Reused bakers rack becomes pot rack & wine rack. Simple homemade spice shelf.

Lately I have been bitten by the design bug. I can usually look at gorgeous photos in decor magazines and blogs, and think, "that's nice," then go back to my day. However, as you know, I have been painting and re-doing and decorating like mad this past month. Here is my latest.

Before I put up a spice shelf:

After I painted the MDF & put up the spice shelf. Super cute I think. :-)

I didn't remove the labels or stickers on my spice jars, I just turned them sideways. Here is the cinnamon to show you:

Then I had the idea to put up a pot rack. My train of thought sounded kind of like this, "I want a pot rack, but I don't want to buy a pot rack. Hmm... We have an old bakers rack in the basement from our apartment... I could get some chain and hang one of the shelves... It even has a wine rack..."

Before the pot rack/wine rack:

Zoe took a photo of me drilling the holes with my safety glasses on. Very stylish, haha. I made a template of the rack with paper and used a stud finder to find the studs. I could tell if I was correct because most of our basement is unfinished, so I could look at the studs down there to see how far apart they are.

I asked for help at the local hardware store, Budget. The name, Budget, is so appropriate ;-) I got eye hooks, S hooks, and chain that each could support 225 pounds. I could have gone a little lower, but I figured it's better to be safe.

I took a photo of all the sawdust from drilling the holes in the studs.

The finished pot rack/wine rack (I also like to use it for fruit. So pretty.):

Also, I wanted to mention, that's not a mini Christmas tree on my kitchen island. It's a rosemary tree that our friends brought us on Thanksgiving. I replanted it in a slightly larger pot with holes in the bottom, and I water it every other day in the sink. We have been loving all the fresh rosemary for cooking. Cheers, Kelly

kitchen backsplash!

I decided to put up a glass backsplash this weekend. Well, I decided a week ago, and I did it this weekend :-) It wasn't very difficult to do, but it was very hard work. My shoulders are super sore, and my arm muscles may have doubled in size ;-) Although the installing took many hours more than grouting, I think it was actually easier. Anyone else who's done a project like this -Which did you prefer?

Here is the kitchen before, only three sheets up on the wall.

After finishing the first row.

One and a half rows.

All the tile is up, next comes the grout...

Phew! Grouting done! I need a back massage!

After a good scrub, I put all my stuff back. Yeah!

A close up of the tile. I like it so much. It's a random pattern of clear and frosted glass.

We are so proud that we went around the angled window trim. Andy found this cool tool to cut the glass. It was really fun getting the perfect piece to fit.

And the other side of the window. Next project: the half bathroom...