A good neighbor not only invites you over for dinner, but also inspires you to revamp your kitchen organization! You might remember my kitchen curtain post where I first introduced you to the White Elephant's shabby and not-so-chic heart of the home. You know, the post where I pointed out it's abundance of grunge and made the bright graphic curtain panels in an attempt to divert attention from this grunge? If you didn't, no worries, one look at the speckled linoleum tile flooring and you'll get the jist.
In addition, there's this odd little corner space between the dishwasher and back door;
This is actually a pretty "clean" photo. Usually this spot collects a lot of shoes and a hodge podge of other things. But you get the idea, it's a not so pretty little area for trash and miscellaneous items. Or that's what it was resigned to until I saw my neighbors kitchen and noticed that she had a microwave cart here. Not only did it look a lot cleaner and nicer, but what a good use of the space!
So, after perusing thrift stores and Craig's List for a week or two and still coming up empty handed, I finally went to Walmart and bought the least expensive storage cart they carried. As much as I would have liked to find something used, it was $20 well spent. What do you think?
Not only did that grungy-corner-for-trash-and-junk look go bye-bye once the new cart was up, but a lot of counter space was freed up as well. And counter space is precious real estate in this kitchen.
Welcome to the new home for the coffee maker, microwave, cook books, and the green
Speaking of the coffee maker, it's now in close proximity to my coffee containers for maximum convenience. My daily morning coffee routine just got even easier!
Oh and let me point out a project within a project. Remember this tray? It came from a thrift store for about $1.50.
It needed some cleaning and spiffing up, and that's exactly what it got. For a few bucks more, I picked up a can of "Cherry Red" spray paint and gave it a fun new color to match the curtains.
Then I had a small pile of frames that I'd picked up from Rugged Wearhouse on clearance for $1 each. I also had some fun cards that happened to be the perfect size, so in the frames they went! (The other one's sitting on the windowsill where the rooster used to be.) You might have noticed the little yellow-green acorn frame as well. It was also on clearance for a buck, so I got two and then painted them this yellow-green color (they were originally brown, then lime green- the same color as the firebird, which was too much- and now this shade after mixing the original green with some white to lighten it up a little). As you can see, they (the little "acorns") are empty for the time being, but I have an idea for 'em that I'll eventually get around to.
The trash can still sits here, but now it's not the focal point of the space. I've been toying with the idea of spray painting it red... I've never heard of anyone doing this, but hey, I've got to do something with the leftover spray paint, right?
So that's it for now. We're slowly and surely improving our little "character-rich" kitchen. I say "we" not because Thane has any part in the decor aspect of the makeover, but because he's the one that put the shelf together. Thanks honey!
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P.S. See our ranch house kitchen plans here. (And pssst, they won't just be plans for much longer, the cabinets are going up sooner than we can believe!)
P.S.S. Spray paint works wonders; see how to use it to get the exact look you want for your decorative curtain rods here.
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