apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This was painful, I have to be honest. I had inherited my great aunt's cookie press and I wound up taking it to the neighborhood swap meet this weekend. I felt horrible but it was just taking up space and didn't know anybody in my immediate circle who would use it.

well.. i now have a big box of stuff we never use. I also did little things like dust of the raclette (we DO use that) and put the little scrapers and pans in a ziplock, to keep them from getting grimy (or lost). Out went: a toaster (we have a toaster oven), a weird metal bar thing, our 12 cup coffee maker (never use it - we have an espresso maker now) some old pots and pans, and MANY containerless tupperware lids (any ideas on how to reuse those?)

I also decided on my special project - repainting a grimy wall in our kitchen - the one the old owner decided to WALLPAPER (who wallpapers a kitchen) with an ugly matte off-white paper. The rest of the kitchen is fine, but this wall is UG-LEE due to uncleanable splatters and spills. I'm thinking a brighter, cheerier (and cleanable) yellow paint.

Loving the CURE!

Didn't get to it this weekend, but will work on it this week. I did start making a mental list of things that I need to get rid of and I don't think it's that much! Maybe just some kitchen utensils, a gross coffee pot, and an ableskiver pan (I've never used it but the idea of making munchkin-like treats is so fun!).

I found a lid that doesn't fit any of our pots. I have no idea why it was in our stuff. I just wish I could trade it for the pot I am missing!

The before and after pictures are really inspiring. I really have to get started on my drawers cause they're a mess.. I've gotten some kitchen design ideas from here and will hopefully put them to good use soon!

I posted something similar on the discussion board but...
I hadn't considered, before doing the Cure, that when I moved into my house a year ago I just put stuff where it seemed to make sense at the time. I have been using the kitchen in it's current set up and it never occurred to me to rearrange it based on how I ACTUALLY use it.

I rearranged a lot in my kitchen this weekend and it's going to be much more functional now than it ever has been.

Had I not engaged in this, I'd still be working in an inefficient kitchen and continued to waste the TON of space that I have. I used to have things littered on every counter while drawer and cabinets sat empty.

My newest issue is I have to get over not having anything (or nearly as much as I had) on the counters. They are SO bare to me now. I have to fight the urge to want to put things there. As a psychotherapist, I suspect that this has deeper meaning but I'm trying to focus on the incredible feeling I get when I walk into such a clean, decluttered kitchen. Now, if I can keep it this way....

I am scrambling behind you all, trying to jump onto the Cure wagon receding in front of me.

So far all I have to show for it is a lot of shameful photographs and a beautifully stocked freezer (that I guess is now less efficient until we fill it up again).

I'm trying to figure out how to clear up counter space. Two main hurdles:

1. Appliances - toaster oven, microwave, juicer, blender, knife block. I hate having them out, but don't know where to put them (cupboards too small), and have realized I use every one of them daily so they can't be off in the garage.

2. Produce - this week it's overflowing bowls of u-pick pears and tomatoes from the CSA, but it's always something - they take up a lot of room.

I'm also trying to re-train my husband. He appears to interpret a freshly cleared-out cupboard as an invitation to buy more cereal.

My cupboards are a work-in-progress.

On Friday I corralled all the paper plates, plastic knives, etc that had been lurking from past parties in one place and discovered (to my horror and amusement) that we had over 100 solo cups squirreled away in different areas--mostly deep over-the-washer/dryer cupboards that it's impossible to see into.

I boxed up some unused tools, knives, but the drawers (4 small ones) are still pretty full.

I think I need to go for a round 2, and this time be really ruthless!

nobody is going to believe me, but my kitchen is actually already really organized! there is really only one drawer in my kitchen that is cluttered, and it doesn't even have kitchen supplies, just a bunch of pens and other junk. i use old mailing boxes to organize my tupperware and measuring spoons, and i have a bunch of those shelf organizers that you can get at Ikea or Target. they can hang from an existing shelf or stack up; they increase my cabinet space by at least two times.

i didn't need to get rid of any appliances either - if anything, i need more! i don't have a food processor or a blender (shameful, i know). since stashing the toaster a while back the only thing on my counter is my coffee maker, a pot for utensils, and some bottles of oil.

I would like to have an "after" that looks as good as this "before"!

I finished the last cupboard last night and it made me even more grateful for our new apartment. We have, compared to our teeny tiny old kitchen, a glut of available storage and some cabinets are downright sparse. But that doesn't mean I want to fill things up. So I did get rid of a couple items (though I really did purge a few months ago when moving) and straightened things out a bit after just shoving the pots and pans away while unpacking. I need a lid organizer and a new set of drawer organizers for the main cutlery/gadget drawer but everything is tidy at the time being. And then I made a pot of soup! So much more pleasant to cook in a neat kitchen. :)

Still working on this week's cure. I've been doing holiday baking, so it's been tough to tackle appliances or countertops (mixers, cooling racks and decorating equip in use!), but I finally tackled the "junk" drawer in the kitchen, clearing everything out and starting to think about the best purpose for that space (spice drawer? small cooking utensils?).

I also cleaned out a shelf on my living room bookshelves and moved my (overflowing) stack of cookbooks from its tiny, overloaded shelf in the kitchen. Now I need to decide what should go there.

Finally, I bought supplies for my "special project": installing a small undercounter shelf to house my crock pot and toaster (which we use weekly, but not daily). I'm also thinking about adding an organizer to the doors under my kitchen sink, so that I can lose the jumble of different ziploc sizes and other sundries that are hanging out under the sink.