Working Kitchen - July 2013

WORKING KITCHEN - JULY 2013

I'll be honest, the last month or so I've been struggling with what to do with this blog. When I started out it was going to be full of DIY/craft things I'd done myself. Since going back to work full time after maternity leave, I've obviously had less time (hence my last post about having someone else action my wardrobe strategy). I don't want to lose people who have appreciated the home spun element of my blog work, or, in hardened economic times, upset those who don't have the cash to pay others to do work for them. But then the beautiful, smart and hard working ladies at my office also have their own constraint... time. So why limit my blog to only those who are cash strapped, when there are just as many who are time-strapped and would love the time to do some of what I have been able to achieve over the last few months. 

I hope that this blog continues to inspire, with some home-made projects (I really hope these will continue to be the majority of this blog, for my own sake!) and some product/retailer recommendations to help point you to some of the things that are of my, and may be to your, taste.

As such, I thought I'd share some of the kitchen developments we've made lately. 

First up - M&S 20% off sale. We got a couple of pieces of furniture in the buy two get 20% off sale, which changed to the 20% off sale soon after. You know sometimes you wonder how good the first of those offers is. You ask yourself time and again 'if this wasn't on a multi-buy - would I buy more than one?'. Well I followed my heart on these two and when the straight 20% offer came in, I didn't regret getting the second piece. Hubby and I had talked for ages of getting a shelving unit/wine rack and found this one in M&S and loved it. We know M&S often have offers on, so we waited until we had saved enough and it was on offer. I'll confess I'm a bit of a furniture snob - I want pieces that are going to stand the test of time or serve an immediate purpose. So I either go with Ikea - functional and immediate - or M&S/John Lewis, as I want them to last for the next 25 years and through a house full of kids. 

This particular unit was a good one for me as it meant all my decal jars could be cleared of the worktop and make the large kitchen feel less cluttered. My aim in life (well, not my sole aim, but one of them) is to have 'a place for everything and everything in it's place'. We've taken the mick out of my aunt for years for being so tidy, but as I get older I'm getting to be a firm believer that a clear space/house = a clear mind and it's so much easier to keep everywhere tidy if everything has a home. 

 Recognise those decal jars?!

The hen was reduced to £5 in a local garden centre.

Wine is the hubbies collection, nowt to do with me! It's actually supposed to be in the bottom bit, but what M&S don't tell you is that the wooden bit is re/moveable so we moved it up away from grabbing toddler hands a bit!

Also note the kitchen aid at the bottom (best Christmas present from Dad ever, half price, I come from a long line of tight bargain hunters!) and the bread bin from Sainsburys which I use to store the spuds (potatoes). 

And then the 'naughty but nice' purchase:

So the wall of hearts has been there for a while and this unit is a perfect fit (as you can see). The scales were a present from my sister about 9 years ago, the coffee maker was reduced down to £80 from £130 in John Lewis because it had been used once and had no box...bargain! Again, moving the breadbin there means more counter-top space.

So, I hope this works for you - I promised the next post would be prettier, and I hope this fulfils that promise. Up next... product recommendation.