Remember
that lovely day last week that I went up north to visit friends, attended an Ikea blogger event, came home to this amazing rainbow, and then found my very first egg from my chickens?
Well I didn’t give you many details on the Ikea event then, so I’d love to dish now.
I am part of a Facebook group for Utah Bloggers. It’s a fun little community where you can ask questions and hear about the general goings-on of the blogging community in Utah. Bloggers like to get together a lot! I’ve seen lots and lots of events going on but have never been able to attend. I live 3-4 hours from most of the happenings (one of the sacrifices of small town life, I suppose), so I’ve never made the effort to go.
Well I saw a post about a meet-up at Ikea and the timing was just perfect. Thomas was going to be gone camping with his scouts (he’s the Scout Master in our area) and I’d been wanting to visit with friends that I missed on our last trip up. I was wishy-washy about going, but at 7 pm I decided to drive to Orem to stay with a great friend. The babies and I rolled into her driveway at 10:30pm, I plopped the kids in bed, chatted her ear off for hours, and then left for Ikea bright and early the next morning, leaving my kids behind (Thanks, Driel!).
I had no idea what to expect. This was my first time attending such a thing. Of course I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I pulled into the parking lot and guess who should be getting out of her car right as I was? No one other than Leanne from
Organize and Decorate Everything. We had made a connection earlier in the year when I discovered she went to Junior Prom with my Dad! It was such a relief to walk up to the door with someone that I “know.”
The event was a lot of fun. They fed us breakfast and then let us shop! They gave us $25 worth of free product of our choosing. It was so much fun to check out the store without the babies.
It had been years since I’d been in an Ikea and I’m so pleased with a few changes that I noticed. To me Ikea used to be very modern and industrial. They still have those strong clean lines but have definitely added some softer touches.
Let’s window shop, shall we?
I loved this cable knit blanket:
Adorable rolling cart:
Organization at its best:
Since I’ve been using my bar for a few months I have decided that I am in love with it. We’ve talked about planning for a much larger island or bar at the shanty because it is such a wonderful use of space. I saw this bar at Ikea and just fell in love. This whole kitchen is right up my alley.
My favorite part about the kitchen, aside from the bar, was the kid kitchen and desk built right into the space. Perfect!
This display was so functional. They sell these little wall brackets that a metal sting pulls out of, which you can clip things to. I could see myself using these all over once my house is more done.
And did you know that they have fabric? I sure didn’t. They have a great selection of really fun fabric that I was pleased to discover (and snatch up a bit). Of course I wanted to buy all of their dishes, organizing products, and furniture.
I’m excited to show you the project that I did with the things I picked up that morning, too. It turned out great - stay tuned for that post tomorrow!
So Ikea surprised me over all by adding just the right amount of classic and comfy to their clean modern lines. Now, you all know that I’m a shop local kind of woman. Ikea certainly isn’t local for me but here’s why I like it: they care about quality and sustainability. Their plastic dishes for kids have never had BPA in them, and their chocolate is heavenly.
AND did you know that they are the first business in Salt Lake to switch over to solar power? Pretty fancy in my book!
Are you an Ikea lover too?
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