How to organize your pantry!

About a month ago I found this organizer on pinterest.   I decided that Amy from Then She Made is a genius!! I have a cabinet-style pantry in the kitchen and it can get heavy on the cans - so I loved her idea of repurposing a carton from a 12 pack of soda into a can holder!  She used scrapbooking papers, which looks gorgeous, but I had a different idea.

You know I'm a chalkboard spray paint addict, right?!  See where this is going? First, I cut a small rectangle on the back of the top - to reload the cans. 

Then I gave each container a light coat of CB paint all over (I went a little heavier on the top - not so much on the sides, since noone will see them).  The front of each container got 3 coats of CB paint.  After they dried, I brought them inside and emptied my shelves, lol!

you can see the logo through the one coat of paint this got.  I don't care - it will be front-side out in my pantry, so no one will see it!  Cut a rectangle on the top back to drop more cans in as you buy them...

Next time I'll write on the front of them while empty, standing them on their ends.  It's alot harder to write on them from the front side when they are full! I have one for my soups (but my larger cans of soup don't fit in these), one for tomatoes (crushed, puree, small cans of sauce), and one for fruits.  I'll add more for veggies as I gather more of the cartons!   This project took less than 30 minutes and used items I already had on hand, so it was easy-peasy and super cheap!  If you try my version or Amy's please link back with a picture - I love to see what other crafty mamas out there make!

These fit my third pantry shelf perfectly and I think there is room for one more!

And while I'm at it - I am going to show off some of my recycled pantry helpers I got at Goodwill & cheap containers from Dollar Tree!   My Goodwill store has a whole aisle of kitchen helpers & gadgets, which often includes little wire shelves, plastic bins, lazy susans and more.  I stock up whenever I find them!

I've donated to D's school, my husband's food drive, plus taken things to my Nana so I have let my stockpile get low.  I'll be restocking it soon so I took advantage of my almost-empty pantry shelves to move things around today to organize a bit.  I pulled out two of my Goodwill three-tier shelves and a lazy susan (all 3 cost me under $5) and put them to work!   Double click on the pics for up close look...

This shelf holds items for baking.  Three tier shelf in back corner holds smaller baking ingredients, plus extracts and an extra salt grinder.  The container holding my cornmeal mix is from the dollar store - they come in a three pack and I love them!!

Next shelf down holds large soup cans, pasta sauces, olives, dressings, canned pasta, baby food purees (I add these to everything to give us extra veggies!) , bread crumbs and olive oil .  It also keeps my large mason jar that holds all of my cupcake liners! (It's too tall for my baking shelf, so I keep it on the one below). The lazy susan lets me find pizza sauce, dressings, canned chicken or condiments easily. 

Being organized doesn't have to cost a fortune, and you can recycle/repurpose a variety of things or use items from the thrift store or Goodwill to keep them out of the landfill!  I'm back on my Flylady routines starting this week, so getting my pantry back together ROCKS!

How to make decorative clothespins with scrapbook paper

Day whatever of still being sick. I can't talk without coughing, so I decided to hunker down at home and make something fun & easy! (so I'd feel like I got something done today...)

I love to use clothespins to close bags of chips, brown sugar, bread, whatever...they are easy to store & if I break one, it's not a big deal! (Back when I used to break those tacky plastic chip clips that cost a dollar or more apiece, that would make me feel like I wasted $$ ~ hate that!)

When I sold my soaps and other items online & at two local stores in 2009 -2010, these decorative clothespins (sold in sets of 6) were one of my best sellers!  I would make forty or fifty clips a day in big batches.  Then at the beginning of 2010 I stopped selling my items and slowly but surely, my supply of cute clips has dried up.  Today was the perfect day to replenish my junk drawer with a few more of these little cuties....

What you need:
newspaper to cover the table or surface you are working on
$1 bag of clothespins from Dollar Tree
scrapbook paper, decoupage tissue, ribbon, fabric - whatever!
mod podge (I like the matte version for these)
foam paint brush
scissors, pencil

Using the paper, tissue or fabric, I like to cut a rectangle (by eye, not measured) about twice as wide, and a smidge over the length of the first clothespin.  Then turn it over and trace one side of the clothespin.  Next to that tracing, flip the clothespin over and trace the other side.  Cut those two pieces out, lay aside.  Do the same for each clothespin you want to cover.  (Don't just cut the pieces all the same as the first pin - each pin differs slightly in size, width, etc.  It takes more time, but the final look is better if you trace every one separately!)  If using ribbon, cut a piece slightly longer than your clothes pin for each side.  I like to use a coordinating ribbon on the second side - fun to mix things up!

Brush the first side of clothespin with a layer of mod-podge.  Apply paper, fabric or tissue.  Smooth out any air bubbles, and  let dry.   Once dry,  apply a layer of mod podge over the top of the paper or fabric.  Let dry.  Repeat two more times.  Then, flip over and do the other side exactly the same!  (That is why I do at least 10, 20, or even 50 at a time because by the time I finish one side, it's time to do the next step on the first ones!)   For the ribbon covered clips only: once the final layer of mod podge is dry, trim the end of the ribbon to match the length of the pin.  With the mod podge on it, there should be no fraying!

Once they are dry, you can add a flower, button or ribbon accent to make it even cuter, but that is not necessary!   (on a side note - if you live in Atlanta, check out Scrapbook Clearance Center in Buford! EVERYTHING is half off there.  The tag on the back of each item is the original price, when you go to checkout, they take 50% off your total purchase - LOVE! These sticky-back buttons were only 99 cents a pack - I use them in scrapbooks and on cards too! The little spools of ribbon in the top picture were only 49 cents each! SCC is on Buford Drive, next to Plato's Closet - across Hwy 20 from the Mall of Georgia)

These look really cute on a bag of chips or pretzels - much more fun than a plastic clip that says "chip clip" across it!  I like to package 6 of them (in a coordinating paper or fabric) in a plastic bag tied with a ribbon to give as a little gift, too.  (Easy teacher gift!)

Getting organized....

I have a large drawer in my kitchen that we used to stick plastic grocery bags in. It also holds my foil, clingwrap, ziploc bags, and napkins. To say it was unorganized is an understatement! This morning I was feeling crafty, and since it is grey, soggy and super-humid outside, I'm staying in!

I read a few of the blogs I follow and felt inspired when I saw this project at Homemakin and Decoratin, and I had to try it! I gathered an old Pringles can I'd saved, plus scrapbook paper, brown ribbon, and my handy dandy bottle of matte mod-podge. The whole project took about 15 minutes, plus drying time. It's now hanging on our utility hook on the side of the pantry, holding every single bag from my drawer - success!!





What crafty things have y'all been up to this month? Please post a link so I can stop by & see! : )