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.
Lindsey says
Sherry should use her awesome sewing skillz to add a soft, fleecy panel to one side of the scratchy blanket.
Love IKEA and don’ get there nearly enough! (or, maybe that’s a good thing… nah.)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the idea Lindsey! A bunch of other folks have suggested that (along with sharing some washing secrets to get wool to soften up) so I’ll definitely be trying something!
xo,
s
Rae says
Glad you guys joined! IKEA family gets you discounts on “family” items, free coffee and tea, 45 extra minutes in Smaland on non-peak days, a 90 price adjustment just in case something hits “New Lower Price” after you buy it, and enters you into monthly drawings for free gift cards. I work for IKEA as kitchen specialist in another state and I read your blog every weekday on my 30-minute lunch break. That’s right, you guys usually get about 10 of my 30 minutes! You guys are so awesome. Keep up the great work!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so sweet Rae! Thanks for the info- and for reading our blog!
xo,
s
Jessica Horton says
I just signed up for the Family card too! I got it because the jute rug I wanted was on sale with it in July :-) I save like $30 on it! You’ll get an email once a month with what’s on sale with the card, or you can go to the website.
I too have an ikea duvet with snaps! It’s kinda funny, but does the trick!
Rachelle says
Searching for new bedding and thought of you when I spotted this chevron-ish duvet at Urban Outfitters.
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=20658639&color=040&itemdescription=true&navAction=jump&search=true&isProduct=true&parentid=APARTMENT
and…
a DIY home office project to keep you inspired
http://brynalexandra.blogspot.com/2011/08/quick-easy-diy.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love them both! Thanks for the links!
xo,
s
Leigh Anna says
haha…I totally bought the same colorful bowls that Clara was “sipping her tea in”…I don’t even have children. They’re just so cute and CHEAP! ;-)
Andrea says
I love Ikea trips! If the new laundering tips don’t work for the blanket you could get a large piece of fleece from the fabric store and use it to line the backside. Maybe just use a big needle some thick thread and follow the whip stitch that’s already on the sides…
YoungHouseLove says
Great idea!
xo,
s
.ivy says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some white duvet! We bought a cheapo one from Overstock a few years ago, fell in love with white, and quickly upgraded to an organic cotton pintucked one from West Elm. It goes with everything, it feels divine, and it’s EASY to clean. (We have three kids + two dogs!) Also, it looks like a cloud which seems to help us sleep better. =)
Elisa says
Know what’s funny? I actually have an IKEA “note” in my phone that has the cargo space dimensions of my car in it so that if I need to buy something “big” I know whether or not the box will fit in my car. It’s a saved note- just in case!
YoungHouseLove says
That. Is. Genus.
xo,
s
Wom-mom Ethne says
Sherry – sew a softer piece of fabric onto the back of that scratchy but cute blanket with your new-ish sewing machine.
Last time my bff loaded up her car at Ikea, she smacked her bumper into the parking ramp. Once it was determined there was no serious damage, I cackled.
YoungHouseLove says
Love the softer fabric idea- will definitely try it out if the washing suggestions some smart knitters shared don’t work! As for the smacked bumper, I giggle at the worst times too!
xo,
s
Linda says
I would absolutely return the blanket to Ikea anyway, even though you’ve washed it, if you aren’t satisfied and decide it’s too scratchy to live with. Tell them what the problem is. Most decent stores will take a return like this and note it as “defective” – enough issues and they won’t carry it any longer. But if no one complains…
We TOTALLY need an Ikea in Central Ohio, too (Rachel above is right!).
Audrey says
i have to admit… i have never been to an IKEA store.. and i don’t think i have ever seen one………..
yes.. i’m a sad sad sad sad story….
Melissa says
Best throw ever: Ikea’s OFELIA blanket. I have it in white and love it! It’s sooo incredibly soft and despite its lightweight-ness it actually does keep you warm. I bought it few months ago and I always get compliments on it. Also, not home related, but b/c Ikea food is amazing, the Daim chocolates are to die for…they’re in the red bags usually by the checkout. A staple purchase (and total splurge) whenever I go to Ikea :)
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, never tried the Daim cookies. And that blanket sound heavenly! Thanks for the tips!
xo,
s
Kristina says
You should totally use that too-scratchy-but-still-looks-awesome blanket to make Burger a dog bed.
