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12 DIY Kitchen Ideas to Craft Before Company Comes Over

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We’re fast approaching that time of year where it feels like we have visitors over all of the time. Whether it’s family or friends, our homes are a hubbub of activity during the holidays, and while we frantically rush to clean up our homes before Cousin Teddy stops by with his family, we often feel at a loss. If you’re like me, you rush to dust, vacuum, and jam as many items into the closet as possible. No matter how many times you tell yourself that it’s going to be different, that last-minute dash to spruce up the joint is habitual. I don’t know about you, but when I’m racing against the clock to rid the house of dust mites, there’s one room I always forget to tackle: the kitchen. I’m usually good about cleaning the dishes and putting food away, but when company comes over, my kitchen isn’t much to look at. It’s dull. It’s boring. If I sweep the floor, the kitchen might look better, but it’s still a room in dire need of color. That’s why I’ve been compiling a list of DIY kitchen ideas.

I’ve spent many hours sprucing up the home decor for my living room. When cleaned, I’m proud to say that the living room looks great. It’s comfortable. It has a sense of atmosphere and style. People can see all of my cool DIY room decor and be amazed. My kitchen, as you now know, is another story, and I wanted to change that. What if Cousin Teddy and the family wanted to raid my fridge for snacks and sodas? In looking for DIY kitchen ideas, I put together crafts that either looked great, were practical, or could wear both hats. Some of these crafts, like the Coffee Pot Homemade Terrarium, were also a neat way to recycle spare items I no longer needed. Featured below is my personal to-do list. The next time those family members or friends want to check out my home, these crafts will make me feel like my kitchen is dressed up enough for company.

12 DIY Kitchen Ideas to Craft Before Company Comes Over

12 DIY Kitchen Ideas to Make You Feel Stylish

  1. Wooden Spoon Wall Art
  2. Coffee Pot Homemade Terrarium
  3. The Dreamiest Treat Jars
  4. Crochet Beer Cap Hot Pad
  5. Colorful Crochet Dishcloths
  6. Permanent Marker Art Bowls
  7. DIY Vintage Sign
  8. French Seed Packet Printable Art
  9. Brewtiful Coffee Printable Art
  10. DIY Laminated Placements
  11. Delectable Donut Coasters
  12. Recycled Milk Carton Organizers

If these 12 DIY kitchen ideas inspired you to track down some more neat projects, you should check out this 39 Low Cost Kitchen Crafts eBook.

I’ve opened up about my last-minute preparations for company. How do you prepare for guests?

Impeccable Taste: 5 Best Holiday Party Food and Craft Combos

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Impeccable Taste: 5 Best Holiday Food and Craft Combos

It’s coming on Christmas, which means your December calendar is quickly filling up with holiday party invites. It can be exhausting trying to come up with a fun new idea for every Christmas gathering. At a certain point, we all want to give in to the call of store-bought Christmas cookies in a tin we brought from home so we can pass them off as our own. But it doesn’t have to be that way!  Make the social merry-go-round fun this year with these amazing and easy food and craft combos that are sure to have you at the top of everyone’s guest list. From pies to themed dresses, these are your new Christmas party go-tos.

An Old Favorite

Soupless Green Bean and Mushroom CasserolePlacemat Casserole Carrier

The Christmas casserole is a key staple of any holiday potluck, and each guest has their own family recipe. Try something a little different this year with the Soupless Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole, which is guaranteed to please. This recipe is perfect for parties because you can leave portion sizes up to each partygoer. No need to meticulously cut out pieces—just let everyone scoop as much as they want! Plus, green bean dishes complement almost every other flavor, so your casserole will taste excellent with whatever other dishes guests bring. Cart your dish from your kitchen to the party in this awesome upcycled Placemat Casserole Carrier, which will keep your cooking at the perfect temperature until it’s time to eat!

An Eye on the Waistline

Skinny Eggnog PieCasserole and Pie Carrier

Everyone struggles with weight gain during the holidays. How could they not, with all those delicious desserts at the tips of their fingers? Do your loved ones a favor this Christmas with the Skinny Eggnog Pie. This scrumptious dessert cuts out some of the fat and calories without losing a bit of the taste. Fellow party guests won’t believe that this is a “lite” dessert! Keep your pie looking magazine-cover ready in the Casserole and Pie Carrier, which will protect all your hard work from being jostled or ruined in the car. Choose a Christmas fabric to give this carrier an extra holiday boost!

30 Gingerbread Men (and a Lady)

Cut Out Gingerbread CookiesLittle Miss Gingerbread Dress

This Little Miss Gingerbread Dress is too cute for words, and will be absolutely adorable paired with some delicious gingerbread cookies! The outfit is surprisingly easy to put together, and can be made the weekend before its party debut. Even better, the Cut Out Gingerbread Cookies are dairy, egg, and gluten free! You’ll be everyone’s favorite party guest with this considerate treat.

