Spring at IKEA: Cups, Bowls, and Bunnies

It may be February here in Maine but it felt like Spring this weekend at IKEA.

I loved all the pastel colors that were on display.

In the Marketplace, these FARGRIK mugs caught my eye immediately. Not only were they stackable and only $.99 each, there was one that exactly matches the "Oasis" color of the Keurig in my little home coffee station.

Although I really don't need more mugs, I bought three, just for the color. Since I'm "downsized" that means that three of my older mugs will have to find a new home at Goodwill. Thanks to Marie Kondo, there will be no more overflowing cupboards for me!

I also love this FARGRIK color featured by a fellow blogger, Johnna's Kitchen. If you're "into" IKEA, she features her favorite bargains from IKEA in this post.

Here are a few more of the FARGRIK colors.

I also bought a boxed set of four FRAMKALLA mugs for $5.99. I loved the size of these and their colorful graphic designs.

I had purchased a Panera gift card for the upcoming birthday of a coffee-loving friend and wanted a little something to wrap with it. This little set will be perfect!

Since I seemed to have a theme going on this trip, I had to stop in the IKEA Children's section to fill in my collection of Kalas bowls. I love these bowls for visiting grandchildren, and for Jell-O! At six for $2.49, they're always a good buy.

The Kalas line also includes plates, cups and utensils. All are durable, inexpensive and dishwasher-safe. Even the adults in our house use the plates for snacks.

While we were in the IKEA kids' area, I couldn't resist picking up one of these adorable IKEA  VANDRING bunnies (or is it a hare?) for a special someone's Easter basket. At only $7.99, he's just too perfect - soft, cuddly and very cute!

Here he is getting ready for bed!

Photo courtesy of Reddit

With a face like this, what's not to love?

(I just looked to the right as I proofread this and realized that I have the same expression on my face in "My First Selfie" on the Sidebar as this IKEA hare! Scary!)

Hurry up, Spring . . . I'm getting impatient!

This post is linked to:

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Flaunt It Friday #436 at Chic On a Shoestring

Giving

It seems as if we've been "downsizing" forever!  But, the closer I get to the end, the harder the job has become. Because . . .

The "easy stuff" is gone.  Now I'm coming to the really hard stuff:  Family keepsakes, toys from when our kids were little, handmade items, items loaded with memories. What does one do with the dress your Mom wore on her honeymoon?  Grampa's violin case from his time in vaudeville?  Your sister's favorite dolls?

I've used about every method known to man woman to pare down from a 3500 square foot farmhouse to our little cape cod retirement home.  My copy of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is dog-eared and my little Mini Cooper could find its way to Goodwill by itself.  But the things that are left seem too special for any of  my previous methods. 

So I've come up with an unexpected solution for the "hard things":
I'm giving them away.  

To people I don't know.  No strings attached.

Here's my first gift:  My late sister, Nancy's, Ronald McDonald doll from the 1970's. 

The long-time manager of our local McDonald's was thrilled to get it. He's so touched that he plans to display Nancy's doll in a shadow box inside the store for everyone to enjoy. Nancy would like that. Score!

Next:  The vintage child's John Deere tractor and cart from the 1960's that all of our grandchildren have played with. Now even the youngest one has outgrown it.

We considered selling it on Craigslist - until we went apple-picking last weekend and saw these! It turns out that the farm, which is located in the town I taught in for years, collects John Deere tractors and artifacts. They display them in this barn,  outside among the apple trees . . . 

And in a little farm museum they've created on the property.  This farm has been in the same family for four generations and I have happy memories of taking students there to pick apples over the years.

We knew immediately that this would be the new home of our little antique John Deere. 

DH got it down from the attic and we brought it back to the farm the very next day. 

The owner of the farm was a bit reserved when he first got out of his tractor to meet us.  I think he was probably a little suspicious:  Were we trying to sell him something? Ask for a donation? Get him to make an offer on the tractor?  "No", we said "We'd just like to give this to you."

Slowly, his face brightened and he shook our hands, thanking us repeatedly. He wanted to give us apples, cider, pumpkins, whatever we wanted, but, having picked two pecks of apples just the day before, we declined.

Because we got some things even better than apples or cider from our gift to the orchard.

We made a new friend, "paid it forward" in our community, had fun, and left with good karma and full hearts.

What could be better than that?

This post is linked to:

Amaze Me Monday #283 at Dwellings

Inspiration Monday at Refresh Restyle

Talk of the Town at Knick of Time

Collect Moments Not Things

“ While you are alive, collect moments not things."   

                                                  ~Aarti Khurana

I've had a great time this year helping friends and family members declutter, reorganize and redecorate their homes. I've always loved to organize (my spices were in alphabetical order long before Fly Lady and Marie Kondo!), never pursued it as a career, but look forward to being asked to help others "spark joy" in their homes.


So far, "The Accidental Organizer" (me!) has had great fun this year helping to "reclaim" the homes of  BFF Mary Elizabeth, niece Katy, and (the current project) my sister, Andi. Andi and her DH both had homes before they were married so the first step was a major decluttering. We had both learned a lot from reading (repeatedly!) The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Andi was determined to keep only those items which "sparked joy".

Hobbling Through July

No dancing this month for me!

 

I've been limping around on crutches due to a torn hamstring and it's slowed me down (which is usually a pretty hard thing to do). Maybe that's what I get for assuming that, at 67, I can keep up with Michelle Obama at the gym! That said, my crutches aren't a very good excuse for ignoring my blog so today is my valiant effort to catch up.

10 Tips for Organizing All That Bling

Still inspired by Marie Kondo's little book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I decided to go through my stash of costume jewelry. It was everywhere . . . some in an official "jewelry box", some in a junk drawer, some in the bathroom cabinet . . . you get the idea.

I didn't even know what I had.

Here are some tips I learned during the process.

"The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up"

I love to organize and declutter so when I heard about a new book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, I had to run right out and buy it. 

Translated from Japanese, Marie Kondo's little book is already #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list for non-fiction. This is pretty exciting stuff for compulsive organizers like me. As a woman who is teased by one and all for keeping my spices in alphabetical order, I was skeptical. Maybe this book would be just another "how to" repetition of the same old techniques. 

Not!
The "KonMari method" is the polar opposite of what we've been taught. Ms. Kondo tells us to take each item in our homes in our hands individually and ask, "Does this spark joy?"
If it does, keep it.
If it does not, discard it.
It's that simple.