Pantry Heaven

[Novice]

I keep seeing these things on Pinterest & I don't have no pantry.... infact we're really short of storage, so I really covert these....


October 5, 2011

{OrganizedHome} Day 5: Fabulous Pantries


My absolute favorite organizing tip is to make things pretty. If a space is both pretty and functional, we are so much more likely to maintain it than if we aren't very fond of it. If it looks fabulous when it's clean we will likely be motivated to keep it that way!

I've assembled a collection of some of the prettiest pantries in blog land. Please click through to these blogs to get the full tour of each space, and leave a lovely little comment there for the ladies who worked hard to create beautiful functional spaces. You just might make their day!

Via Whatever




via Honey and Fitz
via I like it, I Love it
via The House of Smiths
via Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust
You can see my own pantry makeover here:

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And come back tomorrow for day 6 of 31 Days to an Organized Home!

The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking: {OrganizedHome} Day 5: Fabulous Pantries

*Awaits McJag's orgasam*....

[BITTER]

The middle one reminds me of the one in Nigella Lawson's house.

[Novice]

When we're you @ Nigella's???

[OrangeSlice]

I really don't keep food in my pantry, mainly just kitchen items that are too bulky or too rarely used to clog up cabinet space with. I love the wallpaper/stencil background in several of them. I think I might try that with mine when I get some time.

[Tati]

I LOVE nice pantries and can't wait to have a decent one myself. I've also been pinning them like mad, hehe. If we get this house we're looking at now I'm aiming to fix up the laundry (right off the kitchen) to include pantry storage and then I can just store all the laundry stuff in it as well. (And the juicer and stuff, like Orange said.)

I think those black labels in the fifth pic might be chalkboard paint, and I SO want to try that!

[Brookie]

^ Ugh, I read this as "I LOVE nice panties".

[Tati]

^ Ugh, I read this as "I LOVE nice panties".

Gah! I would *never* use the word panties! *shudder*

[BITTER]

When we're you @ Nigella's???

We had Hannukah dinner together the last time I was in London .

Actually, I saw the one she uses on her TV show.

[idunno]

Who needs 7 (+?) cake stands?

[Lalique]

I wish I had a pantry

[OrangeSlice]

Mine's pretty small. It looks almost just like this, but with no pull out shelves and only 2 shelves in the bottom half. I'd do almost anything for a bigger one or a walk in pantry. The kitchen is my guilty pleasure. There's more crap in there than in the rest of the house. If there's a gadget to be had, I have to have it. That, plus I'm a massive Tupperware whore. I don't know what I'd do without that extra bit of space.

[Novice]

I LOVE nice pantries and can't wait to have a decent one myself. I've also been pinning them like mad, hehe. If we get this house we're looking at now I'm aiming to fix up the laundry (right off the kitchen) to include pantry storage and then I can just store all the laundry stuff in it as well. (And the juicer and stuff, like Orange said.)

I think those black labels in the fifth pic might be chalkboard paint, and I SO want to try that!

Not that I'm trying to tempt you or anything...

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Operation Organization - PANTRY PALOOZA!

Remember when Shelley Smith
turned the world on it's ear with her
fabulous pantry makeover?
{Check it out here.}


Shelly proved that even a small pantry
can be a decorative feature
in your home.


Well, I've been inspired ever since &
I finally took on my own project.
I'm calling it PANTRY PALOOZA!

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Let's go back to what my poor pantry
looked like before . . .

Yuck!


First I emptied everything out.
What a scary mess!
{Some things that I seldom used were moved to my
food storage closet. I'll talk about that in my next post.}

My shelves were quite dirty & beat up,
so I cleaned & painted them.
I used a professional oil-based paint.
I have a tip about using oil-based paint . . .
IF YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY,
DON'T USE IT!
Ha ha!
It is stinky & messy, but it sure does
give you a hard-as-a-rock finish.

SOO much better already.
I was tempted to leave it like this -
just clean, simple, & white.


But I decided to
add a decorative feature on the "focal wall".


The blogosphere has been buzzing with
talk of the new Martha Stewart stencils,
so I thought I'd give them a try.
I got mine at Michael's crafts.
IMPORTANT: These stencils are made from
a thin plastic & they will warp if left in your hot car.
Don't ask me how I know ; )

BTW, I got the idea to make "chalkboard labels"
out of vinyl from the Decor Chick.
{Click here to see her awesome pantry makeover!}


I experimented a bit on poster board & then
propped it up in the back of the pantry to get
some idea of the color & pattern I wanted to use . . .






As I mentioned earlier,
I used an oil based paint -which takes days to cure.
By the time I could stencil over it,
I couldn't bear to use oil paint & stink my home up again.
Everything I read on the internet said
you can't put latex over oil.
Guess what, I'm a free spirit,
so I did it anyway!
AND IT WORKED!


Another fun way to decorate your pantry
is found at Amber Lane Living.
Danielle mod podged pretty fabric
onto contact paper. Brilliant!


Here's a close-up of my stencil work . . .

Now for the FUN part!
SHOPPING!
It took me about six trips to Ikeato get what I needed.
Note to self: just buy more than you think you'll need.

I put all the food I could into nifty containers.
The uniformity makes everything feel orderly.


Cooking instructions for some things are taped
to the inside of the lids.


{Apparently, I'm a fan of vinegar.}


I also have lots of spice packets
& Jello flavors.
{I do live in the Jello capitol of the world!}
These went in these cute tin containers . . .

I won this marvelous burlap sack from Rose Petals & Rust
{Thank you Stefanie}.
I'm going to do something great with it,
but for now it looks pretty cute with my potatoes in it.

Shelley also taught me that you don't have to keep
your cereal in those big bulky boxes.
This takes up so much less space & it's prettier.
{My wire baskets are from the thrift store- SCORE!}

I just love these pretty white baskets from Ikea
to hide things in.

I keep re-usable shopping bags, extra paper goods, etc. in them.


Since my family constantly leaves our pantry
doors open, I'm enjoying how pretty it looks now.


AND it's so much easier to find everything.

WAHOO!
I feel like a new woman.

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust: Operation Organization - PANTRY PALOOZA!

[Tati]

^ You are a Goddess amongst women, and I bow at your feet.

[twitchy2.0]

My pantry is functional, not pretty and I do not own any cake stands. Fuck Martha Stewart.

[nancydrew]

My pantry looks like a fucking pantry, with actual food in it, not gussied up jars with decorative rice in them that will never be eaten. I tried that whole pretty for the sake of pretty shit, and between my husband and children it didn't last long at all. That type of shit isn't functional in my home.