First off, this post wasn’t paid for or perked by Ikea. We just wanted to share a recent pilgrimage. And we like them (especially with this cool announcement). Anyway, some people say you can tell a lot about a person by looking in their purse, their closet, maybe even their iPod. But what may give you a good peek into our lives is a look into our car trunk… after a trip to Ikea.
This was the scene after a recent trip. It was our first since my parents moved out of the same area as the Ikea (which is about 90 minutes away) meaning no more quick stops after a family visit. Clearly, we’ve already become hoarders. Not knowing when our next visit will be we found ourselves grabbing more than usual “just in case” since we were up there visiting friends. Here’s the breakdown for ya:
1. Two Retur recycling bins turned shoe cabinets for our laundry room, as you’ve already seen (they were one – er, two of the main reasons for our visit).
2. The boxes that would become our Effektiv file cabinet for the office, as you’ve also already peeped here.
3. Cute napkins for big ol’ family gatherings at our house (when we run out of cloth ones). Specifically these, in green.
4. A door mat. Why? Long story short: rainy night + full-bladdered chihuahua who hates to get wet = need for a new mat. We did let the rain rinse it out and planned to continue using it. Problem is Burger had the same plan (guess it was still “marked”). The new one is so far unscathed by this silly dog (who much prefers to sunbathe with his tongue out).
5. Two woven planters. Because we’re suckers for natural textures. And in need of more indoor plants ’round here.
6. This blanket. We were so excited about this purchase. We’d been hunting for a spare blanket to keep in the living room, since our current brown one doesn’t jive with Karl as much as we’d like. This one looked perfect. Problem is, it doesn’t feel perfect. Despite a couple of washings, it’s still a bit scratchy. And because of those couple of washings, it’s a bit unreturnable. Shucks. At least it still looks good! Maybe someday we’ll use it to recover an ottoman or something. But warning: this is not a blanket that you want to get cozy with for very long (Sherry plans to layer it with the softer one underneath it during the winter months for extra warmth without the scratchy texture touching her skin).
7. A light kit. Since we used our other “spare” for our clothespin light, we wanted to have another on hand. Someday we’ll get around to hanging the paper lantern that we picked up a while back in the playroom. We were just paranoid that Ikea will stop making them when it finally comes time to tackle that room (and at $3.99 they’re cheaper than any others we’ve encountered).
8. Various white frames. Do we even need to elaborate on that after this and this? We just figure they’re always good to have around, and we still have a lot of bare walls and about five million cute baby and dog pictures. Yikes, we’re those people.
9. A white duvet cover that we thought could work in our bedroom. Long story short, we’re still on the fence. So it’s still sitting in the packaging until we’re sure (since Ikea doesn’t take back opened bedding). At $50 for a king sized duvet and two shams it was a pretty good deal (we just wanna be sure there’s nothing else out there that we love more) so we’ll keep you posted.
10. Toys! Since we’ve admitted in point #8 that we’re quickly turning into “those people”, we couldn’t resist getting Clara this soft set of farm animals (she loves farm animals) and a soft set of tools (we desperately want her to love tools). The good news? She LOVES them both (esp. the goat and the ruler). Bad news? It’s not teaching us a lesson about buying her too many toys…
We also scored a couple of other items while there that didn’t make it home in the trunk. For example, thanks to being on the catalog mailing list I got a random email about joining this new “Ikea Family rewards program” the morning before our trip. So I picked up my free card later that afternoon right in the store from this handy little futuristic kiosk:
I don’t totally understand exactly what it gets me, except for a free coffee or tea at each visit. Sold. Except that it would have been a more time-efficient idea had we not had to linger in the restaurant area for twenty minutes while Sherry waited for it to be cool enough to sip (my wife is such a diva). At least it bought us plenty of time to take pictures like this one of Clara “drinking her tea”:
And on this particular visit thanks to picking up that free Ikea Family card we also got a free ice cream cone. Guess saving that buck really makes up for all the money we spent on everything else, right? Clara demonstrated her appreciation by smearing it all over her face. And it was adorable.
Do you guys have any recent shopping trips that are particularly indicative of your personality or a particular moment in time? Perhaps a recent grocery store run for a party you’re throwing? Or a spending spree at Bed Bath & Beyond or Office Max? Do you have more Ikea, Home Depot, Lowe’s or Target receipts than you can even count these days? We used to feel like we lived at Target, but lately it has been Lowe’s and the ReStore.
