I usually go to ikea once a year. its all my wallet can handle. plus, i make sure i really really need the items because we all know that going there can easily cost you $100. Its fine if you spend that much, but make sure it doesn’t sit there like the 3 ikea frames I just put on ebay because I don’t use them and never will.

what i’m liking right now:

lack table in white

Strind table

LUNS writing/magnetic board

KNIPSA basket

KASSETT magazine box

FORMAT work lamp

IKEA STOCKHOLM easy chair

gotta love ikea…….

here are a few of the great items i’m loving over at pearlriver in addition to some nice home accessories, you can also pick up cutting boards, dishes, and an occasional Chinese lantern.

foo dogs from $39-$97

mini round vases $14

placemats $6.95

bamboo placemats $4.50

lacquer serving tray $14.95

two-toned lacquer serving tray $44.50

the man and i are moving. so moving means cleaning and purging. i am doing a quite large decluttering project. i always thought i was the type of person that only kept what i needed. no junk for me. until the day my boyfriend went down to our storage unit in the basement (we live in a large building) for the first time since we moved there and he came back saying “i think you are a closet pack-rat”. uuughhh. the words i dread.

anyhow, a friend of mine turned me on to Table to Teapots in Acton, Mass. its a great place to consign some of your nicer things that you just grew out of or changed your style a bit. i worked on cleaning out the storage bin and realized that i hadn’t given up my “crunchie-tapestry-moroccan-lantern days” as a college girl. after making an appointment 2 weeks out, we drove up saturday and dropped some boxes off and 2 lamps that just didn’t work for us. very easy - you get 50% of the selling price. they consign anything of value over $10. anything under they send to good will for you.

consign away…..

what fun can girls have when we put together clothes, shoes and sangria! my good friend maureen and i had our annual fashion swap last night at gargoyles. with three racks of clothes and so much fashion - they say someones junk is another treasure. what i loved is that all we did was laugh and try on each other’s clothes.

the Somerville Journal was there too and they wrote an article on us which you can see here. i picked up some awesome pieces. a super cool black flowing dress w/sparkles (who doesn’t love sparkles), a “hot” pair of boots that are 4 inches tall only to be worn to the restaurant and back. and also, a pair of black linen pants - to worn in the summer. i would say the best item was a black rabbit hair jacket that Megan brought - which was instantly grabbed up on the first go around.

it was so successful, everyone had fun and walked away with some great items. i love to see someone else be so happy about the items i brought. can’t wait till next year!

picture courtesy of Somerville Journal

image via leftpinkytoe

after fighting most of my life to not go to a chiropractor, i finally went. this morning. its weird. my father has gone most of my life, and many people i know go, but i never knew why. until recently…. my back had been hurting to the point that i didn’t know what else to do. i went to my doctor, i went to a massage therapist, i did the exercises they gave me, but it didn’t help. and finally, i went to see dr. dan

he explained to me how closely related all parts of the body were. i had know this for some time, but i actually got an education and now have a much more profound respect for chiropractors. the nerves of our body control everything! those nerves go through the spine and if your spine is out of wack, you could go down the road of disease and further problems with your body. that massive bone structure going from your base of your back to the top of your head is the mecca of your body. it wasn’t until i was standing there, staring at the xray of MY spine, ribs, and neck that i realized all the things going on inside me that i never take a moment to think of.

after some tough adjustments, cracking noises that made me nauseous and ice paks that i am applying now, i am excited to get my spine “back in shape”.

take care of yourself…

while sitting at my local Starbucks having coffee with my good friend Maureen today, i was captured by the art on the walls. these beautiful fish prints were so big and colorful, i couldn’t help think that i wanted at least three! the pictures on the artists site don not do them justice. they are beautiful! if you have a wall that needs color, i picture putting two or three together.

striped bass

red snapper

the artist, John Doherty, spends his summers on Cape Cod, and after he catches his fish and creates a print, he washes it off and fillets it for the grill. his love for the fish of the Atlantic shows and no two are alike. his style of rubbings is known as Gyotaku, which began two thousand years ago in the Orient. it was originally done to document species and sizes of fish. it then transformed into an art form. the Gyotaku technique allows for a truly accurate image of all the details in each fish.

not only are they gorgeous, they are affordable! check him out at Fish Aye Trading Co.

why is it that if i could i would change the rugs around my house the way i change my shoes? if they just weren’t so damn expensive. i’ve always felt that a rug was such an investment. having to spend between $600-$2500 for an 8×10 for my living room always left me in shock. rugs are such a commitment, as with any piece of quality furniture or furnishing for you home. i just change my mind so often. when we first moved into our large 1400 sqft. apartment almost 2 years ago, all i saw were empty walls (lots of them) and bare bare floors everywhere. so i went to the Crate and Barrell outlet furniture sale (they have them 3 times a year) and bought a basic 8×10 RED rug. i needed color! Well, now i am stuck with it. its been a wonderful rug, and we get compliments on it, but i long for style and i want to fall in love. i’ve now fallen in love with Madeline Weinrib Atelier. her designs are beautiful, simple, gorgeous and can be added to any room. my dream rugs:

someday…..

Thanks to brownturtlenecksweater for showing me this super cool store. I wish I lived in England to visit, but in the meantime I’ll have to dream over their website. RE has some wonderful finds. Recycled objects, homemade goods, vintage textiles.

I’m not much of a resolution kinda girl, but I do take the coming of the new year as an opportunity to try to look at my life a little differently. So I spent the rainy, snowy day today looking around at what other people do to live a more simple life. Something I’m going to strive for in 2008 (oopps. was that a resolution?). Here are some links to some pretty cool ways to simplify yourself.

unclutterer.com a manifesto on simple living

zenhabits.com purpose your day: most important task (MIT)

how to slow down now

getrichslowly.com don’t make resolutions - set goals for 2008

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

~ William Morris

We all have our little things we do to get ready for the new year. Some of us start going to the gym again (also on my list). Some us vow to never have ice cream again (this I could never do) For me, its to clean the apartment. So while looking at all the gorgeous blogs that I look a at every day, i found this quote on Modern Country. I think it describes our home beautifully.