some time away and an ikea trip

I hadn't really planned on taking the week off from Art Wall but we were in Chicago the past few days and our internet connection was shotty at best. I spent the days with my girl, mostly, my husband was busy with work stuff but we did manage to squeak out a family trip to the Schaumburg Ikea on the way down, complete with a cafeteria lunch of Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. We managed to spend less than $30, which is an all time record low for me. With that said, we bought a total of 6 things, four being my new favorite Ikea purchase of all time...

the Bekvam Spice Rack, $3.99. Lifting the idea from this post, I used 2 of them to make book shelves in the nursery, one is hidden behind the rocker to house midnight feeding needs and the fourth one is now attached to the changing table for easy access to lotions and potions that normally go on the shelf above baby's head. I painted the 3 that are now attached to the wall the same color as the wall. The one on the changing table is now chameleon green to match it. The wood by itself is fairly nice (not pressed) though it could use a little sanding and maybe a stain or sealer of some sort if you want to keep the natural wood color.

I also ran into this little number which I'm seriously considering for the big-girl room. The shape looks really odd in the picture but in real life, the departure from perfect rectangle is refreshing. Her floors are not in the best shape, and this 9x9' rug would hide most of it, and at $300 the price is right.

The mood board I put together before the work on her room started is turning out to be spot-on. I had just been thinking that there aren't quite enough navy elements in her room so this rug could solve that problem, too. Of course, the pink "accents" are taking over. It's so hard to get away from that color in a girl's room. It's nearly done, though, I just need to hang a few things, figure out the rug and do a little painting. Same with the nursery, show-and-tell to follow.