The Little Red Shelf

I know you've probably all been thinking that this is turning more into a preschool/kids' art blog...but I'm still working on lots of other projects as well.  I'm trying to focus on crafts that will help us get a little more organized and "moved-in." 

So without further ado, let me introduce you to the first red revamp in my kitchen.

Tada...The Little Red Shelf

I put off some of these because I was a little afraid to pick "a color" for the kitchen.  I wanted things to feel like they went together but was a little afraid to commit.  I actually went to Home Depot paint section a couple times over the last few months and left without buying any paint because I was just too intimidated by all the options.  I finally decided to be a bit of a copy cat of my super cool sister Katie who blogs over at Notes from a Very Red Kitchen.  What can I say?  She has good taste.  (On a side note, Katie reminded us Tuesday, that there are only 10 weeks until Christmas.  YIKES!  And she has a super simple and brilliant idea for a baby scarf/neck warmer up today.)

Anyway, I finally settled on red because I already had a few red kitchen utensils and hot pads and things.  I've also seen plenty of red kitchenware out there, so I figured it would be an easy color to coordinate with in the future. 

No tutorial for this project...cause let's be honest...I don't really know much about painting things "right," and there are definitely mistakes if you could see this in person.  Maybe this will give someone else an idea for cutting down counter clutter, though.  I painted it with primer and then two coats of glossy acrylic craft paint ('cause that didn't require me to buy something from Home Depot paint dept.)

I found the little shelf at Goodwill, along with a couple others that still need painting.  I remember having a similar one in my room when I was a girl...so I don't know...maybe these are kind of dated.  That might be why there always seems to be one at thrift stores I go to.  (I picked another one up today)  I really like how this looks with the bold color against the neutral walls.  I also like how it can hold all the little things I use all the time that tend to clutter up the counter, so it keeps them easy to find and creates more space in our small kitchen.  (Our kitchen is tiny, although thankfully well designed with a surprising amount of cupboard space.)

In fact I like it so much, I'm trying to decide if I should put one above our dining table to hold all the little things that always seem to be cluttering up the table and maybe a picture frame or two.  Hubby is not convinced.  I have a longer one that would work pretty well, although it has the typical hearts cut out of it, which I think might look a bit more dated than the one in the kitchen without the cutout. 

So, my question for all of you...what do you think?  Would it be too cheesy to put one of these with the cut out hearsts up above our dining room table? 

Also...I thought about putting some lettering on this, but couldn't think of any brilliant phrases.  Any suggestions?