But what am I insanely excited about in this kitchen remodel? A pull-out spice rack...

Just. For. Sprinkles.

You heard me, sprinkles. Jimmies. Nonpareils. Quinns.

I am an enthusiastic amateur cake decorator, and have a large collection of these things. And I have two young girls, and at this age, loving sprinkles is pretty much a given. My 2 year old has even asked for a sprinkles-themed birthday party in May. (Yes! My kids come up with the coolest party ideas!! My eldest had an Egyptology party for her 8th in October.) Every time we go to the cake decorating store, we seem to come back with some new variety of sprinkles. Some are currently in the guest room closet, others nestled with the mugs, still more in a bread proofing bucket under the counter. I cannot *wait* to have them all organized and contained in one place.

So what's the wackiest, most YOU thing you're putting in your kitchen? Come on, someone has to be at least as eccentric as I am!

And just because I like to post pictures to justify my inordinately large collection of cake decorating supplies, some examples of what I like to do:

Plus, it works with my DIY/cheap-but-want-the-cool-stuff aesthetic.

hey, I'm gonna have a real stove - a range w/oven. gee, I do hope it works! haven't had one in about 15 yrs or so.

I collect place card holders so I made sure to have shallow drawer space in the peninsula facing the DR to store them. They don't all fit after all my planning, but it's better than how I was storing them pre-reno.

Breezy--Ooh, pictures, please! I am charmed by anything miniature, and place card holders fall into that category. I haven't started collecting them myself, but I feel the pull. First I have to figure out where to store my cake stands now that we've pulled down the soffit where the used to reside.

I so admire those that have the patience to do this type of beautiful work.

OH MY WORD!

I don't know that I'm doing anything wacky in my kitchen. I saved that for my scrapbooking room. lol

To answer your question, I don't think your sprinkles pullout is whacky! I have sprinkles in my spice rack, as well as some dyes, and I very rarely decorate anything but the occasional cut cookie. Since you have enough sprinkles to fill every corner of your house, I see nothing whacky about creating an organizational space for them. So, from that point of view, I will deny the whacky, but say that I had a door moved, cabinetry installed, and chased glass inserts all over to find a way to get them delivered without having them crated...for cheap, closeout stemware by the dozens. And half a dozen inherited semi-antique pilsner glasses that are very fine and impossible to use because the very fine paint comes off. SO worth it!!! So nice not to have to box up the stemware and wash it both before and after using. The ten dozen stems plus six dozen tumblers are very happy. ;)

I also love baking as a hobby, and I have a lot of fun and can do what I want without having to worry about making it look like someone else wants.

And then there is the aspect that people really could not afford to pay what I'd want to charge if I was doing it to make money.

Technically, "amateur" vs "professional" refers to if you are making money doing it or not, NOT about the quality of the work done. I've known so many people who are very skilled craftspeople, doing way better work than people who do it for a profession. Mostly because those doing it for fun can take the time to be persnickety, while professionals usually have to keep an eye on the clock.

it might be better to use the terms Apprentice, Journeyman and Master - and you are a Master at making those cakes!

I do a lot of DIY because I've run into way too many professionals that never made it past Journeyman on the skill level.

And I can fully understand the desire for a drawer for sprinkles!

Wow.
I just picked up a spice pull-out thingy at a reuse center. I barely cook and definitely don't bake (not a chemist here), but now I might buy some pretty sprinkles just to look good! :)

Lovely.

My kitchen shall have a place to keep my DH vitamin's. I hope that going from 6 kitchen cabinets to 26 kitchen cabinets (kitchen extension) I will have a place for everything and everything in its place, maybe even with the zoning system GWers like so much. Right now, it seems to me that only my scissors has a designated place in our little kitchen. Still planning.... but need to finalize this month and I have decision paralysis.

So for your 8 year old's Egyptology birthday, I assume there was an awesome cake - can I see it? I ask because my just-turned 9 year old is also fascinated by ancient Egypt.

Hey, my 65th birthday is next month. Could you make me a "Medicare" cake? Ha!

DH currently has thirteen bottles lined up across the counter, where it can be seen the moment you walk in the front door. At least I hide my ten bottles in a cabinet in the DR so they're less obtrusive, LOL!

