Basic Cupboard Storage Ideas to Consider When You're Doing a Kitchen Makeover

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Kitchen Renovations Begin in the Mind - If You've Ever Tackled a Kitchen Renovation You Know Exactly What that Means

Once the reno-bug bites us, our thoughts are consumed with trying to add all the things we've always wanted in our soon-to-be brand new kitchen.

Let's review a quick list of the basics to consider when you first start the project.

Break down your kitchen cupboards into categories, then search out the options for each.

See the Pinterest Photos below for Examples of Each.

DISHES (Plates, Cups, Mugs, Casseroles etc)

1. A pull-out China cupboard. Check it out below in the Pinterest board! It looks very similar to the pullout shelves you see in a pantry cupboard, except the pullout shelves are designed to store your dishes.
2. Large deep pull-out drawers that fit your plates, saucers and bowls.
3. Open slots where your plates simply slide in and are revealed in the room, adding a decorative component.

POTS & PANS & COOKIE SHEETS

1. Pull-out drawers are a standard solution, however there are various designs to decide upon. Check them out below in the Pinterest Board.
2. A pull-out shelf in a cupboard where you can easily access your items. There are various styles of pull-out shelves to consider; some are metal with funky sorting slots, and others are simply open so you can organize them any way you choose.
3. Keep them out in the open as a decorative feature by hanging them on a specially designed wall or above a center island.
4. For all your cookie sheets and long narrow pans, add a section where you simply slide them into a cupboard for easy access. You'll see several ideas in the Pinterest Board below.

SMALL APPLIANCE STORAGE

1. Create a small appliance storage cupboard in your kitchen, easily accessible from the counter. Include shelves that utilize the entire height of the kitchen cabinetry and fill the closing cupboard with your daily items; blender, coffee machine, vitamix, toaster, and all the other funky small kitchen appliances.
2. Create a Coffee Serving Cupboard - They're so Cool! Take a look at some of the ones featured below in the Pinterest Board. Have all things coffee included in your coffee cupboard and simply close the cupboard for a clean finished look.

SPICE CABINETS

1. Spice storage tends to come in two options, vertical and horizontal. Pull-out cupboards beside the stove tend to be the most popular choice, but you can also consider a pull-out drawer with slots for each spice to fit for easy label reading.
2. Construct open shelves on the backsplash that hold all your spice needs. You'll see an example of several below.
3. Create a narrow shelving system built onto the inside of a pantry door that holds all your spices. Again, you'll see an example in the Pinterest board below.

FOOD STORAGE

1. When a full pantry isn't an option, try upside down wire racks installed on an angle inside your cupboards to hold your canned goods. You'll see an example of one below in the Pinterest board.
2. Designate one section of cupboards from top to bottom with pull-out shelves to hold all your food items.
3. Use the inside of a small pantry door to hold a good portion of your food items.

A Unique IDEA if Your Kitchen Space Allows:

If you've ever watched HGTV you may have already seen this: A Kitchen without upper kitchen cabinets.

The upper section of the kitchen simply features open shelves on the wall that highlight decorative useful items.

But where will all your 'stuff' go? In your huge walk-in pantry that's where!

Design a pantry (Butler's Pantry) that's almost like another small kitchen. Include a wine fridge, shelves for all your dishes, small appliances and food. Put the microwave in there too. Be sure to check out some of the Butler Pantrys featured below, they're awesome!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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I Know This Much: From Soho to Spandau

Image and Review by Lou16

Let's review 'I Know This Much: From Soho to Spandau', an autobiography of Gary Kemp, lead guitarist, song writer and heartthrob of 80s New Romantic band Spandau Ballet.

If you just want to know who the song True was written for then this is the book to read! "Why do I find it hard to write the next line?" because you're tongue tied in love Gary! Who to? Well trust me this book reveals all which could be why Gary has used a line from his mega hit as the book title - I Know This Much.

If you're not interested in the song, but want to reminisce about the 80s and the New Romantics especially then you'll love to read this memoir from Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp. Gary Kemp has a knack with words and I found myself laughing as he described the first time he saw a wok and cringing when he mentioned certain fashions.

Towards the end of Gary Kemp's autobiography I found myself in tears - his writing of a particularly sad event was so good I could feel the emotion jumping off the page at me.

 I Know This Much: From Soho to Spandau by Gary Kemp
Confession time - I'm a huge Spandau Ballet fan and I thought I had quite a lot of knowledge about them and the beginnings of the New Romantic moviement. Even with this background I learnt a lot from Gary Kemp's Memoirs

I Know This Much is definately a book that brings back memories of names that you'd forgotten about. I loved the trip down memory lane.

Gary Kemp is also quite brutal about himself and some of his actions - it's a no holds barred autobiography from trying to murder his brother (anyone with a younger sibling can probably relate to that!) to being a total snob and a control freak.

The book also contains a few pages of photos which also help take you back in time - oh the fashions!

