I got to go shopping at IKEA all by myself a couple weeks ago! Our IKEA is about an hour away from my house, so I don’t get to visit it as often as I’d like. I was in a hurry, but it was still great to get to go all by myself (parents of toddlers, you know what I mean!). I took a few quick pictures of some things I found there. [subscribe to video]
Crocheted Appliques: about $5
There are five to a package, so that makes these crocheted motifs about $1 each. They are good for all kinds of embellishment, from clothing, to tote bags, pillows, and more. What would you do with these?
4 spools of thread: $3
You can get a pack of neutrals (white, cream, and black) or brights (navy, red, yellow, green). Great price!
Pair of curtain sheers: $7
Good price for a pair of curtain sheers that you can us for all kinds of different things (including just using them on your windows — mindblowing, I know!)
Throw Pillows: $4
This is just about the best price you can find on throw pillows. Use them as is (they come in green, red, black, and maybe one or two other colors) or sew custom pillow covers for them. Decorator pillows usually cost about $20 and up, pillow inserts cost about $8 at Joann’s.
Rugs: $40
I love these colorful 5×7 rugs! For only $40, they bring a lot of color and fun to a room. Perfect for a kid bedroom, or any area where you want some modern color.
Hear about what I bought (and see my cute baby, and hear my cute 2 year-old) in this video, or read on to see photos of what I bought.
Cupcake liners: $.99
These are the same cupcake liners used in the Cupcake Light Garland that we all loved a couple months ago.
Silicone Heart Mold: $2
Silicone Molds are great for so many projects!
- Molded Papier-Mache
- Molded Sugar
- Melt and Pour Soap on a Rope
- Chocolate Pops
- Recycled Wax Scented Tarts
- Heart Brittle Candy
- Molded Peppermint Bark
- Molded Crayons
Upholstery-weight fabric: $5/yd
I like the scandinavian print on this fabric, and even though I have a policy against buying fabric (I have too much of it!), I got a yard of this. You could use it to upholster chairs, sew tote bags, staple onto a frame to make wall art, make a backpack, or sew just about anything.
As Is Frame: $3
This frame is covered with fabric, and cost just $3 in the As Is section. There’s nothing wrong with it — it was just used on the display floor. When you go to IKEA, be sure to check out the As Is section for great deals on furniture and other random pieces.
Gift Wrap: Assorted prices, from $2
I love the navy, red, and white color scheme IKEA has going on in its Christmas section this year, and they have good quality gift wrap. I hate to say this, but I don’t usually get wrapping paper at the dollar store because it’s too flimsy to do a good job wrapping medium and large gifts. Bonus: this gift wrap isn’t holiday specific, so you can use it year-round without looking like a skinflint!
Dala Horse Pan: $9
I think it was $9. I splurged on this pan (with a large and small pan) because I love Swedish Dala Horses, and I’m kind of a sucker for anything cookie cutter-y or cutely shaped. Pam at Gingerbread Snowflakes has a very fun Scandinavian Holiday and Craft round up on her site right now, including some great Dala Horse Crafts.
Large Reusable Shopping Bag: $.59
IKEA doesn’t have free plastic shopping bags anymore, but it’s all right because for just $.59 they sell you these huge reusable shopping bags. I LOVE these things! I use them for everything from bringing tons of groceries home, to diaper bags/suitcases for overnight trips with my three sons, to whisking away toys when I’m straightening up the house. If you don’t have any of these in your life, you should get some!
Other Resources:
Check out IKEA Hacker — kind of like a Dollar Store Crafts for IKEA stuff
10 Comments
Condo Blues
I went to Ikea when visiting relatives over Thanksgiving. The Dala horse pan came home with me too!
Clare
I got the Dala Horse pan last year- it’s too cute to pass up. I adore IKEA!
pamela
Fyi Ikea has a dent & scratch area (In our local store off by the cash registers) & we bought a wool rug there cheap & also some other pieces – Take a look at what your store has. I think Ikea is best for housewares, rugs & such & that most of the furniture is over-priced! (altho some of the solid pine pieces are nice….)
Kathy V.
We went there today to stock up on candles and napkins for the holidays. They had some really good smelling candles. We also got some great gifts for under $5.
Lisa
Their wrapping paper is a good deal. It’s a nice weight, and since there’s no cardboard tube, you get a *lot* of paper for the price. I bought some at least 10 years ago, and I’m still using it; in fact, I’m sick of it!
Neal
Even better than the $4 pillows, their $7 square pillow forms are actually feather and down! If you’re crafty and a good fabric shopper, you can whip up some covers on the cheap and have some VERY nice pillows. Those type of inserts are $20-40 at Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel! We hit up a local craftsman that does upholstery and bought their remnants for about $8/yd! They have great stuff that people have paid a fortune to have on their chair, now so do we. So what if ours is only a pillow?
Neal
@Pamela, You’d be surprised at the quality of Ikea’s furniture. All of ours is extremely sturdy and has actually moved with us. I’ve had some of the other brands of assemble-yourself furniture in a similar price range and it barely stayed together to move across the room. I was always afraid of it being cheaply made like the other brands but what we have is extremely durable.
Bromeliad
I like the fabric you found.
Love the addition of a baby in each product shot.
Dee
These things are neat but, are they Made in the USA? Probably not. Don’t spend your hard earned dollars on foreign goods. BUY AMERICAN!
heather
@Dee, thanks for your input. What’s your specific reason for recommending people buy American?
If it is a concern about natural resources: Did you know that in MANY cases, foreign factories are using greener practices for manufacturing and that the fuel/carbon footprint for shipping one container from another country on a boat is WAY lower than shipping the same container on a semi truck across the USA?