The Happiest Place on Earth: Ikea

Andrew and I visited his parents in Atlanta this weekend, and in addition to family time, celebrating his mom's birthday and eating some great meals, we visited Ikea for the first time! Ikea, y'all, Ikea. For the first time. A new (financially limited) homeowner's dream. We walked out with some goodies and lots of ideas for future home improvements (bigger items that we'd like to measure for before purchasing, mainly). So I don't forget some of our ideas, I'll share. But first, our loot:

One. Two. Three. Four.

The candles are on our mantel, which is coming along quite nicely with the DIY succulent garden.

And the Picasso prints hang on the main wall in our living room—we've been in search of original artwork for this wall since we moved in, but who knew a $40 Ikea print would do the trick? (We mainly like this one because of the little dog in the middle.)

The brandy glasses were Andrew's purchase. He's wanted them (for beer—however, he seems to be filling them with wine) since we visited the Cheeky Monk a couple years ago in Colorado. (I thought I had a really cute photo of one of us with the giant glasses at the Cheeky Monk, but alas, I think it died with my last phone.) However, here is Andrew hand modeling his new glasses:

 

So that's our loot! We stuck to small stuff this time around, but have some serious ideas for the next time we visit Atlanta. (You think we would have, um, gotten chairs or bar stools so we can eat without Ham trying to jump onto our plates from the back of the couch. Alas, we did not. Maybe later?)

Here are a few of the ideas we have for our future Ikea trips:

We're going to do some major work on our deck this summer, and I love cozying it up with a small patio set:

5-piece outdoor suite—$119

I also love this small bar cart. (Perhaps to display these monogrammed cups that I do not own?) It's $25, so it may be a little flimsy but I loved they way they had it set up in the showroom. (See below.)

Bar cart—$25

 I wouldn't go for such a retro look, but I think it's pretty cute for $25!

And last, but not least, shelving. I love shelving, especially when maximizing space. I have a vision for our dining room that involves some type of gallery shelving that displays mason jars of rice and couscous and other items, making it functional and cute. At Ikea, we found multiple options but I liked these the best:

White wall shelf—$14.99

 To sum up our trip (excitement yet slightly crazed) here's a crazy eye photo:

Where do you shop for inexpensive, cute home decor? Do you like Ikea?