Fridgescaping!

What is Frigescaping? Keep reading and you will totally understand that it is something you need in your life. Trust me on this!!

I like my refrigerator to be neat and clean and even pretty inside!!

I know that sounds sort of funny, but when I open the doors and see pretty containers with colorful food in them, it makes me smile.

I think we decorator types have to have pretty surrounding us in all areas, even the refrigerator!!

With that in mind I am going to share with you my post that I did on,
“Fridgescaping” ( a catchy little word I made up)

What you are about to see is what I love for my Fridge to look like.
Disclaimer….. It does not always look like this, but it does start out like this after it is cleaned and I have just been grocery shopping.

You know the other people that live in our houses? They don’t seem to have the same design aesthetics that I do!!

Last Year’s Fridgescaping Post!!

We have all heard of tablescaping. In fact Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch actually hosts a day called Tablescape Thursdays .

Have you ever thought of other areas in your home that you could do a little scaping?( is that a word?)

  I have admitted I am a bit of a perfectionist, but I have learned to say,"Okay” is good enough.

I can actually walk away from something that was maybe a little less perfect than I wanted it to be.

I want you to realize that when I  clean or reorganize something,  I will try very hard to cover all the little last details.

I am telling you all of this because when I thoroughly cleaned out my refrigerator I did a little "Fridgescaping." Only if it could stay like this.....

As you can see I like lots of fruit and drinks!! I also like to keep them in pretty bowls and containers.

You know my kitchen cupboards are green. Notice all the different green bowls? 

Why not put your everyday food items in pretty containers and have something pretty to look at when you open the door?! You know something to make you smile.
That is a technical design test. Does it put a smile on your face?

You know I sign off all of my post with,"Enjoy the Process".  I think you can do that even with the mundane, such as cleaning the refrigerator.

I looked on-line for some fun containers for the refrigerator. These are sold as such but you could come up with all kinds of fun things, even shopping your own home.

If you love a bowl, put it in the refrigerator with eggs in it.
How about that pitcher you love? Add your carton of orange juice.

 You just might be surprised at what you come up with once you get going on this.

Here are a few of the lovelies I found for your "Fridgescaping Process."

These are just cheerful (note to self-these go with my kitchen). I found these at Sur La Table. So much more appealing than a paper carton of any juice or even milk.

If you prefer plain white you can find these at Crate and Barrel. They are also less expensive, I guess you pay more for the color green.

If you like a sleeker, more contemporary look these stainless containers would look great all stacked up in your refrigerator.

If you like to see what is inside these glass containers from The Container Store are just the right answer for you. Take a look at the other fun glass containers while you visit them on line.

For you that are fun loving spirits how about these cheerful dot patterned containers or the stripes if you love lots of color.

How would you like to open your refrigerator and see this lovely little maiden looking at you? This holds butter from Anthropologie I am seriously thinking about her.


I have been known to buy eggs just for their color and put them in a pretty bowl in the refrigerator.

A very dear friend of mine took me to Berkeley Calif. to a store called the Berkeley Bowl where they have everything organic known to man.
Well they had a dairy section with cartons of eggs that I opened up looking for the perfect soft blue/green eggs, until I found the perfect colors.(be still my heart.)
.
Now that you have been introduced to the new artistic endeavor of Fridgescaping, what do you think?

Next time you clean out your refrigerator, will you think outside the box and add some pretty bowls and containers in the mix? Try it I think you will like it!!

Leave a comment to tell me what little pretties you put in your refrigerator to hold everyday foods? I love new inspiration and so do my other readers!!

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Fridgescaping

Kathysue

To Help With Your Fridgescaping:

Be sure to sign up for the Container store giveaway HERE!

What is Your Organizing Style?!

Pretty soon we will all get the Organizing bug!!!

My bug is the first one! Of course! Black and white stripes. You may choose which ever organizing bug you prefer.

I was thinking a little bit about the approach I will take this year.

The Plan:

I realized that my organizing style is one where I have to have a plan that will allow me to keep the rest of my home in order while purging and re-organizing.

In order to do that I decided I should think about the top three areas that are used by my family the most and start there.

That involves the pantry, the refrigerator and the laundry room. Isn’t it funny  that it always comes down to the basics, shelter, food and clothing?

Let's start with the pantry............

(Dream Pantry, Not Mine!)

Think about what your ideal pantry would look like,Hmmmm???

Have you  ever noticed that the pantry of your dreams does not really have very much food in it? Or it is twice the size of the pantry you have in your own home.

