2 fast fixes (for easy impact)!featured
You know those things that sliiightly bug you about your home, the ones that slowly grow into irritations so minor (yet persistent) that you promptly shove them into the back of your mind- and then continue to exist in a state of low-level dissatisfaction?
I know you know those things.
There are fast fixes for those things.
Around my home, I found two.
Fast fixes hack #1: Make your spices fit your space
(And make ’em accessible!)
So, I had this super cute spinning spice rack for the lower part of my kitchen cabinet that I absolutely love. (You know, insomuch as someone can love a spice rack. That is to say, a ton.) And the spices I use most were prettily packaged and gorgeously grabbable. But as for the rest? The ones I use occasionally and the refills for the powerhouses? Yeah, I had those shoved on another shelf and had to pull out the whole shebang to find one tiny cinnamon stick or pinch of celery seed. (You know those celery seed emergencies. Bloodbaths, all.)
One of the easiest (and fastest) fast fixes for this seasoning storage snafu was simple: I got another spinning spice rack. I got this squat li’l guy at Target– yep, it came pre-filled with spices, but it was the absolute perfect height for this tiny, above-the-stove spot. (Bonus: Basil for days.) I refilled the ones that needed it, replenished the ones that should’ve been tossed ages ago (did you know that spices go bad? Spices go real, real bad), and used a cutie pie Sharpie pen to label newly homed foodstuffs.
And as for the Costco-sized spice refills? (Looking at you, gargantuan garlic salt.) I stacked those with our bulk shopping storage in a separate plastic bin. Because unless there’s an emergency wherein I need to fling fistfuls of marjoram at an intruder, I think I can manage with a few ounces at a time.
Hopefully.
Fast fixes hack #2: Adjust the wood tone
This one’s slightly more controversial (if you’re my husband). We had saved up for a new dining room table and had both fallen in love with Magnolia Home’s beautiful wood and bronze trestle table. There weren’t any floor models available to see in the greater Chicagoland area, however, so I had to buy this one sight unseen- which is slightly stressful for a table measuring 87 inches long and comprised largely of, you know, metal. (Return policies are great and all, but I’m not known around these parts for my upper body strength.)
So it arrived and it was gorgeous. Gorgeous! Except…the wood tone cast a little grayer and flatter than I had expected. And since our dining room and, let’s be honest, the majority of our home skews towards really warm wood colors, it stood out. A lot.
I love my husband for many reasons, among them his optimism in the face of general color-blindness. Even he saw the color difference. I told him I’d fix it.
He looked at me like I was going to spray paint or stencil a honkin’ expensive new purchase. (I wasn’t…unless it would’ve worked better.)
Remember that Restor-A-Finish I had from an earlier project? Well, that buffet table lives in the dining room too, and I knew that it would punch up the warmth pretty quickly. How quickly? ‘Two coats of finish and a dry cloth buffing half an hour later’ quickly.
The moral? Don’t be afraid to tweak the color, throw out the spices, and move your home around (and around) until it works. It’s your home, after all. Pro tip: Showing off the gloriously finished product/room/wall color works loads better than crowd-sourcing/requesting permission beforehand.
(So I’ve heard.)
What tweaks are on your homestyle docket?
Comment below!
