Repurpose Your Food Containers

Let's get organized today!  What is better than getting organized?  Getting organized for FREE.  Today I am going to show you how to repurpose your food containers into organizing bins like these...

What do you need?  

• Empty Food Containers -- mine were from corn meal and oats.
• Spray paint or craft paint
• Stamps
• Scrapbook Paper
• Tape
• Labels
• Chalkboard Paint
• Chalk

The bottom of your food container will show in the finished project.  So, let's paint that first.  I used spray paint on mine.  Anything to make it look pretty will work just fine.

Cut your scrapbook paper to the height of your container.  Wouldn't you know that the scrapbook paper was not long enough to make it all the way around the container?  So I added another piece to lengthen it just a smidge....just tape it on...

I used my stamps from PSA Essentials to make a pattern on my paper.  I took one circle stamp plus two different colors of ink...

The paper itself has a shiny appearance.  The stamping is super subtle.  That is what really made me fall in love with these containers.  They are pretty but subdued all at the same time.

Once you are done stamping and your ink has dried, wrap your paper around your container and tape on the back.  Here you can see the back and the front.  From here you can tell just how short my scrapbook paper was...

For the chalkboard labels, my pal Gina posted a tutorial on her blog a while back.  You just need to spray your chalkboard paint right on a sheet of labels.  It works wonders!

The containers themselves are slightly different.  Different stamps and ink colors were used.  So they match...but not perfectly.

Grab your chalk and write whatever your contents are.  That is after you have sorted and organized everything!

Who will be saving their food containers now?  Or at least looking at them a bit differently!

For a look at where I used my containers, head on over to this post.

PSA Essentials supplied me with the stamps but the project and opinions expressed are all mine.

 Posted at Get Your Craft On on Today's Creative Blog.

Posted at Take a Look Tuesday on Sugar Bee Craft Edition.

Posted at Tip Me Tuesday on Tip Junkie.

Posted at Tutorials and Tips on The Stories of A to Z.
~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage  

Read More

Clear Your Clutter and LINK UP your posts

Time to clear our clutter from the kitchen!  I am participating in a Clear Your Clutter challenge with a group of bloggers.  If you missed any of the posts this far, check out these links.

Monday Mrs. Greene posted some great closet tips.

Tuesday HomeMadeville got her bathroom organized.
Now it is time for the Kitchen!

My first tip is the picture above.  Using a plate stand by your kitchen sink keeps your sink nice and clean looking.  Check out this pin for where I got my inspiration.  While you are there you can follow our Clear the Clutter pinterest board for tons of ideas!  
My next tips envolves those dreaded baking pans...
BEFORE

First of all, this cabinet is UNDER the build in oven.  Every night I would have to get on my hands and knees to get to my pans.  The second tip is to store your most used items where they can be easily accessed.  I moved things that I only use a few times a year to this cabinet and moved OUT my pans.  Then I stalked pinterest and every other outlet for a solution that would work with MY cabinets.  You know what...I found a simple baking sheet rack at The Home Depot for less than $10!!  Check out that organization...

AFTER

My next tip is for drawers.  We all have one of these drawers...right?  Tell me you have one of these drawers...pretty please...sugar on top...

BEFORE

I found the coolest thing EVA...at Big Lots even!  This drawer organizer snaps into different configurations and was only $6...six bucks!

And check out what a difference it made!  Yes no person in their right mind should have that many batteries.  Would you believe that they were hiding in my clutter and I had NO CLUE I had that many.  Think of all the things that are hiding in your clutter that you don't even know you have!

AFTER

Now let's talk pots and pans.  More importantly the LIDS to those pots and pans.  They don't stack and they end up making my cabinets look like this...

BEFORE

 

 Again, every set of cabinets is different.  The solution that I ended up going with....mug hooks...

Screw a mug hook into the side of your cabinet and just hang your pot lids...

Now my cabinet looks oh so much better....

AFTER

Now let's talk about the kitchen command center.  Our kitchen is a dropping spot for so many things.  Back last year I got a paper organizer to try and keep everything organized.  Welll...the paper was organized but so many things got dropped AROUND it...

BEFORE

I straightened everything up and cleared the clutter.  The tip would be to create a "drop zone" for things like paper, mail, etc, etc, etc.  It is easily staightened up occasionnally and things are {almost} always where I can find them.

AFTER

I also took some recycled containers and made these great storage boxes.  I will be doing a tutorial on how to make these later this week...stay tuned!

One last tip before I go, this one if for those pesky plastic containers and lids.  Last year around this time I implemented a storage system and it has worked....for an entire year.  You can find all the details on that one here.  I feel like if something has worked that long, it is tested and approved! 

