Pantry Pitfalls

Have you ever embarked on a project with the ideal finish in mind only to come up short of that fantasy?  Well that is indeed what happened when I decided to spruce up my pantry.  I wrote in an earlier blog that I would be reorganizing my pantry because too many cooks in a kitchen has a tendency to wreak havoc on my storage spaces especially the pantry.  I try to keep food items together in a logical manner like all baking goods on one shelf and all canned goods stacked together, but during the holidays numerous trips to the grocery and a stream of users of the pantry results in a very messy, cluttered closet.  Yuck.  I hate to open the door.  So this year I decided I would purchase more organizers to tame the mess and spiff up the walls by adding a fun contemporary wall paper (I would have preferred vintage paper but at $95+ a roll, my conservative side said "Nah!").  I explored many sites online and pinned several ideas, so I envisioned exactly what I wanted.  Here is a look at my pantry before I spent two days preparing and applying wall paper:

My pantry is  not large plus it is an odd shape.  It is a walk in closet and has a great spice organizer built  in on one side, so spices were not the issue.  Notice I have used containers of various sorts, lazy suzans for the triangular space and can organizers.  Of course the space is a mess but beyond that the can organizer works only for a specific size can.  I don't like "stuff" placed on shelves: I prefer it all be contained in a basket or plastic container of some kind, and I want all of the floor items off of the floor for easy cleaning.

This was my dream from the blog HouseofSmiths.com:

I picked this particular pantry because the size was similar to mine and the blogger added wallpaper.  I should have paid more attention to her containers as those are what make this pantry look so amazing.   I am a cook and a baker and most of my items are of that nature, so I have numerous vinegars, oils, spices plus three kinds of flours, sugars, flavorings, etc. and then I realized my husband had at least 20 different rubs, purchased and homemade, as well as numerous bottles of salts and peppers that would need to be organized within the pantry. I should have taken off the rose colored glasses but I just knew my pantry would be as beautiful.

Here are my results:

I did find bargain wallpaper, but my 10 foot ceilings meant I needed 2 double rolls of wallpaper.  This was more than I anticipated.  Also, the metal baskets are actually drawers and were somewhat expensive, especially since I decided they did not need to be mounted as I could easily get to all of the items, and I originally purchased them hoping they would work in the triangular space but no go.  They are expandable, and I do like that because I can customize them for the space.  All of the items are now housed in a container of some kind albeit not as pretty as the dream.  Reality for me also is that I will never place my flours and sugars, pastas and cereals into different containers.  I also know that I will not label things as my pantry is ever changing.  And of course maybe I am just too lazy to make those changes.  I prefer to be outside when I am not in the kitchen and the weather permits, so I will spend my time as I always do and feel good about taming the tiger in the pantry. (Secretly, I will search for beautiful containers and try to make them work as the dream must continue.)

P.S.  Sorry for the post delay.  Many technical difficulties, but mostly the technical issues are because I live in the country and rely on a wireless network that shuts down when the wind blows.  This is Texas.  The wind blows often.  Sigh!!!!!