Drawer Organizer

This was our first or second project when we bought our house.  Our drawers are big and our drawer organizer was small ... not a great look!  

Every time we opened the drawer this is what we saw ... or worse!  

So, off to Home Depot to pick up some boards!

I'm very visual so I cut up some scrap wood to figure out how I wanted to arrange it.  Tape was not cutting it.  After a million back and forth texts with my amazingly patient husband, 

I settled on our design. 

I cut up the boards, glued them together and used the drawer to make sure everything would fit perfectly.  

We used our clamps as spreaders and left the drawer to dry overnight.  

We did not glue to the drawer, I wanted to organizer to come out without damaging the drawer.  

Look at that - It's amazing and so so simple!  

This is where we left it until last week.  It looked nice and was functional but the knives kept sliding until the organizer (since it wasn't glued to the bottom).  Annoying!

So, another trip to Home Depot and my handy hubby cut down a thin sheet of plywood using our amazing Kreg Jig Rip Cut (seriously, this thing is amazing!).  

We glued and clamped and let it sit overnight.  

The finished product!  It's amazing and was super simple to make!  

On a side note, it you have kids you need these forks and spoons!  They are made right here in the US with recycled milk jugs.  They are sturdy, cute, and easy to replace when the toddler accidently throws them away or the school aged kiddo forgets them at school.  We seem to loose a lot of spoons ... seriously, where do they go?  They have plates, bowls, and cups too but we only have the forks and spoons and we love them!  

Anyway ... back to this amazing organizer ... it matches the inside of the drawer perfectly and is super functional!  

LOVE!

This is how it usually looks!  Empty.  How do we use all of our utensils every single day?  I'm searching for a new set ... or 4!  I have a set in my Amazon cart, but I don't like not being able to see and feel them in real life before I buy them.  Maybe in another 6 months that drawer will usually be full!  

Spice Cabinet Organization

Our spice cabinet was a mess - full and cluttered. 

One day I decided to clean in up and organize it.  I took everything out:

And realized I need something to hold all the spices I buy in bulk.  I thought it would clear up some space the containers could go on under the 2nd shelf instead of on the first shelf. 

So, I had my friend's amazing hubby cute me some scrap metal to the right size. 

Put it in.

 

 And put the shelf on top. 

 

 I picked these magnetic spice tins up at Cost Plus World Market.  

They are 5 for $9.95 online or $1.99 a piece in the store (which is the exact same price). 

 

 The lid is clear which is perfect to the see pretty spices!

I bought a bigger version from Ikea a while back for office supplies and I love them.  So, if you want a larger size (wider but shallower) - go with the Ikea version.  

 I filled the tins with spices and labeled them.  Temporary not so pretty label, but it works!  Now I don't have a bunch of bags and clutter in this cabinet and I can find what I need. 

 So neat and organized now!

Another idea would be to glue magnets on the bottom of spice jars.  Or the top, you choose.  Same idea, but would be perfect if you have containers for your spices already. 

You could also use the tins on the side of your microwave or fridge - would make a nice display if you have a variety of spices.

That is how I organized my spice cabinet in just an afternoon.  Looks so much better!  What do you think?

How do you tackle the clutter in your kitchen cabinets?

Dreaming of a White Kitchen

Ever since we bought our house, I have wanted to paint the kitchen cabinets white.  I love white cabinets - they are so timeless and easy to change the mood of.  You can add pops of color with accessories very easily.  BUT we are not planning on staying in this house for very long (we want to move out of the 'burbs and back to the country) so I don't know if the work would be worth it.  So, I didn't paint them. 

Two years later we now have beautiful new floors!  I LOVE the new floors and it only makes me want to paint the kitchen cabinets that much more.  The white cabinets would look soooo amazing with our wood floors!  So, instead of grabbing a paint brush and painting the cabinets, I ogled other white kitchens on pinterest. 

Source: houzz.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: decorpad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: traditionalhome.com via Sarah on Pinterest

The spice/sauce rack hidden by the stove top is such a great idea!

Source: houzz.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: everythingfab.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: decorpad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: thisoldhouse.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Have you noticed a theme?  White counters + wood floors + stainless appliances = perfection

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Sarah on Pinterest

LOVE this faucet and the open shelves in that subtle color!

Source: blog.designbuildteam.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I also love plants on the kitchen window - I have done this and LOVE it!

Source: bhg.com via Sarah on Pinterest

My dream kitchen colors - yellow and turquoise with small pops of red.

Kitchen and Breakfast Nook

Here is more of our house.  The tours starts at the bar, so grab a drink (seriously ... I will wait)

Here is our

Kitchen and Breakfast Nook

Kitchen view from the bar.

and the view from the breakfast nook

We have a galley kitchen and I am not in love with it at all - so does I am not even in like with it.  But, it works and that is that.  You may have noticed my sweet zebra lunch bag - it is pretty awesome and I love it! 

We have a nice window over the sink.  It looks out over the dog's kennels so the view isn't good but it lets in lots of light and I like that.

Yes - this is a picture of our garbage cans.  We have two - one is for garbage and the other for recycling.  Can you guess which one is recycling?

Recycling is RIGHT.  Get it?  It is on the right and it is the right thing to do. It is still funny after 2 years!!

Dish soap.  I LOVE this container - my sister bought it for me for my birthday.  LOVE!!  You can get one here.

We also have a duck and her ducklings on our counter.  Aren't they cute?  I bought them at the thrift store for less than $2.  I don't know why I love them so much, but I do!  I also bought the candle holder for 50 cents at the goodwill. 

Our breakfast nook.  The chandelier is from the bar area.  We bought the table a few months after we moved in.  The table always has place mats and cloth napkins ready for dinner.  We eat dinner here together every night. 

Other side of the kitchen - pretty standard.  counter area, stove/oven, and a small "pantry."

I love this little letter organized we have on the counter.  It is a great place to put stuff without looking too cluttered.  I bought it a LONG time ago when I worked at Ross and they were having an employee sale (we got 40% off everything a few times every year). 

We also have a bowl full of apples (from our sad little tree in the backyard).  I don't know why we have so many apples - we hardly even eat them and they are starting to get mushy (maybe I should make applesauce with them).

Our knife set - Michale just bought it from Cabela's and he got a great deal on it.  It was $50 marked down from $150.

If you haven't noticed by now - we are the proud owners of blue counter tops.  Yes - they are blue!

We have a nice little breakfast bar.  With two chairs that match out kitchen table.

See - they match!  All we have to do it pull over the two chairs and our table seats 6 - it is great when we have company!

Hope you enjoyed our kitchen tour!  I will try to do a room each week until they are all done!

What is your favorite thing about YOUR kitchen?