Psst- We (finally) picked this week’s random giveaway winner. Click here to see if it’s you.
Chelley Black says
We have that duvet cover and love it! In fact, I found a 2nd one in the “as is” section and bought that one, too. Not bad to have a spare for $10! It’s great to be able to bleach out any baby stains.
Also, for those who don’t have an Ikea nearby, I was told by an Ikea employee that you can get ANY of their items shipped to you by calling one of the larger stores (like Houston) and placing your order over the phone. They charge UPS ground shipping rates. I haven’t tried it yet, but probably will soon.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a great tip! Once I called ours (in northern VA, but it’s not that big I guess) and asked if they’d ship something and they turned me down. Ouch! Haha.
xo,
s
Annie says
Seriously laughed out loud at Burger’s pixelated undercarriage. Ha-larious!
Mike at The Big Stick says
Ironically – we just made our quarterly pilgrimage to the IKEA in Cincinnati last weekend (90 minutes from Louisville). We purchased a TV stand for our oldest daughter’s room and some odds and ends.
Karen says
Ikea toys are so awesome. They’re super cheap and our 8-month-old prefers them to all his other more expensive goodies. Result!
Reva says
Two more thumbs up on that duvet cover!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo. I’m more excited than I should be over a duvet.
xo
s
RLR says
Our closest Ikea is 90 minutes away, too. If it weren’t, I’d probably be in deep trouble.
We have lots of Lowe’s receipts lately! We (well, mostly my hubs and his parents) are cleaning and staining our fence this week. They are even brave enough to let the kids help! Although we ordered our cleaning and staining products online, there are still lots of other things we need – such as new water hoses (ours were in need of replacement anyway), new post and concrete to set it, new hardware for our gates, and extra-long bolts to rehang our gate. Cha-ching! But,we saved a TON by doing it ourselves (with a good deal of help from the ‘rents).
Lisa in IL says
Since Sherry is now the Master of the sewing machine it would pretty basic sewing to stitch a soft piece of flannel on one side of the scratchy blanket.
The only thing my shopping receipts say about me are that I shop for a family of 5 and 2 of them are COLLEGE graduates living under my roof!
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh that’s a really smart idea if the conditioner tip that two folks shared doesn’t work!
xo,
s
heather says
I’ve done this before and I love it. If you want to keep the sides together you can sort of “quilt” a design in it yourself. I like sewing the shape of the blanket (rectangle) in smaller rectangles until I get to the center, about 5 inches apart for each one. Or you could do an astericks type symbol, or anything else that works. Super duper easy!
Blythe says
Great minds think alike! We have the white duvet set and LOVE it. It washes up (and bleaches) nicely! We have had it since February with 2 toddlers and 2 dogs running around. Totally recommend it.
I also have the shoe organizers. Those are handy little things! We have the red ones hanging in our boys’ sports themed room to store drawings/paintings/coloring books etc. Love them!
And I am SO thankful to live only about 45 minutes away from Ikea in Frisco, TX. I might not make it if I didn’t!! :)
Kris says
IKEA is bad! I always spend way more than I planned. Partly because the closest is in Chicago with a 2 hour drive and also partly because I always see something “I just GOT to have!” And I have more TJ Maxx receipts than I want to count. They could probably go around the world at least once.
Anna See says
Oil Rubbed Bronze and I are TIGHT! Love that stuff. Wanted to give you a hint I use w/ mine. If you are using the kind w/ a trigger handle, it clogs very easily, trapping that bronze wonderful-ness inside. I stick a sewing needle right in the sprayer and it keeps the channel (?) open until next time. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip Anna!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Also, tip the can upside down when you are finished and spray until what is left in the little tube is gone. It helps keep it unclogged for next time.
YoungHouseLove says
You guys are so smart. Love it.
xo,
s
Tracey Bartula says
We too are IKEAites,live 90 miles from one, and have a small car! It is amazing what we can get in the back of our Honda Insight Hybrid! In fact, we are going this weekend and I should take some fun pics!
Amanda says
I am so jealous that your IKEA is only 90 minutes away. Mine is 10 hours and 20 minutes away, and I’ve never been to it!
I’ve been to IKEA once when we took a trip to Washington years ago, and I bought a lamp.
And I want to go back. Now. Like, yesterday.
