Showing posts sorted by relevance for query ikea. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query ikea. Sort by date Show all posts

6.06.2009

ikea love

I love Ikea.

A lot.

So, of course, I follow the Ikea Hacker blog (located to your right on my sidebar), where people do amazing things with Ikea products. I just submitted something I made to their blog...we'll see if it comes up and I become momentarily famous!

To see what I made, check out the Design Team blog.
*Ikea love photo courtesy of Jane

2.02.2009

random musings

1. I wish I was a smidge craftier. Like crocheting...WTF is up with that? Those loops drive me crazy. Give me knitting with it's preset number of loops kindly already on your needle.

2. I hope that wherever we end up next year has an Ikea nearby. I could spend a lot of time at Ikea. I could also spend a lot of money at Ikea.

3. Bagels=delish.

4. I ran again today! Woo for me!

5. I realized this weekend that our next baby plans will be on hold for longer than I thought originally. Hall directors are not known to have palatial university apartments. And, let's be clear, I do not want to share a room with a baby past that baby turning 6 weeks old at the longest.

6. Pants are fitting better. Double woo.

7. My mom and I get to go antique-ing when we visit in March. That is going to be wicked sweet. Next goal: take an upholstery class.

8. University apartment or no, I'm going to start decorating and having more matchy-I'm-not-still-a-college-student furniture. Ikea and antique stores will come in handy for that.

9. Along the lines of antiques, antiques in the northwest are not like the antiques in say, Pennsylvania, where people have had furniture for a lot longer. Antiques here are rarely made before 1900.

10. I need dinner ideas for this week. Please send ideas post-haste.

5.04.2008

IKEA is the leading cause of household infedelity

So this week I got the IKEA catalog I ordered so long ago that I forgot about it. Let's cut to the chase.

I love IKEA. When I still lived with my parents, we would get the catalog in mid-June, and I would pore over it and decorate my dream apartment or home. Mainly, I would redecorate my room, and that mainly involved a loft bed and a bunch of candles. Now that I'm an adult, this love has turned into something much more debilitating. Perhaps love isn't a strong enough word. I am infatuated and would do anything for IKEA, especially the catalog.

Now that I have an apartment, and could, in theory, decorate, it's become more of an obsession. I've looked through the entire catalog over 10 times, and take it with me all over. It's pornography for your house. You sit there, and think to yourself, "oh yeah...decorate that for me...no, move the bookshelf over a little more...and then put that sofa here...and those linens look FABULOUS..."

Its really quite pathetic. We are leaving to spend the month with family, which means a 7 hour drive. I wonder how many different apartments I could decorate in that time?

6.10.2009

meet: the bfa

Hello all. It’s been a while since I’ve done a meet: feature, and my Blogless Friend April (BFA) has been gracious enough to sit for an interview…4 months ago. So, without any further shilly-shallying, I give you my dear BFA.
......................................

H: Hey April! What’s shaken, bacon?

BFA: Not much. I just read a treatise on how a CSA can solve world hunger, make peace with your family, and makes keys while you wait! Genius!

H: Sounds great. Let’s get past the crazy hippy portion of our interview and into the real meat and potatoes. What is your shoe size?BFA: 8.

H: I used to be a size 8.5. And then I had Birdy. Other parts of me have also grown. I also credit my love of cheese. What’s your favorite food?

BFA: I have too many, hence having to get up at 5:30 and sweat for an hour three times a week. Though, since it’s summer, it’s mostly swimming after work.

H: You are quite the swimmer…weekdays after work, weekends during P & G’s swim lessons. Enough with the softball questions: Which child is your favorite?BFA: The one I imagined before actually having children.

H: Good answer. What is your favorite way to spend an evening?

BFA: I’m a “vegger.” Hanging out and watching TV with the MD [editor’s note: everyone wants an MD in your life. If you don’t think you do, you haven’t met the MD]. I also like going to Swilly’s for a grilled chicken Caesar salad with extra croutons, or listening to the Little House on the Prairie audio book with P & G.

H: That DOES sound like a good evening. I can see why we are friends.

