Blessing #94 - Open Shelving

We are 85% moved into the new place. (Yes, that's right. I said 85% and I meant it.) We are now sleeping in the other house. There are so many things I love about this new house that I'll share on another blessing, but for now I'll just say...the kitchen is struggling!

It has paneling, and I can touch the ceiling...fLaT fOoTeD!



Here is a before shot that I took before I started unpacking and cleaning, dark cabinets with some white plastic as a backsplash.

As I was cleaning out the cabinets, I found this box of cream of wheat in one of them. I thought, "Oh, the last renters must have left this box of cream of wheat," as I pulled it out. Then the entire shelf in the cabinet fell down. Look at the expiration date...2006. It's been holding up that shelf for a while now.



Anyway, I decided to lose a couple of the dark cabinet doors by taking them off. I took the doors off at the hinge where they connect to the cabinet and left the hinge connected to the doors. I made sure I saved the screws in a safe place. Here's how it looks after an intense cleaning and taking off the doors.



Here is a close up on the cabinets.

This one shows off all my pyrex. I love my pyrex! I've found my whole collection at yard sales and junk shops. I've paid about $15 for all those pieces.


Here are my dishes that I put on display. I still need to take off the old shelf paper. You may be asking yourself, "Why does she only have two bowls of one type and three bowls of another type?" The answer is simple...butterfingers.

I also lined all the drawers yesterday.



I used wrapping paper in a pattern I liked, and just used painters tape to secure it in the corners. I have no idea how this is going to hold up, but I know it makes me smile every time I open a drawer now. It took one roll at $3.99 to line all my drawers.

Sometimes in life, you just have to make the best of what you have. Open shelving really helped my struggling little kitchen.