Kitchen Part 3 - Tiny things from Odds and Ends

Just a quick post to show you a few things that I have been making for the kitchen - I didn't write a tutorial for them, as they are fairly self explanatory - but if anyone would like a tutorial for something, just let me know!  

Most of them have been made out of odds and ends, tiny bits of wood, beads, jewellry findings and old handkerchieves - the sort of things I guarantee you have lying around your craft desk.  I like making these types of things, as when I have an idea to make something, I hate waiting for the post man to come with the order... better to Make Do and Make Mini!

The laundry basket hidden under mounds of laundry (just like my RL home!) was made with "Things I Had to Hand"... no special linen thread or wires, just embroidery thread, toothpicks and an oval of foam board.  After a couple of coats of paint, it looks surprisingly ok, though probably best hidden under the dirty sheets!

The peg bag was embroidered on a cotton handkerchief, and I used a small screw eyelet for a hook on a match stick.  It is filled with tiny 'pegs' made from pieces of cocktail sticks, until I have the time/patience/skill to make better ones!

Here's a nice peg rack, waiting to be filled with aprons etc., made from a left over piece of lime wood.  I NEVER throw tiny bits of wood out, which usually makes a lot of clutter, but then sometimes, they can be useful.  I bent head pins and added seed beads for the hooks.  The wood was painted with watercolours and waxed with clear wax.

I pulled out some feathers from a pillow and used the end of a fancy toothpick to make a feather duster.  I remember telling my family to put the toothpicks in my handbag when we were eating olives in a restaurant... they thought I was completely mad, but the fancy toothpicks are hard to get in France, and I'm very glad that I did!  

Some tiny, tiny off cuts of walnut were transformed into a chopping board, wooded spoons and a spurtle (for making porage) just by sanding them with a fine nail file.  I tried this as I had been tempted to buy some lovely spoons on Etsy, but the postage to France was five times the price of the spoons, so I decided to have a go.  They're not bad for a first try, I think I'll make more.

Silly postage costs also prompted me to make the biscuit cutters out of tea-light tin.  I'm so glad I made them myself!  Very easy to do, and they look really sweet!

Here are the coat pegs after a coat of enamel paint... a little wobbly but fine for the kitchen...

I made the egg keeper a while ago (I'm sure you've seen it before), but it was worth including, as it was also made out of Things I Found When I Finally Cleaned My Craft Desk... wood, beads, canvas and paint.  And the blue light shade is what happens when you find a cheap light that is out of scale, take it to pieces, lose it, find the shade and say 'Aha!  Maybe glass paint will work....'  I'll be doing the electrics for the kitchen soon, so I'll tell you more about that then,

I hope you have been inspired to rummage through your Bits and Bobs to make something new and exciting out of practically nothing,

Thanks, as ever, for all your wonderful comments,

Jonquil