Tasteful Items to Make for the Kitchen

Framed Chalkboard

• An oversize frame from a thrift store holds the art of the grocery list, important reminders and young Picasso's early efforts when you fill it with chalkboard paint. Paint the frame to complement the kitchen colors, and mark its inside measurements on the wall. Paint the marked area with blackboard paint. Once the paint is dry, mount the frame over the chalkboard, and secure it to the wall. Keep a few pieces of colored chalk on the bottom edge of the frame, and scribble away when inspiration strikes.

Clamshell Soap Dish

• A large half clam shell or abalone shell makes a clean, natural soap dish for the counter next to the sink. Repurpose an old souvenir shell, or ask a local fish market to save a couple of large clam shell halves for you. Hunt for a smooth flat stone to fit inside the shell. Scrub the shell, place the flat stone in it and set the soap dish on the counter. A bar of soap that fits in the dish sits on the stone and is held out of any water that drips down into the shell.

Kitchen Island

• A cast-off workbench becomes a kitchen island with a slab of finished plywood and some angle braces. An old workbench rescued from curbside trash gets any rough spots sanded and a low gloss lacquer finish to make cleaning easier. A table top of 1 1/2-inch plywood will fit on the workbench to make a comfortable work island, and the drawers and shelves provide storage for utensils, appliances and large pots. If the wood top extends off one side far enough for two tall stools to pull up to it, the island can be a lunch or breakfast bar as well. Add a couple of decorative angle braces to support the extended side of the island. Stain or paint the top, and give it several high gloss protective coats of polyurethane.

Country Kitchen Mugs

• Create coordinated country mugs to hang on a wooden mug rack and brighten up the counter. Trace simple farm animal shapes like a pig, a cow and a rooster. Cut out the shapes, outline them with a thin marker on paper-backed contact paper, and use a craft knife to cut along the shape outlines. Remove the figures from the contact paper and discard. Take the paper backing off the remaining frame, and fit the self-stick contact on a mug. Fill in the animal shape with a solid color dishwasher-safe paint. Follow manufacturer's instructions to allow the paint to dry after carefully removing the contact paper.