Trip Preparations and A Bit of Shelf Tweaking for Met Monday

Welcome to the 446th Metamorphosis Monday!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! I’ve started some preliminary packing and will soon share what I’m taking on this upcoming trip to Ireland. I plan to take my computer in hopes of creating a few blog posts while there, but for real time postings you’ll want to check Between Naps On The Porch on Instagram here each day: Between Naps On The Porch.

If you’re not currently using Instagram, don’t worry. It’s not necessary to join Instagram to view photos that I’ll be posting there. To view the photos I post there during the trip, just visit the Between Naps On the Porch blog occasionally throughout the day, then click on the button that looks like this located on the sidebar on the right side of the blog. That button will take you right to the BNOTP Instagram page.

When you click on that button in the sidebar, you’ll be able to see all the photos I’m posting while traveling throughout Ireland. I can’t wait to share that beautiful country with you, along with the castles and manor houses where we’ll be staying. This truly promises to be a magical trip and I’m going to do my best to take  you with me! 🙂 I’m excited three Between Naps On The Porch readers are going on this trip, as well!

A Bit of Tweaking

I don’t have a dramatic “Before and After” to share for this week’s Met Monday, just a few more tweaks I’ve made to the cabinet storage I recently added to the garage. If you missed that previous post where I shared all the details about this project, you’ll find it here: Cabinet Storage.

Attractive Cabinet Storage for Garage, Home, Basement

 

The shelves that come with the cabinet are okay, but they are a little thinner than I would like. In some instances they almost appear to be bowing slightly even though I’ve been careful to not exceed the weight limit of each shelf.

I changed out the second shelf in the cabinet that holds my Christmas dishware last week as shown below. It’s the shelf with the snowman dishes that was changed. I really like the beefier look. I’m not sure if that shelf was bowing, or if it was my imagination, but I think the thicker shelf is working better.

Note: No matter how I take photos, the shelves always appear to be bowing. I’ve been using my cell phone for these pics since it handles the low lighting in the garage so well, but unfortunately its wide-angle lens always seems to make the shelves appear to be bowing, even when they aren’t!

Christmas Dishware Storage, White Cabinets

 

After finding one more set of Christmas dishes I had stashed away in my kitchen cabinets, I decided to add another shelf to the “Christmas” cabinet. While I was at it, I also replaced all the other shelves with the thicker/beefier shelves from Home Depot.

 

So here’s how that cabinet looks now with an added shelf. I can’t change out the top shelf or the very bottom shelf since those are “fixed” shelves, but all the others have been swapped out for the thicker shelving. It really feels more substantial!

Thicker Replacement Shelves for SystemBuild Cabinets

 

While I was at it, I decided to go ahead and replace all the shelves in the flatware/napkin ring cabinet as well. Here’s the “Before” picture below.

Cabinet for Flatware, Napkins and Napkin Ring Storage

 

And here’s how it looks now. Not sure if you can see much of a difference in this photo. When I added another shelf to this cabinet a while back, I would loved to have spaced out the shelves a bit more evenly, but the hinges in the center are right in the way. So this works fine, even if it drives the OCD side of me a bit crazy. lol

I really do like the thicker shelves and at $7 a shelf, it wasn’t that expensive to replace them.

Thicker Shelves to Replace Thin Shelves of System Build Cabinets

 

As I was going through photos on my computer this weekend, I came across a few I had taken on my last visit to A Classy Flea. I’m kinda kicking myself that I didn’t buy this adorable window painting when I was there. I love this little beach house scene so much! I need a beach house to decorate! lol

Beach House Painted on Window Panes

 

I don’t know how the artist did it, but look how realistic the sand looks. Maybe she mixed real sand into the paint.

Sand, Painting on Glass

 

This painting was really cute, too!

 

Have a wonderful week, Dear Friends! Looking forward to all the great Before and Afters linked for this week’s Metamorphosis Monday!

Metamorphosis Monday

Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. If you are participating in Met Monday, please link up using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address.

To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz.

In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

Please observe these few rules:

Please link up Before and After posts that are home, gardening, decorating, crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, fashion or DIY related.

Be sure to include a link back to the party in your post, so your readers will be able to find and visit the other bloggers who are participating.

Do not link up to the party if you’re doing so to promote or sell a product.

To those who are linking up: If you notice a shop or store linking up to sell products (yes, unfortunately that does happen) please let me know so I can remove their link from the party. No one wants to click a link expecting a Before and After, only to find a spam link to an online business/store.

