Clean Sheets

Transformation: Pine Chest (Step 4)

The box recieved four coats of paint this week - the house is in a mess, but I am delighted with the box!

Since renovating our first home in 2003 I have been a fan of Colortrend paints. Made in Ireland, glorious colours, A4 colour swatches available, actual paint used in their colour cards and new innovations all the time - what's not to like? 

The latest innovation which is particularly relevant to this project is waterbased satinwood and gloss paint. It doesn't smell as strongly and is easily cleaned off brushes etc. I only wish it was around when we painted a whole wall of tongue and groove panelling in that first house.

Find our more about Colortrend paints

The other nice things about the water based paints is that they dry quicker so I managed to get four coats done much quicker than with traditional oil based satinwood. I prefer satinwood to gloss for just about everything except front doors. I left the box upside down and painted the legs four times before turning it upright to paint the rest.

The lid and the base are going to be a contrasting colour by next Friday.  

Ta dah!

Here it is painted "tumbled marble"

  

The Neglected Gadget

All the new recipes I've been trying have meant my kitchen appliances and utensils have almost all been pressed into use recently. There is however one that's seriously under utilised: the bread maker.

The gift of a some Cashel Blue Cheese in June meant I had to use my imagination and somewhere in the depths of my memory I could remember Caramelized onions and Blue Cheese on Pizza. I think this was originally a Darina Allen recipe but I have seen it since in Clodagh McKenna's Irish Farmers Market Cookbook. The sweet onions and the salty Blue Cheese combine beautifully in a melted soft pizza topping.

The "Forget Less" Shopping List

Soon after the menu planner was adopted in the cleansheets household I realised that a similar laminated sheet close by could make the shopping list making even easier.

Download Cleansheets shopping list

This sheet is stuck above the menu planner on the front of a kitchen cupboard and the rugby player and I add items that run out during the week. Works well for us and if it isn't on the list you can't expect it to be brought home! 

We also add other jobs that need to be done in town, pay the vet, collect dry cleaning, etc.

The dry wipe marker needs to be out of children's reach and always easy to find. Ours is stuck in the wine rack over the fridge and not putting it back where it belongs is a hanging offence!