Alert! Alert! I'm a loser! At the very least I'm losing the battle of how to move forward on my antique hardware cabinet.
You may remember this slick looking antique hardware cabinet from last fall. I dragged it home from a flea market, cut it down to size so it would fit on this wall and then pledged to get the drawers filled up and handles switched out once Christmas was over and I had more time.
Aren't I hilarious? We're all hilarious actually. Future time is WAY more abundant than real time. Ditto for future money! We always think we're going to have more of it than we have right now. That almost never happens. O.K., it never happens, ever, I just didn't want to sound like a downer.
When Christmas rolled around and I had a week off after it, I had WAY better things to do than figure out my hardware cabinet. I have absolutely no recollection of what those things were but they definitely weren't figuring out what to put in my tiny drawers or what kind of handles I should have on it. I have a blurry memory of me alternating between sleeping and napping for a full week but that can't be right.
Every so often I try to shove something in one of these drawers. Very little fits. I bought a box of microwave popcorn thinking I could fill a couple of drawers with bags of microwave popcorn because that's the weird kind of thing I think would be fun to keep in there. That and doll heads.
But the bags of popcorn don't fit ... and this is the important part ... by about a quarter of an inch. EVERYTHING doesn't fit in these drawers by about a quarter of an inch. Each box measures 4 ¾" wide x 5 ¼" long by 5 ¼" high on the inside.
I KNOW there are things I should be keeping in here. I know these are the BEST drawers in the world for ... something. Like they're seriously perfect for holding 4" by 5" boxes. I thought for a time I'd keep my seeds in the drawers but that's dumb. I do all my planting in the basement so having my seeds upstairs doesn't seem very practical. And I like to be practical. I say that with all the confidence of someone who cooks her pizza in an outdoor wood burning oven that requires chopping wood and stoking for 3-4 hours.
AND I STILL NEED TO FIGURE OUT A GOOD SYSTEM FOR INDEXING THESE DRAWERS. We've established I have no ability to remember if I own avocados or not, I'm never going to be able to remember what is where in these drawers without some sort of a list or index.
One of the suggestions you gave the last time I was whining (about this) were to keep one drawer for alphabetized index cards. Someone else said to hang an antique clipboard on the side with everything itemized. I think that would look good actually.
As far as handles go I still don't have a clue, but I think I'll probably get something basically like what I have now only not so ugly. Just a round, worn brass knob that looks authentic. I just realized something and now I feel bad for you. I'm basically just thinking out loud putting zero thought into making this post entertaining for you. In keeping with that poorly executed writing style - I just lifted my head from the computer to the television and thought I saw a young girl with a massive black beard. Turns out she was just holding a doll with black hair in the vicinity of her face.
Back to this cabinet. I need help. Am I missing something? Is there something that I should be putting in those drawers that's painfully obvious that I haven't thought about?? Don't say spices because I don't want to have to open 34 drawers to take a look at all of my spices. I'm a spice browser so I like them all to be in one big drawer for easy eye access.
I realize not knowing what I own is likely to make this difficult for you, but I probably own the same things you do. Scissors, paper, elastic bands, a guinea pig merry-go-round, those sorts of things. I'd want to make the best use of the drawers possible which at this point is making any use of them.
As a last resort I do have one thing I can put away in all of those drawers - all of my hopes and dreams for this hardware cabinet. Just kidding, I still love it, it's beautiful. It's just a bit of an asshead.
Have a good weekend!
I still think storing your seeds in these drawers would be great. A drawer for each month and just pull out the drawer and take it to the basement with you. Also like most people suggest batteries, tea light candles, matches, elastic bands, string, mini tools like tweezers, pen nice, scissors, nail clippers. Muslin straining bags for jelly or cheese, jam lables or covers, cookie cutters, baking beans, home dryed herbs. If you kitchen is your hub then anything useful but small. Really like the clip board idea. Make a list 1-48 of all the things you could store in the draws then reorganise on paper the most used to the best hight before filling them. What a lovely find. 😍
It's all full up now Kimberley! (mostly anywhere, there are still a couple of empty drawers - which is good!) The drawers are filled with miscellaneous things like tape, screwdrivers, dog treats, picture hanging things, wire, spices and on and on. ~ karen!
Hi Karen and Commenters!
This is about to be a tragedy, but is it possible to group the drawers and connect them to make wider drawers?
Similar idea to the hinged cabinet door suggested by Lesley.
PS I'd use it for sewing tools, notions and supplies.
Hi Jessica! It's all done now, but it would have been possible at the time. It just would have cost a lot more money. :) ~ karen!