Utensil Caddy.

We are a family of 9 so there are lot of seats at our table.  Our son, Nick, plus his wife Susan and 4 grand kids have made a home in our basement.  Don't worry, it's a daylight basement with 2000 sf. Lots of light and space; no dark, dank, scary spaces down there.  Anyway, our daughter, Aly, is currently living in Australia. So, even though we are a family of 9 we have 8 that sit at our table a few nights a week.

On nights we share a meal together it is usually done as self serve. The food is hot, the plates are filled, the drinks are poured and we finally sit down at the table. Then....inevitably, someone forgets their flatware. Four kids at the table, forgetting a fork, spoon or knife is going to happen. Once the utensil is retrieved, we fold our hands and give thanks for our food.  The talk of the happenings of our day begins as we enjoy our meal together. It's a great time for our family.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking at some items on the Pottery Barn website.  In the section of "Customers who viewed this item also viewed this" I noticed a utensil caddy. What a perfect solution to our "someone forgot their flatware" situation. I added the caddy to the cart and had every intention of proceeding to check out when I experienced a moment of hesitation.  Perhaps I should take a look at other options.

I decided to wait and research different styles...and prices.  I searched so many places and somewhere along the search line I came across some painted canning jars...definitely my style.

I had a plan!

A few years ago I bought several vintage sewing drawers at one of my favorite vintage/antique shops. I've used some for different projects over the past couple of years and knew I still had 2 or 3 left in my stash.  I scrounged around and found the drawers then I rounded up some of my canning jars. What a great combination for a utensil caddy.

I painted the jars and the drawer, printed out some labels, punched a hole in the labels, tied them to the jars with some jute, added the flatware and called it done.

No more holding dinner while someone fetches a fork.

Share...Inspire...Create...Believe

~willa~