EXPEDIT Units on Sale at IKEA - This Weekend Only!!

I signed up for IKEA's e-blasts a while ago. I get notice of the usual, kitchen sales, $ back in gift cards with thousands of dollars spent and their weekly store special*.

* Hint - Each IKEA store offers a different product on sale one day per week. You can sign up to recieve notice of your local store's special on their website.

Anyway, my favorite IKEA product is on sale this weekend. The EXPEDIT bookcase (8 cubby) and shelving unit (4 cubby). Regularly $99 and $69, they're on for $59 and $39 respectively. I'm so torn. I know I can not afford to buy additional shelving units, especially since I have no use for them right now. But they're my faaavvourite!! They're on sale!

For now, I'll take comfort in the knowing they do go on sale. Should they never go on sale again, I can always try to build one. Knock Off Wood posted plans this week!

It's Been One Week Since You Looked at Me..

Yep, the BNL's ballad is pounding the guilt just a little deeper as I type. I have not been completely missing in action; I spent the better part of one evening last week catching up on my 'homey' blogs, having an email convo with bf if I was capable of building my own furniture (I'm thinking table, he's got deck on the brain), and planning the colour scheme for my office (grey is winning).

I have managed to get over the new car angst yet again, however the guy has called me several times. It seems he REALLLY wants to get rid of this car (see below - I Want This Car!), so anyone in the GTA looking for an almost new Civic might want to check out Lease Busters for this one! I have also managed to get in another 3 flights, check out wallpaper at Lowes, take my Brownies on a supermarket tour, and interview a family for an article I'm writing. Did I mention waking up in the middle of the night to a lightbulb above my head for an "I got it"-type moment every couple of hours? You might say I'm a little busy and work has me a little stressed.

Y'all will remember IKEA's "Any Space Can Be Beautiful" contest they held back in the fall to celebrate the launch of the 2010 catalogue. They've revealed the Grand Prize winner, Tess and her Cowtown space makeover today at anyspacecanbebeautiful.ca. You can also check out the 'Before' and 'After' here.

What do you think? When I entered and voted for myself religiously for 2 weeks, there were some pretty scary-looking entries in dire need of some style help and cashola. If I remember the rules correctly, every vote landed you an entry in the draw, so it didn't guarantee the most votes got the prize. Regardless, I couldn't help but noitce how closely Tess' room makeover reaction parallelled that of the friendly space-trading neighbour that secretly detests their fencemate's decor choices. It certainly would not have satisfied my expectation of how to spend $15,000. Besides, where's the joy in winning $15,000 if someone else is spending it for you?! Was that clear in the rules??!

Help My Eyesore Basement Win a $15,000 IKEA Makeover

As if the 2010 Catalogue was not reason enough to celebrate, IKEA is giving this Savvy Homegirl even more to be excited about- $15,000 worth to be exact!

The IKEA "Any Space Can Be Beautiful" contest is just what my basement has been yearning for! All I could think about during last weekend's Bridal Shower was how convenient it would've been to have a finished basement for all the sleeping bodies sprawled throughout my home!

I wasted no time snapping some photos and getting my entry submitted. Now, "Jen's Eyesore Basement Reno" needs some votes. This is where you come in! Check out my basement and vote!

(Just in case the link doesn't work - here it is) http://www.anyspacecanbebeautiful.ca/index.php?spaceID=1525

In fact, bookmark it to come back daily, because you can vote every day! Think you have your own space desperately needing an IKEA facelift? You'll find a link to submit your own entry also!

Another bonus? Throughout the contest, IKEA Designers Janette Ewen, Karen Sealy and Karen Kayne will be commenting and providing design advice to lucky homeowners, who will then win a weekly prize!

New Home For My Collection

One of the items on my 'do-do' list this weekend was to put the rail and rack that I purchased at IKEA earlier this week. Until now, I have displayed my small collection of shot glasses (picked up at various worldwide destinations on my travels) in an old utility drawer that I 'borrowed' from my dad's shop and turned on its side. 

It worked, but I was too scared to try to mount it on the wall, so it ended up sitting on my counter, tucked into the corner. It wasn't in the way, but it certainly did not give my collection the attention I felt it deserved. Not to mention, my cats used it as a hiding place when they knew I was coming after them to 'spritz' them for being on the counter.

Enter IKEA. Flipping through the catalogue recently, I came across the GRUNDTAL series. The 

stainless steel rail and spice rack looked like just the thing to mount my collection on the wall.

Other IKEA purchases that deserve bragging rights - this BILD poster that is the perfect

 addition to my living room's fireplace mantel.