Tiny Organizing Projects All Add Up :)

Hi Honeys
I've had such an exhausting couple of weekends at work! So exhausting in fact that last weekend I left my phone in the taxi who brought me home late Saturday night.  Luckily though the driver kept it safe for me and another driver even delivered it to our home! Now that's service! Thank you all for being so sweet (you know who you are & I so hope you see this :) it means more than I can say x

Well, after two long (and really really busy) shifts, my phone drama last weekend  (I have precious photos of our furbaby in my phone -memo to self... back up furbaby pics!) and then grocery shopping with Hubby on Sunday, well yesterday I was so worn out and I had an attack of migraines :/  Two in twenty four hours or maybe it was one dreadful migraine that eased a little after pain meds and then came back for a second attempt at splitting my skull :/  Misery, thy name is migraine!

Apologies honeys that I haven't been posting very much.  I have 18 posts in draft right now and between work and life's general craziness they've been stuck there :/ In an effort to catch up I thought I'd share a mini organizing post (because the organizing stuff is still happening around here :)

 Do you remember how happy I was with our kitchen walls honeys?  If you missed the post where I shared a walk around you can see it here :) Well, much as I still adore our kitchen, including all of the systems we put into place around the walls, and I so do!  Well, this happened one afternoon...

It's not a huge difference to how it was, but it's certainly made the shelves more "user friendly" and now the things stored on the shelves are there because they are used often and this keeps them nearby and means I don't have to be in and out of cabinets so often when cooking :)


As you can see from this "before" photo.....

The top shelf was really being wasted in terms of storage space.

I really do prefer how it's being used now and I'm using the items stored here more often too.  Let's have a closer look shall we?

Underneath the shelves themselves, we still have the containers of breakfast cereals such as weetabix, individual packets of flavoured, instant porridge (Hubby's - I prefer making porridge old school on the stove) and bran flakes etc.

Sitting nearby is a large square biscuit tub, sitting on top of which is our kitchen roll holder (with kitchen roll of course) and a container just the right size to store my whole wheat crackers from Ikea. Hubby's not much of a fan but I'm obsessed!

Sitting just in front of the biscuit tub is the cutest tea tin.  It has characters from The Gruffalo (love The Gruffalo!) printed around it and rather than tea bags it actually contains some little chocolate viscounts. Yummy choc & mint biscuits & my very occasional treat :)

On the lower of the two shelves there are four of the large containers from the Jane Asher collection. From left to right (in the image above) these containers are home to:

• pasta spirals 
• macaroni (elbow pasta)
• Porridge oats 
• Rice Krispies

Inside each tub is also a plastic scoop to make using/measuring out these ingredients easier.

On the upper shelf, again from left to right, are:

• Large silicone baking mould in the shape of a dalek (we're nerds - don't judge us :)
• Large lidded tub of assorted biscuits :) 
• Two stackable Ikea tubs containing pasta - lasagne sheets and cannelloni tubes
• Large tub of plain flour 
• Large tub of self raising flour 

It's ridiculous how much I adore these two shelves now honeys, actually this whole corner!  It makes perfect sense to me to have all of the cereals sitting above the fridge since... well that's where the milk is stored :) The pasta is stored here because it's very nearby to the pantry cupboard where the jars of pasta sauce are stored.

Shall we have a look at the other shelf which sits above the additional worktop & cabinet Hubby fitted...
 

I just smiled looking at this shelf, I can't even help it :) Again from left to right...

• The Downstairs Cookbook - this book is kept to hand because I'm forever flipping through it. There are no words for how much I adore it :)
• Some containers (with the cutest pink lids) from the Jane Asher collection containing baking ingredients.  The bottom three containers have mixed fruit, Barbados cane sugar (yum) and caster sugar.  Sitting on top of these three containers are another container with large marshmallows and two tiny, individual serving sized casserole dishes - they're adorable and make me smile :) Far too cute to be put into a cabinet!  Sitting in front of them are three milk containers - again kept there because they make me smile every time I see them :)
• Next along the shelf we have a Variera shelf insert from Ikea We have so many of these dotted around our home! Love them. Under the shelf insert I've stacked packs of cheesy pasta.  We don't eat it very often but it was on sale so we stocked up :) Rather than give up cabinet real estate I put them here :)  On top of the shelf on a shelf are more of the Jane Asher tubs - these containing icing sugar, mini marshmallows (for hot choc of course) and Hubby's coffee sachets.
• Last on this shelf is a container with crumble topping all ready to be popped on top of apples or rhubarb for a yummy dessert treat. 

Under this shelf on the worktop itself we have some changes too...

I was a little worried that this latest re-organization has made this worktop too cluttered but it's great to have my baking ingredients all to hand and I'm loving it :) From left to right on the photo above:

• To the far left hand side, and almost out of view, are four large clip seal, airtight containers which act as home to my bread flour, packets of yeast, packets of gelatin and other baking supplies.  The two top containers are where our bread & rolls are stored.
• Next to the containers on the wall is a small chalkboard with mini shelf to hold chalk.  Under the chalkboard is a tub with a scoop built into the lid which contain our furbaby's kibble.  Sitting on top of her tub of dry dog food is a "doggy treats" jar with... doggy treats :) sitting on top of the treat jar (although I've no idea why :) is a pack of rock salt, a re-fill pack for our salt grinder (memo to self - put it away in the cabinet!)
• Next along the worktop we have a small blue plastic figure standing with his arms outstretched. This is actually a napkin holder :) Sitting directly in front of it is a chrome book stand for recipes and above it on the wall is our re-purposed wall planter which is now home to our bananas (memo to self again - buy more bananas we're out :)
• Next are more baking supplies with eggs and fruit sitting underneath two more Variera shelf inserts (told you I adore them :) the two candy type jars have individual servings of jams & marmalades.  
• In front of the Variera shelf inserts is a ceramic "egg carton" which comes from the same set as the milk cartons on the shelf above.  There is also a ceramic egg tray sitting on top of the tray of eggs behind it.  Love them :) 
• Above, on the wall, is a Bygel rail from Ikea with a Bygel basket.  This is home to assorted toppings such as sprinkles as well as jars of ground ginger, cinnamon etc.  Also on the rail as Bygel containers used to store various utensils, scoops, spatulas and measuring spoons.  There are also two gorgeous wedgewood, bone china mugs.  They were a birthday gift, with a matching two tier cake tray, from my dear friend Miriam. She'll get annoyed at my saying this (sorry angel!) but they're far too nice to use (and I'm far too clumsy) so I keep them here to make me smile every time I see them, because every time I see them I think of my dear Miriam (love you sweetheart x)  

So honeys, what do you think?  I've been using these shelves for days now and I'm loving them.  It makes such a difference (having a painful spine) not having to bend to reach ingredients in our cabinets and also I can see at a glance when I have to add them to our shopping list too :)

Have you been organizing honeys? If so, why not share your latest organizing projects? I'm always looking for new ideas to try at home.

Well dear ones, it's after 10pm so I'll go have my shower, into my pyjamas & off to bed.  I hope you're having a fabulous week so far, full of smiles, laughter & hugs :)  Till next time, huggles always xxx