Organize Your Pantry

If you saw my Pantry post you know that I installed two billy bookcases with oxberg doors to add storage and display space to my kitchen.  I used oxberg doors and glass shelves to provide display space in the top half of the cabinet. Truthfully it’s mostly just IKEA dishes, and a selection of stemware. Next step is the pantry organization.

Now Comes the Fun Part

But the best part of this cabinet is the bottom section, where all the FOOD goes 🙂 I love the idea of having everything in containers. Originally I was going to go with square containers, but the cost of them was excessive.  I found a great and affordable alternative at the dollar store. These glass jars with chrome lids are perfect! They vary in price from $1.25 – $3 each.  I left the store with a basket full of canisters and it was under $25.

Fill ‘er up!

Before filling up the space, I took a moment to think about what I would need out of this pantry. Here are the categories that my pantry will need to accommodate:

• Canned goods
• Containers for pasta
• Containers for baking products
• Spices
• Snacks
• Cookbooks
• Boxed goods
• Personal storage

If you can’t find these at the dollar store, here are some affordable alternatives that you can buy online, Just click on the pics below to follow the link and have them delivered right to your door (easier!)

Diy Shelf Risers

You can buy lucite shelf risers , so that your canned goods are easier to see. But they were out of stock when I went to buy them. So I came up with an alternative solution. Just use a couple of 2×4’s. I had these ones left over from the workbench that I made. My cabinet is 30″ wide, so I did 2 sections at 20″ and 10″ That way if I needed to take a piece out to allow for taller items I could do that.

These are super crazy easy to do. You could just cut your 2 x 4’s to length and stack them on top of each other. I opted to go with little blocks on the back riser for legs. So, I just cut a couple of pieces at 2″ wide for the “legs” Then screw them in with a 2.5″ screw. To finish them off, I painted them white so they blend into the cabinet. But honestly you could really just stack a couple of  2 x 4’s on top of each other and you would be good to go. You won’t really see them anyway if your pantry is full 🙂 Plus if you have a deep cabinet you can use these to go as high as you need, and aren’t limited to 3 levels.

 Confessions of a Pasta-holic

Once I started filling up my containers, it became apparent pretty quickly that someone might have a little issue with pasta! But there are so many great kinds to choose from: penne, rigatoni, spaghetti, ditali, macaroni  and so on and so on!!  The “Long & Straight” is a little inside joke around here 🙂 We were discussing what type of pasta to have with our spaghetti sauce and Greg referred to spaghetti  as “long and straight” So, that is how I labelled it! Ha! Seriously, who doesn’t love pasta?

Pretty it Up

I have always wanted to have a super organized and PRETTY pantry. Who says the pantry can’t be pretty? I really like the x
look of these affordable dollar store containers. These ones are from Dollarama.  I think that by making all of the different containers and canisters cohesive it keeps the over all look tidier and cleaner.  I found these  AWESOME silver labels, and they were pretty much exactly what I was looking for – score! I love it when that happens.

 

 Let’s get Spicy

Truthfully, I fell in love with these little spice bottles. So, I decided to incorporate them into my project. They are also from dollarama. They are only $2.50 for 3 of them. You can use them in a few different ways. How adorable are these?!?!

And my awesome labels fit them perfectly!

If you can’t find these adorable little jars at your store, here are a few options for you that are also very affordable. Click on the image if you wish to shop.

Baskets and Boxes

I grabbed a couple of Woven storage baskets for storing snacks in. Which I have to say actually makes them WAY TOO ACCESSIBLE! Oops! I also keep the chip clips attached to the edge of the basket so you don’t need to go hunting for them – details 😉

 Personalized storage

The other thing that I wanted was 2 or 3 baskets for personalized storage. Think of this as your junk drawer. And yes, I already have one of these, but I would like to relocate some of it to this space. One of the things that I love about baskets, is that they are such good mess containers. We seem to always have half eaten dog treats, and toys laying around. And it’s so much easier to tidy them up if they have a home. Here is the one for Sage and Angus’s toys and treats, that sits in our living room.  Sage just barks at it when she wants me to get it down for her 🙂 Hmmm, who is in charge here ?

Interior Labels

And in keeping with my new love affair with labels. I added some of these labels, which fit nicely in the lids. So you can add any cooking information or recipes you might need.  If you read my New home post you would know that the pantry is one thing that I had to compromise on. But now I have solved that issue and can tick this off of my list!!

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