By UniqueSpacesOrganizing,on May 2,2010 Kitchen drawers just come with the kitchen. As a preschool teacher friend of mine says “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit“. (I really don’t think she was talking about the kitchen but it sure does apply.) It doesn’t matter where you live,or how old or new your kitchen is if you didn’t design the kitchen you will have some drawer challenges. Some drawers are too shallow,others are too wide, others are in the wrong place and most just don’t work for all the utensils/gadgets that need a home. Recently,I decided to do some reorganizing of two drawers in my kitchen. The drawers had divider trays and all should have been well,but it wasn’t. The sides of each divider were too short so the items in one tray spilled over into other trays. Utensils and gadgets were hard to find and the drawers looked very messy. I was sure I could do something about this pesky mess. I emptied everything out of both drawers. Next I sorted like items together and purged several things I no longer used or wanted. Once I determined what should go together,I measured the items and the drawers and came up with a plan for each drawer and its contents. I thought I could purchase ready-made dividers and have the job done in no time. Wrong! None of the utensils and gadgets seemed to fit the options that were available to me locally. I made dividers from 1/4 inch wood boards that were 3 or 4 inches wide. I wanted a home for each group of like items and was able to make divided compartments in each drawer to meet my needs.  I am very pleased with this custom arrangement. Taller sides on the dividers ensure that utensils and gadgets remain in the proper places. I can easily find what I want when I want it. Best of all it is such a pleasure to open these two orderly drawers. 
If your kitchen drawers are driving you crazy,try purging unwanted items and sorting utensils and gadgets into groups by use. Make or purchase dividers. Tall spring-loaded dividers are available online and can be placed in various configurations to make the most of those pesky kitchen drawers. Organize your kitchen drawers now so that . . . Cluttered places (kitchen drawers) become Unique Spaces where you can find what you need and the drawers open easily. By UniqueSpacesOrganizing,on May 2,2010 The last workshop in the series for kitchen organizing has been postponed until Tuesday,May 11,2010. We will meet at Cucina Fresca at 6:30pm. May 4,the date for the last workshop is also the TASTE OF HOME Cooking School. The cooking school is just too fun to miss! See you all on May 11 at Cucina Fresca. Don’t forget your donations for CADV. They can use any excess kitchen items you would like to donate. By UniqueSpacesOrganizing,on April 15,2010 This past Tuesday was the first in a series of kitchen organizing workshops at Cucina Fresca in downtown Elko. Cucina Fresca is one fine kitchen store. If you can’t visit the store in person,check out the website. The workshop was an enjoyable one! The evening was filled with lots of questions,lots of laughter, lots of great stories and solid organizing information. We learned how to zone our kitchens. If you haven’t heard of “zoning” it is the process of determining specific areas in the kitchen where you do specific activities. Examples of kitchen zones are the cooking zone,the food storage zone,the food prep zone,the clean-up zone. Generally,there are 4-5 zones but you can have as many zones as meet your needs. The secret to zones is to keep all the things you need for an activity in the same area. For example,the cooking zone should be near the stove with pots,pans and cooking utensils stored in the same area. This enables you to cook without searching for what you need. It also saves time and reduces irritation. I am all for anything that saves time and makes the kitchen a welcoming place. Next we learned about the organizing process and how to do each step of the process. The evening ended with several give-away items. Participants left with new motivation to organize at least one drawer or cabinet in their own kitchens. The workshop was a great success. I hope you will join us next Tuesday for Workshop #2 on organizing the pantry and cabinets. By UniqueSpacesOrganizing,on April 1,2010 
If you’re like me,the kitchen is the “command center and gathering place”in your home. It’s the place where I cook,keep the family organized,meal plan,read the mail,enjoy a glass of wine with my guy and visit with family and friends. No matter the event,everyone always ends up in the kitchen. I love it that way! Sometimes though, the kitchen runs amuck. The cabinets are a mess. Drawers are overloaded. I have tons of herbs and spices but none of what I need for dinner. When it reaches that point, the kitchen drives me crazy and I really don’t want to be there (for any reason). After too many “let’s have a sandwich or let’s pick up something for dinner”options I just have to whip my kitchen into shape. Does your kitchen make you crazy? Would you like some new ideas about kitchen organizing? Join us at Cucina Fresca in downtown Elko for four free kitchen organizing workshops. We’ll be talking about the organizing process and how to do it,zoning your kitchen, new organizing products, and much,much more. During the last class we will collect excess kitchen items to be donated to the Committee Against Domestic Violence (CADV). If you have items you would like to donate but are unable to attend the workshops,call Unique Spaces Organizing @ 744-2503 and I will gladly pick them up. The workshops begin Tuesday, April 13 from 6:30 –7:30 at Cucina Fresca on Idaho St. in downtown Elko. Each Tuesday in April and the first week in May we’ll talk about a different aspect of kitchen organizing. Join us for one or all of the workshops. Sign up for our drawings at each class. For more information contact UniquesSpacesOrganizing@gmail.com or call 744-2503. Hope to see you there! By UniqueSpacesOrganizing,on March 22,2010 
As odd as it may sound, people develop relationships with their stuff. Your favorite Aunty Sue gave you that worn out coffee maker 10 years ago and it reminds you of her. You bought those shoes in the 90′s and loved them. Now you never wear them but you keep them because they cost a lot. It doesn’t matter what the stuff is,it takes up space and creates clutter. The more stuff we keep and the more stuff we add to the collection the less we can enjoy. Stuff weighs on our minds and stuff literally weighs on the space we live in. Stuff is in our way and can hold us back. But . . . it is ours and we love our stuff. We think we have good reasons for keeping it. Getting rid of stuff is scary and hard to do. Lots of people want to gain control of their spaces but don’t know where to begin. I often get calls from prospective clients who need help but are afraid I will make them throw everything away. They think this is what professional organizers do. Major Misconception #1 I absolutely will not force you to throw anything away. I will lead you through the process of deciding what to keep and what to discard. As we work together you will learn to apply the decision-making process yourself. It will make it easier for you to let go of things you no longer need. The decision-making process will also help you decide what to do with discarded items. Some items can be sold,some can be donated or recycled and some just need to be trashed. YOU make the decision. As a professional organizer,my job is to help you learn how to change your space. By changing your space you reduce stress, increase productivity and enjoy the people and things in your life. | |
The sides of each divider were too short so the items in one tray spilled over into other trays. Utensils and gadgets were hard to find and the drawers looked very messy. 
