–by Christyne Butler
Every home has a ready-made art gallery located right in the heart of the home…a refrigerator. I am a big fan of home decorating magazines and shows, always looking for new ideas for the house. But much like those living rooms that rarely show a television (hey, when you only have one room the T.V. is usually a big part of it!) most refrigerators are shiny and clean…without anything on them.
Not very realistic.
This is my frig, complete with a calendar to keep my life in order, artwork from the youngest grandchild (he’s three — that’s him in the holiday card from last Christmas!), a list of all the important phone numbers from family, friends and neighbors to local businesses like doctors, dentist and insurance companies. As you can see I love magnets of all shapes and sizes! Yes, I’m still a diehard Red Sox fan despite the way this season is going, John Wayne is a pretty big deal in my house as he has three magnets (and more along the side that you can’t see!) and few from favorites places I’ve been (like Texas & Martha’s Vineyard), the Broadway show “White Christmas” and those great clip magnets from RWA conferences.
There’s also a pad of paper for shopping and “Honey-Do” lists for the hubby (surprising that it’s empty at the moment!), but my favorite item there is the comic my daughter slipped inside a Father’s Day card a few years ago. A perfect reflection of my hubby’s love for stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s and my daughter’s reaction every time he dragged her along with him. She’s twenty-one now and on her own so spending time at the hardware store is a necessity at times…and she’s usually dragging her dad along for his knowledge and know-how. Here’s an upclose view:
How about you all? Are your refrigerators sparkling clean or a messy masterpiece that reflects your lives? Any certain item that’s your favorite? Share and I’ll choose one name to get a box of goodies including some great new releases from Harlequin authors!
My frig has a cartoon that my college roommate sent me soon after I married my husband.
The picture is of two birds arguing. One says to the other:
“You knew when you married me that I was migratory!”
It’s been there for five years now.
LOL, Susan!!! Too cute!!
Fun topic, Christyne! Mine is sparkling clean, but not by choice. Magnets don’t hold on my refrigerator–boo! Didn’t realize that when I bought it. My old refrigerator was a treasure trove of kids’ art and comics I loved and photos. I miss that!
Susan
A frig that doesn’t hold magnets? I’ve never heard of such a thing, Susan! Hmm, will have to take one in my purse the next time we shop for a frig to make sure I get one that sticks!
What a pleasure to meet semonoe who thinks so clearly
Our refrigerator has so much stuff on the sides that you can’t see any clean space at all. My grandkids have homemade pictures all over it, there are school pictures, a calendar, invitations, and funny sayings. It’s a mess. Of course my two year old grandson likes to rearrange it too. Oh, we have some funny magnets on it too.
I keep telling myself I need to get some of those magnetic alphabet letters, Linda. My grandson has them in his own house so when he comes here he looks for them!
Yep, I have “stuff” on my refrigerator. School stuff for my kids, magnets from businesses I call regularly (like the pizza-cooked-over-a-wood-fire joint that now knows me by name), and assorted odds and ends that I don’t want to lose. I do try to keep it in some sort of order so it doesn’t look too cluttered, but it’s easier to find important phone numbers there than flipping through an address book! Love seeing your fridge, Christyne!
That’s why I have that list of phone numbers, Tina…as well as addresses for all the kids! Makes it so easy when its time for a birthday card to go out!! And that pizza place sounds wonderful!!
Hi Christyne – Yeah, have had a similar refrigerator for many years. However, when our nest went empty, we cut way back on those goo-gahs and such. We’re older parents, and don’t have grandkids yet, so now our refrigerator magnet/picture ration is way down. Just the other day hubby said we needed to let our stainless steel refrigerator shine without anything on it. I’m still transitioning on that one…
Have a great weekend.
Oh, I would love a stainless frig Lynne but I’m worried about fingerprints…do that show up on stainless? It’s just the hubby and I home now too and I try to keep the frig from getting too crazy but it never seems to work!
Remember that sign that said a clean desk is the sign of a troubled mind? I feel the same way about refrigerators. Mine is visible from two sides, The front has a white board for EVERYONE *cough* it’s always my handwriting *cough* to write down items needed at the store. Some school items, photos etc. The side is devoted to a handfull of take-out menus and large print word magnets. I love looking at other people’s fridge’s
The side of your frig sounds like mine, Lee. There are at least a dozen more magnets I didn’t show along with all those take-out menus!
Great one, Christyne! My fridge used to be a messy masterpiece. Now the kids are grown, not so much. Kinda bare. Clean. But I do have one dinosaur picture painted by the grandson. Soooo cute.
Ah, always gotta hang the grandkids artwork! And dinosaurs are cool!!
What a fun topic! Mine is typical — lots of magnets and a few pics. We also have a magnetic pad for writing things we need from the grocery store.:)
Aren’t those magnetic pads the greatest thing, Leanne? We must go through at least a half dozen a year! It’s always the go to spot for a piece of paper!
My fridge is a microcosm of my life….magnets that represent everything from ACS (American Cancer Society), to a vet we don’t use, personalized mini license plates, pirate ‘paper dolls’ and a frog who’s fly-adorned tongue wiggles when I open the freezer. Beneath this lies my work schedule, a photo booth strip of my boys, comics, a picture torn from a magazine with a coat rack I want for my front hall (honey, hint, hint…) and a motivational poem by Marianne Williamson entitled “Our Deepest Fear” about how our biggest fear in this life is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure…
Your frog sounds terrific, Lisa!! Hmm, never thought about leaving gift hints on the frig…will have to give that a try! And I had to google that poem…love it!
