I FINALLY got to go to Ikea. I love that place. Seriously. I wanted to move in. All those little rooms they have set up with toilets, sinks, and stoves – those work right? Like, I could live there and NO one would know.

Luckily one of Hubby’s army buddies met us there and he entertained Hubby and the girls while I SHOPPED. I’m certain we will be making trips to Ikea in the future and I’m certain you’ll be seeing more about it here.

The POINT of the trip was to get beds and dressers for the girls. I had things pretty much picked out, BUT since we were THERE we looked.

I had chosen the Malm bed, but I really wanted a captain’s bed. I don’t understand beds that don’t have drawers under them. Hello! Wasted storage space! (esp in a kids room) So when we were looking Hubby saw the ODDA and said, “Isn’t that what you want – lets get that.” Well, ok. They weren’t that much more, BUT the drawer faces were BLACK. Black does not go in my little girls’ room (stay tuned for why). I’d heard of Ikea hacks – so I said, “Let’s do it!” We did.

The drive home was the pits, but we made it and then had to start putting the room together. The challenge, right? I mean, Ikea furniture DOES have reputation.

First though – the ceiling had to be painted – at least finished. I started it 9 months ago when a friend and I did this rock star paint job.

Everyone got in on the fun.

The ceiling NEEDED it – how is it that ceilings get like this?

The next day I started my hack while Hubby started assembly.

I looked around a bit and didn’t find a ton of ODDA hacks – which really surprised me. Are people just going with the black? Or are they craft shy? Not me!

The one I really liked was this, but I wanted it done THAT day. So I decided to just paint them. (once again, our table rocks)

While we waited for paint to dry (and Hubby to assemble) we played. There is NO shortage of pink and purple in this room.

Little L woke up with some crazy hair!

He knows how to work it.

Finally the paint dried and we got everything back together. Note – I will probably NEVER had everything perfect and made and picture worthy – so here are occupied pictures – cuter? – maybe.
K’s side. No idea why her sheet is balled up like that. See her cute little feet sticking out?

B’s side. Looks like she feel asleep reading George. Ahhhh!

BUT the drawers, right? They look damn near perfect (in the pictures). I can’t imagine the black, at all, it would be terrible.

Here’s the deal with the painted drawers though. I didn’t prep them, at all. I just painted away. It don’t expect it to last. It will peel right off. But right now, they look great. I’m putting stuff in them that isn’t high use. Hopefully it will last for a while. When it is time to do something new I’m going to Mod Podge them, like the link above. I got some Mod Podge this week and have started experimenting. I want to practice so I do a GREAT job when it is a permanent hack.

So there it is. My first sort of Ikea hack.