YoungHouseLove says
Another great idea! He doesn’t seem to mind it. Haha. Between this idea, the thought to line it with something softer, and the tips about washing it with certain things to make it softer we should definitely be able to make it work somehow!
xo,
s
Karen says
Sherry, ignore John’s diva comment, I always wait 20 minutes for hot beverages to cool! If that makes you a diva, then I’m a diva too, and I am SO not a diva! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sounds like I’m in good company.
xo,
s
Christina says
We have the Ofelia Vass duvet as well. I have been VERY impressed with it thus far. With two dogs who sometimes make it onto the bed with dirty paws and a husband who likes to eat popsicles in bed, it has really stood up to washing and looks great.
Sandy says
My receipts lately have been from home depot and ikea! I’m fixated on chalkboard paint (I blame pinterest for this!!)
Also, I think we visit the same Ikea in “Hoodbrige” aka Woodbridge. So, please don’t freak out if some crazy asian mother of two come charging at you guys and give you a hug…
;o)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’d love it. Now I’ll be sad if that doesn’t happen the next time we’re there.
xo,
s
Leah says
We just bought our first house a month ago, and went from an 800 sq. ft. condo to 2400 sq. ft. I was just adding up receipts from Home Depot yesterday and realized that we made purchases there 11 times in 1 month…11! Not to mention all the Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Ikea trips as well. Yay, homewonership!
KBD says
Post – hilarious!
Picture of Burger with his “business” blurred out – PRICELESS
jennifer says
What a fun trip to Ikea. My Ikea is across the street from Lowes and after seeing those adorable farm animals, I probably should have gone to Ikea too. But, today’s trip to Lowes is absoltely “me” – planned purchases with a few impulse buys combined with planning the next great project:
Planned: joint compound for remudding my master bathroom walls (yay! fun times!).
Impulse: closet organizers on clearance. And at $3.20 (vs $21.00 at regular price) how could I pass that up!?!?
Planning: And I spent another 35 minutes in Lowes planning and pricing out my next project: building a headboard.
I am going to have to get myself an Ikea family card! And a free ice cream cone is pretty awesome too!
Thanks for all the great tips and ideas!
Jody says
I love your new office addition. I too am on the look out for additional storage, especially file storage. I do not have an Ikea near by (sadly it is over 8 hrs away) but I can order online. Do you mind giving a price breakdown of your cabinet? I tired looking it up online, but was very confused by all the different cabinets, doors, etc. I am on a tight budget and it looks as though all of it together will run $100++ dollars. I cannot make heads or tails of all the different pieces required to make the same storage cabinet. Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, if you click back to the original post about the file cabinet (called “Highly Effektiv People”) we mentioned that it was around $150 but we tragically misplaced the receipt so we can’t break it down further for ya. It consisted of a base, two shelves, customizable fronts (one that was a file drawer and two others that were cabinet doors). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lane says
If that white duvet cover is the Blasippa, you’ll really like it. The fabric is very soft and has a nice sheen to it that makes it look a little silky and luxurious. We have one in white and we love it.
beekeebear says
Sherry, put your sewing skills to use and add a backing to that blanket! You can just fold the edge over the scratchy part as a built-in binding, and voila! Pretty blanket! No scratchy!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!!
xo,
s
WI Gal says
Now that you are a sewer Sherry, you could probably sew a piece of fleece or cotton on the back of your blanket to make it softer (if the conditioner trick doesn’t work). I would think you’d want to buy a heavy weight needle for your machine to go through the wool, fold under and press the raw edges of the softer fabric (in a neat contrasting color?), and then top stitch the new fabric so it would stay in place.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely give it a try if softening it doesn’t work.
xo,
s
mp says
Which ReStore do you visit? The nearest one for me is Farmville, although I’ve also paid a fruitful visit to the one in Petersburg, where the manager very generously let me choose and buy a door on Thursday even though the store wasn’t open that day. (I think the fact I was from out of town influenced him, although I just mentioned it in passing.)
Farmville doesn’t have much inventory, and they don’t sell cabinets (which I desperately need but will probably end up getting from Lowes). I didn’t have time to shop around in the Petersburg store; didn’t want to tax the manager’s generosity.
One last note: Sherry, when my tea is too hot, I drop an ice cube in the cup. Works for me.
YoungHouseLove says
We go to the ReStore near VUU (off of Chamberlayne I think). They usually have a nice assortment, but finding the right width and height might be a challenge. As for the ice cube trick- my dad does the same thing!
xo,
s
Trisha says
We recently moved from Massachusetts to Kansas. Ikea use to be 30 minutes away and is now 8 hours. Went back to Mass for a few weeks this summer. It’s such a tease to go to ikea when the only way you have to get it home is luggage or mail. I shall live vicariously through your trunk space and proximity. Love the recycling bin/show holder.
Rob O. says
Your trunk looks as packed as our Element was after our recent pilgrimage to Ikea! We’re about a 7 hour drive from the nearest Ikea, so when we go, we go BIG!