Not shinning but it’s not a mess either…
I only have few items on my fridge (4)Barcelona fc (football)magnetic from Thailand n the other 2 is a mini magnetic slicer…
But don’t open the fridge,because it’s definitely a total mess
I rarely clean the fridge,sorry mom…
I must admit the inside of my frig is pretty clean, Rosalina…I’m pretty OCD about throwing out stuff, sometimes even before the expiration date if no one is eating it. Of course, that’s when the hubby goes looking for same item!
We only have a few things on the side such as a small dry erase board and a few magnets from Germany, Prague, and London. The front doesn’t hold magnets so it’s limits our possibilities. I love the idea of decorating it with pictures and artwork though!
Wow, another frig that doesn’t hold magnets! Interesting! I do like the idea of a dry erase board…of course, I’d lose the marker!
Ummmmm…a Messy Masterpiece! LOL – notes, magnets from North Wildwood and Ocean City NJ – Christmas Card magnet from one of my cousins and his family – more notes – shopping lists – on the side are more notes and a little container with appointment reminders, things like that – and inside of the refrigerator? Let’s not go there!
Your frig sounds wonderful, Felicia. At least on the outside! LOL!
Mine is so filled. Have a white board for my daughters college schedule, Magnets galore, appt cards,Tinkerbell (inside of a locker) holder for pens, clips holding important papers and at the very bottom a sign I made for when I was trying to teach my daughter to drive ” Student Driver” ( magnetic of course to go on back of the car).
Oh, I need to find one of those pen holders, Ruth. I keep a couple on the center island to use with my shopping list but they tend to disappear!
I believe we found it at 5 Below. That’s a store here in Philly with a lot of items mostly for less then $5.00. Mostly geared to the under 18 crowd. But they do have some adult items. I’m not sure where all they have stores.
We have a 5 Below right here in town and yes, I would say its for kids and teens but I think I’ll check it out! Thanks!
I have pictures of my kids and my homeday kids and family from Illinois that they send from Christmas, then I have magnets from banks and the all the important number for emergencies…thats about all! I use to have a schedule for my kids school activies but they are off to college now so I took that down…also I have a list of phone numbers of family and people who I call all the time-its a mess!
My calendar is quite empty now too, Carole since my daughter moved out. She used to put her work schedule and other activities there not leaving much room for anything else!
Christyne–
Mine used to be like yours with a little of everything, but then I bought a new fridge and I wasn’t sure I wanted to have my normal mess over its bright and shiny and new surface.
So, I took just about everything down.Some favs have gradually started to make their way back, though…
Yeah, it’s amazing how that big space just calls out for some art, isn’t it Stacy?
Or maybe just a note or an appointment card or an invitation that need an RSVP…
the inside is a FREAKIN HOT MESS lol but right now the outside is just appointment cards…usually theres pictures that my 5 year old nephew has colored but lately he’s been slacking lol
Oh, I bet if you tell your nephew that his Aunt Amy needs something new for her frig he’ll get right on that!!
Oh yes my frig has a lot of magnets on it from trips to DC and wolf pics(collector) and gifts from friends. I have always got stuff on my frig and always will. Great blog. Thanks for sharing.
Gifts from friends are great, aren’t they Diana? Especially when you are a collector! My hubby collects John Wayne stuff which is how we got those magnets (and the four others on the side you didn’t see in the picture!)
I wonder if there’s any relation between the magnets on the refrigerator and the bumper stickers on the car? Do people who do one, also do the other?
Interesting question, Linda!! I don’t have bumper stickers per say…or I guess I should say the old peek and stick stickers (shudder!!) but I do have two magnetic stickers on my car…one for the Red Sox and one for the Patriots!!
Have magnets, pictures, and stuff all over my refrigerator. When girls were little had the alaphabet.
Sounds like a masterpiece, Jane!!
My fridge is like Susan’s. It’s stainless steel so not magnetic
The sides are, but I only have a little tiny piece that shows. That part is packed with whatever I can fit on there, but it gets rotated often.
So are all stainless steel frigs not magnetic? Hmmm, I may have to rethink my choice of new appliances…. I can totally understand you rotating the items you can fit into your small space, Laura!
Ours is definitely a messy masterpiece! Lots of magnets and photos.
The more the better, huh, Nancy? :::grin:::
My fridge is a mess! I try to clean it up, straighten all the magnets and photos, but it always seems to be messy again a day later. Its a lost cause. I have a magnet that my Husband bought me, back when we were dating that is my favorite. Its a girl sitting in a chair and it says Life Is Just a Chair of Bowlies. When we first got together that was kind of our thing, to say words with the letters switched, it was silly and fun. And the magnet reminds me of that first year of our relationship.
Oh, Rhiannon that is so sweet!! Love that you have a magnet that reminds you of such a special time in your life!! My hubby actually gave me the one that reads “I understand the concept of cooking and cleaning…just not how it applies to me!” because he knows me sooooo well!!
My fridge sits in an alcove so the only time I see it is when I’m reaching into it so all that’s on it is a meme I made reminding myself to get out of the fridge and back on the Wii complete with current and ideal photos, and a monthly menu that keeps me on track. Now outside the kitchen, that’s where the inspirational memes go (including my fav, the Peanuts cartoon of Sally saying she stopped believing for a little while yesterday and Journey is going to be mad.) Art from my students usually goes up on the wall at school where the kids see it.
That’s cool that your created other spaces for your special things, Charlotte! And I love that Peanuts cartoon!
I wouldn’t say my refrigerator is a mess exactly….but others might. I have three sides of it to “decorate”. However most of it is of magnets I have collected from here, there, and wherever I’ve traveled as well as a calender and a list of days that the recycling truck comes and when brush pickup is and any other list I need to frequently refer to. I also have reminders of appointments on it ~ you know that card the doctor or dentist or jury duty type of thing.
Your frig sounds just like mine Ellen…crowded, but happily so!
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