Wednesday 8 June 2011

Pretties and Inspiration


I have something of a love/loathe relationship with IKEA.  On the one hand I'm not the world's biggest fan of all things mass produced and flat-packed, yet at the same time IKEA was one of the few places Tristan and I could afford to kit out our first apartment with 5 years ago while I was a poor student and he was being paid a pittance and the low prices helped us out no end.

Sometimes curiosity (and a meatball craving) get the better of me and I'll take up the offer of a trip to Nottingham's IKEA for lunch and a wander with T's Mum.  Try as I might to resist I'll always come away with a few goodies and on our most recent visit last month my yellow bag was bulging by the time we got to the checkout - partly as T's Aunt generously gave us a £20 voucher to spend, and partly because I spotted some gorgeous things.  I had to share one of them with you; behold the beautiful white filigree plant pot also known somewhat less poetically as 'Skurar'  . . . . . 


It yelled 'buy me' loudly, so loudly in fact, that at £1.99 it would have been rude not to.  Initially it housed a cape marigold, but since said marigold left for the great garden in the sky it has sat empty and elegant in the kitchen and I can't overstate how much I love it.


The notebook beneath it is also a recent find, one I've owned for a while yet had completely forgotten, poor thing.  I found it languishing at the bottom of a box still full - and handily tucked away behind a curtain in the spare room - from our move in November.  


It was given to me by a Uni friend as a 21st birthday present, has a fabulously glamorous Erté lady on the front and still has that lovely new notebook smell through having never been used until now.


After a ponderous cuppa I decided it was the perfect size to serve as an inspiration book; a place to stick snippets of pretty things from my ever growing stack of magazines or just images that catch my eye.  Also, any excuse for cuttin' an' a stickin' is a complete winner with me so I whipped out the scissors and my trusty Pritt-Stick in speedy-fast fashion. 


Have I mentioned how much I love glass?  Don't answer that, I'm at it again.  You may remember my biscuit jar à la Lady Sybil of Downton Abbey from a previous post, well it has a couple of mercury glass friends I've been meaning to post about for a little while.   


I'm yet to snap this one with a tea light burning inside but you can bet I'll be on the case shortly as it looks very pretty.  Not one of my thriftier buys but I couldn't help myself! 


The vase looks as though it was made by the same company as the lantern - I could be wrong but the local home shop I picked it up from do sell quite a few Gisela Graham bits and pieces so it could easily be one of hers.  Keeping an eye out for some pink roses to pop in it!

Happy Wednesday,
Jem x





18 comments :

  1. Lovely metalic vase, pink roses would be perfection in it x

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  2. That's a lovely find - I think that's the key, picking out the pretties from the more prosaic offerings. My dining table is from the dreaded ikea, but it's 'proper' wood instead of laminate and expands to fit loads of people - I love it.

    Those mercury glass bits are gorgeous, Gisela Graham does some really nice things. I like your inspiration notebook too - I have loads of home clippings but at the moment they're just shoved in a ring binder. Yours is far prettier!
    x

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  3. I don't think I've seen a lovelier plant pot ~ I can see why it had to come home with you! And your inspiration book is just lovely too ~ I'm afraid I still haven't gotten around to sticking all my cut out bits from magazines into mine yet, so well done for being so organised! Your mercury glass collection is just beautiful ~ there's just something special about them, isn't there! I would love to own some one day, but have to settle for the little imitation ones at the moment :) Love Brenda

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  4. Lol at the biscuit jar a la Lady Sybil!!i loved Downton Abbey and rememberthat scene v v clearly!

    Your photography is gorgeous jem, i'm in love with the mercury glass little lantern & the inspiration book as its sucha handy idea 4 keeping pretty stuff together.x

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  5. What an incredibly beautiful collection of items. I have nothing against places like Ikea per se, I just can't comfortably manage to navigate such places with my dreadful sense of direction and poor spacial awareness! Seems we all have a collection of pretty paper cuttings (such a girl thing isn't it?) but none of us are so organised, mine are stuffed into various envelopes.

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  6. Love your collection, I have some myself :) saw this pot in IKEA a couple of weeks ago, it's so pretty isn't it? I'm with you an inspiration book is a must, I have so many lovely notebooks filled with magazine pictures i could start my own library! Take care.

    Bee happy x
    Have a delicious day!

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  7. Love the pot. I'm a big fan of Ikea on the whole and I ALWAYS come away with something I never thought I would need!

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  8. I don't think I've ever seen anything as nice as your white doily vase at our Ikea...although we're usually in and out at record speed because my husband hates going there...I really should leave him at home shouldn't I...
    I love your trio of glassware Jem and your pillowcase suggestion too btw x

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  9. The thing im loving about Ikea at the moment is the masses of fabric they now have, i cant seem to leave without at least 4 different fabrics. I love your little notebook with the cuttings, im a cutter and sticker too - very therapeutic. Scarlett x

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  10. I actually like Ikea (husband hates going there), but we’re lucky to have one here in Lanzarote, and I too always find something I didn’t know I needed! We had difficulty finding a comfy bed when we came here (the Spanish seem to like them very firm) until we went to Ikea. I agree about the fabric and sewing bits too. Well, on my next visit I’ll be looking for that plant pot, and I know what to do with all those lovely notebooks lying in my drawer too - what good idea!

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  11. I know what you mean about Ikea. Its like we need to do up and get our flat sorted - like we need the big furniture bits and pieces like a new bed, sofa, drawers etc and even though I utterly love vintage things its just knowing they are at a premium on them and then there's ikea were its cheap enough and less hassle of getting now. Plus I weirdly enjoy putting flat pack stuff together!

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  12. woot!!! lovee the filigree plant pot from ikea, Jem!! for £20 voucher that T's aunt gave u, you could buy at least 10 of them? hehehe the notebook looks so elegant and im surprised u still have it and still brand new too!! now that is sooo inspiring me to do something with my huge piles of magazines that i wanted to recycle but too hard to throw, i think i'll be doing the same, love what you did with the magazines cut out!! i know you with jars and glasses!! hehehe those are beautiful!! i also love the vase, looking so antique!! xx Susan

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  13. Love all your bits and pieces Jem. Would you believe I have never been to an Ikea store? The nearest one is about an hour away. Loving your ideas notebook. I'm a bit of a notebook fiend and always have several empty ones floating around.
    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that mercury glass vase. I'm a sucker for anything I think is 'pretty'. Unfortunately? that means my belongings are very eclectic in style.

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  14. Ditto on Ikea! And, I saw this little pot in our sale flyer, but it had a round bottom.... haven't been to Ikea to really check it out. LOVE it.

    Warm blessings,
    Spencer

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  15. Love your inspiration book! you must show us as you keep adding to it!
    xo,
    Sena

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  16. You have such lovely and pretty things. Love the pot from Ikea and your glass collection. Thanks for stopping by BC Good Life Wednesdays and adding your link.

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  17. I was in Ikea last week and I didn't see the filigree pots or I would have grabbed a couple. Very cute! I also love your mercury glass. Thanks for linking to my party.
    xo,
    Sherry

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  18. Love those pots- I have the same ones too! Would love for you to come share this at Feathered Nest Friday at my blog~going on all weekend! :)

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