the obsessive imagist | art, design, life: ikea

I'M BACK! AND I HAVE MISSED SO MUCH!

Well, hello there! Remember when I said I would try to post while I was traveling in Italy? Ha! The moment I stepped off the plane I fell head over hells into the glory that is gelato every day, pasta at every dinner, warm sunshiney days, and long evening walks through historic town centers and, well—surprise!—I completely forgot about blogging. Isn't that a sign of a good vacation though?

Finally returning to the real world today, I am frantically trying to catch up on all the media I missed. I found all kinds of delightful things I clearly would have shared with you if I had not been in a gelato-induced haze, so here's a quick round up for your perusal. Because you weren't really planning to get any work done today, were you?

Apple debuted new iPhones (I am due for an upgrade!) and, in a development surprising to no one, an Apple Watch. But I was most impressed with the hilarious Ikea catalogue parody of an Apple announcement above.

This crazy cliff-clinging house looks like a superhero secret lair, no?

I haven't spent a weekend in NYC since April (yes, April!), so I am excited to use this cool site to explore my home city.

Love. Animated.

A very important campaign: yes means yes.

I struggle with this all the time. Great tips for saying no . . . now I just need another version for social occasions. Because, let's face it, mostly I want to stay home in my pjs with a pint of ice cream and my Netflix queue.

I just got back from vacation but I want to pack my bags and head to this cerulean paradise immediately.

Dominatrix in a NYTimes crossword? Sacrebleu!

If only I had had this handy tool on my trip, I would have been instragraming up a storm!

Tried and tested in Italy, new favorite gelato flavor is definitely coconut. This is the best brand buyable stateside.

Cell phones have ruined our sense of social responsibility.

I want to hang this on my wall.

Lately I have gotten back into yoga and I am really reaping the benefits. These poses would be a great addition to my practice, if only to offset the hours I spend everyday trolling the internet for blogger inspiration.

Obviously in Italy, I saw Vespas everywhere. I have new respect for them (though they are still terrifying, buzzing in and out of traffic, even when their drivers are in three piece suits!) knowing their cool history.

A fascinating design dilemma—how to show people texting on tv and in movies without pulling focus from the face.

Color coded photos, appealing to my chromatic compulsions in all the best ways.

I have so many fun things to share in the next couple weeks, including photo essays from my travels and recaps from the fabulous 60th birthday fête we threw for my Mom this weekend. Lots of stuff to look forward to, I can't wait! Clearly, I missed you guys. :)

IKEA CATALOG LAUNCH PARTY

Hi guys, remember me? This week has been jam packed with fun activities which means I have a lot of fun things to tell you and no time to share it. (Catch-22!) First things first, I want to fill you in on a fun event I went to last night: the NYC launch party for Ikea's 2015 catalog!I have been an Ikea fan for as long as I can remember, so I was tickled pink when I got an email from their marketing team asking me to attend a pajama party celebrating their new catalog last night. I had been drooling over sneak peaks of their new PS line, so this seemed liked the perfect opportunity to see some of the goodies in person.

Adorably, they served cocktails made with almond milk and cookies—perfect for a chic slumber party.

And they had professional stylists braiding our hair. My tangled tresses have never looked so cool.

In keeping with the slumber party theme, the pop up space had been styled with various bedroom, closet, and vanity displays from Ikea's new catalog. I really like the new stand alone pieces they were offering: cozy chairs, blanket racks, and adjustable wardrobe bars.

Of course my favorite was the colorful new textiles they are offering; Ikea fabric has been incredible recently! How cute are those orange striped pillowcases and that colored checkered duvet cover? Plus that white standing mirror is fabulous, right?

One of the most inspirational parts of the party was the way it was styled. I loved the groupings of products on large planks of wood; how cool does that photo wall or this group of clocks look?Anyway, I had a great time at the event (thanks Amanda for being my date!). In case you want to see more, check out my Instagram feed here and my Pinterest page here.
This post was not sponsored by Ikea or anyone; I just had a blast at the party and wanted to share!

IKEA UPGRADES

I have an Ikea couch. I am fairly certain many of you reading this right now also own Ikea furniture. Here's the thing: I love my Ikea couch but, after five years of hard use, it is starting to look a little dingy. So last night in a fit of productive procrastination from writing my dissertation, I decided to research slipcovers sold by external companies for Ikea sofas. And viola! Enter Bemz! It's a company that works with top tier fabric designers to create cool high-quality big personality slipcovers for standard Ikea furniture. Pretty cool right?

They have a ton of fabrics to choose from so you can pick the pattern and color that perfectly suits your space and style. The standard slipcover for my model of sofa costs about $190. Not bad for an easy overhaul that could potentially turn the piece from drab to fab in a matter of minutes!

After some additional web browsing I also discovered the company Pretty Pegs, which sells screw-on legs for Ikea couches, chairs and now tables and desks!

These pretty little legs also come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes allowing you to customize your couch to your heart's content.

So, which set of legs and cushion covers should I go for? Any thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

GETTING SWEET & CRAFTY: VALENTINE'S DAY IDEAS

The way to make a holiday feel special (especially for the DIY-crazed folks like me), is to do just a little bit more than the everyday. It doesn't have to be a big thing, but hanging up a banner or making your own card or setting out new, pretty candle can turn a "Hallmark" holiday into something more personal and special and, well, fun! So, here is a little round up of ideas to set that amorous day, February 14th, apart from the rest. Hope you like it!

one | Yrsno Candles, Ikea, $2.99
two | Crinkled Wheel Set, BHLDN, on sale 12 for $16
three | Lace Hearts Tutorial, Michelle Made Me
four | Folded Cards Tutorial, Martha Stewart*
five | Raspberry Almond Financiers, Martha Stewart*
six | Foxy Valentine Favors How-To, PaperSource
seven | Romantic Paper Hearts Garland, thePathLessTraveled, $8.50
eight | Playing Card Valentines Tutorial, Martha Stewart*

Also, don't forget to enter the Bites Dessert giveaway here! It ends today at 5pm so get in while the getting's good!

*Did I tell you I was on the Martha Stewart Show? Check out the link (in the "Headlines" section of the sidebar ➭) to watch a clip!

WED, WHITE AND BLUE

In preparing for my engagement party this weekend, I have been scouring the Ikea website for goodies that fit both my blue theme and my budget. Not surprisingly, I found a lot of great stuff! Here are some of my favorites:

(Please forgive me for the terrible pun of this blogpost. I couldn't help it . . . though I know it will make my wordsmith Mom smile. Mom, this pun's for you! Har, har, har.)

IKEA TEXTILES

The images in this post make it super long, so I will get right to the point. This past weekend, while visiting my parents in my hometown, I made a pit stop at Ikea. I love wandering through the marketplace and stocking up on pretty little things that will take me years to use up but make me happy to have anyway. On this trip I was super impressed by their selection of striped and patterned bolts of fabric--wouldn't they make great pillows? I also bought a ton of paper napkins, especially blue and white polka dots on the top. Inexpensive solutions to a pretty table or couch: thanks Ikea!

Check out the fabrics here, the napkins here and everything else at Ikea here.

p.s. Was anyone else a little disappointed by everything else in the Ikea catalogue this year? I think a lot of the accessories look great, but the big ticket items seem to be getting more boring, no?

p.p.s. I also bought these, a couple of these, and this. Cute!

PUT THIS ON THE WISHLIST

Because I am moving at the end of the month, I have been keeping my eye out for cool new furniture and home goods. My latest addition to the apartment wishlist? This swiveling Ikea vanity/bureau with a slightly hefty (at least for Ikea) price tag of $399. Check it the "Vinstra" out here.