bedside table organization

I have to give entire credit of this project idea to my Aunt Dianne. She told me about it long ago and I finally acted on it this summer!

It’s so simple, yet probably one of the most useful projects I’ve ever made/created/upcycled/re-purposed. Really the only thing you need is one of those outdoor, barbecue or cookout utensil baskets. The one with all the different sections.

I found mine at a yard sale for $1. It was a little beat up though, so naturally I gave it a coat of spray paint. I then added a small strip of ribbon to the front to cover some of the broken basket pieces. I also cut off the handles.

Before this I always had everything thrown on top of my nightstand; my book, lotion, chapstick, face cream, nail file and so on. Now, everything has a perfect spot. It’s amazing! The compartments are also the perfect size for a TV remote or to roll a magazine into.

It’s just so clever! I would have never thought of this, but I’m so glad my Aunt Di did. I love how neat, orderly and cute it looks. Do you have a certain way of organizing bedside clutter? If you say throw it in the drawer, I’m all for that. Our bedside table drawers barely fit a book though so I needed another option!

june (oops) pinterest project: diy dessert stands

As I was getting ready to write my delayed July Pinterest Project post I referred back to all the others and realized I had never done June. So let’s make this one June’s Pinterest Project and then I’ll get my act together to do a July one too that will be posted in August also. Following?

These are adorable and SO easy to make. I gathered a few different glasses: a martini one, margarita one and an old champagne glass and some glass plates that I had already. I was making these for my sisters bridal shower so I painted them in the color scheme.

There were only a few supplies needed and like I said it was so easy. I followed these instructions. I altered mine a tad since I used glass plates, I didn’t paint on the top of the plate, but I did still use a doilie when serving food.

I’m sad to say that this was the best photo I had of them, which was actually a photo of the cake and I just cropped in on the dessert stands. I didn’t want to photograph the after until it was cute with the doilies and the desserts but in the end I completely forgot to photograph them. Fail!

They were cute and inexpensive to make and it added a little jazz instead of just using all dessert platters. Have you guys been up to any Pinterest projects lately!?

diy knife block

This is super easy and totally self-explanatory. A friend of a friend didn’t have a knife block for her sharp knives. You know, the ones you don’t want to throw in the silverware drawer so that no one loses a finger when grabbing for them. Yes, those knives. So instead she did this:

So clever! Maria took a clear container (you could also use any sort of vase or canister) and filled it with rows of lentils and rice. That way the container had enough fill that was sturdy so she could just slide the knives in and out and they stand up perfectly straight. I love this! If I didn’t have a knife block I would most definitely want this on my counter. Thanks Maria!

storage for grilling tools

We love grilling and now that it’s March it means grill season for us is in full swing. When you have minimal space in your home and in your kitchen it’s tough to store those massive sized grill tools. We also picked up a great kabob rack over the winter for a super clearance price that we also need to store somewhere.

I attempted to sew a case for the grill tools. I didn’t get too far because I could already tell it was flimsy, was going to be annoying to remove the tools from and was going to end up being this behemoth thing. I thought more about it to figure out what the best, easiest and most convenient option would be.

I decided upon a simple canvas bag that I already had. It seemed like the most practical option. The tools and kabob rack both fit perfectly. It can easily hang when it’s in the house, and is sturdy and flat-bottomed, so it can stand when in use outside. The tools get washed and put right back into the bag for next time.

Not half bad for the time being. What about you? Do you have any great grill tools storage? Some tools come with a case, which is great, but ours didn’t. Happy grilling!

a faulty oven

It’s been a year and two days since we moved into this house. And for the entire time the stove/oven has not worked properly. I’ve begged and pleaded with the landlord, the fix it man, the fire department and anyone else who would listen, to get a new one. It wasn’t happenin’ though. We did get some of the burners fixed so that was a start.

We were watching an episode of Good Eats on the Food Network and Alton Brown was talking about an oven thermometer and that we should all have one. That all ovens read differently whether new or old. That it’s the most accurate way to cook in your oven.

So we listened to him, because we’re kind of obsessed with him. We went out and bought one for $7.95 at Sur la Table.

$7.95 was all it took to not have overcooked pork, dry steak, burnt sweet potatoes, undercooked bread and mushy muffins. It was all it took to prevent another meltdown from me wondering WHY I’M SUCH A BAD COOK. I’m not actually, my oven is.

After using the oven thermometer we learned that our oven was about 50 degrees off from the reading on the knob. That’s outrageous.

So, my advice to you, is to invest in an oven thermometer if you need one, want one or if you’re oven doesn’t cook properly. It’s worth it, and it makes me even happier that it’s something that I’ll always have versus spending money on something that will stay in a rental. Plus, it makes you feel all fancy because your breads come out perfectly and your shepherd’s pie is delightful.

P.S. Happy Leap Year!

celebrating the newly engaged

Yesterday Al and I hosted a surprise engagement party for my sister and her fiancé here at our house. It was the hottest, most muggiest September day, which made for an interesting hour of 25 people shoved into our house before the couple arrived. Once they did arrive though, we were able to disperse and head outside to cool off a little!

It was a fabulous afternoon and although it was hot, it wasn’t raining. We hosted all of their closest friends in a casual, laid back Sunday kind of way. We had football on, grilled burgers and dogs, had a great variety of food and desserts and enjoyed celebrating the newly engaged couple.

