Yesterday morning, our friend Wally (thank you, you're a hero) drove us to the land of the Swedish furniture with the magical keys.

We came back with a packed car... We found :

- The two black chairs
- Another red chest of drawers (this one in shiny metal, yum !)
- A lamp
- Plain red cotton curtains

And some plugs, plastic tubes to hide the 'puter cables, black wire mail organisers, etc.

I've resisted the lure of the boxes. Because I have a serious box addiction. I love boxes. I love organising.

I can't wait to have the floor installed so we can start emptying our dining room. We had to cancel dinner with JM & Ginger tonight because we freaked out when we realised our mess was definitely NOT Margaux-friendly. Better safe than sorry.

Blythou out.

The new black vinyl floor has just been delivered.

I've made a chocolate pudding for tonight's informal get-together.

Going to Ikea with a friend at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I hope they have those swanky black chairs I really, really want. I don't care if they're comfy, they're gorgeous, that's what matters.
Yes, it's *that* kind of mindset which makes me buy a crappy digital camera or a lousy phone.

I know, I know. Only inner beauty should matter (or my butt's comfort when it comes to a chair), but I tend to use my brain a lot during a normal day of work, so by the time I switch it off, I turn into Silly Superficial Blythou, a critter who swears by design over everything.

With a bit of luck, those chairs are beautiful AND comfy. And if they're not, well, too bad. I'll suffer in silence until the cats have destroyed said-chairs and it's time to buy new ones.

Oh, and I need to find a place where I can make "Loser Candy" badges. It sounds like something out of Seinfeld and it'll leave people puzzled which is always a great thing.

Blythou out.

Last week's been a whirlwind. Besides meeting Maria and Emmi and attending their exhibition in Paris, I attended the Paris doll show with Lula Bebop & Tibiloo.

And finally we received and assembled our big Bonde cabinet from Ikea. The girls have moved in their new condo and seem *relatively* happy. No suicides from jumping from the top shelf yet. Some of the Stitches have also stuffed themselves in here. Saves them from Bettie's constant grooming I suppose.

I attended TWO meetings on Monday, went on a press trip on Tuesday (in the wine region... say no more), did two interviews yesterday... And finally our friend James drove us to Ikea today.

I'm knackered.

But I found a new red chair for the living room, found *the* couch we want, bought some vintage looking curtains, a shitload of cutlery, pots and pans, some gifts for friends... And a thingie to hang the lingerie/socks after the laundry shaped as an octopus. Once I arrived home, I realised I should have bought an extra one for Pam/Tikistitch who's a big octopus/squid enthusiast ! Next time, I will, I promise !

Now, I just have to write a loooooong interview and find some fresh virgin blood to regenerate.

Blythou out.

I've just ordered my Bonde cabinet on Ikea online. I'll go check out the sofas and chairs next month and indulge in a shopping trip there, which is always very, very dangerous since I love decoration, home improvement and changing everything.
Oh and I love boxes, shelving units and I always spend hours drooling in front of the walk-in closets. I'll have mine, one day <--- said in Scarlett O'Hara's voice at the end of the 1st part of Gone With The Wind.

Of course, I don't really want my girls to leave behind glass doors, but they're constantly endangered by cats, visiting kids, second-hand smoke, dust, etc. So they'll be safe. I just have to convince myself that, no, they won't choke to death in their glass prison.

And I've checked this morning. I actually own 48 Littlest Pets. That's a lot.

Blythou out.

During dinner with JM & Ginger on friday, I mentionned how we were going to buy doors for our two new cabinets and they offered to give us a ride in their PT cruiser on the next day. I initially declined, after all, not owning our own car doesn't mean we expect our friends to chauffeur us around, but they insisted... So it enabled Ginger to spend part of her birthday in the warehouse of a furniture store, which, we all agreed, was a very original way to celebrate. We later thought we should have brought along a pitcher of Dry Martini to pass the time while waiting for our packages... Oh well, next time !

Yesterday, we built those cabinets, screwed doors, carried stuff around, moved furniture, so today, I'm a bundle of achy muscles and my arms & back hurt.

And I can't even enjoy a coffee, since our Nespresso machine stopped working on Saturday. I called the Nespresso Club and they're lending us a machine while ours is being fixed. Those people know how addicted to caffeine one can be.

Blythou out.