(Psst – if you are visiting from the Three Word Wednesday Link Up – you can find my TWW post here.) You may want to avert your eyes but I’m about to show you the decorative (and I do use the word loosely) panels that have graced the lower cupboard doors of our kitchen bench since we moved into our house almost 10 years ago. Yes they are  a thick yellowy brown textured glass – but believe it or not – not quite hideous enough that I felt the need to replace them immediately. But it’s been 10 years now –  I think I’ve been more than fair. I’ve let them be when many a less offensive item in our house was turfed out. Mostly  it was a case of  having bigger fish to fry with our time and money and there was always the question of what I would replace them with. I’ve thought much about what would look good there without having any great lightbulb moment. Something simple and unfussy was high on the agenda but I do love things with a vintage feel so I kept coming back to the idea of some sort of mesh. Old furniture pieces with wood framed mesh doors and windows are a favourite. I remember as a child the “meat safe”  a free standing cupboard with the walls and doors made of mesh – so big you could climb right into it – that was used to keep food  safe from fly’s and heat – the cool room of it’s day. These a few smaller versions I like. I’m dreaming of a screened in back verandah too where I can stare at my back yard and be safe myself from the four million fly’s that arrive here in the summer – – –

– – – but for now I’ll settle with fly wire cupboard door inserts !! So I  bought – probably 8 months ago –  a roll of the strongest gauge black aluminum flywire I could at Bunning’s. I think I put off actually starting on it  because I wasn’t sure it would work – but enough with being not sure and theres only one way to find out so last week I found my staple gun and got it done.  I took the doors off and laid them flat and cut the fly wire  an inch or so wider than the openings. I had enough mesh to fold the panels of fly wire double making it less transparent. I didn’t try to fit it inside the recess of the door just staple gunned it on the back  taking care to get it as firm and taut as I could and not to bend  it in the wrong places because once there is a crease in it – its there to stay. Works for me. I’m not sure it’s a permanent solution – the kids hands or knees may end up going through it or mine but it seems strong enough for now. I’ll let you know how it fares.

And about my cleaned off shiny bench top – she doesn’t always look so put together even though that’s how I like her  best – clutter free and prettied up just a bit –  but being right in the heart of the house –  she works hard and is much put upon by all. A lot of the time she looks like this. But I have to face it – while ever I want to cook and create and live life, there will be some sort of mess going on on my kitchen bench. That works for me too. But lets have another pretty one to finish. Tracey xx

This post is linking up with Works for Me Wednesday and Celebrate It Sunday. Just click on the buttons and scroll down the page to find out more.