I can’t get enough of those meatballs with lingonberry jam!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- nice packing job!
xo,
s
Monica says
thanks so much for letting us know about the family card! somehow, we are not on the ikea email list anymore (?!?!?!) and didn’t know. we’re planning a major overhaul of our very old family home (my daughter is 5th generation in this house) & will be spending much time & $$ at ikea in the future!
Angela says
In Austria (Europe) the IKEA Family Card entitles you to return unused items whenever you like. No time frame! Comes in handy when you decide that you don’t like that rug/lamp/bowl you bought after all but don’t feel like rushing back to your nearest Ikea store. In the golden days you even got a gift card on your birthday. Sadly, they don’t do that anymore. Guess the “family” is too big now.
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet perks! Too bad they don’t do the gift card anymore. That would have been so much fun!
xo,
s
JC says
Might have missed in one of the many comments or posts, but does that cord/light allow you to make a ceiling fixture from nothing? What are you plugging in to?
YoungHouseLove says
If you cut the plug off you can expose internal wires that can be connected to the wires in a ceiling fixture box. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Amy Thiessen says
IT’S BAAACK!-http://www.westelm.com/products/round-coco-mirror-w522/?pkey=call-sale
And on sale…sorry there isn’t any relevance to this post but just and FYI
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoooo! So pretty. But sadly only 18″ wide. Little guy. Thought he was 30″! Maybe it’s smaller or I never looked at the size the first time- haha.
xo,
s
Rachel says
Chalk up another positive review for the duvet cover. I only got ours a month ago, so may still be in the new and exciting phase of the relationship, but I have hopes that this one will be “the one”.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love it.
xo,
s
RVA Born and Raised says
As I read this post, I am waiting for my freshly brewed cup of hot tea to reach a comfortable sipping temperature. I guess I’m a diva, too!
Jen says
I’ve been an IKEA Family member for several years now (in Germany) and it’s biggest feature here is that you get protection on transporting your purchases when you use it. So, if you buy a glass vase and use your family card and it breaks on your car on the way home you can return it for a non-broken one. In general, it tracks your purchases and thus makes returns easier. Also, there are bi-weekly or monthly Ikea family offers where popular products are temporarily reduced for Family members. For example, my last offer featured that light in your bedroom. Usually there are about 10 or so products per offer. The free coffee is what we use most often as we may or may not have had Ikea dates too. It used to be a free soft drink but then they changed it so a lot of people use the coffee mug for cold soda. An additional benefit is the email notification of special events like the Knut after Christmas sale and occasionally the emails will contain a coupon for a free product (little things like a watering can or pair of scissors or bamboo) if you shop during specific days. So, it’s not a major benefit but it’s nice to have the protection in case you break something, especially if you live far from Ikea although we’ve never used it for more than the coffee and sale items. Also, thereäs a whole section of Ikea family items like band aids and slippers and suitcases. Hope that helps, clearly I spend too much time at Ikea.
natalie says
The reason you can’t figure out my question is because i posted in a post that has nothing to do with the living room curtains….. oops!
I am thinking about the sliding doors in the living room…. the panels – i love the fabric and think they look great, but am thinking you might add a panel to each side for a little volume…. make it seem really lush and full. maybe just a sheer, if not the same fabric. you could go with white, the same grey in the actual curtain, even a lime green…. (or none at all) whatever your heart desires! i’d love to see an extra width of fabric on each side, even if just for decorative purposes!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah that would be great! The curtains got discontinued so we actually had to cut them in half to make eight (we only had four of them!). Beefing them up with sheers is definitely a possibility – we just like that they’re not too thick because we go in and out of those sliding doors all day so we didn’t want anything tripping us up!
xo,
s
Julie says
Hi guys! I know I’m commenting WAY late on this post, but I live in upstate NY — a portion of the state where the closest IKEA is either Paramus, NJ or Canada! Anyway, my friend is traveling to Paramus in June and volunteered to pick up a few things at IKEA on my behalf (bless her heart). I’d love to get a duvet insert, but had no idea how many choices there were until I looked online! Would you mind telling me which of the 15+ IKEA duvet inserts you own… and how you like it? Thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, we don’t remember the type but it was around $49 for a king sized duvet insert if that helps. It’s sort of quilted looking (you can see that in our House Tour picks). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Julie says
Between your price description and the pics from your House Tour, I’m guessing it’s either the MYSA RÖNN (feather/down-filled) or the MYSA STRÅ (polyester-filled). :)
YoungHouseLove says
I don’t think it’s down so the other one sounds right!
xo,
s
Julie says
Thanks, Sherry!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re welcome!
xo,
s