IKEA!!!

I can't say enough about Ikea. Bright, cheerful, wonderful Ikea. Maybe it's the Swede in me, but I love my rare visits there. Now having the space we do in the house means many of their brilliant storage pieces are lost on me. But if I lived in a cramped New York City apartment I imagine it would have floor to ceiling Ikea bookshelves and closet units, all meticulously designed to make use of every square inch of space.

Our mission on this trip was to look for some tables and chairs for the deck. We settled on the Lacko chair, Sleek, sturdy and best of all, stackable so they fit in the car. We also picked up some deep bowls that we've been on the hunt for, perfect for pasta and noodle dishes. We stocked up on utensils, a zester, some tongs for the new grills, a whisk (to replace the one I broke a few weeks ago trying to beat a cake mix by hand). We grabbed two of these... One in green, and one yellow, to use outside for holding cold drinks.

We also bought some new door pulls for the kitchen cabinets. They were marked down 50% and are sleek, brushed nickel finish, perfect to reduce the amount of brass in the kitchen. They'll work now on the current cabinets, and if we ever get around to replacing those we can switch these ones over.

My favorite purchase has to be this mirror, It's tilted in this picture so it looks oval, but it is perfectly round, with a solid stainless steel edge that gives it a bit of an industrial look. We're hoping it will work in the half bath downstairs. If not I'm sure we can find a spot for it. For $30 it was well worth it.