Try A Smart Dollar Tree Cutting Board Hack & Say Goodbye To Kitchen Counter Clutter

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In the right hands, Dollar Tree cutting boards are like the Swiss Army knives of the organization world. On their own, they're flat and functional come bread-cutting time. Throw in a couple of Mason jars, a Lazy Susan, and wrap the whole thing with nautical rope, and you've put together a utensil holder that even MacGyver himself would be proud of. But even better than the accolades you'd get from a fictional TV character is the clutter-free kitchen counter you'll have once you tuck your utensils into the holder's depths.

The foundation of this DIY is built upon a 14-inch Lazy Susan, like TB Home's Bamboo Turntable – though it's also a brilliant way to repurpose a Lazy Susan if you already have one. With a base this size, your utensil holder won't tip over. On that note, the utensil holder also needs to be tall enough to keep the tools upright, but not so much that your spatulas get lost in it. Some Mason-style canning jars will work for this. Finally, two Dollar Tree Cooking Concepts Bamboo Cutting Boards provide support for the jars, while their Cotton Nautical Rope and a glue gun pull everything together –- literally -– to help you create a one-of-a-kind utensil holder that makes clutter a thing of the past.

Begin by gluing the two long 9-inch sides of the cutting board together with the glue gun. Press the boards together and let the glue set, which should take about 10 minutes. The standard height for a good utensil holder is between 6 inches and 7 inches. Fortunately, Dollar Tree's Clear Glass Mason-Style Canning Jars are almost 5.5 inches tall, making them an appropriate height for this task.

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To that end, you'll glue one jar to the center of each side of the cutting boards, for a total of four jars on two boards. If you've done this right, the jars will function as supports for the cutting boards, allowing them to stand upright because they have the jars to "lean on." After the glue on the jars dries, you'll glue the jars and cutting boards to the Lazy Susan, and then wrap the nautical rope around the base of the jars and boards. This will hide the jars and further reinforce the bond between all of the parts. And because you've tapped the Lazy Susan as this project's base, you'll always be able to rotate the utensil holder and see all of your tools at a glance. This is just one more reason why the Lazy Susan is your kitchen's best friend. Finally, fill the utensil holder with your cooking spoons, barbecue forks, and wire whisks.

As it turns out, supersizing isn't just for McDonald's. You can supersize this DIY to not only give you more room to store your big cooking utensils but also to expand on the function of this piece. To do this, you'll swap out the 14-inch Lazy Susan for an 18-inch one, such as the Tidita Acacia Wood Lazy Susan. If you wish, you can add a third jar to each side of the utensil holder. You may have to adjust the position of the two jars on each side of the board so the piece can comfortably fit three jars across. The cutting boards are a little over 6 inches across on their narrow side, so the jars should fit if you glue them right next to each other. However, a third jar isn't necessary if you like the look of just two Mason jars on each side.

Next, you can attach some additional cooking tools to the Lazy Susan, like a Wooden Spoon Rest from ICSTI or some Wooden Salt and Pepper Grinders from FLAVIVO. Place one item on each side of the rotating base. To make it easy to remove these pieces for cleaning later on, secure the spoon holder and the salt and pepper grinders to the Lazy Susan with Velcro tape on the bottom. You'll glue one side of the Velcro tape to the Lazy Susan and the other side to each accompaniment. This will keep them attached to the base as it turns and help everything stay neat and tidy.