My Ikea Shopping List

I'm not going ... not any time soon. But I have some things that I want to look into. A move has to happen 1st where measurements are taken and furniture is put in. That way, we can get an idea of what we are working with. In the mean time I can be excited to divulge some ideas that are at least cropping up in my head.



I'd love something like this to put on my kitchen window sill and plant some useful herbs in. I'd likely plant cilantro, basil & mint. I'd love another one filled with only lavender. Maybe 2. They are only $5.99 and are fairly small so they'd likely be perfect. I can smell it already.







I've already posted about my NEED well really my love for hang dried clothes. Most clothes are great if hang dried in the nice hot summer sun, but alas, we won't be able to do that. Instead we'll be hanging our delicates and other items (when weather permits) on our enclosed balcony. Hey - it's still better for the environment! This is the one I had when I was younger. It folds flat for storage and actually allows for a lot of hanging. It's $19.99 at Ikea but I've seen it elsewhere too.





JARS! I can't say enough about how much I love jars. I store everything in them. I store seeds, nuts, grains, pastas, rice, spices, opened crackers, everything! I even use them to mix up dressings & other wet things. They seal up nice and tight. They can be left out or store in a cupboard or even in the fridge. And you can always see what's inside. Oh how I love jars! These types of jars might be my favorite for storing most of our grains, seeds, and nuts. I prefer the twist top ones for dressings. I even use recycled jelly jars... hey why not! If you do have to buy new though, you really can't beat the Ikea prices for this style jar. $2.99-4.99!














We currently have a kitchen trash bin that is smaller than most people's bathroom bins. It is fine for now. We have an excessively tight kitchen and we really don't produce too much waste. We also are encouraged to dispose of trash more often. However we are going to move to a house soon and we'll have the space. I'll also be cooking more so we'll have the trash. I'd love a medium sized trash bin. There is an unplugged compactor unit in the kitchen which the owner said he used to use as a trash bin. He'd simply line it with a trash bag and walla! So I think we'll likely do the same. But we recycle and we recycle well ... I hate the bags of tins, glass & paper throughout the kitchen. My solution is a recycling bin. I want 2: 1 for paper and 1 for glass, tin & plastic. But at the very least I want 1. The paper we can shred and dispose of when full. $8.99


Curtains! Gone are the days of cheap blinds. I can't wait to throw some curtains against the wall. Floor to ceiling window treatments in a sheer light color will be fabulous. It will elongate the rooms, it will provide privacy and it will create a homey airy feel. I've always loved curtains. Blinds are way over rated. They are cheap, hard to clean, and still let it in tons of light when you don't want it and none when you do. Not to mention the break super easily. Curtains are the answer! They can easily be washed and replaced. You can have winter curtains and summer curtains. Hell, you can put them up WITH your blinds. Why not? These simple white curtains are $9.99 for a pair.





Now - I know... I just know, Paul will say WTF? But I LOVE this rug. Our new apartment will have wall to wall carpeting in a neutral beige color but this rug is so fun, so bright, so interesting! I'm thinking it would be excellent in the craft room/ office. With yellow or green accents on the walls! Maybe a sheer white and yellow curtain - SWOON! I'm in love! It's $40 and not likely something we'd immediately buy but oh how I love this!











After Paul insisted on replacing our towel rack in our bathroom (and being unable to do so) I've been living without one for 3 years and I can't stand it. Our towels have no home, and they don't dry well, and worse, we keep them on the door and no one can close the door now! I want towel racks! 2 or 3 of them lined one above the other on the back of the bathroom door. No hooks - just racks. Love them! Don't take yours for granted! This simple one is $12.99 but honestly I'd take a $3 ugly has hell one. Function over form in this case.





This is just one of many shapes, sizes and colors they have at Ikea. I want these in multiple sizes and preferably, all in white. I want one for my closet to hang a few fold-ables. I want another (or 2) for the craft closet to hold my yarn & some fabric. And I MAY want one tiny one , okay it's not tiny, just the holes are, for some shoe storage. I think it will decrease clutter and be a huge space saver. One goal of mine is to decrease the use of chests and dressers and increase my closet usage similar to what we did when living in Manhattan. I love the reduced use of furniture. It makes every space look larger, neater and free of clutter!




There are other things I'd like to take a peek at once we are settled... I'd love to check out their frames, planters, storage bins, kitchen gadgets and even their bathroom textiles. I'm desperate to update the bathroom shower curtain and rugs (we've been using them for around 5 years and they are pretty dingy) but I can't remember what the bathroom looked like, what color it was or even what shape it was. So that will have to wait. For some reason I suspect it's an ugly hideous brown. Oh well, we got to work with what we got!


click on the photos for the ikea site where i found them