Looks Great, Tastes Better

20 Minute Festive Christmas Cake FrillDreamy Gingerbread Cheesecake

Be careful with the Dreamy Gingerbread Cheesecake — you might have other party guests forgetting about the spirit of Christmas to fight one another over the last piece of this mouth-watering dessert. This cheesecake is a fun twist on usual gingerbread desserts, and even gives an upgrade to regular cheesecake! A slice of this dessert is the perfect way to finish off a potluck meal. And with the 20 Minute Festive Christmas Cake Frill, your dessert can look as good as it tastes! In less than half an hour, you can whip up some bunting and a little frill to make your dish stand out from the crowd.

Cute Enough to Eat

DIY Applique OnesieClassic Christmas Spritz Cookies

This easy-breezy DIY Applique Onesie is just the ticket for a baby this Christmas. The applique takes no time at all to make, but will have your baby looking so cute and festive while remaining comfortable and warm. Couple that killer outfit with these tree-shaped Classic Christmas Spritz Cookies and you can bet that you’ll have the best dressed plus-one in the room.

What’s your go-to holiday potluck dish?

30 Days of Sewing:Lined Half-Apron

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In honor of National Sewing Month, FaveCraftsBlog will feature one free sewing pattern every day this September. To follow along, visit the blog daily or sign up for the RSS feed.

Here is today’s free sewing pattern: Lined Half-Apron

Designer: Louise Papas of lululollylegs.blogspot.com

Time to Create: 3 Hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Rating: 

Sew up a lined apron with ruffled pocket, gathering and a thick flattering waistband. Give this apron as a gift along with a cookbook or keep for your own kitchen.

30 Days of Sewing: Casserole Tote

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In honor of National Sewing Month, FaveCraftsBlog will feature one free sewing pattern every day this September. To follow along, visit the blog daily or sign up for the RSS feed.

Here is today’s free sewing pattern: Casserole Tote

Designer: Kelly Laws for Baby Lock

Difficulty: Experienced

Rating: 

Follow the step-by-step instructions to sew an attractive tote for your 9″ x 13″ casserole dish, perfect for bringing to pot luck gatherings. Applique stars cut from fabric remnants add fun decoration to the casserole tote.

Decorative Fall Towel

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This Thanksgiving you can decorate your home and your kitchen to fit the needs of the holiday. The fall colors, the cool breezes and the smell of the turkey roasting in your oven. All these things are great around Thanksgiving. LeeAnn Christenson of christensoncreations.etsy.com and kitchencreations.artfire.com has sent in a great project. While you’re cooking your Thanksgiving meal you should have your decorative fall towel close by you.

This is a great sewing project and it’s easy to make. You can use these as fall decorations or actual drying towels. Thanksgiving is full of bright colors and warm fuzzy feelings, so create this towel to complete your ensemble.

Check out our kid-friendly Thanksgiving crafts!

Crochet Floral Kitchen Sets

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I’m not really one for cut flowers. I always find the inevitable browning and petal-falling of cut flower arrangements to be a bit sad. Like anyone though, I appreciate the beauty of flowers. I love looking out into our garden while waiting for the kettle to boil and admiring my boyfriend’s green thumb. With some brand new crochet patterns at FaveCrafts, I also like the idea of bringing the shapes and colors of flowers into the kitchen in a lasting way. These kitchen set crochet patterns are all inspired by specific flowers. Pick your favorite and create beautiful decorative accents.

Daisies

Daisy Dishcloth Crochet Pattern

Daisy Flower Bouquet Crochet Pattern

Daffodils

Daffodils Dishcloths Crochet Pattern

Daffodils Bouquet Crochet Pattern

Pansies

Pansy Dishcloth and Potholder Crochet Pattern

Pansies Bouquet Crochet Pattern

More Kitchen Crafts

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In my daily browsing of Etsy today, I was excited to see that they are highlighting handmade goods that reflect the slow food movement. As a budding pastry chef, I was of course intrigued and thrilled to browse these great items. Some of my favorites are below.

lurearts has a great set of 4 dessert bowls that she made on a wheel and then glazed. I think these bowls are beautiful and there’s no such thing as having too many bowls for ice cream.

This tempered glass trivet/cheese tray/cutting board from kermitbiggs would be a bright and beautiful addition to any kitchen. These would go perfectly with the green hanging lights above the island in my kitchen.

Over on FaveCrafts, we have a number of great decorating ideas for your kitchen. I like this harvest topiary for an autumn accent or centerpiece. It adds some brilliant color to any table.

Crochet

Jewelry

Knitting

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