My focus for the party was to keep it simple and not overcrowd with party decor. Since we were already cramped with people, we really didn’t need massive numbers of balloons and streamers adding to the claustrophobia.

I focused on warm fall colors and using what I already had around the house. I picked up a few sheets of scrapbook paper at A.C. Moore and worked with those.

A friend had given me a bouquet of flowers so I split it up and used mason jars for vases. We also used an antique cigar box to hold cards guests brought and as a place where they could write a well wish to the couple. I displayed some wine corks and used empty bottles to the display on the table.

I knew I wanted to display photos but really didn’t have the space for anything huge. So, I took advantage of the fridge and hung a few ribbons with photos clothes pinned on.

After they arrived we went into operation setup and got the tables and chairs in place outside. I then moved the vases of flowers outside along with some of the other props.

Everything worked out perfectly. They were entirely surprised and thrilled to spend the afternoon with their friends.

Congrats, Hayley and Seth! Cheers to wedding planning! xoxo

holiday table dressing

There are many simple ways to dress up your dining table for the holidays. Though, some can become large, intrusive and overall gaudy. Ours is very simple mostly because our kitchen table is so, so tiny, but using what we’ve done you can definitely add to it if you have a larger table.

I draped a red scarf I had as a table runner and placed a glass bowl from our wedding in the center. I found the two green glasses at the thrift store for $0.50 each and the ornament balls were ours. I filled the bowl with the ornaments and added tea lights to the glasses.

I love the added touch of the colored balls versus neutral silver, white or gold ones. This dressing allows us enough space to still eat dinner without having to move it. If you have a larger table I suggest the same thing, with the addition of: more ornament balls, pine cones or branches of fresh greens scattered down the table runner, or you could do an assortment of other candles and candle sticks.

Do you have a special table dressing for the holidays? If so I’d love to hear about it or even see a photo. Share, share, share!

alternative pots and pans rack

I’m frugal, you all know that. Call me cheap if you wish but I choose the classier word of frugal. In our small kitchen we really didn’t want to waste cabinet space to store pots and pans. But we also weren’t fond of dropping $75-$100 on a pots and pans rack. Enter Al. On a trip to Target his brain got to thinking. And this is what he thought:

(please pardon the semi-blurry photo, I must have been really excited)

Brilliant. It’s an over the toilet shelving unit that was $19.99 on sale for $14.99. It fit better than perfectly in the space we had for it. We removed what would have been the towel bar and with some $1.00 “S” hooks from Home Depot we had ourselves a pots and pans rack.

And, really, you can’t beat that price. It holds all of our pans except the ginormous pasta pots, and all of the lids sit perfectly in between the wire shelves.

Not bad! Have you used a creative way to store and/or hand pots and pans? I’d love to know because I struggled with this for a while!

Note: I understand this is not a recycled project, but it is indeed a way to reuse something you may already have in your home. It was just too good not to share!

chiavari kitchen chairs

I love chiavari chairs. They are most used at weddings and formal functions and are usually either gold or silver. Though, they seem to be making it into kitchens and dining rooms these days. Over the summer Ballard Designs was carrying them for more than $100 per chair.

I set out to find some last spring and wasn’t about to pay the hefty price you’ll find online and in catalogs. It just so happened that my friend Courtney was also on the hunt for some. And she found them. In HOT pink.

A seller on Craigslist had hundreds of them in hot pink and he was selling them for $20 each. Within eight hours I had emailed the seller, coordinated pickup and was on my way to get them. Insert Al’s facial expression here as we loaded four hot pink chairs into the Hyundai. He wasn’t fond of them and thought they were going to be flimsy. Little did he know they are some of the sturdiest built chairs because they’re made to hold up event, after event, after event and built to hold all sizes of people. I put him to work and in just a days time we had four beautiful satin black kitchen chairs.

Al spray painted them using Krylon black satin finish paint. He also primed them with a black spray paint primer that is sold in the spray paint section. Total cost for four amazing chiavari chairs: $87.98. Sure as heck beats dropping a couple hundred dollars for kitchen chairs!

Note: I picked up the chair cushions at an amazing store, Old Time Pottery, while we were in Tennessee. I’m probably the only person who goes on a weekend trip to Nashville and comes home with 4 chair cushions in her suitcase!

multiple uses for a cake stand

Cake stands, both old and new, are beautiful. Modern ones are clean and chic and vintage ones have so much character. Not only can they be used to serve cakes, but they provide many other uses in the kitchen and can be used as art pieces and decor around the home…

Provide a dropping place for keys and spare change on a small table in the entryway.

Serve desserts (other than cake) and other finger foods or appetizers.

http://www.countryliving.com

Place often worn jewelry or makeup on it and display on your dresser.

Create a centerpiece for a small table using candles, flowers or fruit (fresh or artificial).

http://www.redbookmag.com

Use it in a bathroom to display bath products for use.

The options are endless. Would love to hear if you have any other uses for the cake stand. Cake stands can be purchased pretty much anywhere. I found my light blue one at an antique store in the burbs; got a great price on it because of a minor nick on the underside of the glass…I obviously put up a stink to get that price!