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



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Comments

  1. Susan, you have the most organized collection I have ever seen. I am very impressed! Have a wonderful time in Ireland. Looking forward to the pictures. What a great time of the year to go…

  2. Susan, your storage is amazing. It is so funny I have my readers that follow you that are sending me your link for the storage. You will love Ireland and I can’t wait for your posts! We went two summers ago!

  3. Stephani Price says

    I love the extra set of Christmas dishes you added to the new cabinets! Could you tell me who they are made by and where you purchased them?

  4. Safe travels Susan, looking forward to my virtual trip with you! Those windows are cute, I used to paint windows and sold them in a local shop, they are a fun wall treatment!

  5. What a lot of work, cut now they are organized and you can find them in a hurry.

    Have a wonderful trip and I am so glad you can go. Sometimes we wait too long and don’t get to.

  6. Great job on tweaking your cabinets. You inspired me to tackle my walk in kitchen pantry. I’ve been throwing out and organizing all weekend. Thank you for the inspiration. 🙂
    Have a wonderful time in Ireland. I can’t wait to hear about your trip and see all the beautiful places you will visit.

  7. We stayed at Blarney Castle Inn and I had Pavlova for dessert. I recommend it.

  8. rattlebridge farm says

    Have a great time! It’s one of my favorite places, and I hope to return one day. Thanks for hosting the party.

  9. You’ll love those melamine shelves. I have a ton of weight on each one of mine and they haven’t bowed in 3 or 4 years. I know you’re glad to have this task marked off your To Do List! You will have made your Ireland trip before we leave on ours. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it and getting some last minute tips on what I should do. Have a marvelous time!

    • That’s awesome, Martha! So far, these aren’t bowing at all. When I hold one of the other shelves up against it, I can see the bow in the original skinnier shelves, so they definitely were bowing. It’s a shame Ameriwood doesn’t supply decent shelves with these cabinets. They won’t even support the 35 lbs they say that they will support, without bowing. The ones I purchased at Home Depot are definitely stronger.
      I’ll report back, looking forward to sharing Ireland with you! 🙂

  10. It’ll be fun watching you get in and out of those cabinets in the coming months. Maybe we readers should start a lottery on how many times you make changes between now and oh, I don’t know, say six months, six weeks, six days…..lol. JK, it looks terrific, and I’d be doing much the same.
    Have a great time on your trip. My next door neighbor and an [antique] dealer friend each took that trip this past spring, and it was fantastic for each of them.

  11. I can see the difference in the shelves. I know you’ll rest easier knowing your dishes are secure. I sure have enjoyed mine!

  12. I like how you can track the seasons, with the centerpieces, across the cabinet tops (especially if you transposed the silver pumpkins with the trees). Having the cabinets so tightly side-by-side really ups their wow factor. So excited about Ireland!

  13. I’m excited for you going to Ireland! It’s always looked to enchanting to me. I know you’ll be happier with the heavier shelves. I put up shelves in the garage that were pre-finished white laminate like yours. They looked good and sturdy and most are, but a couple of them became bowed. Since it’s made with a compressed board which is glue and finely compressed wood- it tends to react to moisture. I’m guessing the thicker ones will perform better for you. Cheers to Ireland!

  14. THANKS SO MUCH for the info about “Instagram” (and even the BUTTON!) This is going to be so fun (and you don’t have to even think about shelving!) franki

  15. It was a REALLY good idea that you beefed up some of the shelving. Can you imagine the carnage and disaster if one of the flimsier shelves gave out under the weight of your treasured dishes—shudder…….

    Keep talking about packing and organizing for travel, please!! Hubby and I leave for Venice on Sept 9, will be in Italy until the 26th. I try to get organized ahead of time for these trips but I always always overpack and everything ends up in a ridiculous mess inside a too–large suitcase. People (like me) who pack in a rush tend to do this, mehhhh…..

    We went to Ireland last fall, you’re going to love it! And I KNOW you will take much better photos than I took. :0)

  16. I have loved following your cabinet journey!
    Karee

  17. Thanks so much for hosting!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

  18. Sometimes I use Photoshop Lightroom’s camera lens distortion corrections for things like your bowed shelves or curved walls, etc. It could be your camera lens distortion adding to that shelf bowed look you’re seeing, especially if you’re only seeing it in your photos. I’ve sure enjoyed seeing your dish and glassware organization. It’s VERY satisfying to see all of that beautiful organizing without having to lift a finger, other than my mouse finger! LOL!

  19. Awesome cabinets in your garage. You did a fabulous job!
    Have a wonderful trip to Ireland. I can’t wait to follow along with you.

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