Still Dreaming of a White Kitchen

Visiting day had arrived. Pulling into a carpark right outside the Ikea entrance just had to be a good omen. Swinging my handbag without a care in the world, my feet fluttering over the hardwood floors like a dancer floating onto the stage I headed for the kitchen department. I may have pranced. I may have sasheyed. I may have also hummed.

I have patiently waited for a new kitchen. One that would accommodate both my dishes and a small crowd of hungry mouths waiting to be satisfied with succulent morsels of slow roasted chicken bathed in lemon and garlic, vuluptuous spoonfuls of airy chocolate mousse and pillows of buttery berry-filled pastries. Heaven to the tastebuds.

If you remember from 'I'm Dreaming of a White Kitchen', there were three kitchens that set my heart a'fluttering. So after much roving back and forth, a decision was made.

An Unexpected Detour

It may have been all the decisions; rounded bench edges or straight, benchtop colour, cupboard door style, handle style, lighting, sinks, mixers but it all became a soupy blur and I was swiftly escorted to an unexpected utopia also known as the Ikea restaurant.

Love at First Bite

Despite lengthy queues, it didn't seem long before a dinner plate was skidded across the table to me, accompanied by a bottle of juice. There, sitting on a pillow of soft, creamy mashed potato were a dozen sauteed little gems. One bite and I was considering Sweedish citizenship. These little meatballs were so good, I wondered how I never knew about them before now. Forget the kitchen measurements left on the table at home, (nothing more needs to be said about that!)forget stone benchtops and soft-close drawers. Now I had the ultimate excuse to drive half an hour on the freeway, scramble through the winding maze of Ikea and fight off shoppers just to have one more meatball or nine and it would all be completely justifiable and most definitely worth it. This was a whole new European dining experience. Would this nation stop at nothing to create yet another genius offering to the masses?

I may very well be one of the last people on earth to discover Sweedish meatballs (as proven by a poll I ran on Facebook) but I'm not deterred. I'm not thinking of those who shall remain nameless, who gleefully wolfed down plate after plate of Sweedish meatballs AND piles of creamy mashed potato over the years and simply 'forgot' to mention it to me. All is forgiven. Now all I can say, with the kitchen measurements tightly gripped in my hand this time and a coupon for $3.95 meatballs in the other is,"Kids, we're going out to dinner!"

copyright 2010 Philippa Vette

I'm Still Dreaming of a White....Kitchen!

Coming soon... (I promise).

More Boutique Market Stalls

Check out Karen's gorgeous kiddies clothes: www.igrowkids.com.au

The lovely Donna and her amazing windmills. Everyone seems to love them. You can't help but feel happy with one of these. Contact: mistydonna11@hotmail.com

The Day a Dream Became a Reality

After an exhausting day driving like a crazy woman in an actual thunderstorm, I picked up my T-shirts, hurled a bundle of cash to the T-shirt guy and raced off to my other job.

When I finally got home at night, I was so tired I may have been asleep even before I got into bed - impossible to tell but likely. But after laying there for the shortest time, I was suddenly wide awake with every thought systematically hijacked by points on my List of Things Not to Dare Leave Behind, in the morning. Beautiful.

Destination: Boutique Market, Anne Street, Brisbane, Australia

I woke this morning even before the birds, (which in Brisbane is super early), feeling like I'd spent the night being "sucker-punched" on Wipe Out. With the help of every able-bodied person who was awake or semi-awake, the car was soon loaded with every product I had. Breakfast was consumed and in some cases, inhaled as we raced for the door. After fulfilling the obligatory babysitting drop offs, I barrelled down the freeway into the city.

THE DETOUR

With the quirky turn of events I've become accustomed to while developing my range of inspirational products, my greeting cards still needed to be cut to size. I desperately hoped the guillotine guy had got to work early and done mine first. Yahtzee! They were waiting for me and after parting with a little more cash, they were released into my steely grip. No time to look at them. Ann Street here we come.

INTRODUCING THE NEW BABY

As I set up my display I could hardly wait to peel back the newsprint that encased my greeting cards and take a peep. A sharp breath caught in my chest. The first sheet was blank. What? Nooooooo! Not another hurdle to clamber over. I've been tumbling over obstacles and deflecting unforeseen glitches for four months solid and I wasn't even sure if I even wanted to solve one more "issue". Then, the next sheet was a stylish, glossy, printed and embossed greeting card. Classy. I had a private "moment".

I sat each of the four types of cards on display as if I were introducing them to the T-shirts (another new addition only one day old) and to the framed quotes. There. A nice little family.

So there they were; no longer just a dream housed in the gallery of my mind - they were real. If only to prove to myself who had never ventured this far in unfamiliar waters - that dreams really can come true, then I'd have to say the journey thus far has been worth it.

copyright 2010 Philippa Vette

NEWS FLASH

Boutique Market

166 Ann Street, Brisbane, Australia

10am-3pm

All Welcome.

Featuring: Inspirational Writer, Philippa Vette's striking Eye Chart Quotes

including framed quotes, matching t-shirts and gorgeous greeting cards.

Come along to support local women in business

and get your Christmas shopping done all under one roof.

Come and say "hi".