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My First Trip to IKEA!

June 22nd, 2009

OK, here it is. I’m officially an IKEAFAN! I fully admit that I have been wearing specially made IKEA blinders from birth! I’ve always liked their stuff, and having the addictive nature so often found in Aquarians, the blinders were a necessity of life. It would be way too easy for me to find my bank account in serious trouble if those blinders were removed!

I’ve always believed what is meant to be will always find a way. A few weeks ago, my life’s path took an unexpected turn that has left me fully immersed in the world of IKEA. The blinders have been removed! I have learned so much in such a short amount of time, not just about the products, but about the company itself, that I’m seriously questioning my use of those blinders for so many years! And there’s the added safety net of having my nearest store four hours away in Atlanta!

HAHA Or so I thought! How quickly I’ve forgotten how often I visit Atlanta, even if it’s just passing through, my path taking me within blocks of the store! And so it was, this past Saturday I found myself visiting an IKEA store for the first time ever! And not to thoroughly overwhelm myself at all, I chose to do it on the first Saturday of the Summer Sale!

IKEA Atlanta

Of course I went with very stern instructions to myself that I was ONLY going to purchase the SUNNAN lamp that I had blogged about before. I succeeded………..sort of. I also came home with a $7 set of sheets for my daughter, a large stuffed hippo for the hubby, and the big green leaf for my son’s jungle themed bedroom. Not too shabby!

SUNNAN Display @ IKEA Atlanta

You can see the rest of photos from the Sea of Yellow Summer Sale Signs over in our Forums! Yes, I’m already planning a return trip! Next time with another six hours to spare to do some real shopping! – K

IKEA Sales, Personal ,

Paging Patrik

August 3rd, 2006

Pkt

“think I’m going mad, and so’s my wife: We distinctly remember seeing a green
PATRIK chair online or in a catalog, but cannot find it any longer. Can you ask
your readers? Was there a green PATRIK that was perhaps
discontinued?”

JR

Product Link

Personal , ,

Happy Fourth of July

July 3rd, 2006

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Happy Fourth of July
From positivefanatics.com

© 2006 ABF

First 4 people in line (18 and older) dressed as the Statue of Liberty  from head to toe will receive  a $250 gift card at the IKEA Schaumburg. Check your nearest store to see if they’re participating in this promotion.

Personal ,

Sweden’s global accent

May 31st, 2006

Maggie Galehouse interviewed us over the phone a couple of weeks ago and here’s an excerpt from her article on the Houston Chronicle:

Kem

“ALMHULT, SWEDEN — Most furniture chains don’t have hard-core fans who camp out in parking lots before grand openings or blog about copycat competition in China.

But Ikea is more than a chain. The blue-and-yellow warehouse jammed with low-cost, high-style furniture and housewares is closer to a design revolution.

At company headquarters this spring, project manager Lars Dafnas summed up Ikea’s appeal in just three words: “Natural. Blond. Solid.” It’s a short profile that has cut a long swath through the global
furniture market, making Ikea the world’s leading home-furnishings retailer….

…With $18.3 billion in sales last year, the world clearly likes what Ikea is doing.

At www.positivefanatics.com, the self-proclaimed “unofficial Ikea web journal,” megafans blog about Ikea news and share photos and wish lists.

Armand Frasco, who created the blog in November, said the site is so popular that people think he works for Ikea and regularly ask for him for job applications.

“It’s amazing,” Frasco said. “I hear from people in Michigan, Russia, Malaysia, everywhere.”

When the Houston Ikea opened at its new location in August 2004, the first customers lined up nine days before the doors opened. With a  $10,000 gift certificate as an incentive for the first, it’s easy to understand the motivation. But living in a tent city in the middle of a Houston summer is, as they say, a whole ‘nother thing..”

LINK

[Thanks to Allen Reid!]

Image: “Thar They Blow!” @ IKEA Lovers/FLICKR
ABF
© 2006

In the News, Personal, Projects, Travel , , , ,

Happy Easter!

April 16th, 2006

Tps

Titta and the Peeps
IKEA “Titta” finger puppets by Anna Efverlund and Marshmallow Peeps.

Image: ABF. View larger size @ FLICKR

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The Little Wanderer

March 13th, 2006

Monday Cuteness Attack!

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The “Little Wanderer” is a sculpture by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, (b. 1959).

Image: © 2006 ABF

Personal

2006 Chicago Flower and Garden Show

March 13th, 2006

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Hib1

I visited the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at the Navy Pier last Saturday. The nice guys at Exotic Hibiscus even showed us how they come up with new varieties!

More @ FLICKR.

Personal

Sick Teddy in a Malm

February 27th, 2006

Monday cuteness/flu attack!

Sickbearz

I feel kinda lousy. Will blog tomorrow. >.<

Personal

Visiting IKEA

February 13th, 2006

Monday Cuteness Attack!

Rbg

“Visiting IKEA” by Robotgirl @ FLICKR
© All rights reserved.

Hi to The Scandinavian DesignMouse!

Personal

Ingvar’s Angel

January 25th, 2006

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Aptx1z

Apxz

Excuse the slow updates. As you can see, we’re working on my new place. Thanks to Daf who came  straight from work to help:)

Images: ABF © 2006 All Rights Reserved.

Uh-oh. I just checked my referrers list.

Gxv
Dsp_1
Thanks guys.^_^

Update:

Reminder: We are getting lots of emails inquiring about
jobs at IKEA. Wish we could help but Positive Fanatics is not
officially affiliated with IKEA. Please direct your applications to
their corporate site/offices. Good luck! :)

And thanks to all the folks from West Sacramento, CA. and Canton, MI who
are inviting us to their store openings. Let’s see if we can hitch a ride
there.

Personal