Happy Hour : Tricked Out Refrigerator, Redo

Have you heard about "fridgescaping?" It's a hot new trend you'll take or leave. Coined about a decade ago but only recently found by influencers and even the NY Times, fridgescaping is meant to bring joy to you every time you open the refrigerator door. You might be more open to this idea if you live alone (for obvious reasons). Displaying food like an old master painting does take time and you might not have easy access to a carton of milk. Let's take a look.

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Here's a Bridgerton-style fridgescape. Too much? When Sue brought me a newspaper article about fridgescaping, I was intrigued. I coud imagine beautiful bowls filled with fall produce, but a framed picture? Not for me. According to the "The Fine Art of Fridgescaping - Are you Ready to Decorate the Inside of Your Refrigerator," here's some tips -

• Start with a clean fridge and figure out what food needs to be easily accessible.

• Skip trendy clear containers.

• Incorporate a theme - Hmmm. Imagine a fall fridgescape with earthern bowls filled with autumnal produce.

• Don't listen to the haters.

It turns out I have a version of fridgescaping. Since 2004, I have had a partially filled jar of my mom's homemade raspberry jam. It was the last one she brought me before she died. And I couldn't bare to toss P's favorite treats - Cherry Coke and a Milky Way - after he died. Every time I open the refrigerator, seeing those makes me smile. I'd love to know if you are fridgescaping. (Just comment at the bottom of this blog.) In the meantime, here's my 2016 article on how I fridgescaped before I knew it was a thing. Happy Sunday!

Every been in a restaurant when it turns "Happy Hour?" You notice the mood instantly changes as everyone is ready for fun. Whenever I'm having a Bad Hair Day, my cure is always a personal Happy Hour. Of course, I'm hopeless addicted to interiors; so for me, this hour is all about decorating. In this series, we'll look at some quick and happy mood changers for our very own Happy Hour. Each should take about an hour - a mere 60 minutes - to perk up our minds and our rooms. Let's get the party started.

Our refrigerator just turned 15. I still love it as it's perfect for two people - a small side by side with white glass doors and long stainless handles. This week, it's was time for a little birthday celebration. First, I cleaned it from top to bottom, inside and out. A makeover seemed a bit much but could a refrigerator be "tricked out?"

Before I got to the fun stuff, who knew Magic Easers work great for cleaning scuffs off plastic?

Earlier in the week, I bought these pitchers on Amazon and it's true, milk does taste better from a glass. The other jug stores my "Calvin" tea. It's named after my dear father-in-law who made a mean sweet Southern ice tea. I have "California-ized" the recipe - one bag Lipton, one bag green and one bag Earl Grey steeped in hot water, cool and refrigerate. I pour over ice, add the juice of a lemon and a little sugar - perfection.

To trick out the birthday girl, I bought five colorful placemats at the 99 Cents Store.

Then, I cut one to fit over each glass shelf.

I'm going to like opening the refrigerator to see a riot of color. It seems to be saying, "Hey, we're having fun in here."

Maybe the best part of the morning was finding leftovers for a celebratory lunch.

Can cleaning qualify as a " Happy Hour?" I remember Martha Stewart once saying that she got a lot of pleasure from ironing. I think my "thing" might be more specific - the immediate satisfaction of cleaning/organizing something in less than two hours. I wonder what's your thing? 8.7.2016

top photo : elledecor.com

THANKS, SUE for introducing me to this topic!