BFA: Because we like TV and croutons?

H: Among other things, yes. I’m writing this interview…if you get too sassy, I’ll write something like “I like to vote Republican whenever I can.”

BFA: Easy trigger.

H: Pipe down. Moving on. So, why do you like MD?

BFA: So, so, so many reasons. He’s nice, funny, smart, chatty, has strong opinions about men leaving their jackets on at weddings (which I totally agree with), he helps people move, knows how to cook, is a good father and he puts up with me being bossy and/or high maintenance every now and then. Oh, I’m bossy and high maintenance-y more than every now and then? Sometimes? Most of the time?! Hmmmm. Well. I like him even more now.

H: We all like MD. And his shrimp. Oh, sweet sassy molassy…the shrimp…um…I need a minute. Tell the people why you think manhole covers are round.

BFA: What? Do I work for the city? Who knows?

H: That wasn’t nearly the time I needed to recover from the memory of the shrimp. And manhole covers are round so they don’t fall down into the sewer. Triangle shapes work well too. Anyway. Shrimp live in your refrigerator, but not as often as they should. What else would we find in there?

BFA: You will almost always find milk, eggs, and tortillas. We keep the cheese in the freezer and the Diet Pepsi in the pantry. So come on over for quesadillas anytime you like!

H: You know it! The taco night from your youth is alive and well at your house. Speaking of youth in an offhand way, what posters were on your wall when you were 16?

BFA: Duran Duran, Def Leppard, and tons words from magazines cut out and made into collages.

H: I think that would accurately describe most 16 year-old’s bedrooms. What is it with chicks and words cut out from a magazine? I used Seventeen most for such things. My mom’s Martha Stewart and my dad’s Popular Science didn’t have enough “awesome” words like “grrl power” and “sweet.” You can’t be melodramatic with words like “futuristic space car” and “zinnias are a good thing” on your walls. The thing about being a girl and being a teenager at the same time is that you are never really happy with who you are. If you could have a super power to up your awesomeness quotient as a non-teenage girl, what would it be?

BFA: I would have a shield that made me impervious to smells and germs.

H: Htr told me about your queasy stomach when you were pregnant. Who would you say is your favorite office mate? And would you own a poster of him/her and put it in your room surrounded by cut out magazine words?

BFA: My favorite office mate is Htr. And that’s not just because she’s the only office mate I’ve ever had. And, I would totally have a poster of her, but only if she would sign it; “To April, you really are my favorite and you’ve never been a bit high strung. Love, Htr” I would pay good money for that!

H: You know me, right?BFA: I would hope so at this point.

H: So you know my love of Ikea. Thus, I pose this question: If you could name an item at Ikea, what would you choose?

BFA: Flemsvik.

H: What would it be?

BFA: Storage that holds scrapbooking materials, and magically organizes it for you. Wait, can I change my superhero powers to having the ability to organize anything in a matter of moments while making it look like I live in a Pottery Barn catalog?

H: That is a tall order, but if anyone can do it, it’s IKEA. Since we both love reading, what fictional character would you be and why?

BFA: Good question. You’ve stumped me. I’m pretty happy being me. Although if there’s someone who snacks a lot and sleeps a lot, yet is healthy, looks fit and lives in a tidy and organized home, and is more patient I’d like to be her.

H: I think that’s a character in a Nora Roberts book somewhere. Not that I would read those books or anything. I read things like War and Peace. Often. In fact, I’m reading War and Peace while I’m interviewing you.

BFA: I’ve notice that, and I think it’s rude to be reading and interviewing at the same time…though I do admire your ability to multitask.

H: Next, I plan on reading Moby Dick. P and I have formed a book club.

BFA: Easy trigger…or I’ll hunt you down like a white whale too.

H: So angry…we’ll move on to the last question. What is one seven letter word that describes you?

BFA: Your “one 7 letter word” rules can’t contain me! I guess I’ll go with… SoSassy.

H: I think that sums up this entire experience, don’t you think?

BFA: I never promised to not be sassy or make up words.

H: I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time. Thanks for joining us BFA!

