Hello friends.  I hope you all had a great weekend.

Since I hadn’t been shopping at IKEA in a while, I decided to stop by the store on Saturday to see what was new.  Whenever I plan a trip to Ikea, I try to go early in the morning or an hour or so before they close because the crowds are usually at a low point during those times.  Well, I must have missed the email announcement that Saturday night was ‘kids night’ because the store was packed with families and there were kids running around everywhere.  What usually takes me an hour to get through the store took me a lot longer because I was constantly dogging little ones.

Despite the crowd and super long check-out lines, we made it out in one piece but did have to stop and get ice-cream on the way home to calm our nerves:)

Anyway, back to my shopping trip.  I spotted several new items I wanted to share with you including some of the new fabrics Ikea is selling.

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One of the first things I spotted were these glass jars.  I love the cork tops and the simple shape.  These would be great on a kitchen counter to hold snacks and staples and I can even see them being used as a terrarium or to hold seasonal decor like the photo below.  If I remember correctly, the largest size was $24.00 and the medium was $14.99.

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When I spotted these wood boxes I immediately thought of a thousand different ways to use them.  And they are the perfect piece for a DIY project.  Unfortunately the store was out of this size but did have a larger/longer size available.  It think the price was $5.99.

Another great piece I saw was this woven side table.  The top is a metal tray and it comes off to reveal storage space inside.  I didn’t much care of the white stripe around the center but that could be fixed in a flash with spray paint or stain.  Just image this in a bold, bright color for summer.  $79.99

I loved this black planter and will probably go back and get one.  The textured pattern on the outside is really nice and the inside is painted gold which you can see in the website photo below.

I never pass up the pillow aisle at Ikea and it never fails that they have something I want.  This blue and cream striped pillow cover was really nice and I loved the watercolor effect the stripes had.  Like most of the pillow covers, this one was a great deal at just $8.00.

Next up was the fabric department at Ikea.  If you’ve never looked at the fabrics that Ikea sells, I suggest you do.  Their fabric department is set up with a cut-it-yourself station so you cut the yardage you need and take it to the register to be rung up.   You won’t find designer patterns or designer quality but many of the fabrics are great for decor like pillows, table linens or even drapes.  And you can’t beat the price with most of the fabrics under $10 a year.

Here are a few favorites…

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• Berta Ruta–a classic red and white plaid  $8.99/yd  Also comes in other classic colors.
• Emmie Ros–this is a vintage inspired floral design and would be great in with shabby chic decor–$6.99/yd.
• Sofia–a classic black and white stripe for only $7.99/yd.  I used this fabric to make a skirt for the file cabinet in my office and love the weight and quality of it.  Also available in other colors.
• Pilorf–I love, love, love the floral design on this fabric and think it would make a really pretty table runner because of the way the pattern runs.  $5.99/yd.

 

• Blue and white products are a big trend at Ikea and they have some great blue and white fabrics for sale.  This Sommar pattern is modern and classic and is only $5.99/yd.
• At first I didn’t know if I like this abstract foliage fabric and then I remembered that Sherry Hart used it to make pillows for one of her projects and I was sold.  It’s a great design that in the right application can look high-end.  $9.99/yd.
• This Sommar blue and white grid pattern is another classic design they sell.  I can envision this as drapes with a beautiful trim detail or made into a duvet cover.  $5.99/yd
• Classic black and white floral design with an antique washed look.  $7.99/yd.

And another new item I spotted in the fabric department was a bundle of fabric swatches that were on sale for $4.99.  Each swatch measures 8″ x 8″ and there are 50 pieces in the bundle, 10 each of 5 designs.  I immediately thought of making dinner napkins from these or using them in craft projects.  I might be going back to get these as well.

So there you have it…a few of my favorite things at Ikea.