Maureen says
I love the shopping list feature. It helps me stay focused while in the store. LOL
Jenny says
So glad you guys didn’t get in trouble for taking photos inside of the Ikea!! My favorite store, but when we were shopping for our kitchen cabinets a few years ago and our little guy (5 months at the time) starting laughing (TOTAL PHOTO MOMENT, RIGHT?), I got yelled at for taking photos! Eeek. I never do anything to get in trouble. :-) So we went to the Ikea this last weekend here in the Netherlands, and I about slapped myself once I realized I was taking photos of the same boy in an Ikea. Oops!
YoungHouseLove says
Really?? They don’t like that! I bring in the big camera and everything. Haha. I’m so not subtle.
xo,
s
Claudia says
My boys and I went to IKEA last week, it was surprisingly smooth – and we also used the shopping list so I wouldn’t forget anything and you can check if they have an item at your store, too. We got 2 huge stuffed toys for them, one of them defective (I have yet to find the defect) for $1. Score!
Fun Mama says
We just bought every white style of white frame IKEA makes in hopes of making a gallery wall! Of course, they are currently piled in our living room until we get the photos developed and hang them.
Nancy says
Yes, the blurring out of Burger’s bits cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh (and the info).
Sarah says
Completely unrelated (sorry!): did Monday’s giveaway winner get announced? I looked back for the post today, but I may have missed it.
YoungHouseLove says
Just added the announcement as the p.s. of this post!
xo,
s
Rachel says
Am I being a dingbat? I thought the giveaway winner would be announced this morning. And now I can’t even find the original post? I’ve done a lot of organization and data entry today so my eyes could be tired and just not registering… or I’m already becoming that crazy cat lady before I hit 30.
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! The winner is announced by the end of the day on Thursday and we link to it whenever that person is randomly selected (sometimes on Fri morning). Hope that helps!
xo,
s
shellymc says
The Ikea Family card is AWESOME! It really comes into its own around sale time — we got our Billy Bookcases for €9 instead of the usual €39 and that was an Ikea Family-exclusive deal.
They send you emails too about which products get an extra discount, but if you look at the labels on stuff sometimes it will give a regular price and then the Ikea Family price.
Basically, I LOVE IKEA. Also, free tea.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I didn’t know Ikea’s duvet cover sets are so cheap. Thanks for sharing :)
Anna says
they are slightly different sizes to standard sizing so you have to get an IKEA duvet to go with it!! To be fair to IKEA, it;s an amazing little trick to keep you buying from them.
heather says
I’ve never been to an Ikea. In all honesty, we both sort of disliked Ikea for a long time, I’m all about rustic/farmy type stuff (re: not primitive). However, my mind has since been swayed. We recently scored two lights for free from a client who didn’t want them anymore and I thought they would look great above a desk. Then, we went to my aunts farmhouse and she had a sink I fell in love with. Turns out there’s some sort of back room where everything a little dented or scratched lives?! (That’s what I’m talking about). She got this gorgeous farmhouse sink for $50.00 because of a chip in it. The sink still sells online for about $350.
Between that and needing frames, I think I’m going to have to make a stop into Ikea next time I head to Massachusetts.
Graz says
I have an Ikea 20 minutes away. I still seem to always spend more than I want there though. It’s both a blessing and a curse!
Btw,I’m listening to Sherry on http://www.radiosandysprings.com. You sound great!
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhhh! Did I sound nervous? I was. Hah.
xo,
s
seamsgoodtome.blogspot.com says
Please tell me you are going to do an “Ikea Inspiration” post from your last visit- always love those!
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! We were in such a rush that we didn’t have enough time to troll the top floor with all the eye candy (we ran through the marketplace and boogied outta there). Next time!
xo,
s
Crystal says
You should check out this tutorial- it’s a how-to for an anthropologie duvet cover. I think it would look great with your room!
http://kojodesigns.blogspot.com/2010/12/kojotutorial-anthropologie-inspired.html
Let me know what you think! Love your blog!!! Lots and Lots!
Crystal
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh pretty!!! Might be too girly for John – I’ll have to see if he’ll go for it!
xo,
s
Mary says
I’m 5 minutes from the new IKEA in Denver! I’ve already been 2 times since it opened 3 weeks ago. Just the other day I purchased a great leather office chair for my husband and toys for one of my nieces. And I scoped out a few things for next week’s shopping trip.
