A New Look For a Battered Island, And Keeping Track of Those Spatulas!

My life is all about dressing up what I have, making things work, and improving efficiency using things out of my junk drawer(S). It's a very satisfying past time. Plus, it gives me a never ending list of things to share at Works for Me Wednesday! lol!

Twelve years ago, we picked up this kitchen island on clearance from a home improvement store. It had no sides and its white legs were damaged and dinged (like my legs after and an hour of playing soccer with my boys last night! But that's another story).

I needed the extra storage space and work surface, and it was functional, so I touched up the paint and lived with it. But after a while, I grew tired of picking up the boxes of cereal that fell off the bottom shelf, or got pushed out the back side. I also grew tired of looking at the stacks of pantry items down there. So, I decided to enclose it.

I bought a sheet of bead board, cut three pieces from it (one for the front and two for the sides) and used several finish nails out of my junk drawer to attach them to the island. I planned to put a piece of trim on the edges to cover the seams, but I never got around to it--an all too common thread in my life. But, you know? That's O.K. It looks better than it did, and Lord knows, there are more important things to do--like keeping track of my four year old, and thinking of new blog posts!

I'm actually thinking of painting the sides of the island, now. But I can't decide if I want to keep it natural to kind of match the maple cabinets, paint it white to match the appliances, or pale green to match the walls. What do you think?

Now, to keep track of my spatulas, I also employed junk drawer supplies. Of course it would be nice to have a fancy utensil holder or rack, but really, why spend money on it?

I simply took a few finish nails and drove them about halfway in on the bottom back "lip" of the cabinets next to the stove. It works like a charm to keep the cooking utensils I use most right within arms reach! I also get to keep my counter top clean for working. Now, there's a novel idea . . .

Feel free to check my other posts on things that work for me.

Incidentally, if you are looking for an alternative Halloween activity for your kids, or the kids at church, you might want to check out my post on Trunk or Treat. This was a new idea to me this year, and I think it's going to be a fun family night as well as a great community outreach.