Pinterest - Pantry Update

Once again, I have Pinterest to thank for a home improvement project.

Actually, I have myself to thank for a home improvement project.

I have Pinterest to thank for putting said home improvement project on steroids.

For months I had been wanting to organize our pantry. I don't even have a true "before" picture but just imagine the show "Hoarders" but in a smaller space (and more sanitary).

First step... CLEAN IT OUT.

Check and check. And yes, I found food from my apartment in the pantry. Food from my apartment I moved out of three years ago... and no it wasn't canned goods.

Next step... Pinterest ideas for organization.

This is where project-roid-rage occurred. All of a sudden... a pantry just being organized was for amateurs. Oh no... my pantry had to look like this...

Picture courtesy of I don't know... but isn't that an awesome pantry????

But since it seems a tidge overboard commandeer one of my spare bedrooms to pull this off I decided to go with this "more practical" pantry update instead.

Still fabulous sans ladder.

Now, if you're looking for a real, complete how-to... you should skip the rest of this post and go here.

If you're interested in crazy antics... by all means read on.

So here's my before (but after I already cleaned) shot:

Here's my "why did I think this was a good idea??" shot:

Let me tell you... my pantry can hold a LOT of stuff... not only was our island covered, but also the other counters, our dining room table, and possibly-don't-judge-me-the-floor.

And yes, you are staring at a ridiculously large can of Kool-Aid. And no, we don't have children.

Now, in Whitney-fashion, I forwent the "traditional" painting route which really means I was lazy about taping edges/shelves beforehand. I went with the "I have a steady hand... I'll touch up... I'll drink a glass of wine.. oh that looks great!"

Since this was all about budget-friendly (aka no crystal chandelier), I used some grey paint we had from the media room...

This is where I had the "WHY DID I DO THIS???" moment:

I know it's hard to tell from this picture but trust me - that wall was dark!! I was pretty panicked that I totally messed this one up so this picture is actually the "WHY DID I DO THIS AND WHY DIDN'T I PICK UP BEER BEFORE THIS PROJECT???" moment.

A trip to the beer store later and I was in love with the dark gray.

Morale of the story, kids: Never do home improvement without alcohol.

Ok - then came stenciling...

With stenciling came cussing, paint on my favorite "weekend shirt", paint all over my PJ pants, and learning to be ok with imperfection (lessons enabled with... you guessed it - my trusty home improvement helper).

All said and done, I was pretty pleased with the results...

Justin really liked it too. So much so that he said he wanted me to extend the stencil pattern on the wall.

I said I wanted to punch him.

Told you... it's the project-roid-rage.