My letter to O Magazine

I was sitting up eating Cream of Wheat hot cereal (I love the stuff!) while reading the November issue of O Magazine. I came across a small promotion about "creating your space"  with #IKEA and O.  I immediately started writing my letter to win a chance to get a newly decorated bedroom.  But when I looked closer to the rules, it said that I needed to live within a 60-mile radius of an IKEA store.  Really guys?! Ever heard of buying items online and shipping them.  Actually Dallas is only 2.5 hours away ( the closest IKEA), so we could make a quick drive and go get my bedroom. 

I will send the letter anyway, along with photos of my bedroom for a chance to win.  My philosophy is they can either say yes or no, so I have a 50/50 chance to win.
After I completed the letter, I thought it was kinda cute and I wanted to share it with you.  Who knows...even if O magazine says no, the next interior designer might be reading this blog and want the challenge.

So here it goes...

Dear O Magazine,

I live in Oklahoma, for crying out loud.  Of course, I don’t live within a 60-mile radius of an IKEA store, but I’d still like to have a nice bedroom.  Although Oklahoma City is a town on the rise, it’s by no stretch of the imagination Dallas Texas.  In fact, it is 189 miles away. 

We have an NBA team, but no IKEA. 

We have the Bricktown Canal and Waterway, but no IKEA. 

We have great universities, but no IKEA.

We have large concert halls and casinos, but no IKEA.

Had I known this 16 years ago when we moved here, I might have considered someplace else to live.

I’m being facetious, of course.  But just because I don’t live near an IKEA does that mean, that I am not deserving of a beautiful bedroom where my husband and I can relax and unwind at the end of the day and wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to change the world?

My husband is a Pastor in Oklahoma City, which is why we came here 16 years ago from Philadelphia, PA.  Not only did we leave our family and comfort zones, but apparently 2 IKEA stores behind as well.  Our house is not big and luxurious, but it is definitely a happy home.  It’s a place where the tone is set in the kitchen, as I cook breakfast for my husband and boys before sending them off to school and preparing myself for work.  And it’s a place where the aroma of the crockpot fills the house as you enter at the end of the day. Nice and comforting!

We have pulled the carpet in both sons’ rooms and painted the walls a couple of times, but we have never gotten around to transforming our own bedroom.  Our bedroom lacks luster.  It’s institutional.  It has a bed, a primitive chair, two dressers, a TV mounted on the wall, one night stand that is cluttered with books and papers because there is no storage space.

I’d love to see area rugs instead of old carpet.  I’d like to maximize the space that we have to add more storage.  Honestly, I would just love for a professional to come in and see what the room could be, through their eyes.  I know that there is potential here, but I have not been able to bring our bedroom to life.  We run around all day serving others and taking care of our family and then fall into bed at the end of the night.  I would like to come home after doing all of that and be able to retreat to the comfort of our own bedroom and perhaps read the latest issue of O magazine.

So this is my request for help to transform our bedroom into a mini retreat at the end of the day.  I have attached a few photos.  Everyone else from Oklahoma shops in Dallas anyway, so maybe you could make an exception. 

Blessings,

Sharri Coleman

So what do you think?  Do I have a chance?  Well it doesn't matter, I'm about to hit "send" anyway.  The contest ends on November 6th.  As I tell my kids, "all you can do is try".  

Now go ask for something that you want today, regardless of the rules, and walk it out.....