Streamline Your Kitchen: Expert Organization Tips

[gilliandanielle]

PC send me stuff that way, so I am sure they know me well!

 

[lacychef]

I'm jealous too! Looks great Gill We'll call you Jilley Jr.! (and is that a pyrex bowl in your cabinet???) lol!

KG: my mil collects Fiestaware (and PC). Her kitchen is white, with the fiestaware of every color on shelves & on top of her cabinets. It's so pretty!

 

[gilliandanielle]

It is pyrex- I needed a size for hot grease that was bigger than a prep bowl but smaller than the small batter bowl. I feel so guilty, LMAO!!

And my mom collects Fiestaware too in the nasty peach color!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

They just discontinued two more colors...oops...retired two colors, which makes the product valuable to collectors. The two colors the discon...er...retired are just bad colors, kind of a dusty rose and a celery color.They've made Fiesta since the mid-1930's except during the '70s and the old Fiesta is really hot with collectors. Homer Laughlin is one of the last china makers in the United States (Pfalzgraf has now all gone offshore) along with Hall, at least, that I know of. They make a lot of commercial china now, so next time you're at a restaurant, look at the bottom and see if there's a Homer Laughlin or Hall logo on it. (Appleby's just placed a huge order with HL.)

 

[PamperChefCarol]

Now we're trying to figure out where to go with service for eight and serving pieces.

If we only had service for 8!! I am a confessed dish lover. Not including the 2 services for 16 that are at the daughters, I have... ready for this... service for 20+ (I know,but it didn't happen overnight) of Franciscan ware. You know, you start with 8 Kitchen Guy, and slowly but surely, more migrates. I had service for 16, when I decided to throw husband and myself an anniversary party. Well, people can't eat off plastic or paper at my house, so that's where the 20 came from. Then husband's best friend's father passed and he had Franciscan ware, and he did have some pieces that were interesting... so that's where another bunch came from.

Most of it's in storage cases in the basement. And please, don't ask to see my basement.

If anyone ever needs dishes, come see me.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

When we built our house we had our builder build a divided stoneware area under my ovens he didn't understand why I wanted somewhere to keep stones. (he was thinking rock collections!!)
I have stones under my bed, in 3 kitchen cabinets, in my camper, & in 2 closets!!
Last count ( a few years ago) I had over 125 pieces probably around the time we introduced the cranberry line. One year we earned 1 stone for every 5 sold or something, I sold the crud outta stoneware that month and had to keep each earned one for ME!! HA!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

If we only had service for 8!! I am a confessed dish lover. Not including the 2 services for 16 that are at the daughters, I have... ready for this... service for 20+ (I know,but it didn't happen overnight) of Franciscan ware. You know, you start with 8 Kitchen Guy, and slowly but surely, more migrates. I had service for 16, when I decided to throw husband and myself an anniversary party. Well, people can't eat off plastic or paper at my house, so that's where the 20 came from. Then husband's best friend's father passed and he had Franciscan ware, and he did have some pieces that were interesting... so that's where another bunch came from.

Most of it's in storage cases in the basement. And please, don't ask to see my basement.

If anyone ever needs dishes, come see me.

I know it - I have a huge collection of Hall China Autumn Leaf. It's a long story...

 

[MissChef]

$15k in career sales.

I'm kinda confused what do you mean by 15k in career sales? Do you mean that that is when you get to purchase another kit? Because I know that it's the 200th show, cause the notice came a long time ago for me, I'm closer to 500 shows then 200 shows! Just not sure what you mean?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it, you receive a second kit at $15K in career sales. How 'bout it, you 15k'ers?

 

[ange13]

You can purchase a new kit at every 200th cooking show. Catalog shows don't count towards the 200. when you hit that point you will get the notice in the mail.

at 15k you get 2% raise--and a silver whisk-that's it

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Well, that's it. Somebody misled me. I quit.Not really.

 

[janetupnorth]

Gillian - suggestion on the plastic - get a basket or container that fits on the shelf and toss the little stuff in there. I do that or take my biggest plastic or tupperware item and stack everything in that. Eliminates some clutter for me...and keeps some of the kiddie cups from taking control and being all over.

 

[Jilleysue]

No doubt, they should let you do that after a while. I mean it only makes sense, but I guess once you become directors, they give you samples anyway. That is what they are pushing people to do.

 

[Shawnna]

Gillian...I love your cabinets. They look like mine...except mine are not organized. All of my bottom cabinets have pull out drawers and I love them. My top cabinets don't have the pull outs, but they are very roomy. Next to my dishwasher I have a cabinet with no shelves or drawers and it has 1 divider in the middle...top to bottom...and I keep my flat stones and bar pans there. They can stand up. I also keep PC on the top of my cabinets along with my collection of little chefs. We remodeled our home about 2 years ago and I designed my own cabinets...wish I had done some things differently, but overall I love them. Unfortunately, even though I have about 4 times the storage I did have, it is still not enough...LOL I don't know where I am going to put my SS samples.

