Combating Clutter: Three Organizers We Love

One of my favorite people was my husband's grandmother.  Her name was Beezie and the name of her beach house was Serendipity.  What does that tell you about the woman?  I often think of her and it makes me smile. For Christmas, she used to send me these big boxes stuffed with all sorts of things - from sculptures, to lamps to bric-a-brac. Very often the box contained kitchen gadgets.  As much as I loved these gadgets and marveled at their various functions, though, I never used them.  They sat in my kitchen drawers because I just could never remember to pull them out at the appropriate time.  So, it probably comes as no surprise to you that The Container Store isn't a place that interests me.  In addition to all the gadgets, speciality containers just seem like a waste. Give me a pretty small gift box (I never throw these away!) and I'm pretty handy at organizing my closets and drawers.  However, I recently stumbled into a Container Store and found three brilliant organizers that I'd like to share with you. 

The Tea Box

 

                  My tea collection Before

  

                                After

As you can see from the photo above, my tea basket wasn't a pretty sight. It was also tough to find the particular tea I wanted. This crystal clear container provides airtight storage, while allowing me to find what I'm looking for.  It holds 72 tea packets and costs $12.99.

The Lid Organizer

 

We renovated our kitchen about five years ago and the one thing I missed was a place to put lids. Consequently, it's a constant mess in my pots & pans drawer.  This lid rack allows you to line up 8 lids. 

   

                                                    Before & After

 I can only put 6 in there as I have to tilt them because my pull out drawer isn't deep enough - but even having 6 in there allows me to better organize my pots & pan.  It costs $3.99.

The Ice Tray & Lid

A few years ago, my son couldn't complete a cross word puzzle because he'd never heard of an ice tray.  It struck me that we all have automatic ice makers these days and ice trays have become something of a relic of the past. However, if you like to cook, you probably know the importance of keeping great stock on hand and will appreciate this blast-from-the-past product.

Typically, I freeze my stock in 8 ounce containers.  But every so often, I just want a couple tablespoons of stock. I unfreeze a whole container and the rest goes to waste.  I use this covered ice tray to freeze my stock in cubes, which allows easy access for small quantities. Need to dilute your chili?  Grab a few cubes. Deglazing a pan? Toss in a few cubes.  You get the picture.  One of the greatest things about the tray is that it has a cover that slides off - which keeps your stock fresh and avoids picking up freezer flavors.  The tray retails for $3.99.