Towel cubby and clear countertop!

The towel cubby is sort of done today. I used Polycrylic to finish it. The directions call for 3 coats with sanding and wiping in between. After 3 coats, the surface is pretty smooth but not as smooth as I like it. It could probably use another 1-2 coats. Since it is a towel cubby though, the surface will not be seen or touched much. I've decided to go ahead and call it done and see if it bugs me. If it does, I'll do the additional coats.

I finally got all the dog paraphernalia off of the countertop. What a relief. I knew I hated seeing all that clutter in our kitchen, but I really had no idea of the extent of how much it weighed on me. I found the perfect deep basket to used in the pantry at The Container Store in the afternoon. I was so excited to finish this project I had to run back 10 minutes before they closed to get a few more.

Here is the towel cubby after the third coat of Polycrylic.



And, here is the towel cubby loaded with towels. I have to give credit to our prior contractor - he made such a mess of so many things, but this was his idea and it was a really good one. (Eventually I'd like all our towels to match so this is more artistic looking.)

The silver basket above the brooms on the right now hold all the dog stuff. It's actually a drawer from the Elfa closet system. It fits perfectly because it is almost as deep as the pantry (so nothing gets stuck at the back) and is almost as wide as well (very little wasted space). These cabinets have adjustable shelves so I can make the shelf height just high enough for the drawer. I love having all the dog stuff in this pull-out bin. It is so easy to access anything you need and it is easy to pack a travel bag for him as well.