ikea love

Last weekend, I took a long, long road trip to visit with some fantastic friends in Delaware.  More about that later.  On the way home, I planned a pit stop at one of the Ikea stores in Baltimore.  I was a first-timer and boy, was I enthralled! 

There were some really awesome things there and they were all SUPER cheap.  Like, Walmart cheap, but much nicer-looking, and seemingly better quality, too.  How do they do it?  One will never know. 

Katie chose to stay with me, rather than go to their kiddie corral, but isn't it so great that they have a staffed play area for children?  And, it was decorated to the hilt, too!

So, off we went, taking a big yellow bag to fill on our journey through the maze of home goods.  I found a table/organizer/thingie that I really want to organize all the homeschooling junk in the kitchen, but thought I'd better table that purchase until after I'd spoken with Mr. Hull.  Isn't it fabulous, though?  It is hip-high and big enough for all our stuff, with project-drying space along the top.  Maybe we can look forward to bringing it home when we visit Atlanta and Charlotte in a few weeks.

But, I did actually buy some super fun things. 

Katie picked these out.  The elephant is a cover for one of those flat-sided exercise balance balls.  I thought the ball was included because I apparently can't read Swedish, but that's fine.  I bought the ball on ebay when I got home so we'll actually have the whole thing set up in about a week.  They had them out to play with in the store and she had so much fun bouncing and flopping on it that, for what I thought was $15, it was a no-brainer.  The utensil set was actually on sale for a dollar or two, and the stuff is really heavy duty, so I don't anticipate that the dishwasher will melt these.  We had been running really low on forks and spoons for her, so this well help a lot.

I bought this nifty chalkboard for our homeschool.  I'm thinking I will hang chore cards from the hooks and use the caddy area for... something.  I had wanted to paint a chalkboard on a big wall in the kitchen (as in, paint the whole wall), but Mr Hull nixed that idea, so this will work instead.  Again, only $15.  Super!

 

Finally, just for me, a set of four bird placemats.  I thought this package contained one thick, pliable cutting board.  However, again, I don't speak Swedish, so I didn't know.  Perhaps the fact that there were other placemats  pretty close by should have clued me in.  Oh well.  I like them.  And, the fishy ice cube tray.  I think I'm going to use it mostly for jello-jigglers though.  Fun!

I must add, when I was searching for these photos, I found a lot of this stuff on ebay for much more than I paid for it.  Do I see a lucrative business opportunity in the future?  Perhaps if I lived closer to an ikea.  However, I don't think the gas would pay for itself.  Oh well.  Another day.

auction features part two

Click here to read part one of this series, featuring additional artists and friends who have donated to the Harvest Honey March of Dimes auction.

Continuing with yesterday's theme, I am featuring the lovely ladies who have donated items to the Harvest Honey March of Dimes auction.  This is an auction designed to support two of my dear friends who are walking in the Erie, PA March for Babies in May.  They have a goal of raising $1000 for the March of Dimes, an organization which supports research and enables women to have healthy babies.

Today, I am featuring those ladies who have donated gift certificates and services to the Harvest Honey March of Dimes auction. 

(For those of you wondering, the Harvest Honey's is a group of women from around the globe who have all had babies due or born in October 2008.  We are a tight-knit community of moms who support one another through thick and thin.  I don't know what I'd do without the friendships I have made with many of these fabulous ladies.  But, that's a post for another day.)

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Annabelle's Closet is a Facebook Shop run by Harvest Honey Mama Crystal Lewis.  This page is named for her daughter, Annabelle (aka Belle), who was a long-awaited blessing.  She is Crystal's youngest child and only birth daughter.  Crystal began her resell business many years ago, when she was first trying to get pregnant with Belle.  She started out as an ebay seller and has since joined the Facebook bandwagon.

Crystal's Facebook shop, Annabelle's Closet has amassed nearly 2.000 fans in a very short period of time.  Crystal shops several consignment stores, outlets, and boutiques in a four state radius to find the best bargains to bring to her customers.  Her eye for quality is impeccable, her prices are more than reasonable, and her customer service is superb.  She also has a team of admins who volunteer their time to help keep Annabelle's Closet running smoothly.

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 The Gymboree Closet is another Facebook shop, operated by Catherine.  Catherine specializes in reselling Gymboree, as well as Janie and Jack, Gap, and other name brands.  She sells both new and gently used clothing.  Like Annabelle's Closet, she boasts nearly 2,000 fans and is based in Colorado.  

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The last, but not least, Reseller Gift Certificate in the Harvest Honey March of Dimes auction comes from My Littlemen's Closets, operated by Harvest Honey Mama Jennifer Zwirsky.  Jennifer and her family reside in Saskatchewan.  She focuses on reselling boy's clothing in smaller sizes.

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 Kara's Kloset, another Facebook reseller, has donated this 20% off coupon to Crazy 8, in addition to a clothing item.  This coupon can be used online or in the store, through May 1.  Kara's Kloset is operated by Danielle Matthews, mother of two young girls.  Danielle lives up in Minnesota and I am so jealous!  If I lived up her way, I'd be hitting up the Mall of America quite often!  I guess it's a good thing my husband doesn't want to move that way, huh?  Anyway, she's an incredibly loyal friend and an all-around great person.  

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Lea Williams is the creative genius behind Paradise Productions.  She makes video montages which are so touching, they'll bring tears to your eyes.  Lea will take your own photographs and digital videos and create a personalized DVD slideshow, perfect for sharing with family and friends.  Weddings, babies, celebrations, even funerals, she will put together something just for you.  She has donated a deluxe package worth up to $149.  Lea has a wonderful two year old son, whom she takes to the pool everyday from March through November (or so it seems).  He can really swim like a fish!

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Christa Pena, of Dazzling Darling Designs, has donated one card design to the Harvest Honey March of Dimes auction.  Christa makes beautiful customized photo cards to match any occasion, using your own photographs in your choice of designs.  Christa is a West-Coast mama who just recently gave birth to her third child, a beautiful baby girl (pictured above).  In addition to the card design, Christa has also whipped out the sewing machine just today to produce a lovely burp cloth, which was also donated to the auction. 

To bid on any of these items, click here.  All money collected will be donated directly to the March of Dimes.  Please read the rules before bidding and have fun!

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday, hosted by The Diaper Diaries.