Don't forget the Clear Your Clutter series lasts all week!

Thursday clutter bust your playroom with Attempting Aloha.

Friday organize your garage with CondoBlues.

Saturday the Mural Maker will tell you all about maximizing your storage space.  

Plus visit our Pinterest board dedicated to clearing your clutter.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

Now link up YOUR organizational ideas!

Read More

Cast Iron Update

I did a post a while back about some rusty old vintage cast iron I was given.  Believe it or not I have had tons of emails wanting an update.  I finally got around to working with it.  Here is the before.... 

Now for the after....

Or better yet the after... 

Now for some tips on how to get from the before to the after.  This is just what worked for me.  Nothing at all is proven about this method.  First thing we did was to put these in our wood stove and fire it up.  Basically burning all of the rust scale off of them.  Some took longer than others.  Some required more than one trip into the stove.  They come out looking like this...

I had some industrial scouring pads.  I used those on the skillet to loosen anything else.  Also to wash all of the ashes, etc off of it...

I then used shorting and aluminum foil... 

Rub lots of shortning all over the skillet... 

Even on the sides and bottom.... 

Wrap them up and put them on another pan.  Put in the oven.  I would cook mine for a few hours on 250 degrees.  I would then cool, wipe off, and put lard all over the skillet again (yes REAL lard).  This time cooking for an hour or so at 350 then turning it up to about 400 degrees.  Warning --- this will smoke up and make your house smell...you have been warned.  I would take em out when I had enough of the smoke.

But the after is worth it!  I feel like I saved these skillets! 

So far I have only used one of the skillets.  Hubby thought these turned out so good he brought me more home.  Some of those corn shaped muffin pans.  They  have been in the fire already but I still need to complete the process.  Another warning -- if you don't have true cast iron, the fate of the skillet will NOT be good in the fire.  We have one warped and twisted pan...I guess that is the way to tell if it is real..huh? 

I don't know if I will ever use that muffin pan.  It is just so darn cute!  I actually put this stack in my glass front cabinets.  Something about yummy black cast iron...I just love to look at it! 

Posted on Met Monday on Between Naps on the Porch.

Posted at Just Something I Whipped up on The Girl Creative.

~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage

Read More

Thrift Finds -- Bamboo Placemats for $1 each!

This week for thrifty treasures I am blogging about the Dollar Store!!  Cause I found some awesome bamboo placemats there for $1 each!! 

Love the bamboo and the brown trim!  They were perfect for my kitchen!  I could not pass em up! 

They make the kitchen feel a little lighter!  I made that table runner ages ago.  I tried to make it look like a vintage flour sack.  I still love it today! 

That basket tray was a thrift store score.  I just added a really light coat of white spray paint... 

I love it when $6 gets me a completely different look! 

Did you find any thrifty treasures this week?
Showing off my Thrifty Treasures on Southern Hospitality.

Posted on Met Monday on Between Naps on the Porch.

Posted at Your So Very Creative on Me Making Do.
Linking up to the Yard Sale party on The Nester.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

Read More

Rusty Wire Baskets -- Home Decor

Rusty wire baskets seem to have popped up everywhere!  And yes I love em.  Could you have guessed that?  So as I was doing a little organization, I found an old canning basket that was all rusty.  And it was hidden...in my cabinet!!  For shame!  Well look at her now....

Gorgeous vintage rust patina...you can't make patina like that!

Now it's home is in my glass front cabinets full of some jars....so much better than hidden away don't you think??

So do you ever find things you have hidden away and wonder what you were thinking??

Posted at Show and Tell on Romantic Home.

Posted at Frugal Friday on Shabby Nest.
Linking to Catch as Catch Can on My Repurposed Life.
Posted at friday fun finds on kojo designs.
Posted at Frugalicious Friday on Finding Fabulous.
Posted at Friday Favs on Naptime Crafters.
Posted at Look What I Found Friday on Vintage Revivals.
Posted at the Metal Party on Freckled Laundry.

~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~

Read More

Blue Ball Jar Love

Every now and again I have to post on my passionate love for blue Ball Jars....well it is more like an obsession...

I have quite a growing collection.  And I decided...why keep them in the kitchen??

So now there is some blue ball jar love in my bedroom....

To me, those blue-ish green hues go in any room...

And in a corner with a chippy window frame and a rusty license plate...perfection!



Posted at Show and Tell on Blue Cricket Design.

Posted at Whatever Goes Wednesday on Someday Crafts.
Posted at Good Life Wednesdays on A Beach Cottage.
Posted at SNS on Funky Junk Interiors.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

Read More