We’re excited to join Mrs. Limestone’s “Junk Drawer Overhaul” series, where bloggers show how they’re starting the year by reorganizing messy kitchen junk drawers. We bent the rules a bit and focused on our tool drawers, which happen to live in the kitchen. It wasn’t exactly a drawer reorganization — our tools had been piled in the corner of our office after moving — but it felt good to finally sort them out.
You can read more about how our screwdrivers and hammers went from “yikes” to “that works” over on A Brooklyn Limestone In Progress. While taking inventory, we spread every item out on the floor — and ended up with a neat little grid of our DIY arsenal.
Since a full spread like this doesn’t happen often, we took the chance to show our collection. It’s made up of the go-to tools we use for projects and quick fixes, plus a few miscellaneous supplies we’ve gathered over the years (I still can’t explain the two spare toilet supply lines).
Here’s a closer look at each quadrant of our tool rug. The first one highlights the basics: hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, a crowbar, and a few saws. After taking the photo I realized our old scratched Stanley tape measure was MIA — apparently it was hiding in Sherry’s purse.
The next section shows our growing and varied collection of nails and screws alongside putty and spackle knives — staples for any repair job.
Then there are the painting supplies: brushes, rollers, trays, stir sticks, paint can openers, drop cloths, and tape. That bundle of rope isn’t a paint tool — it just fit on that part of the rug.
The final quadrant includes tapes, glues, putties, caulks, some 3M Command hooks, craft paints, brushes, Mod Podge, and even a small tube of glitter left over from making ornaments a few years back. And yes — the mysterious toilet supply lines appear here too.
These photos don’t include our larger power tools like the mouse sander, electric drill/driver, power saws, Kreg Jig, or Dremel, nor do they show garden gear — we weren’t about to lay those on the rug. Still, the spread gives a good sense of what’s ready to hand for most home projects.
Our collection isn’t exhaustive. Since taking these photos I’ve already bought a $4 hex wrench set when a towel-bar removal required a size we didn’t have, and we had to restock sandpaper. We also have items that haven’t been used in years and could probably be tossed — like that lone glitter tube — though sometimes those odd bits return to usefulness.
We reorganized the tools from the floor into kitchen drawers in a semi-organized way — you can read about that transition over on A Brooklyn Limestone. We’d love to hear about your tool stash: is there a must-have item we’re missing? Do you keep unusual things tucked away because of a one-off project? Is Mod Podge in your tool drawer, too? Do you store tools in the kitchen or keep glitter and toilet supply lines alongside the hammers? Share your stories.
Psst — last night, on autopilot after visiting the hardware store, we accidentally drove to our old house. It was strange and fun to see it again and to find ourselves back in our old stomping ground for a moment.