Who Was True Written For?

Spandau Ballet's worldwide hit ballad True really was the love song of the 80s, but who was it actually written for? I had heard Gary Kemp say that he had written True for a girl who never realized how he felt. I've never known who he was talking about until I read the book where all is revealed. I won't ruin it for you here, you can read the book instead!

From Islington to Highgate 

Gary Kemp's I Know This Much Autobiography 

I Know This Much by Gary Kemp starts off with his very working class East End upbringing and an unwanted Christmas gift - a guitar. It continues through his chid acting and early foray into music before moving onto the Blitz Kids and Spandau Ballet. The story of Gary Kemp's own contribution towards the break-up of the first New Romantic band is told in blunt honesty.

Gary's life past Spandau Ballet, the reformation and the death of his parents are all dealt with extremely well. if Gary Kemp ever decided to write fiction I think he would be consistently on the bestseller list.

There were so many lines in this book that stuck with me, but this was my first laugh out loud line as it struck me that back then a wok wouldn't have been something I knew about either. We tend to forget that things we use so often and can be found in many homes around the world were an unusual thing to have in your English home back in the 70s and early 80s.

Gary Kemp Reads Excerpts from I Know This Much

Other Spandau Ballet Autobiographies 

Other members of the band have also written their autobiographies. Martin Kemp (Gary's younger brother) was the bass guitarist for the group and was the first to write his autobiography.....

   True: The Autobiography of Martin Kemp
Martin Kemp's autobiography was called True and was written after he survived two brain tumours.

The book was written in part as therapy for himself and also because he wanted to write something for his children who were babies when he was first diagnosed with brain tumours.

 To Cut a Long Story Short: My Autobiography
Tony Hadley was Spandau Ballet's lead singer and the next member to write his autobiography.

Tony choose to use a different song title for his autobiography - To Cut A Long Story Short.

Gary Kemp was Spandau Ballet's lead guitarist and songwriter and is the latest one of them to write an autobiography which is what I have just reviewed for you.

Let me know what you thought of the book, did you cry near the end like me, or are you made of sterner stuff?

Spandau Ballet had five members in total which means that two stories have yet to be told. John Keeble and Steve Norman let me know when you've started your memoirs and I'll be more than happy to read them!

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How to Add Tabs to the Top of a Blogger Blog - Step by Step

Instructions to Add a Navigation Menu to Your Blogger Blog

Blogger offers a great way to start a free blog, but there are a few things you may want to do to improve the navigation of your blog. One of those things is adding category tabs to the top of your Blogger Blog to make it easier for guests to find subjects of interest by category. This horizontal line of tabs is often referred to as a Navigation Menu or Bar because quite simply, it helps visitors navigate your site and find exactly what they are seeking. 

As you add new posts to your blog, you will discover that it becomes really difficult for visitors to find your older articles. Therefore, labeling your posts by category and than creating tabs at the top of your blog becomes essential. 

Be sure to bookmark these easy to follow instructions for adding tabs to your blog. As your blog content grows, you may wish to revisit and change your tabs. This article will then serve as a great refresher on how they were initially set up, therefore you can easily see how to change or add to them.

Easy Instructions on How to Add Tabs to Blogger 

I am going to take you to the layout of Review This to show you step by step how to create your navigation menu.  This is the method used to create our top navigation menu that is a simple list  of our Contributors names.  If you click on either name, you will see that it redirects you to posts that have been published by that one author.  You decide what category labels best suit your blog.  For instance, a recipe blog might have labels for Appetizers, Main Course, Desserts, Snacks, and More.

The secondary navigation menu of our categories is a drop-down menu.  A separate tutorial on creating a drop-down menu will be published at a later date.

(See Tutorial Images in Slideshow Below Written Directions)

1.   Add a Category Label to Each Post.  Labels are on the right side of each post draft under Post Settings.
2.   Go to the Layout Tab on Your Blog Dashboard 
3.   Click "Add a Gadget" in the Cross Column Section under the Header Section
4.   Select either the Labels Gadget or the Page Gadget.  We used the Page Gadget on Review This because we had Page Links we also wanted to add to our Nav Bar in addition to the labels.  (Contributors & Quick View Home Page Links)
5.   If you Use the Label Gadget, simple select the labels you wish to have as tabs, and save.
6.   If you Use the Page Gadget, select the pages you want to use, plus add other labels as external links, save link, and save gadget.  
7.   You can change the order of the tabs by simply dropping & dragging them within the gadget.
8.   View Your Blog in "Preview" to See Your Arrangement  
9.   Save Arrangement (button in upper right corner of layout page) 

 

CONTROLLING THE SLIDESHOW ABOVE
Use the Arrows at the Base of the Slideshow to Move Through the Images
and the stop button to pause the playing slideshow on a specific image

 

More Tips & Tutorials for Blogger
(Including Instructions to Create an Image Slider Like I Used Above)

       

 
 

How to Add Tabs to the Top of a Blogger Blog - Step by Step Instructions Written by:

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Music Reviewed on Review This Reviews

Treasures from the Archives of Review This Reviews!

