Monday, January 21, 2013

Makeover Monday - Kitchen Desk

Happy Monday, everyone!

If you happened to catch last week's Kitchen Makeover, and noticed the picture of a nicely cleaned and organized kitchen...


There was ONE small part of the picture I did NOT show you.

That part of the picture was a small desk area next to the ovens in our kitchen. I cleaned the rest of the kitchen area that night, but this desk with a job in itself...to be tackled at an entirely different time!

Here's what you DIDN'T see in that picture:



WHAT A MESS!  As you can see, clutter was everywhere. 

On top of the refrigerator...we had candy from Halloween and even LAST VALENTINE'S DAY!!!  And some electric lanterns that we rarely use...only in the case of a power outage...which doesn't happen often!





On the shelf above the desk and fridge area, We had packages of Batteries, and thumb tacks!  SOOOO decorative...NOT...ugh!


And on and around the desk itself...the kids' lunch boxes, (which we use when the kids go to co-op classes or camp days, so they needed to be accessible)  plastic bags for our doggie's cleanup on walks, cookbooks (that never get used because I find most recipes online now anyway)  and other miscellaneous JUNK!






This area needed a complete overhaul!

So, I set to work again. I put the cookbooks in our guest-room/study to only be taken out when needed.  The plastic bags went into an already-installed bag holder inside a cabinet under our sink.  Why I never used it truly boggles me now!  lol

I pitched a lot of stuff we weren't using, and put stuff in their places that we were using.

I went to Michaels and bought a few great storage boxes on sale. I wanted them to be functional as well as decorative. This would be where I stored lots of clutter. 

I found 3 "memory boxes" for 2 dollars each, and 1 larger decorative box for 30% off the regular $8.99 price tag. I was very happy with these finds.  

Now to put the clutter in them.


In this box, above the microwave, I folded the kids' lunch boxes tight and put them in there.  This box has a magnetic close lid, so it keeps the lunchboxes from lifting the lid!  The perfect solution to those unsightly lunchboxes!


I cleared the clutter and got rid of some of that very old candy, consolodated those new packages of batteries and took our nail polishes and nail stuff out of the cabinet above the microwave and I put all those things in these three "memory boxes".  They all fit great!   I then put those lanterns into the cabinet with the newly added space I had made from clearing out clutter in there!


I took all the old pictures and drawings off the cabinet doors and the side of the fridge....I'm going to find a new place to organize the kids' masterpieces!  =)   My goal is to make something like this for each of the kids and we'll display their latest drawing or test with a great grade:



It's made from a cookie sheet!!!  Pretty amazing, huh???


Here is the finished product!   Such a difference!




It feels so nice to have a clean kitchen!  =D

Thanks for joining me for this "Makeover Monday"   I hope you have a great start to your week!


This post was added to the following:
Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphosis Monday
My Uncommon Slice...Tuesday Treasures
A Humble Creation - Monday Makeover Party

12 comments:

  1. NICE WORK! I really need to do this to my office.

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  2. Hi Mary Ann! Thanks so much! It was a big job, but it's so nice to have it done!!! =D Hope you have a great day! I love your blog, by the way! =)

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  3. Looks great! The before pics remind me a little of my own kitchen, especially the top of the fridge! What is with that space? It's literally a magnet for everything! The makeover looks really nice, you shared some great tips :) Miscellany Mondays lead me here, excited to follow along!

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    1. Thanks so much Kristine! I know what you mean...my husband will put stuff up there to keep it away from the kids (and from his shorter WIFE too! haha) and it just is truly a clutter-magnet! I'm really glad you stopped by! Thanks for your sweet comment! =D

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  4. The area looks so neat and tidy now. I love the fact that you have a desk in your kitchen. That must be so handy!

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    1. Thanks Paula! Well, it may be a lot more handy now that it's not so full of clutter...haha! Thanks so much for commenting! That means a lot! Have a great night!

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  5. Haha i really laughed out loud because of the fact that everything seems perfect on the first photo and then you showed us the mess that was hidden, so funny! I love the way you tidied everything up right now :)! Like your blog a lot!

    Love from the Netherlands!
    xo Rosie

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    1. Haha! Thanks Rosie! Yes, It took some pretty interesting camera maneuvering to get that cluttery space out of my picture! I hope all is well in the Netherlands! Thanks so much for stopping by! Come back anytime! Have a great day! =D

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  6. Love how neat it looks and your idea for the boxes was great!
    Thanks for stopping by:)

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    1. Thanks so much! I really appreciate it! It's so nice to have that clutter hidden away in pretty boxes! Still accessible, but just not obvious to everyone...haha! Great to hear from you! =D

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  7. Looks great! I know you feel much better now as I have recently done the same in our house and it's quite the feeling of accomplishment. Here's hoping it stays as pretty!
    Thanks for sharing at A Humble Creation!

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    1. Thanks girl! Yes, that is actually the tricky part now...KEEPING it organized...haha! That's where I've really had to use some discipline...when something is left there on that desk...I try to put it away as soon as I see it...sometimes I get lazy though, and it's amazing how quickly organized can become cluttered...haha! Thanks again for stopping by and for hosting your great link party! =D

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