K-CUP HOLDER

I really struggled with this one......meaning, what to do.  I knew I wanted to give my daughter and her husband a variety of coffee flavors for their Keurig machine for Christmas, but I also wanted to get them something for storing the coffees.   The challenge is finding something that doesn't take up a lot of room in the kitchen....they don't have a ton of counter space, so I was sensitive to that.  I actually had bought the metal tray/drawer that the machine could sit on and decided to take it back; I still felt like it took up space and I wasn't totally sold on it.

So, I started looking at ideas from other DIYers/Pinterest, etc....and I combined a couple of ideas and came up with this magnetized basket for the side of their refrigerator.   I felt like it could be the perfect solution!

I purchased the basket at a local thrift store for $1.29.  It was a natural wicker color and I chose to spray paint it black to blend in with the side of their fridge (stainless steel doors/black sides) and to compliment their kitchen colors which are black/red.

I bought some adhesive cork letters for another project and thought they would look nice on the outside.  I opted to add some additional glue versus just relying on the adhesive.

The coffee cup....well, that's a story.  I couldn't find anything I could use; I tried the toy section of several stores, the doll house section in Hobby Lobby. Nothing.  So, I decided to make it.  I used gum paste (generally used for cake decorating, better yet, I had some in the cupboard) to craft it and then painted it and used Mod Podge to seal it.   I know....crazy, right?

I vacillated on whether I should add a liner to the basket; I thought if I did line the inside a bandana might be cute.  So, I cruised through the Hobby Lobby aisle with all the bandanas and I about squealed when I saw the bandana with coffee words on it!  What a perfect finishing touch----there's no way I could go without a liner now....it was a sign!!

The very last thing was to glue magnets to the back of the basket.  Let me share a tip with you....be sure your magnets are strong enough. Dopey me didn't realize that the outside of the packaging shows the strength of the  
magnet.  The first set I purchased wasn't strong enough; the basket wanted to slip right off the fridge.  Once I bought the right strength (6); it worked like a charm....even with the weight of K-cups inside it's golden.    So there you have it.

Makes me want a Keurig myself....I had fun picking out some different flavors too!  Chai Tea Latte, Pumpkin Spice and Vanilla Caramel.    The toughest part was keeping it a surprise and waiting for Christmas to give it to them!