Tag: ikea

My daughter turned 7 last week and she asked for a room makeover… Well and an iPad, Apple watch, party with all her friends, Legos, dance music…. The list goes on and on…. Of course, yes! She could potentially have ONE of these each year (maybe)…, but this year, I’m doing the room do-over. You see my daughters shared a room until February, when I converted the playroom into a sleek, modern, Preteen paradise! It was a great idea, but left the other room over crowded, dated, poorly coordinated and well, ugly.

horrible, dark and crowded

a panorama of chaos

The bummer of being divorced, as all divorcees know, is that sometimes, and sometimes for very special occasions, you are not with your kids physically. For me, that can be sad and difficult… especially birthdays and holidays…. But really anytime. I know they also need their Dad and I also know that I have them so much of the time… So I try to find constructive ways to spend the time that I’m not with them and deal with the strange emotion of celebrating the day I gave birth to an unbearably beautiful and unique human without being with her (I know… Wait a few more years and I’ll be lucky to get a phone call).

I put that energy to use! I go for a cleansing run or swim or clean the house from top to bottom, or work… But this time, I have a project… And honestly I’m worried that it will be hard to finish in a week!!! The room was a light moss green, but she loves pink, purple, pink and yellow and pink…

So first… I settled on a trundle bed from Wayfair. As always, it arrived fast, and in perfect condition and was super easy to assemble! It was important to both of us to have extra space – without another piece of furniture or a room darkening bunk bed.

Before setting up the furniture, I painted the room eggshell beige (took 4 coats to cover the moss…). I chose a wall for chalkboard accent stripes in “raspberry” and voila!

Remember, after placing tape, “seal” the tape lines with the base color to prevent the color from running

starting to take form!

Next I assembled an IKEA Micke corner desk (LOVE IT) and standing mirror (ISFJORDEN), and flower lights from IKEA’s past years. I decided to bunch the lights into a bouquet and paint a vase to help remind her to hang on tight to her “awesome”! I painted an accent flower over the headboard, and recoated some IKEA shelves with the same chalkboard paint. I picked up coordinating curtains and a rug at IKEA, as well!

its a little pink, right??

youre awesome… put it on your wall!

this was so easy! a canvas from michaels, a ruler and paint… done! I feel awesome, too!

coming together!

My arms are sore, but my heart is full… And I hope she loves it!

That’s it! Now it’s time for a big plate of cheese and gluten free crackers!

Have a beautiful night!

❤️

Dreaming of an Outdoor Oasis…..

By GlutenFreeHolly

On March 28, 2015

In Gluten free, Home organization

its it such a pleasure to have an outdoor space to relax in! It doesn’t have to be big. A small balcony, a large backyard, or even an urban yard with a zero lot line can all be converted into a nice space for relaxing, dining or entertaining! I started today with some pretty lofty goals, and I finished the day with exactly what I wanted… My Coral Gables Oasis….and an upgraded balcony at my boyfriends apartment to boot!

We started out at IKEA, Friday night… Where we got a patio set for the apartment and some lighting (solar powered!) www.ikea.com, then we dropped by Home Depot for some drought hardy, sun tolerant flowers….watering plants is definitely not my strong suit, and I have a plant graveyard to prove it!

Mission #1 – apartment oasis

We headed to downtown early, before Ultra traffic became a problem and set up the Grunnet IKEA patio set. With such a great view, it was really a shame not to have an outdoor space to sit and enjoy it! This set was not the easiest IKEA set that I’ve put together, but the table is sturdy and the seats very comfy, and for the price of $269 for the table & 4 chairs, it’s a great deal, too!

this is a NOasis

what a view! this needs high table seating to allow dining & relaxation without compromising the view

imagine coffee here every day? Definitely OASIS

Mission #1 accomplished! We head back home for some more hard work!

Break! I’m HUNGRY!

First, a yummy omlet! I made this with left over black beans from taco night, and cheddar cheese! Gluten free and SO DELICIOUS!

lunch break! black bean & cheddar omlet

Mission #2 – backyard lighting & color!

I started out last year with the IKEA Äpplarö outdoor set. storage benches ($70) with wall panels ($35) really created an relaxing seating area with adequate storage, but today, I want to add some lighting and color! I started out with trimming of all the hibiscus ($ = i buned that omlet) that were peeking out above the fence line. Once done, we installed LED solar powered pendants and lighting chains (Solvinden ($5-9.99) with Solarvet ($12.99 for 24 LED lights). I also found some beautiful indoor/outdoor solar powered stars by “threshold” at Target ($11). These were both super easy to install, and really worth it. I used small clear cable ties (like in 50 shades of my-yard-is-about-to-be-awesome!!!) to secure the light chains. My patio looks so good….and these lights with the wood panels could really turn even a zero lot line yard with a view of a cement wall into a peaceful garden!

We added some drought resistant flowers to an IKEA socker ($39.99) plant stand, and used electrical tape wrapped just below each pot bracket to improve performance & reduce slippage. Socker flower boxes were filled and hung over fence ($14.99)… Final result… The oasis I was dreaming of! Happy 🙂

before… overgrown & old, drooping light chains

hibiscus trimmed and bulbs being assembled for the light chains!

handpainted wall by my daughters & I, IKEA seating, flower boxes and lighting done!

solar powered LED stars from Target & IKEA solared powered pendants

oasis day & night! even my dog loves it!

avocado tree with pendants and stars lighting the evening sky….peaceful

welcome home….

Peace On Earth….and at dinner.

By GlutenFreeHolly

On March 19, 2015

In Gluten Free Dining

If you have more than one child, you understand that dinner can erupt like a volcano of hot molten disobedience. Dining as a family has so many benefits, but honestly there are nights that seem like I’m a negotiator for the United Nations rather than a surgeon & mom. So, a shout out to Macaroni’s Grill (@macaroniGrill) for reminding my family that dinner together can be fun! During a recent Disney vacation, we went to Macaroni’s Grill for dinner, where my kids (all of them) and I were enamored with the paper covered tables and crayons. Now for you celiacs and gluten free fans, I safely enjoyed a Caprese Salad!

Now, for special occasions, like tonight which marks the beginning of spring break for my kids, or if I sense that the natives are cranky, out comes the roll of IKEA craft paper (@IKEAUSA) and …..phew….. Dinner is fun, conversation pleasant and drawing abundant.

Love and Peace… On earth and at your dinner table.