Sunday, February 21, 2010

Organize your pantry!

I picked up these spice jars and quart jars at IKEA a few weeks ago, with the intentions of making my pantry matchy-matchy.  (Oh Lordy I need to ease up on this coordinating OCD, don't I?)  I'd had all of my bulk goods in mason jars, and the spices were in their original plastic containers.  I hated opening the cupboard and seeing masking-tape labeled jars with rusting metal bands and lids that said something like "applesauce 2004" on them. I know what you're thinking: "Buy new bands and lids Jill!"  But that wouldn't be as cute, or as matchy!  So I transfer everything to the shiny new jars and then stand back to look at it all.  Huh.  Is that whole-wheat pastry flour or cornmeal?  And are those cranberries or raisins?  (no, I ain't blind!  But in a dark cupboard they all looked alike!) I needed labels. The wheels starting turning, and I remember I still have some chalkboard spray paint in the garage!  I'll make some adorable little matching chalkboards right on the jars.  Piece of cake, right?


I used a dry erase marker to mark the lines where the masking tape will go. (measure first or you'll end up off-center!)  Make sure you push the tape down really well!

Spray a couple of coats.  Remove the tape and use a fingernail or razor blade to scratch off any over-spray. (Umm...I think I need to do a better masking job next time.  THREE hours later my labels are "square")  Don't forget to prime your "chalkboards" by rubbing a piece of chalk sideways all over it then wiping off.

Enjoy your new matching pantry!  Oh, and yes, that is supposed to be a chicken.  You know: chicken bouillon? 

The Hubs said his "favorite" was the quick oats.  Huh? Why? Don't ask me.  He's a dork.

Wowsers, I need to invest in some normal size chalk!  Sidewalk chalk does not make it easy to write neatly!

I still have a lot more to do, but I love opening the cupboard and seeing all my little jars lined up in a row.  We do what we can to bring order in the chaos that is motherhood!

Stay tuned to see the other projects I've been working on!


Written by Jill at 5:48 PM
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11 comments:

  1. UnknownFebruary 22, 2010 at 8:39 AM

    seriously jill....can i envy your motivation anymore?! LOL what a great idea! it looks like a pantry re-do is going on the list with the other projects i have going on..heheh

    love ya!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnnaleaFebruary 23, 2010 at 8:20 AM

    Oooooo . . . I love it! I'm matchy-matchy OCD, too. (You should see the kids' game box. lol) It's really true, we moms need to do things that make SOME parts of our lives orderly. (I always trim coupons precisely with scissors. :o)

    Thanks so much for posting this!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KimaraFebruary 23, 2010 at 9:22 AM

    I feel like I should call someone and say, You gotta see this incredible idea, but I'll go one step farther, I'll Facebook at it :) This is one of the cleverest ideas I've seen in a long time. I'm a bit of an organizational nut... at least my cupboards are. This is brilliant. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mothermore.February 23, 2010 at 9:30 AM

    Wow!! What a great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LunaFebruary 23, 2010 at 9:43 AM

    Very impressive!!!!! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Whatever Dee-Dee wantsFebruary 27, 2010 at 6:06 AM

    Thanks for showing us how to make these. I love them!

    ReplyDelete
  7. mmtncrftsFebruary 27, 2010 at 2:16 PM

    I just love this idea. Great tutorial. I had to share it on my blog. Check it out. Thanks so much for sharing.
    mmtncrfts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. HelbyFebruary 27, 2010 at 5:03 PM

    That is such a cute idea! Where can I get chalkboard spray at?

    ReplyDelete
  9. JillFebruary 27, 2010 at 7:57 PM

    Helby, you can get chalkboard paint pretty much anywhere! I got mine in the spray paint department at Home Depot.

    ReplyDelete
  10. momma raeFebruary 28, 2010 at 5:38 AM

    so cool! thanks for sharing. just thought i would throw this random thought out there, though i don't know if it applies to chalkboard paint. a friend borrowed my daughter's easel for his music video and used sidewalk chalk on it. apparently, that was a no-no as it left huge scratches all over the easel. there is a difference between sidewalk chalk and the smaller stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Infarrantly CreativeMarch 12, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    I am featuring this today on my blog. Come check me out!

    ReplyDelete

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