16.5.11

Where the Keys Live...

That title really doesn't encompass all that my 'Key Station' does, it is quite the over achiever, and would probably be better described as the Multi-purpose Kitchen Trolley! But it does have my keys on it, and I was compelled to snap pics of the trolley, only because I was changing our key bowl. So you get to see the whole thing, thanks to my keys :o)

We purchased the timber trolley from Ikea for our new place, knowing that there wasn't going to be a whole lotta bench space to play with. We have gone from a kitchen this size:

Quite a fabulous kitchen, even if it was hideous!

I miss this oven. Oh, and the pantry.
To a kitchen this size:


Let me just say, no matter how much I disliked those blue tiles, it was definitely an adjustment to end up with a bench 1/3 of the size we were used to! It's not even so much the work space you need, but where on earth do all of the utensils go?!?!

So we bought the kitchen trolley, and it has been one of the best investments we've made! 

Everything on this trolley gets used frequently, so the open shelves work well.

All of the things that would have previously lived on our Blue bench, plus the keys, now have their own home.

Onto the key bowl swap: I mentioned that I have a newly discovered penchant for stripes, hence the blue bowl in my Makeup Station Make Over, and while I was grabbing the blue one, I nabbed a black one too!

 Kmart have an entire range including mugs, bowls and plates, in red, latte, black and blue stripes. At $2 a pop,I want to collect them all!

This was our old key 'jar', a pretty, mirrored candle holder. Unfortunately, my Suzi Q's key doesn't really fit, and you have to empty the contents of the jar to find anything on the bottom...

...much like this. But this time, they aren't going back!

Keys to keep were sorted..

...and random bits and bobs were removed, to be rehoused or binned.

Into their new home the keys go! Plenty of room for scrambling so Hub's won't whinge about his knuckles getting stuck anymore!

Me+stripes=LOVE!!
Here's what else you'll find on our trolley...

Top shelf: Ikea organisers, not listed on their website, but you can find other sizes here. The left box holds my little tool kit, hooks, screws, zip ties and other little handy house bits. The right box holds our sunglasses collection. We tend to go on a lot of beach holidays, so we have to have some rough pairs for that, plus back up pairs for each of us. It's a true testament to the fact that you can have a lot of stuff, but if it's in a pretty box, no one knows!!

Oh, and I almost forgot: Our spare dish rack lives on the bottom shelf.
There are nights when we have a LOT of dishes to air dry, and one rack doesn't cut it, so we have a spare. My dishwasher is a great model: It's about 29 years old, cleans fairly well with only the odd re-wash needed, it provides for my family, and it snuggles with me on the couch at night. I wouldn't ever want to trade it in for a shiny new one ;o)

One of my beautiful friends brought me back this canister from Malaysia, and for the longest time, I couldn't think what to put in it. One day (probably when I was re-organising my kitchen) I discovered it was the perfect size for my straws! I love to use things in unexpected ways, it's what makes this house my home!

I did once have a Vinegar dispenser to match this Oil one, but my dishwasher husband broke it. I had intended to get a replacement, but I realised I didn't really need my vinegar to be that accessible. The laser-cut felt coaster is great for soaking up any oil drips before they get to the timber!
Fun Cassie Fact #1 - I have a love affair with Vinegar. From a young age, anything pickled or soaked in vinegar was rapidly depleted from my mum's pantry by moi. Currently in my kitchen, I have: White Balsamic, Balsamic, Rice Wine Vinegar, Malt Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar, White Vinegar, Household Cleaning Vinegar and Red Wine Vinegar. The enamel on my teeth is long gone.

This was a flower pot that my mum gave me when I came home from the hospital with baby B4. At the time it had lovely flowers in it, but they have long since perished. I had a packet of pretty transfers in my craft kit, and these flowers seemed fitting for a vase, so on they went. The pot now holds a thriving bush of Utensilatis. *Hopefully that sounded like a scientific flora name, and not a diease.

This canister lived on my mum's kitchen bench for most of my childhood, and when she was ready to get rid of it, I was not! Even though I have no idea what Sill is, I love this canister and the font, and it just fits a paper towel roll perfectly!

Next to old Sill, is 'The Cat with the Guitar'! I realised upon writing this post, that he has no quirky name,  and I would feel a little dishonest making one up purely for the entertainment of my readers. So, he is 'The Cat with the Guitar', because that's what we call him. Lovingly.

He's another piece that I pinched received from my dear mum, and I don't think I could ever part with him. He is one of those things that I would have paid a mint for in an antique store, but lucky me, I'm an only child!

He contains what might be a suprising collection - rubber bands! I can't remember what he held while at my mum's place, but it might have been the same...Mum?
So that was my kitchen trolley! Are there any other nooks in my house you'd love to see in detail? Head back to the Home Tour and have a look around. If you see something intriguing, let me know and I'll get a post up about it soon!

xo Cassie

3 comments:

  1. Seems I'm furnishing your decorating habit...lol. I can't remember what was in the 'puss'. I think twas empty mostly I just loved looking at him, makes me smile...still.
    I had a 'find' today at our favourite boutique near woolies. A lovely white bowl, splashed with bright red chillies, just the thing for MY kitchen.

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  2. I really like the trolley! Is it from IKEA (I think they have a similar one?).

    Oh gosh I really think that long hair is too normal and I don't see how it looks that good. OK yes it looks good if you are a VS model which 99,9% isn't. I think that a shorter hair shows power and is much more good looking. I think that you get taken more serious by having a shorter hair. I'm not talking about any Kate Gosselin weird hair but a nice bob. What I really dislike is people going extreme like coloring your hair really red, blue-black or white. Looks like you are taken from a manga magazine.

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  3. Mum - It would appear from my Key table that you do furnish my decorating habits, so I'm lucky you have good taste!
    Johanna - Haha, I agree, VS models have the long hair look down, and maybe even the Kardashian girls (silly me watching late night tv), but us regular girls know how to rock shorter styles! I wish I could look at my past hair decisions and say I have never used a bright colour, but there was a time when I was 13 that I did one side purple, and the other blue! I shudder to think of it now!

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