Melody says
I laughed out loud when you said Clara’s favorites are the goat and the ruler! I don’t know why but it just cracks me up.
YoungHouseLove says
I know, right? So random.
xo,
s
Jenny says
I live and work 10 minutes from the Ikea in College Park, Maryland. I can even go on my lunch break. Don’t hate me!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s the life.
xo,
s
Christine says
We are lucky to an IKEA 30 minutes from home! However, I noticed the other day driving home from work that they are putting in a Hobby Lobby on my route home. You guys seem to shop there a lot. Should I be excited? Is it truly better then the other craft stores who shall remain nameless??
Christine says
And I just went online to sign up for the Family Rewards Card and I can’t find where to sign up? Those of you that already have one, how did you obtain it? THanks :)
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe at the kiosk in the store? When we got our email they said only select stores are participating so maybe it’s not online completely yet?
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, it’s great for hardware! Sometimes it smells funny though. Haha. I do like it though, especially for frames and other small things like… hardware. Haha, it’s my hardware holy grail.
xo,
s
Liz Cadorette says
About your scratchy blanket, a suggestion: I know you’ve got a love/hate relationship with your Brother (sewing machine), but I would suggest purchasing some grey flannel or cotton and lining that sucker. If you got enough to go around the entire blanket and fold over to the front, you’d be able to use it comfy without losing the fab appearance that matches Karl so well. (I can do it for you if you want, but I promise you it’s easy-peasy to do yourself. All straight lines!)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the suggestion! Love it.
xo,
s
Lauren says
Counting the days to my Ikea trip next week. We live in Norfolk, VA, so it’s a bit more of a haul for us…and you think you’re hoarding stuff! ;)
Anna says
hey, it might be different in the US but in the UK you can use your Family card for amazing savings. Look out for items with an ‘IKEA Family’ sticker on and they are a special price for members.
There’s nothing specific on the site as I guess each store picks and chooses what’s selling best etc to make the right items cheaper.
I got 40% off a bookcase on my last trip though so keep your eyes out!
lu mae ro says
Went to ikea last week. Always a fun shopping trip!
Also- when will the winner of the $500 crate and barrel gift cert. post?
YoungHouseLove says
Just updated it as the p.s. of this post! Sorry for the delay!
xo,
s
Robin says
I just posted, yesterday, about our trip to Ikea over the weekend and subsequent remodel of one of our rooms.
http://modernmantle.blogspot.com/2011/08/library-full-of-books.html
I almost grabbed a stack of white frames as well, but didn’t since our van was already full enough!
YoungHouseLove says
Love all the alphabetizing!
xo,
s
Meghan says
Went to IKEA of Denver last week and saw ya’ll’s bedroom light fixture hanging in the restaurant. Of course they were the biggest ones so as I ate I pondered whether or not that was the size y’all have and how it fit above your bed. But then I saw a smaller size and figured that’s probably what you went with. All that to say, it’s a really cool fixture!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, we definitely have the smaller one. Though when we saw the big one at Ikea we were momentarily convinced that was the size we had bought. You don’t realize how big it is until you see it next to the smaller one.
-John
ginny says
Can you go into a little more detail on how you use the light kit to make a ceiling light? The link on the Ikea website just has the plug, but yours in the laundry room looks great with the cover/medallion thing.
Thanks so much!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hi Ginny,
Sure thing. We just cut the cord (literally) at the desired length to expose the internal wires, which then can be attached just like a normal fixture without a plug would be wired. It does a bit of comfort with wiring and electricity, so if you’re at all uncertain it might be worth consulting a real electrician – since we’re definitely not certified or anything.
-John
Rebecca says
Hi Sherry & John! Okay so I recently drove 435 miles from Albuquerque to Denver to buy a couch and chair from IKEA and now I’m hooked, I look at their catalogue everyday and I think I’m gonna have more receipts from there than any other place!
On a side note, I want to thank you for your help redecorating my living room. I found your mood boards and I used one to decide on a paint color that would match with my existing furniture and new Ektorp couch and chair.
Thanks for the inspiration and fun read every day!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad to hear you found a mood board to help you out! It’s always awesome to hear they’re doing some good.
-John
Leah says
Our nearest IKEA is 8 or so hours away. Super sad. So I only get to go about twice a year, so I have to make it count.
