IKEA is my friend

I love IKEA! The store is AMAZING! They have anything you could possibly need for your home at reasonable prices and fairly good quality. There is a store in Draper, Utah that I visit whenever I get a chance. The store is massive and the layout is unique to any other store I have been in. The top floor is the showroom where they have intricately set up various rooms with all the items tagged as to where you can find them and what they cost. Downstairs is where you can find all the items from lights to furniture to curtains and vases. Unfortuantely there isn't a store here in Colorado, yet, and I don't have a big enough car to drag all the items I want home with me. Someday... (I'm sure Josh is rolling his eyes).

Anyway, I made my trek through Ikea with my list while I was in Utah and came home with some new items for my apartment that I am excited about.


My creative spurt that resulted in curtains for the boys room made me want curtains of my own in the master bedroom. I found some really cute simple ones at ikea for $15 a pair. I was going cheap and easy so I simply used upholstry tacks to pin the curtains up (an technique used in the Nesting Place's window mistreatments). What do you think?










Our apartment also has the lovely oddity of not having any over head lights in either of the bedrooms. There is one plug that is wired to a light switch and we have been using an up light in the boys room to provide light at night. The poor light has been through the wringer and no longer was standing on it's own (I actually had it tied to the foot of Elijah's bed to make it stand). I did a little surfing on Ikea's website and found some overhead lights that you plug into the wall and hang from the ceiling. Perfect! I managed to get one home in my suitcase and Josh's dad spent a couple hours poking holes in the ceiling looking for a stud to hang it from. Thank you Allan! I am very happy with the result!

I also got a set of black sheer curtains that I thought might work with my floral ones in my room but decided against using them together. I have temporarlly put them on either side of my vertical blinds in the living room. I'm still deciding if I like them. What do you think? The one down side is that the door opens on the right, which is already a tight squeeze with the couch position, I'm not sure how the curtain will complicate it.

One more plug for Ikea... I love their cheese grater. I hate the metal box graters but Ikea has a tub one, that they are currently selling in red and black, that makes grating cheese a breeze and it even seconds as a storage container for excess.

When planning a trip to Ikea, especially when it envolves long distance driving, plan ahead by browsing online. You can even check stock in specific stores around the world. This makes it easy to measure items or areas and compare them online.

Whirl Wind Project: Completed

Well, I got bit by a whirl wind project this past week. We actually I guess it was two.

The first one was to crochet a shrug for my good friend Christina to wear with a formal gown to a banquet. I used a free pattern by Moda-Dea called Sassy Stripes. We liked the design but not the yarn so I went to the ever resourceful Hobby Lobby to search out a black yarn in the same weight as called for in the pattern. I ended up using the Baby Bee Yarn Light Licorice which is a super soft baby yarn in a charcoal gray color. I am very happy with the way it turned out and I'm on edge to see pictures of how it looked with Christina's gown. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it came together. The weight was nice and it actually seemed a cute way to cover up a sleeveless formal gown.

Anyway, this post was originally to show off my newly made curtians, this weeks project #2. My boys have been getting up increasingly earlier with the sun, much to my dismay (I am not a morning person and poor Josh is still getting up at 4:30 to leave for work so I'm on my own with the boys in the morning). I was in Walmart and happened to notice that they had bolts of denium for $2 a yard that got my wheels turning. Eventually I made my way back and bought 3 yards of it with the scheme to make new curtains for the boys room our of it. Well, a few hours later (not consecutive hours mind you) and Wahla!!! We have new curtains that make the room practically dark even at midday! In all they cost me around $10 with the addition of large plastic buttons. Well worth if for the hope of more sleep, especially come summer when the sun actually rises around 4AM (I miss Utah's mountains for blocking the insainly early surises).

I also, at the suggestion of a friend, went to the dollar store to check out some wall stickers they have. I snatched up the cute robots you see in the picture above and did an easy border pattern around the boys room. I love the look and it was super cheap and do able in an apartment. Now my gears are turning (ha ha gears) on what robot decor I can add to the room. I'm thinking art work, pillows, softies... I've been surfing around looking for various ideas. Here's a few I found. I'll keep you posted on what actually comes together.

• Cute Robot Pillow/Softies from Revoluzzza
• Gears painted on the wall of a darling nursery
• Robot Applique

Happy Birthday Anna

I am grateful from my sister Anna. It was so good to see her over Christmas. She always manages to make me laugh--especially when we play pillow red light green light and bum tag. She knows how to have good fun. I admire her and appreciate her friendship and good example. She has really grown up since I moved out of the house. It is amazing to see what a beautiful, talented woman she is. I am grateful that we have grown closer through the years and look forward to growing even closer as the age difference between us grows even more insignificant. I am grateful for the reminders I have of her that hang around my house. She has such an amazing artistic talent and has given me some of her work and has also picked out other beautiful pieces that grace my walls. They remind me of her love, talents, testimony and friendship.

Anna did this painting for Josh and I when we got married for my family history wedding display.

She did this little sketch of Sam shortly after he was born. My mother has a large watercolor of Elijah at her house that I'm quite jealous of.

This picture is a paper cut from China. Anna picked it up for me when she was out there last summer with my Dad. It's a really cool piece. The tree is cut out of tissue thin paper and is VERY detailed.

It took me awhile to figure out an economical way to frame it and accentuate the fact that it is a paper cut. I ended up putting it in one of those floating frames with double glass. Then I attatched a piece of cardstock on the back of the fram whick left about 3/8 of an inch between the cut and the cardstock.

This year for Christmas Anna gave us a gorgeous print of the Savior by Simon Dewey. That artist has a special place in my heart and his picture of the Savior is beautiful.

Happy Birthday last week, Anna! I love you!