For most of us music is a way we express ourselves. The songs we choose to listen to on any given day, are often a reflection of what we are thinking or feeling at that moment. Sometimes, we even turn on music to brighten our mood and lift our spirits. Other times, we want music that will cry with us or express that deep sense of loss that we are currently experiencing ourselves. Many couples have "their song" because the lyrics of that song say exactly what they think and how they feel. For couples who have been together for decades, just hearing the song play takes them back 

Preference in style or music genre is as varied as humans themselves.  Actually, even an individual's preference can change somewhat as they age, or experience major life changes.  For instance, someone who has always enjoyed listening to smooth love songs, doesn't want to hear the first note of a love song if they are in the midst of a break-up.  They are going to be much more likely to wish to listen to songs about revenge or moving on happily without someone.

Not only do tastes vary in style of lyrics and voice, but some people prefer instrumental music.  The beat is what touches them, or the cry of a string instrument is what soothes their heart and soul.

Like anyone, the contributors of Review This Reviews have their own personal preferences and we love to write about them!  We invite you to join us when we listen, then review our favored songs or artists.   If you see something that appeals to you in the articles shown below, simply click the image to read our review.  Pinterest automatically redirects you to the published review.  

Review This Reviews! is the very best resource for wonderful music reviews on the web!


Welcome to Our Music Library!

A Preview of the Pinterest Board - Music Reviews 

Music Reviewed on Review This Reviews!

For a written list of the music reviewed on Review This Reviews, please visit our Site Directory and select "Music" from the "Fast Click" category tabs on that page.



Read More Book Reviews at
ReviewThisMusic.com

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Meet Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat: A Book Review

Why Is This Book So Popular with Children?

I first met Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat when I was about seven. I was already reading by then, but Mom still read it to me. It had been a gift from my Cousin Edna, who was the first to read it to me. I liked the book so much I kept it. When my brother came along about three years later, both Mom and I read it to him as soon as he was old enough to understand it -- about three. He loved it and couldn't get enough of it. We had to read it over and over. The author, Morrell Gipson, has a real feel for what appeals to children. The illustrator, Angela, evokes just the right emotions with her watercolor paintings.

Mr Bear Squash You All Flat

Why do young children love this book so much when it might seem violent to an adult? Young children often feel small and helpless, just like the animals who watched Mr. Bear squash their houses. They can identify with those animals who run and hide when they see Mr. Bear coming toward their homes. Then they can rejoice when Mr. Bear gets what he deserves at the end of the book. 

Encourage Interaction As You Read Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat Aloud

This book is full of the repetition that children love.  Adults can help them build anticipation by asking them what they expect to happen next. Adults can make the book for fun by imitating Mr. Bear's voice as he issues his warnings. By the time the child has heard the book read several times, the adult can invite him to repeat the warning with Mr. Bear. The adult can also ask children toward the end of the book what they think will happen when Mr. Bear tries to squash the tire house. Those are just my ideas. You will think of many more ways to interact with the child you read to. 

Check Price for Mr. Bear Squash-You-All Flat
I scanned this book cover from my own copy. 

Meet Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat

Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat got his name because he liked to squash things -- especially the houses of smaller animals. He was too lazy to build himself a house. 

Most of the time Mr. Bear lived peacefully and didn't bother the other animals. He would sleep quietly under the trees since he had no home of his own. When the moon was full, though, all that changed. That's when he would get really grumpy and go on a house-squashing rampage and squash every house he saw. You can see how he does it on the cover of this book. (See it above.)

The Illustrations

The edition I owned almost seventy years ago is out of print. I was happy to see this new edition bring it to new generations of readers. It has the same illustrations by Angela that I loved. Although they reveal Mr. Bear's grumpiness and anger, they aren't scary. Sometimes there is even a touch of humor. The artist does a great job on the facial expressions of all the animals. You can check out more of the book's illustrations on its Amazon page by clicking to Look Inside.

The Plot

Whenever Mr. Bear decides to squash a house, he gives fair warning by stating who he is and that he intends to squash the animal's house after he counts to three. That gives the animal inside time to run away and hide. Then the homeless animal goes in search of another house. On the day described in this book, he squashes three houses. After each house he squashes, he feels less grumpy, and on this day he felt cheerful enough after squashing the third house to go take a nap. 

Meanwhile, the homeless animals discovered a very large tire and moved into it together. They were quite happy there until after the next full moon when they saw Mr. Bear approaching their new house. The baby rabbit spotted him first and ran to warn the mouse and the chipmunk. They ran to hide behind a large oak tree, hoping Mr. Bear would leave their house alone. Not a chance! I'll leave it to your imagination what happens next.

Get Mr. Bear Squash-You-All Flat for a child you love now. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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