I have that same duvet cover and we love it. I just use lots of colored pillows and have brighter sheets and bedskirt to liven it up a bit.
Most of my $ ends up at Target. Last Sunday my hubs and I were talking about how much we’ve probably spent there over the years. He told me that he could actually find out because our online banking lets you sort by store, but we decided we’d rather not know. Too depressing!
Kim says
We live three hours from Ikea, and recently made a vacation in the area so that we could also squeeze in a trip there. We had friends with us, and 4 kids between us (ages 10-14) Such a bad idea! It took FOR-EV-ER! The kids were really good, but it’s just impossible, even with a very specific list. The problem was that we had soooo many things for the new house that we wanted, and we tried to get it all. Even though we abandoned the idea early on and reduced our list by at least 5x, it was the longest shopping trip ever. To make matters worse, there was a torrential downpour (seriously, flash flooding occurred in the area) so we were literally trapped for hours. Thank goodness for the swedish meatballs! And ice cream! By the time we got to the textiles, we were desperately trying to entertain the kids so we let them cover themselves in the sheepskins and hide on a display, making baaa sounds as unsuspecting people walked by! never again!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my, that sounds like an adventure! Glad the meatballs got you through it. :)
-John
nina says
do you guys ever plan to go solar?
YoungHouseLove says
It would be super fun! I think we might have too much tree cover for it to be efficient (our entire neighborhood is full of old trees) but it would be awesome if we could have a green roof!
xo,
s
Jessica says
Living 10 mins from Ikea is bad for one’s wallet…
I feel slighted that they didn’t tell me about the Ikea family yet!
I bought the same doormat last week and mine sheds like mad. Any ideas how to reduce the flaking? I’m thinking about spraying it down with hairspray or maybe some spray adhesive.
Robin @our semi organic life says
I signed up for that family rewards program too! Have yet to actually go (and get my free ice cream & coffee).
Rebecca says
oops, I forgot to give you the link to my living room redo!!
http://www.everydaywithmamagreen.blogspot.com
Thanks again!!
YoungHouseLove says
Looks great! You did an awesome job!
xo,
s
JennyB says
I bought my 16 month old son the soft farm at Ikea and he LOVES it! He’s learning all the names of the animals and the noises they make. I am with you on not buying too many toys, but that farm was just too darn cute not to bring home!
Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says
Wow, that’s quite the haul. Good work. ;) I feel like I live at Target because I can’t stand Wal Mart.
If Sherry wanted to cozy up the blanket, she could sew a layer of coordinating fleece to one side. Fleece doesn’t fray, so it’s super easy to work with. And pretty cheap. Just an idea.
YoungHouseLove says
So smart.
xo,
s
Suzanne says
your old duvet was so pretty, and a first instinct which I think are often right on the money. I agree it did compete – but that aqua color was great with the walls wasn’t it? if you could just ‘photoshop’ out (LOL – who wouldn’t love to photoshop things in real life?!) the gold,how would that solid color work in there? white is fine, sure, but … meh.
YoungHouseLove says
I think it was just the leafy pattern that competed with the berry art on either side of the bed. So no matter the color it was just too many leaves, haha.
xo,
s
Tracey says
How kind of you to protect Burger’s modesty like that.
Zoë says
I don’t get to go to IKEA much (the nearest one is 3hrs away in Atlanta, sob) but I hear you on on the scratchy IKEA blankets. I love the look of all of them, but they just don’t feel good. Their bedding on the other hand is fab. On my last trip, I bought this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00171266 (although that is a terrible picture. It really doesn’t look like that in real life) to join this one I bought on the previous trip: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60162160. On both visits, I also stocked up on black picture frames. I think if a store was any closer (are you reading this Nashville), I would have more receipts from there than anywhere else.
But my recent shopping sprees have been at Carters. I have two girls (3½ and 11 months) and the colors this year are just wonderful (sorry #1 son, I’ll get you some new clothes soon). Kids make the best home accessories after all!
Amanda says
I love IKEA!! Not to make anyone jealous, but IKEA is only 3 miles from my house. Our home is chock-full of IKEA lovies! You’ve got to check out the as-is section for awesome-r deals than on the floor!
Tracey @ TropicalHappiness.com says
Oh my goodness… did you really blur out Burger’s man parts? I LOVE IT!!!! I burst out laughing!!! Love love love! Hahahahah!!!!