DIY Cabinet Make Over

My kitchen cabinets suck.  There is really no other way to put it.  They are hard wood, perfectly functional but they are as ugly as a mud fence.  Since I haven't had the money for a large cabinet re-do, I have solved the problem with cabinet skirts.  It makes the kitchen more palatable and they can be changed out at the drop of the hat.

The plus is, you are not tied down to any particular style and it is great if you rent and are not allowed to implement drastic changes.  Just tack up a slim valence rod over each door and attach your curtain.

 One of the best curtain materials I have found are these cheap plastic flannel backed tablecloths.  They are sold for every conceivable holiday at every dollar store out there.   They run about $4 a tablecloth and 2 or three of them will curtain the most abysmal cabinets.   (It is a good idea for you first outing to buy an extra tablecloth just in case.  Also, read the tablecloth dimensions very carefully.  I once tried this and found I had one 54 inch and one 70 inch tablecloth so I was short a curtain!)

My cabinets as with most, are about 36 inches high.  There is a slight overhand from the counter and you want the curtain to be a bit off the floor.  This means that a length of 34 inches for the curtain is about right.  Most tablecloths come in lengths of 70 inches which means that all you need to do is cut the tablecloth in half and you will have two 35 inch pieces.   Just sew a narrow, straight 1/2 seam across the top and you are good to go.

This plastic is both easily cut and easily sewn.  There is no need to hem as the plastic doesn't ravel.  The edges of these tablecloths are whip stitched.  I try to use stitched edges as the bottom.  This is not a big problem as long as you have nondescript flowers but if you find yourself with jaunty little penguins, one curtain will have an unstitched edge as the penguins are all going the same way.

Still, this is an easy and inexpensive way to brighten up any kitchen.  

Pressed and Starched Kitchen Towels

I received a lot of flack (OK, merciless teasing) from some people about my neatly bundled kitchen towels. Well, everyone needs a fresh and clean kitchen towel every day. That is seven for the week. Frankly, they are just easier to keep together if you wash, starch, mangle, and tie them into neat little bundles of seven towels.

Trust me, you are washing and ironing them anyway... so just tie them together and you are ready for a new week in the kitchen.

Rehydrating Mushrooms

I keep a jar of dehydrated mushrooms in the larder. I often need them for cooking, but living in the country, I don't always have they luxury of running to the store to pick up fresh mushrooms and often the selection is limited. Here's a tip for rehydrating mushrooms, or anything else you need to plump up. This is ideal to begin in the sink as there will probably be an initial overflow of water.


Get two similar containers that nest. I like to use those tall plastic containers soup is often packed in.
Take one container and add the dry mushrooms. Now insert the second container on top to establish a fill line which is just over the dried mushrooms.




Add water to about the same level as the dry mushrooms, at which point they will float to the top.
Take the second container and put it into the first, forcing the mushrooms under the water. (Here is where the you may have overflow.)


Fill the second container with water. The weight of the water hold the top container down, which in turn keeps the mushrooms submerged so they will rehydrate evenly.



In the end you have plump mushrooms with little hassle.