more storage than just a simple work top. I'm not crazy about the natural wood color but hey, maybe if I ever get around to refinishing the kitchen table, I can stain one of these as well.

It's not likely that we'll be dropping $330 or $500 on additional kitchen storage, but a girl can dream, right?

Fantastic IKEA Finds

Please may I just have the entire Hemnes collection in my home? The look of these pieces is so appealing to me! I already have a 3-drawer Hemnes dresser and 2 Hemnes bedside tables. Then there's these:

It's the storage bench and linen cupboard that IKEA revealed this year. Of course, I'd prefer the linen cupboard if it came in... red. Not that red is my favorite color or anything. I just have a lot of red stuff. I'm wearing a red shirt right now. I wore a red shirt last night. I have a red dresser, fan, night-table, shoes, dresses, fan, couch, rug... Let's stop there.

Anyway, I have another item from the new year of IKEA to share with you:

I need to have children for the sole purpose of having a twin-sized bed with this comforter set. It is so stinking cute. Kimba, if you continue with an animal/Noah's Arc theme for your little boy, this comforter is the one you must buy when he's 2 and sleeps in a big-boy bed. It's adorable. I love it. However, I find it somewhat unfortunate though that the background is white. That's just asking for trouble.

Sophia and I went to IKEA today and I picked up three Lack side tables for the price of one. That's right folks. They were on sale for half off, but the limit was two per customer. So I bought two, then gave Sophia my coupon for 3% off and she bought my third table for $3.97. I am especially pleased with myself. I also got storage for cereal, curtain rods (hallelujah!!), bathroom towel racks, a toilet paper holder and little puppy dog bottoms with tails that serve as hooks.

I intend to go back in a few paychecks and finally purchase my 5X5 Expedit shelving unit. I need to get rid of all the little shelves in the living room and consolidate the media storage. It looks so big in the store, but I know that it will fit so well in the living room and make me feel less crazy when I go in there. It's actually coming along since I worked on it Saturday. I can now navigate around the couch, and sit in both the chairs!!

Overall, I'm just glad Sophia and I survived. It was the busiest day to be at IKEA. Since it rained all weekend everyone decided to go shopping for Labor Day. Sophia and I were super skilled though and managed to maneuver TWO shopping carts (one with my tables and one with my odds-and-ends) through masses of clueless, ignorant families with screaming children.

Another satisfactory IKEA trip. As if it would ever be otherwise! I'll be sure to share the bathroom updates shortly. Hopefully this week Kev can help me install the towel racks (and by help I mean just do it for me) and get those doggy bottoms on the back of the door for the robes. One little piece at a time.

Fantastic Finds

Although my trip to The Gateway was somewhat of a bust when it came to shopping, I still found a great top that I love, and bought in 3 colors (1 in store and 2 online with FREE shipping!). Because that's what you do when you find something you like, right? Thank you Wet Seal. It was also fun with friends. Nik posted some pics which you may view if you'd like to see how pretty we are. And below is one of my Wet Seal shirts.

I also got the new Pottery Barn Bed and Bath catalogue this week. That means I've found myself drooling one-too-many times in the last day or so. I have a thing for bedding. And why not when it looks so delicious?


This is the Avery Organic bedding. And gosh, if only I had $129 to waste on more bedding. I think I'll stick to the $29.99 variety from IKEA. Not that I'm buying any more bedding. Promise. That would be foolish. Speaking of foolish, if I had $429 that I didn't feel like giving to Sallie Mae for my student loan repayment, I might consider buying the fantastic Kayla Floral rug also featured in the latest PB catalogue:


One of these days, I will also buy monogrammed PB soaps. They're just so alluring, especially with the description given for them: "Infused with a paperwhite scent...triple-milled...100% vegetable-based ingredients..." So fancy. At $39 for a set of six, that's only $6.50/bar. Ha. Only.


And then there's Domino Magazine. A new favorite of mine. I'm often not too interested in a lot of their items, but the overall designs of the rooms/apartments/homes they feature appeal to me. The fact that the spaces they showcase usually have continuity and themes makes me feel happy. Probably because my house is a big giant disaster in contrast. I am excited every time I get to organize something at the PH because it takes me one step closer to having a flow. Happy will be the day that I don't trip over a box or search in vain for something vital like the sewing kit. Or a frying pan.

Anyway, back to Domino. On their website (link above) they have 25 finds for under $1. Fantastic. A sampling:

Crate and Barrel bowls. 85 cents or something ridiculously wonderful like that.

Muji 99 cent notebooks.

IKEA tea towels. Also somewhere around 80 cents. Hallelujah!

For more, please direct yourself to the Domino site. It's worth it, I promise. Even if all it does is inspire you to go to Goodwill/Salvation Army/DI and dig through thrifty finds till you find a gem!

And yes, I'm having a super productive busy day at work. This post has been on the sidelines but I thought that since I have Internet access in my office, I might as well go post-crazy.