What I got in my kitchen for myself was a lot of counter space (a lot given what I came from but maybe not a lot for others). To the left of the range is 5 1/2' of counter and then my prep sink which is where I prep and I love every inch of it. To the right of the range is 7' of counter space where I bake and I love every inch of it. We had to push the kitchen/DR wall out 4' to get the room to get the extra space for the counters and I didn't care how much it cost.

In my kitchen I shall have... a place for everything and everything in its place. And a special 30" bank of drawers just for my 5-y-o DD's art supplies. My 3 older kids (mostly grown) think she's spoiled rotten (which I suppose she is), but this art storage is really out of self defense!

I wish I'd had sufficient space for a cabinet dedicated to flower arranging also. Instead, I've parceled the stuff out into a number of spots within the kitchen--"frogs" and marbles inside same drawer with rubber bands and batteries; some vases on top of glass-fronted cabs, some vases wedged into odd spots at top of other cabs. Wooden bases underneath display pieces in china cabs. And still, sigh, some vases hidden throughout the house.

To each his/her own, yes?

Glad to know there are other maniacs "out there."

I made my first cake about 7 years ago on a whim, inspired by a gorgeous cake on the front of Martha Stewart Weddings. I was so proud!! And looking back now, it was sooooo awful! When my youngest daughter turned one last year, I decided it was time for a do-over. This is the difference that practice makes!

And that's how the cake on the right looked AFTER it tumbled flat on the ground while I was trying to take photos. It was even better before! Redemption!

Fouramblues--A bank of drawers for art supplies sounds magnificent! I wish I had room to include one in our plan now that you've given me the idea!

Jkom51--that's another brilliant idea. I'm going to have to remember it for our eventual bathroom remodel. No more room in the kitchen, unfortunately!

Joyce--yep, everything is edible. I'm pretty passionate about only using edible items on cakes. Of course the picture above is an exception--I used actual ric-rac on the strawberry calico cake. But generally everything you see is edible, down to the miniature forks and knives on the tea party cupcakes.

And thanks for the kind words about the photography, too. That's another one of my hobbies. Although I do blog about them, so though I'm not a professional photographer, I do use the photos in a semi-professional way.

Purplepansies--I'll link to the dessert table post for the Egyptology party below.

No pictures of the sprinkle rack, unfortunately, because that will be Phase II of the kitchen remodel, scheduled for May. We just finished up Phase I on Thursday, and have a functional and awesome (if mis-matched) kitchen again!

The old cabinets were that cheap honey oak cheap builder grade stuff, so I decided to paint them turquoise and have some fun with them for the next few months. Maybe I'll let my girls paint a mural on the back of the island.

Besides great food competitions, we have the butter cow, you know, too. Below I posted the link to the history of the butter cow sculptors over the more than 100 years.

My kitchen "I shall have" was soapstone. I have it now and we did the installation ourselves. There were a few other "I shall Have-s" such as the Hubbardton Forge semi flush light fixture that I adore and my herringbone backsplash that I seem to always post when I get a chance...like now:)

Thanks for sharing your cake pictures. I like the first cake you did 7 years ago, there is a real charm about it that is lovely. I really mean that.

I would be so happy to do even one flower. You go, girl.

Those are gorgeous!

Absolutely EXQUISITE! I love the teapot with all the little tables! I love miniatures, so I am having a "cute attack" over those.

You are extremely talented!

I'm still finishing my kitchen/mainfloor/basement remodel and I hate to say that so far my two favourite things have nothing to do with the kitchen...maybe because I can't use my kitchen yet! So far I love the anti-slip finish on my hardwood stairs and the blinds that are inside the glass panes of my back door (no cords for kids to choke on and no blind banging around every time you open and close the door!!).

I'm quirky like that. I hope I find some more unexpected gems in my kitchen once it's done!

My must have? Trash cans! Recycling over the years has turned my kitchen into a garbage patch. Instead of a corner lazy Susan for pots, I chose a 3-bin trash turnstile.

I'll take sprinkles any day over trash. :-)

I had a little more confectionery fun this weekend. Threw a little party to celebrate my friend passing her T.C.R.G.s (a three day, extremely rigorous exam to become a certified Irish step dancing teacher). The knot-work swan on the cake is the Bracken School of Irish Dancing's logo, and the dress cookies are replicas of the solo and class dresses Kirsty wore through her years of competition.

It's almost time to order the rest of my cabinets including the SPRINKLE CABINET! Yay! Another thing to be happy about!

Everything you've shown us shows patience, and love.