IKEA HAUL

Hey Friends, Happy Friday!   I confess I started writing this on a Friday several weeks ago and then my pictures weren't automatically importing to Google for me to use and I got annoyed and didn't come back to it until now.

If you follow me on Insta, you know a few weeks ago I posted I was going to IKEA with my best friend who is also pregnant.  I'd only been to IKEA once before and I wouldn't necessarily consider it successful.  Not knowing what I was getting into, I didn't come prepared and was subsequently overwhelmed with the products and ended up leaving with a wine rack, food storage containers and some coasters.  What a waste of an IKEA trip.  So this time I was determined to buy useful things and started making a list a week in advance.

Here is me and my best friend Monique!  We have been friends since 10th grade, she is about 12 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy and is having a sweet little boy!

I knew I wanted to look at things for the nursery, so I started to gather ideas on Pinterest.  I searched "IKEA hacks," "IKEA nursery," and "IKEA organization," to try and get some good ideas.  I quickly learned that the IKEA Kallax cube was popular for nursery's and so that was on the top of the list.  They come in a variety of colors, but ultimately not yet knowing the gender of our baby I decided to go with white and I also got gray storage bins that fit perfectly in the cubes.  I am proud to say I got home, unloaded all my goods myself and then built this thing all by myself!!  

The Kallax cube is in the baby's closet with the thought that I don't really know what else you put in the bottom of a child's closet, it's not like their clothes hang long when they are so little.  While baby is still a baby I plan to use the bins for things like crib sheets, extra wipes, blankets and other items that we will use frequently. As our little one grows I imagine it's use will evolve into storing toys and books.  Also you can see a fabric laundry tote in the closet, which I also picked up from IKEA, it's black and white and I think it will be perfect for toting laundry up and down the stairs.

Also for the nursery and myself I bought some fabric storage bins that fit in drawers.  For the baby they will hold his tiny socks, no-scratch mittens and other tiny items.  For myself it's holding my intimates in my dresser (in case you were wondering).  They aren't pictured here but they are white and come in either a 6 or 8 pack of assorted sizes.

A couple other small things I bought were this wooden classic hammer toy.

This thermometer/clock that I love called the Klockis, depending on which way you turn it you can see the time, temperature, set an alarm or a timer.  I think this thing was $5.99 and it was so worth it.  I got it not realizing most monitors have a thermometer on them, so I think it will stay in our room.  

I also got a few other random things that weren't on the list but seemed like good buys!  First, a small wooden cutting board for things like lemons and limes.  We just have a variety size of white plastic cutting boards which are fine for food prep but not so cute to have out when having guests over, so this inexpensive wooden one will do the trick. I can't find the exact cutting board I bought but they have tons of options.

I also got this drink stirrer, thingy.  Well I actually got two because they are only $2.99!  My girlfriend had one at her house last time I was there and it's awesome for stirring coffee, it gives it just a bit of froth on top!  Also, it means my husband can use it in the morning, rather than using a different spoon everyday, so less dishes and more spoons in the drawer.

In this picture you can see a small plant and pot, as well as an organizational unit I bought for our coat closet.  I plan to use the small plant on a shelf in the nursery.

Cheap slippers!  Along with a photo bombing step stool.  I read on someones blog that these slippers are great for the hospital because you only wear them a couple days and then will throw them out, so you won't be sad if they were a super nice pair.  I got the step stool for our little one to use one day when brushing their teeth, or washing hands, or whatever.  My husband laughs because we are more than a year out from the baby using it, but I figured "When in Rome!"  Also not pictured that I plan to use when it's baby time, the blue IKEA bag you have to buy when checking out (unless you have spider arms or came prepared).  As I did some excessive Type A personality research recently, I read they are great for bringing pillows and a blanket to the hospital when you go to have a baby.  

Lastly, a picture of the wall organizational unit I bought.  This comes in separate pieces, so the baskets are separate from the wall portion, which is actually called the Algot and can be used for a lot more than just these baskets. For my purposes I liked that I can adjust the height of the baskets and of course make the unit as long or as short as you want it to be, just keep buying more pieces if you want it to be longer.  This came about as I searched for ways to make our coat closet more useful.  It's a walk-in space, with one rod for coats, one shelf and three hooks on the wall.  We had a basket on the shelf for hats, but the basket was no where big enough and you also had to take the basket off the shelf to find the hat you were looking for.  This new method has allowed us to separate hats based on use, for example, we now have a basket for yard work type hats, hats my husband would wear in public and hats for Brittney.  We also have a basket for sunscreen and an empty basket that I think will come in good use for everyday winter gloves or hats.  So here's a picture of what that looks like.  This is not an Instagram worthy, perfectly organized closet.  What it is, is real life :)  

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So that's all I have for now, but I will say the nursery is making great progress and I cannot wait to put together a whole post for everyone to see!  In the meantime, is there anything I should've got from IKEA that you recommend?  What are your favorite IKEA hacks?

Love, 

Britt