Top Decoration

Last Friday we paid a visit to our local Ikea. We were on a mission.
I needed one pack of these:

Last week, while doing a project with my husband, we discovered a pack of under-cabinet lights that we had bought when we lived in AZ. This means that we have been carrying around this particular pack for about 4 years or so. Shameful...I hate hanging onto things that you never use, but we stumbled upon them out in the garage and decided that maybe it was time to put them where they belong...under some cabinets.

It wasn't until we were finalizing the plan for exactly how they would be laid out that I decided on a different use for them. ABOVE cabinet lighting! For the past 5 years I have used strands of Christmas lights to brighten up my ceiling. They're cheap, easy to get, they tuck easily behind the crown molding on top of our cabinets and they cast a very pretty glow at night. All positive attributes! The only bad thing is that, like any lightbulb, they burn out and then you either have to find the bad bulb or replace the entire strand.

While this method worked for years, I decided that my new plan was even better! The Ikea lights are brighter and are more like up-lights. They look great! Finally the pack of lights we had been carrying with us from house to house had found a home! The only problem was I needed another pack.

Off to Ikea...

Much to our surprise we found ourselves eating a FREE breakfast when we got there! I'm not sure if they do this every Friday, but we were there before 10:30am, so we took advantage of it! And it wasn't bad! Scrambled eggs, bacon, some potatoes and a cup of coffee! The kids even approved!

Now that our bellies were full we could focus on the task at hand.
Riiiiight.....
There is no such thing as *focus* when you're in a store packed with goodies for your home! Seriously!
So out came my camera for some pictures to add to the Idea File!

Here are some of the things that caught my eye:

I love this unit! It is pieced together to fit your needs! You can add or take away to create the exact look that you want for your room. And they have made the molding on top snap together for a tight fit so that it looks like one continuous piece of trim! It has beaded board behind the shelves and you have the option of adding doors or keeping the shelves exposed. A great solution for a room that has specific needs!

And I adore this coffee table! I always have! I'm thinking my Handyman may have to adapt the coffee table in our family room to look like this one! The display compartments are actually one big drawer that pulls out and that is how you add your objects to the inside to be displayed through the glass. But I'm thinking it would be better if the top was hinged underneath. You would lift the top to add your items and then you could also have to option to lock it. I know for our house, that would be much more practical to keep little hands out of it!

I love the simplicity of this wardrobe.
Add some great looking hardware to it and you're good to go!

How cool would this headboard be for a kid? The shelves are adjustable to accommodate whatever you may want to display on them! Our son would love this! He's only seven, but he would love to be able to change it up his way!

Cool idea, if you ask me!

I really like this chest of drawers as well!
The simplicity of it is what makes it a favorite of mine.


But this storage bench was what really caught my attention! And it immediately made it's way to the top of the Idea File!
First, it looks great!

...but look what it can do!

The top lifts for storage and it's not all that deep, so you don't run the risk of having to dig for something that has made it's way to the bottom! And the drawers not only add character to the look, but they help with keeping everything organized!
I love it!
I want it!
Problem is, I don't know where I would put it, so it will have to wait. But like I said, it's at the top of the Idea File, so count on seeing it reproduced in the future!

When all was said and done, it was a great trip! A free breakfast, some great idea's and we came home with what we needed in the first place.

Time to put up those lights...