Heaven Is A Place Called The Container Store

Oh, man.  I got to go to one of my favorite places this past weekend: The Container Store!  I was on the hunt for some storage solutions for my kitchen drawers.  They looked a little something like this: 

Just look at that random jumble of kitchen utensils.  We have a very cozy kitchen, so there's not a lot of drawer space.  I kept all of the utensils in 3 drawers.  There wasn't really any rhyme or reason as to where things were kept.  After nearly scraping my knuckles off with the zester, I decided it was time to do something about it.  

I was tempted to head straight for The Container Store to see what they had to offer.  But, I took a moment, and decided to be more thoughtful about how I tackled this project.  I wanted to make sure I ended up with containers that fit in the drawers and expertly organized all my kitchen stuff.  

So, the first thing I did was empty out all three drawers.  I piled the random assortment on the counter top.  Then I went through each item.  There were several items that I don't think I have ever used.  And there were also some duplicates that weren't necessary and were only taking up valuable space.  I made a pile of the stuff I didn't need and made plans to donate them to Goodwill.  

Once I knew what I was keeping, I sorted things into categories.  I decided which items could go together.  



From there, I figured out where in the drawers each category would fit.  That way I knew roughly what size container I would need to find.  



I also measured each drawer.  I wanted to take the measurements with me when I went to The Container Store so I would know exactly how much space I had to work with.  

Once I got there, I wandered around until I found the perfect pieces.  I ended up buying these fabulous drawer organizers.  I liked them because I could configure them into an arrangement that fit each drawer perfectly, which maximized the space.  I actually laid them out on the floor and used the tape measure I brought with me to make sure they would fit into each drawer.  Pretty dorky, but I think most people who take time to go to The Container Store can appreciate my inner organizing dork.  

When I got home and started to put the containers into my drawers, I realized the drawer liners weren't nearly nice enough to be in the same space as my fancy new containers.  So, I ripped out the old contact paper and put some leftover drawer liners I had lying around.  I think they make the drawer look much nicer, don't you? 

Then I put the containers into the drawers to make sure I did all my measuring correctly.  Once I was convinced they would all fit, I washed them before I put all my kitchen gadgets in them.  You just never know what kind of hands have touched them in the store.  

Finally, it was time to put in all the utensils.  And oh, what fun it was!  I find myself opening up the drawers whenever I walk through the kitchen now.  

I think I might even like cooking and doing dishes a little more, thanks to my newly organized drawers! 

I like that each container houses its own utensils.  It's much easier to find what we're looking for when we're cooking now.  Plus, it just makes me happy.  

I even carved out some extra kitchen utensil space.  We have one teeny, tiny drawer that used to house some dishwasher cleaning tablets and sponges.  I moved those underneath the sink and now have the perfect place to store the bulkier kitchen items, like our apple slicer, mango slicer and potato masher.  

One other thing I do to help save some drawer space is to keep all of the utensils I use most often in a round canister next to our stove.  It's handy to have them close by the stove and it saves some drawer space.

Isn't it funny how much happiness some drawer organizers can bring to your life?  Or maybe it's just me... :)