Granny Fabulosa: Kitchen Baskets

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Kitchen Baskets

I began collecting wire baskets. Some of them I bought at places like the Dollar Store and Wal-mart for a few bucks. Some of them I picked up at the local thrift store for even fewer bucks. Some were the wrong color and I hit them with a little spray paint. (Oil-rubbed bronze to be specific. Click here to find out how much fun I had with that stuff.)

Then I began hanging these wire baskets on the wall of my kitchen nearest my cook top.

Now I enjoy the convenience of having many of the things I most often use in my cooking -- onions, garlic, peppers, potatoes, lemons and limes -- easily within my reach. It's simpler for me to keep track of what I've got and what I need to replenish. The food items, which do not require refrigeration, benefit from a little air circulation. It's easy to see and remove anything that starts to look a little mushy. The baskets are hygienic and easy to keep clean...

Honestly, need there be any better reason for mounting a wall of wire baskets in the kitchen? Oh, here's one: they're cute, too!

It's really easy to do this. Take any basket you want to mount on the wall, place a piece of masking tape along the top, and mark where you want the hangers to affix.

Place the masking tape on your wall and adjust as needed. Measure to make sure the marks are centered or positioned as you want them... hold up the basket and see if you like the way it looks in that spot... use a level to ensure straight placement... Basically, you can play around with the masking tape without marring your walls or driving yourself crazy.

Once you have everything positioned exactly the way you want it, then it's time to break out the hammer and nails. Or if you prefer, use cup hooks. They screw easily into the wall, and they hold the baskets a bit more securely than nails.

And voila! Pretty and practical.