I have a goal in mind while Sean is deployed. Well..a goal besides the usual lose 10 lbs. I want to decorate our apartment. To really make it into a home. Now...I know some of you might caution me not to change a whole lot while he's gone so he doesn't feel like he's coming back to a strange home and I get that. However, since we've moved in we haven't decorated our apartment at all. We haven't hung any pictures, bought any rugs, nothing. Our apartment is as bare as the day we moved in.
One reason is because I'm not creative in the decorating department. At all. Secondly, for awhile we really thought we might be moving because of the whole pet situation we were going through. Now that we are going to stay it's time for me to decorate.
We have an Ikea not too far away and I plan on going there for some things. Do you guys have any Etsy shops you'd recommend for decorating? Any online stores you'd suggest? I know there are Italian places I could look at for furniture, but I'm not really looking to buy any good furniture until Sean and I are not moving around anymore.
Let's hear those suggestions!
Oh and one more thing. If you would, please go over to my good friend Sara's blog and donate to her Fight Gone Bad cause.
You can read more about it here. It's a great cause, I encourage you to go check it out!
I'm in pretty much the same boat as you. We've lived in our apartment for almost a year and the walls are still pretty much bare. If you come up with any great decorating ideas, please let us know!
ReplyDeleteOooh good luck with the decorating :).. How exciting!
ReplyDeleteI am actually looking into getting a cute nightstand from the Ikea near us. It is nice, and cheaper than Target!
ReplyDeleteI think that once you get pictures up your inspiration will get going, that is what helped me. Go find cute inexpensive frames and start decorating those walls.
The Ikea store last time I was there was full of amazing ideas. I have a feeling you will like at least a few. If I see anything worthy while I'm out and about I'll send you linkies.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting for me too. I really appreciate it.
Warning about IKEA. It may be less so in Italy than in Germany, but on Saturdays it is an insane place to be. Think Walmart day after thanksgiving type crazy. People pushing and gesturing and AHHHH! I'd highly recommend going on a week day if possible for your own sanity and safety. Lol. Just a heads up.
ReplyDeleteMy house is mainly decorated in pictues and big comfy furniture! I buy my little signs and stuff like like that from catalogs where they are cheaper!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE IKEA. But yes, it's a madhouse on the weekends. Go on a weekday and go early (they open at 10, I think). And they also deliver (they speak English) if you buy big stuff. I wish there were more in the US.
ReplyDeleteOK the place where I did both my two bathrooms in and everyone LOVES, believe it or not was Kmart. lol They had the best sets out of all the stores I looked at.
ReplyDeleteAlso I did my kitchen pictures, and hand towels from there too.
Plus it was all cheap.
I think for me, I've just acquired random things along the way to decorate. I wish I could be more helpful. If there are any second hand stores or stuff like that, I'd go there too -- you'd be amazed at what a fresh coat of paint will do to items! :)
ReplyDeleteI miss Ikea SO much. North Dakota has exactly ZERO in the state, the closest one I think is in Minnesota. =[ Back home though its only a 45 minute drive so I like to get small stuff when I get the chance to go. I'm HUGE on decorating but with a limited budget. One way I decorated the walls of my closet/office was with cork board. I cut it into circles and hung all of my jewelry on it. I love how nothing gets tangled and it adds some life to the room. I plan on doing some decorating posts soon if you want to stop by. =]
ReplyDeleteWhile matt was gone. I had bought a small trash can for the bathroom and when he was in on leave he noticed it first thing!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely hard to decorate here. There aren't as many great places to buy decorations, (like Hobby Lobby and Target, etc) But Ikea does have some great things. I was just there this weekend. Have fun decorating your place!
ReplyDeleteI get most of my decorating items from either Target or Pier One, so unfortunately I'm not much help. I'm sure you could always shop on their websites but shipping is probably a fortune!
ReplyDeleteI think that's a great goal! I'm not great at it either, but I do that (sort of) for my store, so I guess I have an eye for it.
ReplyDeleteIkea is fun, they have all kinds of crazy stuff. I wish I needed furniture and/or had the space for it, I'd probably buy some from there!