Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I have been on a decorating frenzie since early December. I can't stop myself. I wonder if there's some kind of 12 step program. "Hello, my name is Miss Mustard Seed and I can't stop decorating." I love this stuff anyway, but there's something motivating and inspiring about knowing I'm going to share it on a blog. Anyway, my kitchen is my latest victim...um, project. I did not wake up this morning with that plan, but I decided it was time to wage war on my counters. Since starting Mustard Seed Creations over a year ago, my counters have suffered from the projects, paper work, and electronics that I haul out of my office. I was also growing tired of the accessory arrangements, so this is what the frenzie produced.
I collected my utencils, olive oil bottle, salt crock, and some other things onto a larger silver tray that I pulled out of my grandparent's attic.
Grouping them together on a tray makes it looks less cluttered to the eye. I love how the wood, metal, and blue and white ceramic play off each other.
I hung some small blue and white plates above my flour and sugar jars for some color. I'm going to make some cuter labels for these. I'm still deciding exactly what kind...
The counter between my sink and stove is where I do most of my prep work. I kept it simple with a row of antique canisters, a scale, and a tole tray in lieu of a backsplash.
I even shined up my kettle. (I told you this was a frenzie!)
I like to store my herbs on the counter like a bouquet of flowers. My bunch of flat leaf parsley is tucked into an antique ironstone US Army Medical pitcher. I'm not sure why, but I really love this piece.
I tucked my nest and some hallow eggs in a blue and white bowl on the scale.
I brought a cheese plate out of one of the cabinets and put it on a stand next to my knife block and concrete chicken.
I had some tole trays hanging at the end of the kitchen, but I always thought they were too large. I replaced them with my $2.97 Goodwill chalkboard and a blue and white plate.
The kitchen table and chairs belonged to my husband's great-great grandparents. I never thought I could put a table and chairs in this kitchen, but this fits perectly. It looks a little "blah". now, but it's very functional. A new floor, painting the cabinets and replacing the counters are all on my wish list. A smaller project is to paint the side of the pantry in a chalkboard paint. That alone will help the table *pop* a bit more.
A tarnished silver sugar bowl keeps brushes on hand by the sink.
Counter clutter has been a big problem lately, so I consolidated my two "baking drawers" into one and used the extra drawer for things that might otherwise sit on the counter. It now houses my calendar, small stuff I'm working on, action paper work, etc. I made it very clear to myself that this was not a junk drawer. I just hope I was listening to myself...
As I said earlier, I have big plans for this kitchen some day, but until then, I need to make peace with my green counter tops and linoleum floors. Keeping the accessories fresh helps me get through it.
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