This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Brighten Up Your Kitchen This Winter With Fruit

With inexpensive fruit and vegetable labels, you can add color and a conversation piece to your home.

I love using bright colors to decorate our home, and when it comes to the kitchen, the bolder the better.

One day my husband showed me some labels he had bought on eBay. They were fruit and vegetable labels from shipping crates pre-1960's. He had bought them because they were nostalgic.  The different designs reminded him of working in his grandfather's fruit stand when he was a kid. It was similar to  at the corner of Waukegan Road and Dempster Street in Morton Grove.

The history of the crate labels goes back to the mid-1880's on the Pacific Coast of America. When fruits and vegetables were transported in the wooden crates, the companies needed a label on the ends. The wholesalers used eye-catching designs to increase sales and hired artists to paint scenes. With a bit of competition, the designs became better and better.

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This continued until the 1960's when pre-printed cardboard boxes were used. Some crates are still used today, and you may find beautiful designs on cans and other food products locally.

Suddenly, I had my inspiration for bringing color into a drab kitchen.

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here is how to do it: You may go online or check out garage sales for those old fruit and vegetable labels, or even check in Grandma's basement for an old crate.

Use steam to release the labels, being careful not to saturated them. Michael's or IKEA have unfinished wood frames that are reasonable in price ranging from $1 to $15.

Next, you will want to paint the frames. Pick out a couple bright colors from the labels that will match your room. If you have creamy yellow walls, don't be afraid to use a paint that is a couple shades brighter. You can even go to on Dempster Street in Morton Grove to buy their small sample jars. They come in different finishes with a wide variety of colors and are just enough to use for this project.

Purchase quality paper for matting so that it does not fade in the frame. Many art and scrap-booking stores carry that type of paper, and you do not need very large sheets.

Just cut to fit the frame and use double-sided tape to secure the labels. This way, if you use valuable labels, you are not ruining the integrity of the art. But most of the labels we have gotten from eBay cost less than $5.

Try putting up sets of two, three or more. Then invite some friends over to see it and talk about the history and the fun you had hunting down your art work.

I must warn you though, it may do for you what it did for me and be an inspiration to re-paint your kitchen in brighter colors to match!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?