A Simple Beautification Project

So one of my quirks is that I really, really, really like clear counters in my kitchen.  It calms me when the chaos of life is removed from the horizontal surfaces in our home. 

Since we don't have a pantry in this home, it has been a challenge to keep the counters clear.  My cabinets are full and I really am a minimal kitchen tool girl.  I don't like a zillion small gadgets that all have to be cared for and stored.

Let's face it.  I have five little people that have to be cared for.  Most of the time I can find some replacement tool to work in a pinch and do double duty.  So no, I don't have an egg slicer, a lemon zester or a food processor (among other things.)  We cook and eat just fine without them.

I also had to move around some things to make better sense and save steps in the kitchen.  Steps=time.  And we all know about how much of that I have. 

Once I reorganized our kitchen, I wanted to make it pretty.

I've been storing our kitchen utensils (spatulas, tongs, ladle, metal spoons, etc) in a large metal can.  I think it is a 5lb tomato sauce can.  Yeah... we roll like that.  I know you are jealous.

I've always intended to do something to it to make it prettier.  But quite frankly, function is valued over aesthetics in my eyes.  It worked and until now that is all that has mattered.

But enter Pinterest.  I saw this pin and knew how I could make it prettier and still leave the functionality.

So I put the items on my list and gathered them on my next shopping trip.

I found the sisal rope in the home improvement section of my local Walmart.  (Don't judge, I was running in with four kids while Brandon had an appointment with Xander in the office park next door. HA I much prefer Tar-jay.)  It was less than $5 and for this project I used about half.

Here is the said can that needed some pretty all over it.  Don't you just love my 80's backsplash?  It has gold glitter flakes in it and is busted underneath the microwave.  I know you are jealous. Bleh.  It is on the Hit List, along with those grungy electrical outlets.

I started at the top.  I put a little bead of hot glue and then laid down the rope.  Folks, this isn't rocket science.  I am NOT crafty. LOL

And then I kept going and ended up with this.  I gave the rope a little hair cut because there were little pieces sticking out everywhere and it bugged me.  I have a fair amount of OCD in this brain.  No shame in admitting that.  I also most likely have a bit of ADD. So not every hair was trimmed.

Seriously, this a 10 minute project. I had to stop to referee the heinous crime of someone's block tower being knocked over.  The rope could have been closer together in some areas, but as the artist I'm going to claim that is "character."  See what I learned from all of my artsy fartsy friends? 

It is much better than what I started out with.

Bam.  A tiny project knocked off of my list.


~Stephanie