Shed Building Plans

I did it! Good bye kitchen cabinet

So, as I posted previously, my large kitchen cabinet has started to fail.  The shelves were bowing and it started to pull away from the wall.  I had to make the decision to remove the cabinet,  restructure it, and put it back on the wall OR throw caution to the wind and remove it to explore new possibilities.


Yes, those are tree branches above the cabinets.  I use them with twinkle lights from Halloween thru winter.  It just adds a touch of sparkle to the drab winter.

I am not sure if it the promise of a new year or just an itch for change but I decided to remove the cabinet altogether!  Wait, what?  I KNOW!  Im a little crazy for removing a perfectly good cabinet but what is life without a little adventure, right?


I emptied the cabinet, removed the shelves, and questioned my decision about 1,000 more times before removing it.  I mean, whether I fixed it or decided to eliminate it - it needed to come down.






So as I decided to go with the open shelving, it was off to the home store to get some wood and supplies.  I decided to go with 2" shelves for the rustic elegance.  I found scrap lumber and after going through about twenty five pieces, I found two that were perfectly straight yet with interesting graining.  I went with 2 x 12s which were four feet long.  I cut them to the width I needed.  I also bought some 1 x 2 cedar boards to serve as both a ledge for the shelf and trim for the cubby I was also building.


Then I spied some unfinished shelving for only $2.78 each!  Wait, what?  So I put back some of the more expensive wood and decided to use this to build the cubby for my glass jars of flour and sugar.  SCORE!  I love saving money!


So this project took a lot of sitting on a stool, having a snack and mulling over designs in my head, options for mounting the shelves, etc.  It was really a trial and error process but finally I got started.  I used the cedar boards coupled with large brackets to support the bottom shelf.





Living in Chicago, sometimes DIYing in the winter has its drawbacks.  Since it was about 20 below zero when I began this project, I elected to cut wood in the kitchen.  I had no choice really but it has made a HUGE mess.  Oh well, it beats frostbite!


I wanted the shelf to sit flush on the wood ledge so I chiseled the width of the bracket out before securing it to the stud in the wall.  It worked perfectly!



Now that the first shelf support was ready, I proceeded to the cubby.  I needed a closed area for glass jar storage but also to continue to line of the cabinets and trim, crown molding, and over cabinet lighting.  I used the unfinished shelving to make a very basic box.  I trimmed it out in 1 x 3s and 1 x 2s.

I chose to use the large brackets again because I didnt want to worry about anything crashing off the wall and I didnt want to have to be limited in  what I could put on the shelf.  I painted the cabinet and the metal brackets white for a uniform look.  A little caulk and some sanding and it looked like a uniform and polished cabinet.  Yay.


This was just me goofing around with options of what to put on the shelves.  I still have to add the second shelf and decide what color to stain the shelves.


I found this awesome Kate Spade inspired polka dot grey and creme cotton duck material which I was going to use as a backdrop to hide the brackets and give the kitchen some pop.  I also found these wire baskets at Goodwill for ...... $1.99 for the two big ones and .99 cents for the smaller one!  SCORE!!!


So that is where I am so far.  The weekend was spent watching Notre Dame hockey and mens basketball in South Bend so I am looking forward to finishing this Sunday evening.  I am so looking forward to how it is going to turn out.   Even though there is more work to do, I think I made the right decision.  I am excited to post the final product in a few days!




I did it! Good bye kitchen cabinet

and to all a good night!

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and to all a good night!

Why Eating Organic Foods Is Good

Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. The goal in organic farming is to maintain and replenish the soil fertility without using toxic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. "Certified Organic" means the item has been grown in accordance with strict uniform standards that are verified by an independent state or private organization.

Dr. Alan Greene of Stanfords Childrens Hospital neatly summarizes the argument for organics: "Eat organic produce. Your immune system wont waste energy trying to fight off the toxins that are sprayed on conventional fruits and vegetables." Eating organics frees up your immune system and antioxidants to do their evolutionarily evolved job, which is to fight off pathogens, cancer, and other diseases originating from natural environmental sources. Your bodys natural defense mechanisms are incredible strong, but like anything else, they can only handle so much attack. To keep your defensive line from being spread too thin, you should therefore limit exposure to toxins (and stress) as much as possible. Its important to realize that consuming pesticides and herbicides — even if they have not been found to be directly cardinogenic — can, in effect, lead to cancer if they use up your supply of antioxidants, which would otherwise have prevented cancer that was generated from another source.

Its true that organic foods typically cost more than conventional, but this may be true only in the short-term. After you adopt a healthier lifestyle with healthier food choices, including organics, you may find yourself frequenting the doctors office much less and spending less on medications — over the counter and prescriptions — and not to mention a lower chance of being prematurely dead. Its important to know that organically produced foods have to meet rigorous governing regulations in all aspects of production. Its labor and management-intensive, usually produced on smaller farms, which dont benefit from economies of scale. These factors combine, causing the cost to be higher. But as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for."

Organics typically cost about twice as much as conventionally produced food. To put things in perspective, consider bottled water. I know many people who would just about die of thirst before drinking tap water; for them, its bottled or nothing. But when you do the math, bottled water is about 300-600 times more expensive than tap water, and for good reason. But, depending on which municipality you live in, your tap water might actually be safer and healthier than eating conventionally produced foods. It really doesnt make sense to spend money on bottled water and then eat foods that are not grown organically.

Some of the many benefits of eating organic foods are:

Superior nutrition: Organics have up to 300% more vitamins and minerals than conventionally grown foods.
They have greater flavor. Many top chefs use only organic foods.
Reduced intake of chemicals and heavy metals.
Decreased exposure to carcinogens.
Better working conditions for farmers and workers.
No genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Much better for the environment.
For more information on organics, visit www.ota.org

I only buy organic. The most disappointing thing to me is that most restaurants dont use organic food, due to the higher cost. However, if customers demanded organic, more producers would produce it, and prices would come down. So, start voting with your dollar. When you go to a restaurant and youre paying the bill, take a moment to fill out the comment card, or write directly on to the receipt, that you would eat there more often if they offered some organic foods. This is how we begin to make a difference.

If you need some recipes books on how to make raw organic foods recipes or how to add raw food recipes to your diet or menu, this would be the best place to begin.




Photo attribution Martin Cathrae


Why Eating Organic Foods Is Good