Increase Food Prep Space

Every inch counts especially when you’ve invited family and friends to dine in your petite abode.  Before you start sweating like a contender on the Next Iron Chef, double your usable prep area right over the stovetop for about $3! It’s a smart way to give your old cutting board new “legs”.

Adding More Feet in Your Kitchen

Attach four wooden craft candle cups (1-5/8” tall) with a 2″-long wood screw to the bottom of a large cutting board. You can find them at your favorite craft store. They come with a pre-drilled hole to make installation super easy. Use the head of a sharp nail to tap a pilot hole into the board for the screw and then with a few turns of a screwdriver the feet are secured. You can opt to use glue to attach the wooden feet, but I like to keep small-space accessories flexible and removable if my needs change.

The  feet will raise the board high enough to stand securely over most stovetop burners. Use the new super-sized counter space as a tidy serving buffet station or as a bonus food prep zone. When the dinner party is a wrap, the board is still compact enough to disappear under the sink until the next gig.  Cheers!

Tip

To protect from scratching your stove top, use cork furniture pads under the new cutting board feet.

A Timeless Storage Solution

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best, and tired-and-true pegboards really earn their keep in a cramped kitchen. I now understand why Julia Child’s pots and pans pegboard is preserved at the Smithsonian. It’s a timeless storage solution that I have adopted in the kitchen and as a tool organizer in the guest-craft room.

Smithsonian.com

In my friend’s tiny NYC kitchen, there was an old, faded pegboard left behind by a previous tenant. It was so handy that I did’t want to throw it away. All it needed was a fresh coat of paint in a bold color. Sherwin Williams Verdant Green, left over from a previous project,   gave the kitchen a modern retro feel I was going for.

White Ikea Asker containers hang perfectly on the peg holes and they hold take-out menus, utensils and kitchen knick-knacks.

Tip

For a personal touch, decoupage large cardboard letters a local craft store with decorative wrapping paper. Make sure and protect your letters with acrylic sealant to keep them moisture proof.

Designer Melamine Plate Bonanza

With a growing collection of affordable designer melamine plates on the market, it’s the perfect time to take full style advantage. They come in a variety of modern colors and patterns, and they are lightweight enough to safely attach to a wall with removable adhesive strips.

Mix and Match

For this plate collage, I mixed and matched patterns like these plaid plates from French Bull with Thomas Paul’s faux bois coasters and dessert plates. Play with a variety of plate sizes.

French Bull Plaid Melamine Plates

Thomas Paul Faux Bois Melamine Coasters

TIP

Round off the plate collage with black portrait silhouettes and monogram lettering printed onto Clear Avery adhesive sheets. Easy as 1-2-3.

Command Brand picture-hanging strips keep plates secure and portable without any harm to the wall. I am always editing my design projects, and these strips keep the ideas fluid. Give it a whirl!

Shop Your Own House For Table Decor

This year I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my home. I don’t know about you, but hands down this is my favorite holiday. Happily, my brother-in-law will be bringing the turkey, and I’ll be cooking up some of my favorite side dishes. I shopped my own house and am using my own dishes and stemware. I decided to repurpose a fitted sheet for the tablecloth. A queen sheet fits a 6-foot table perfectly—just cinch the sides with a safety pin to create a swag effect.

For the rest of the table décor, I set up a personal challenge. The Dollar Tree store and my garden were the only two design resources I would tap into. I managed to decorate the table for under $40! Here are some of my tips and tricks:

Holiday Tabletop Tips and Tricks

• Mix high and low. Dollar Tree plastic charger plates in gold give my elegant dishware extra style points, and I can use them again for Christmas. Love these!

• Vary the heights of your table décor. Candlelight is your best friend at any party, and I like to create different levels of light and “glow.” Glue glass candlesticks to vases for dramatic candleholders in various sizes and shapes.

• Layer your table top with different textures and patterns. A scrap piece of burlap serves as my table runner base along with adhesive shelf paper in a gray floral pattern. The shelf paper is water-resistant, which makes spills easier to wipe up.

• Add personal touches. Place cards welcome all of your guests to the table. I was thrilled to find these mini-beveled mirrors for $1 to use as my coaster/place cards. Use a gold Sharpie pen and write everyone’s name on the glass. Nail polish remover erases any mistakes and cleans them up after the party is over. These are definite keepers for the party prop closet.

• Create a dramatic centerpiece. This year my parent’s mini-pomegranate tree was so bountiful I knew I would be using the branches for the centerpiece. I wanted to make a gratitude tree where guests would write what they are most thankful for on paper tags and tie them on the tree.  The lovely birds were courtesy of the Dollar Tree. The gratitude tree will be a great conversation starter during dinner and will keep us focused on what the holiday is all about.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!