Thank you, Sweeden!

Wow. We fail at blogging.

Sorry.

I know that you have been waiting with baited breath for Emily and/or I to update our blog with our thoughts, hopes, and dreams. It shouldn't have taken this long, but alas... it has.

So here's my first entry in far too long.

Ikea.

The mecca for the modern 20-something year old person with its cheap prices, cool Swedish accessories, and modern do-it-yourself (sorta) design, Ikea has become our generation's This End Up  (I think we all had or knew someone who had this furniture in their rec room growing up and then saw it again as dorm furniture in college). I dare you to meet someone who lives in or around a fairly busy metropolis who does not own at least one piece of Ikea furniture. It's affordable, easy to put together, and you can pretty much find something for everyone.

Growing up, I remember the closest Ikea was at least an hour away, but it was near Potomac Mills so we would stop in when shopping at the outlets. In college, my friend Carolyn convinced two guys she knew (one had a van) to drive to the closest Ikea (in NEWARK, NJ) so that she could get a (admittedly perfect for her) purple couch.



Living in Alabama for two years was the furthest I'd ever been from an Ikea, until they put one in Atlanta.
People who aren't used to the sheer wonder of the store just don't understand how awesome it is.

Now, Ikea is less than 25 minutes from me and at least once or twice a year my friends and I make the trip. No one walks away empty handed. It doesn't matter if you didn't come for anything, you will likely walk away with either some artwork or an amazing kitchen accessory (it's only $3, of course you can afford that milk frother).

We'll head out first thing in the morning and grab breakfast (a full breakfast for less than $3, yes please!)

Gone are the days when Ikea furniture was merely pressboard lightweight crap. Now some of that stuff is actually wood and it is HEAVY (imagine two girls trying to load four large boxes longer than we are tall in to an SUV. It was tricky, but we did it.). It looks great and really can make a house look like a home.

Now that I'm moving in to my very first home (yes, I FINALLY found out that I've got the house and I close on FRIDAY!! but more on that later), I am already browsing for furniture and one of the first places I looked was Ikea.

I want this for my TV stand (rotated 90 degrees). 

 

I've already got a few older pieces of Ikea furniture in my apartment (a dresser, a couple of floor lamps, a desk), but I am all about upgrading to stuff that doesn't look like it came out of a dorm room (or grad student apartment).

My boyfriend and I have plans to go to Ikea after we close on our house, and hopefully he will talk me out of buying some of the rediculous stuff that I want like this amazing lamp:

It's huge and amazing and this picture doesn't do it justice.

I will end up also buying some "real" furniture, but for now, Ikea suits me just fine.

I'll also probably pick up some things in their "home decor" section like rugs, artwork, and lots of kitchen gadgets. I really love kitchen gadgets.

Well, what about you? What's your favorite peice of Ikea furniture? What would you do if you were unable to get to an Ikea?

Good Will Apartment Hunting

Ok, I know I'm the biggest slacker when it comes to this blog. It's nothing against you readers or Diana, it's just that I'm super busy with work, school, and being dumped by my boyfriend.

Usually when I break up with a guy, I go out and do something like cut or color my hair. But I really like my hair cut and color right now, so that was out of the question. I was going to go on a shopping spree, but I have to stop spending money, cause I'm poor. So what I've decided to do instead is do a massive Spring Cleaning of my life and start my apartment hunting.

Apartment hunting, you say? Well yes dear readers, come September, I am moving out on my own. Or at least that's the hope. Turns out that apartments are more expensive than I can afford. But we'll make it work. (Let's keep our fingers crossed for that raise, yeah?)

Anyway, I started looking for a new apartment. It sucks that in my area of Boston, you have to start looking six months ahead. Everything is aimed at students, and that gets OLD. Especially because students don't care about having nice things. They're only going to be there for a year.

I was lucky though, and found the most beautiful apartment ever, just in my price range, and within the first week of looking! I wish I had a picture of this place, because it was beautiful. The kitchen was filled with stainless steel appliances, and granite counter tops. Hardwood floors through out. Lots of light. I was all set and ready to see the apartment last Saturday.... and then Friday it got rented. SOB.

The most annoying part of that experience was that the Realtor offered to show me other apartments instead. I showed up for our appointment at 11am on Saturday, and she had forgotten to tell me that we'd have to reschedule for another time, as she didn't have others to show me yet. WTF? You couldn't just email me that? Needless to say, I doubt I'll be using her services.

I looked at a few apartments last Thursday, but they look like this:










The kitchen isn't bad, until you realize that you can't open the stove. And it's really hard to look at apartments when the place is so messy.

I've decided that I'd rather live in Cambridge anyway, so I contacted a Cambridge real estate company the other day. They told me that I don't even have to start looking until May or June. So I'll be taking a break...

Although, looking through craigslist for bad pictures, I managed to find a few nice places in my area... maybe the search will continue...