I was looking at some pantry's that I thought looked perfect, and upon further examination I realized there really wasn't any REAL food to be found!! They did however have some wonderful looking containers and baskets that I would love to have.

Now let’s talk about a Real Pantry with Real food…….

After Christmas my pantry was, disorganized ( a real mess!)

Purging Process:
I started organizing the pantry by putting away the items that were used for Christmas baking, such as cookie decorating items and cookie cutters.

I also had a varied amount of snack foods that I don’t normally keep on hand except when I have company. Out they went!!

Compartmentalize:

I re-organized by putting like items together.( I am a stickler for this concept, but I have "other" people living here that don't follow the same concept.)

I checked all the dates on my items and threw out what had expired.
Now I can see where my problem areas are. By that, I mean lack of space for some items and too much space for others.

Possible purchases:
I can also see where I need new containers to hold loose items that seem to get messy and maybe upgrade to the baskets I would love to have in my pantry.

I did that  today and it felt really good.

My New Plan of attack:
I think it is really important when you go through the cleaning process to really examine where your problem areas are and think of a practical solution.

After living with my pantry make-over from last year I have learned a few things that did not work for my family. Let's look at what I did last year.......

Last Year's Pantry Make-over!

Last year I did a Pantry make over. It looked so nice after we were done, but it did get messy again. That is how real life is. We clean, we purge, we mess- up and so goes the cycle.

We started with a fresh coat of soft blue paint. I chose blue because it is a color I enjoy looking at and find very soothing. I have all white shelves that I covered with linen and white checked shelf liner.

For my makeover last year, I used a lot of containers that I already had, and added a few inexpensive containers to the mix.


Here are a few pictures of my finished pantry from last year……

I have a label maker and it is the best toy! (I mean tool)

 

What I discovered:

After living with this for a year, I have discovered that covered baskets are not for my family.

My family is more of a throw-in kind of group so now the white baskets are left open.

As pretty, neat and clean as the covered baskets look, they just don't work for my family.

I also discovered that only certain things can be in baskets for my family.

I will put bread, children’s snacks and chips in baskets but all other items have to be out on the shelves for easy access.

I learned some important lessons by being observant to my reality rather than the dream pantry I had envisioned. Sometimes it is prettier to be a little practical.

What style of organizing do you have?

Do you just start tearing into it or do you plan your attack first?
(Sometimes I think I take too long on the planning process and never get to the actual work.  I need help in that area!)

I would love for you to leave a comment with some of your organizing successes that have worked for you  in your own pantries.

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Organizing your home!!

Kathysue

BTW: Next post the Refrigerator!!

To Help With Your Organizing This Year:
Be sure to sign up for the Container store giveaway HERE!

Organization Giveaway!!

Today is my one year Blogaversary!!! I am so excited to have arrived at this date with so many wonderful readers and so much inspiration from all of YOU.

Since it is the season for making New Year's Resolutions, and for most of us it begins with cleaning out our closets, I thought a fun give away would be something to do with organization!!

What better store to help us get  organized than “The Container Store.”

To celebrate this important day (at least in my life) I will be giving the winner of the drawing a $75 gift certificate at the container store.

To enter please leave a comment and let me know that you are a follower or have just become a follower.

Not a requirement to be entered in the drawing, but if you have the time, I would love to hear what you as a reader would enjoy seeing more of on my blog - or any other improvements you think I could make to ensure that your visits here are more enjoyable.

That is it!!! Just leave a comment and become a follower!!!
(Drawing will take place one week from today, so on Monday the 10th!)
Good Luck to you all!!

Thank you to all of you who have supported me throughout this past year. It has been a whole new experience for me and one that I never would have ventured into without the encouragement from the people that I love. You all know who you are!!

So without further ado………

Let the Giveaway begin!!

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

The possibility of getting a $75 gift card from The Container Store!

My Very First Blog Post!

January 3, 2010

In the beginning there was a blog, or at least the start of a blog. I am starting this journey with a little trepidation but also with excitement.

I have been following blogs for over a year now and have been entertained and informed and inspired.

I can only hope that my blog will do that for those that read it. We are starting a new year, and I for one am looking forward to a better and more productive year.

I am a true believer in Life is what you make it, it is all about choices. In decorating my own home I have found choices in ones home can truly affect how one feels about life.

I have so enjoyed my journey in Design and I hope this blog will continue to be a creative outlet for me and a fun read for those that choose to follow it.

I plan to "Enjoy The Process" and I hope you do too.

Kathysue

Little did I know then just how much I would be:
" Enjoying The Process!!"