We’re excited to join Mrs. Limestone’s “Junk Drawer Overhaul” series, where a handful of bloggers are kicking off the new year by reorganizing their chaotic kitchen junk drawers. We bent the rules a bit and focused on our tool drawers, which happen to live in the kitchen too. Technically it wasn’t a drawer reorganization—our tools had been dumped in a corner of the office after a move—but it was the perfect opportunity to sort everything out and start fresh.
You can read about the full process over on A Brooklyn Limestone In Progress. While taking inventory, we spread every item on the floor to see what we actually owned. The result was a fun grid of our DIY arsenal laid out like a little tool mosaic.
Since that kind of full spread is unlikely to happen again soon, we wanted to share a closer look at the collection. It includes our go-to tools for everyday projects and quick fixes, plus a handful of miscellaneous supplies that have quietly accumulated over the years (two spare toilet supply lines remain a mystery).
The first quadrant shows the essentials: hammers, screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, pliers, a crowbar, and a few hand saws. When I looked at the photo afterward I realized our old, scratched yellow Stanley tape measure was missing—it was tucked away in Sherry’s purse.
The next section contains our assortment of nails and screws, organized into tubs and jars, alongside putty and spackle knives. This is the part of the collection we raid when it’s time for small repairs like tightening a loose board or patching a wall.
We also have a dedicated set of painting supplies: brushes in different sizes, rollers, paint trays, stir sticks, can openers, drop cloths, and painter’s tape. There’s also a bundle of rope in that area; it isn’t a painting item, but it fit nicely on the rug.
Finally, we gathered adhesives and sealants—various tapes, glues, putties, caulks—and a few organization items like 3M Command hooks. There are craft supplies too, including craft paints, small brushes, Mod Podge, and even a tiny tube of glitter left over from making Christmas ornaments a couple of years back. Then, of course, are the inexplicable spare toilet pipes.
These photos don’t include the larger tools: the mouse sander, electric drill/driver, power saws, Kreg jig, Dremel, and the assortment of yard and garden equipment. Those live elsewhere; we weren’t about to lay them on the rug for a photo op.
Our collection is far from an all-inclusive workshop. Since taking the photo, I’ve already bought a $4 set of hex wrenches after a towel-bar removal required a specific size I didn’t have. We also ran out of sandpaper and had to restock. And like most toolboxes, there are items we could probably donate or toss—things we haven’t used since the single project that required them. But the occasional oddball item might come in handy again someday, so we keep a few of the strange extras around.
If you want to see how we moved everything from the rug into semi-organized kitchen drawers, check out the full write-up on A Brooklyn Limestone. We’re curious about other people’s tool collections—are we missing any must-haves? Have you accumulated odd items after tackling a specific project? Do you keep craft supplies with your tools? Do you store tools in the kitchen too? Let’s compare notes.
Psst—Last night on an automatic run to the hardware store, we accidentally drove to our old house. It was both fun and a little strange to visit our old stomping grounds.