10.28.2008

oh, ikea!

Longtime readers of this blog (ha) might remember a post from May about my love of Ikea.

This blog might triple that love.

8.13.2009

hey! hey everybody!

I just got featured on Ikea Hacker, a site where people share what they do with random Ikea items. It has 33,000 RSS readers. No joke. For real.

Please go here and leave some nice comments for me. The first two...not so nice.

2.06.2009

hot blooded

I am a woman.

As a woman, I have needs. These needs are strong, and no cold shower can chase them away. The need in particular I am talking about is the strong, insatiable desire for a certain bookcase from Ikea. Those unfamiliar with my torrid love affair with Ikea should read about it here.

The shelf which I covet is the Expedit 5x5 shelf. I envision a wall of these shelves, complete with the media center Expedit unit the in the center. Can you handle the storage? I nearly can't. Brandon and I would FINALLY have room for all of our books.

We have a lot of books. I would say we own more books than any other item in our home. And we own a lot of items. I nearly can't handle the number of books. But you know what could?










Oh yeah...it can HANDLE the books.

3.19.2010

oh, have you been here all along?

Um...hello?

Hello?

Anyone here?

No? I guess I understand. It's been, well, a while. Sorry for that. I go through periods where I'm totally in to writing and post a lot (or write a lot in Word or my journal) and then periods of silence for whatever reason. For the last month, I just haven't felt like I have had anything to say, which is sad, because a lot of fun stuff happened.

Here's a little list of interesting things that have developed since my last post:
  • I had wine in a theatre
  • Remember Me is a terrible movie. I recommend bringing wine with you when you see it.
  • I had brie in a toasted sandwich. Sorry cheddar, move on over.
  • We celebrated Birdy's birthday.
  • I made an 11 layer cake.
  • I've gotten in to geneology. I have a relative named Orris!
  • I haven't lost any weight.
  • But I have been more active.
  • But I haven't lost weight.
  • I'm planning on cooking dinner that involves tofu for my family tomorrow. Any and all well wishes appriciated.
  • The Hoosband's parents visited.
  • I've been to the Tech Museum.
  • I had to watch the Star Trek movie.
  • I bought an AWESOME rug at Ikea.
  • Many of you are jealous that there are 2 Ikeas within an hour of here.
  • I just think that might be a good reason for YOU to come and visit us!
  • My brother, my friend Anita, and my friend Jessica are going to visit in the next month.
  • I love my brother.
  • Birdy is a terrible two year old.
  • Birdy is also an incredibly sweet two year old.
  • We welcome any and all two year old parenting advice.
  • I've taken some great photos. Perhaps you will see them before the year 2050 ends.
  • Did I mention the sweet Ikea rug? It's sweet. It's also red.
  • MSN messenger now works on my computer. Let's chat, amigos!
  • I discovered an amazing curry sauce in, of all things, a Weight Watchers cookbook.
  • I haven't lost any weight. I blame the curry sauce. It turns out that just becuase it's a WW recipe doesn't mean you can't just drink glasses of it. Weird, I know.
  • Parenthood is an amazing show. Please to watch and enjoy.
  • Birdy got a guitar (ukelele) from my Best Good Friend Brianna. She now walks around strumming and singing the alphabet song from A-F.

So, here's to a month with more in-depth hard-hittting information about your favorite California girl. Unless you have another girl who is a bigger favorite. If that's the case, then I hope I'm your number 2 girl. At best your number 5.

If it's lower than number 5, I don't want to hear about it.

7.24.2009

ready or not

The bells are ringing at the mission church calling people to Mass right now.

Mass begins at 12:05 each day, and I'm thinking of attending. I'm not Catholic. My mother once was, and my best good friend Brianna now is. I don't have plans for becoming Catholic. However, the idea of being with a group of people coming together for the same purpose really appeals to me right now.

Anyway.