 

[gilliandanielle]

Gillian - suggestion on the plastic - get a basket or container that fits on the shelf and toss the little stuff in there. I do that or take my biggest plastic or tupperware item and stack everything in that. Eliminates some clutter for me...and keeps some of the kiddie cups from taking control and being all over.

Thanks for the tip- I'll have to look for something to contain the containers!! My sippee cups are all organized and neat, but it is just all the different shaped rubbermaid things that throw me off!

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Yikes!

Thanks for the tip- I'll have to look for something to contain the containers!! My sippee cups are all organized and neat, but it is just all the different shaped rubbermaid things that throw me off!

Me too Gill, I wish I had a special drawer just for those rubbermaid containers and lids. I just don't have the space. They are so frustrating but I can't live without them...LOL

I wonder if there is a container to hold all the containers neatly under my sink?? Another container?? Oh great....that probably won't solve my problem.

Debbie

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

And the next thing you know, you'll have a container that holds all of the containers that contain your containers.At that point, you might consider taking up residence in the rubber room where you won't have to worry about it anymore.

 

[gilliandanielle]

Aren't you the one who is addicted to the container store?? We don't have one, but do they have anything like that??

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Me? Hardly.My mutant family doesn't have the oganizational gene.

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Check it out!!

Aren't you the one who is addicted to the container store?? We don't have one, but do they have anything like that??

I found a lid holder at the container store for tupperware!! It's called a plastic cover holder.

Wow!

Debbie

 

[dannyzmom]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it, you receive a second kit at $15K in career sales. How 'bout it, you 15k'ers?

Nope - you can purchase a new kit when you hit your 200th show - and it has to be 200 cooking or fundraisers - not catalogs.

 

[dannyzmom]

OMG you guys are gonna get me started on a whole other organizational project. MY KITCHEN CABINETS!!
DH has been working on them for a few weeks (Thanks for the motivation Jill) but we still have a ways to go on the Tupperware cabinet and the kids-cups cabinet...

 

[jenniferknapp]

Haven't you ever seen the big lazy-susan that holds all of the nested containers in their own spot, sqaures here, round here..etc.. and the lids go in a stack next to it? I think it is an As seen on TV, but I could be wrong...it looks great, but I like my name brand things....not sure if I trust that these ones won't leak!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I have one that I bought last summer for our camper at a Big Lots it is the "As Seen On TV" It works ok!

 

[erinyourpclady]

Ug, I am hoping I can eventually have two of everything so my tote can stay packed. I really don't want to have to put everything away and pull it back out.

I have 2 of everything but the cookware and stoneware (I do have some repeat stones). The only thing I dislike about it is the amount of stuff I have.........there is such a thing as to much!! LOL!!

 

[AJPratt]

I would love to have a kit just for shows. I have been considering "buying" the pieces when I host a show, using the FPV or discount. I'm glad I didn't start sooner because of them changing the kit! LOL Although, when there is a special I can get, I get it... I just may have some extras of stuff. I had pictures I sent off, hoping to win some free organizing help. But alas.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

...there is such a thing as to much!! LOL!!

Nah!








































Dam Ned's minimum character requirement.

 

[raebates]

Too much PC? No way!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

The same can be said for Fiesta Ware.

I didn't buy the candle holders because I think they look kinda dorky, and I didn't buy the little, martini sized pitcher otherwise, I think we now have at least one of everything you see in the photo (with 8 place settings) not to mention a lot of the serving pieces you don't see here. See the outline of the dancing lady in the lower right corner? We've even got a figurine of her.In Scarlett, in case anyone wondered. (Yes, the doll has a scarlett dress, too.) Third from the right:

You can see all the Fiesta colors at Homer Laughln China Website.

 

[speedychef]

First of all...the Spin-N-Store works great! It's kind of flimsy, but I love that little AS SEEN ON TV thing! If it's too big for a prep bowl, it goes in the Spin-N-Store containers!

Second of all, we fly a marine chemist out to Newell, WV and the first time we went out there, he asked me if I wanted to go shopping. I was offended because he was being sexist about it and declined. We've been there a million times since (maybe not quite a million...) and NOW I want to go! I just got my great-grandma's china, and it was made by none other than Homer-Laughlin! Really cool

Another organizing idea...I saw in a mag recently to use spring-tension curtain rods vertically in your cabinets to store things like your flat stones.

And I know someone might smack me for this thought, and I haven't participated my own self, but I kind of dig Tupperware's Modular mates...

My kitchen is the only place where I really am organized! Whenever I get a new box of stuff, I have to find someplace to put it ASAP before Bryan tells me, "we don't need any more kitchen stuff!" (Though one time he opened up my sellathon box and had everything opened up and spread out all over the kitchen. When I came home, he said, "LOOK what I got!!")