ikea you never disappoint

My master bedroom/nursery has been 'under construction' for close to a year now. When we began our little reno the hubby and I had decided right off the bat that we were going to try to steer clear of too many Ikea items. I love Ikea, but in the past we've spent lots of money there on some items that have not withstood the abuse that 2 small children can subject it to. And, truth be told, I always associate Ikea with 'temporary' furniture. Pretty much, items that we need until we find something nicer and more permanent.

Now that the room is near completion (all that's left are the lamps) I realize that there are only 2 items in the room that DID NOT come from Ikea...the bed and a chair. How did that happen? Didn't we say we were gonna go with 'better' furniture? Didn't we agree to invest in well made, sturdy and timeless pieces that would last us, well, forever?

Well that's exactly what we did! When it comes to design, you cannot beat the clean, modern lines of the majority of the furniture at Ikea. I think, having owned many pieces in the past made of that horrible particle board/chip board stuff, it is really fantastic that Ikea seems to be moving forward and making a lot of new items in solid wood. Our dresser/changing table and side tables are both from the Hemnes line, and our crib is the Gulliver...all solid wood. Very sturdy, and not rickety at all. My favourite part about the Hemnes pieces is that the drawers all boast a pretty yellow and white stripe on the insides, so no need to put drawer liners in myself:) And really, you can't beat the Ikea price tag. Believe me, I tried.

For all that we tried to stay away, Ikea always seems to have the answer when it comes to budget friendly home decor. Ikea, you never disappoint:)

pretty patterns

While I wait for the mini papercut to get into a bit of a schedule, sadly all paper artwork is on hold. But that doesn't mean that all creative endeavors will cease as well. My love of fabrics has grown leaps and bounds over the last year. Much like my love of paper, I can't help but look at all of the beautiful patterns and think 'What could I use this for?'.

I've decided to start some sewing projects for the mini to accompany her lovely bedding that I had sewn while pregnant. I'm thinking of adding a patchwork quilt, a few change pad covers, maybe even a bib or two for her and some pillows for the grown-up side of the room to tie everything together.

I found some fabulous fabrics from the Flora and Fauna collection by Patty Young at Tonic Living that will work really nicely with the leftovers from the crib fabrics, and I also picked up some pretty grey and white fabric from Ikea. The mini papercut seems to like all the patterns, although she did spit up shortly after this picture was taken..oh well, off to do more laundry;)