Cleaning Cupboards

At the beginning of each year, I make a list of areas of the house that are creeping out of control. Then I assign them to particular months of the year, so that it's not overwhelming, but it all does get done. This month's project was cleaning out this kitchen cupboard, which houses mostly entertaining pieces.

I do love this cupboard, partly because I designed it and told the kitchen designer what I wanted it to look like, and partly because it holds all the fun stuff! I ignored the very top cupboard, because it holds all the Christmas china and there isn't really anything that needed to be changed about it.

The main part, with the doors, holds glassware, miscellaneous serving pieces, silverware (in a chest), and assorted other things (like a bunch of hubby's paperwork) that had crept into it and needed to go find another place to live. The before and after:

The two small drawers in the bottom portion of the cupboard hold small items that are seldom used...serving cutlery, pumpkin carving knives, cellophane bags for wrapping up food gifts, and a bunch of things that I have never used. Out with the unnecessary and everything else had room to spread out and be seen! Before and after:

Ahh...it felt so much better to have some breathing space for everything, especially the serving utensils. Now my love of cutlery can expand!

Then it was time to tackle the three larger drawers. What a mess! Mostly they held placemats, a few tablecloths, and lots of napkins. I'd recently purchased several more sets of napkins and the situation was beyond control. In order, here are the before pictures of the drawers:

I decided that the easiest way to tackle this was to empty them completely. Just the empty drawers was a relief.

Somebody wanted to be of assistance by adding his duck to a drawer.

After eliminating a few items, shifting others to other places (like the jumbo carving board to the pantry), and sorting everything, it all fit beautifully!

There! I can still add to the cutlery collection and can buy only two more napkin rings in my lifetime. But absolutely not another napkin can enter the house!