My parents just left for the 13 hour drive home, Birdy is asleep and The Hoosband is at work. Or getting the car smog checked. Or something. Anyway, I'm alone in the apartment. I am really proud of myself--instead of wallowing in sadness and crying in bed, I began cleaning and putting our stuff away and getting our house closer towards being our home. As I was silently crying and wiping the table off, I realized that with that action--recognizing my sadness but deciding to do something productive instead of something indulgent--I fully became an adult. And now, more than any other time, I'm ready for that. I don't have family near by, or friends here. I have me. I have my little family. I'm going to be Ma (who never seemed to cry in the Little House books, but I'm sure that she did from time to time. Being a pioneer is hard). I'm going to take care of me and my little family. And I'm actually looking forward to that.


This last week has been a lot of fun and a lot of work. We've been to Ikea (YESSSSSS!!) and bought two items of furniture from the as-is section (oh sweet sweet as-is section--your small imperfections and hardware issues are no match for my father) along with some plants, some storage items, a pan of cinnamon rolls, a pot holder (the pot lids go on the wall now!) and a picture frame. When I say "we've bought," I mean my parents did. Those two are my favorites. :-)

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary, and my parents, Hoosband, and Birdy and I went to the Monteray Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row (STEINBECK HEAVEN), and had a very nice and quite fancy dinner on the way home.


The Monteray Bay Aquarium is amazing--if you have the chance to go, it's worth it, even with adult prices being $30. The funny story about that is that we thought the prices were about $17 according to our guidebook. The book was, upon further inspection, published in 2003. We discovered this after we had driven an hour to oogle at the fishies, so we were kind of locked in to our choice. The price was made totally worth it when Birdy walked into the Outer Bay exhibit. You come in to a circular room, with a giant round aquarium above you. There is a school of herring swimming around the ceiling. Birdy, who doesn't have a lot of words yet, walked in and said, quite clearly, "oh, wow!" It was wicked sweet. The picture here doesn't do the room justice, but gives you an idea of what it looked like. The other nice thing about the aquarium was that many of the tanks went all the way down to the floor, so little kids like Birdy could still see the fish.

Back to the making the house a home thing--I was working on our kitchen and noticed that the only people we have pictures of on the fridge are the Cory family on our wedding day, The Hoosband's grandma and her husband, and wee Harrison. We love us some Cory family, but we have other friends we'd like to see every time we go in to the kitchen. Thus, I have a boon to ask of you, dear reader. Would you be able to mail us a photo of you and yours? We are far away from home and your smiling faces would make us feel closer. If you are interested, sent me an email at heather[underscore]brackett[at]hotmail[dot]com and I'll send you our address. Please replace the items in the brackets with the actual punctuation.

More to come, complete with pictures, in the following week.

3.25.2009

wiggle wiggle

Say you had a room like this in your house:
And, say you had the means to make that room better. A dumpster, some IKEA shelving, lots of caffeine, whatever. The bottom line is that you would have the resources to make that mess and clutter disappear. Would you do it? Or, would you leave it as it was?
That is how I feel about how I look. I have the ability and resources to clean myself up and remove my clutter, but I don't do it. Why? I don't know why. If someone would like to arm-chair psychologize that one and figure it out, please let me know.

10.27.2009

le sigh

I think it's finally happened. I can't say I'm surprised, given that anyone around me would agree that perhaps, just maybe, I read too much. Not that they would say it really, but I get smirks and glances when I settle down for a few stolen moments with a good book. And a few stolen hours in the evening. And during the day too, if Birdy is taking a nap. But anyway.

I think I may have reached the point in my life where I might have read too much. In particular, I might have reached critcial mass with historical fiction.

This is Birdy, eating her cheese and "bapples" for lunch, a la my Grandpa Bill.
See the nice plant in the right of the picture? It's a good plant. It's from Ikea. It also has had fruit flies in it for the last month, regardless of what I've threatened or done to them. But this time, at this lunch, I'd had enough.

So. I got out a toothpick (you know, like a pike).

And then I killed a fruit fly (which I thought about beheading, but realized that I didn't have the precision instruments to do so).

And then I put his body on the toothpick. As a warning to his friends and comrades that their time is numbered.

I'll just be over here, thinking about the things I've done. Don't mind me.
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