Inside a Pantry

I fell in love with this old cupboard the moment I saw it. 

At the time we were living in our city house.  I didn't know where we would put it, but I knew I would find a spot!  I distinctly remember going home after seeing it in an antique store and begging my husband to not only let me buy it, but to drive the hour back to the store the next day so we could purchase it before anybody else saw what a find it was!

Little did I know at the time we would someday purchase a house in the country that had no pantry to speak of.  Not even an extra cabinet to store canned goods.  The cupboard that had been used as a wardrobe in our previous house fit perfectly in the corner of our new kitchen.  (See, it was meant for me!)

 The cupboard not only fit perfectly, but I wonder if it was made around the same era as our house.  The beadboard on the outside of the cupboard matches the original beadboard ceiling almost exactly.  (When we first moved in, this beautiful ceiling was covered with cardboard tiles... it was reminiscent of our ceiling adventure except with teal paint... another story for another time). 

I never did anything to spruce up the cupboard.  To me, it was perfect as it was, from the old paint to the original hardware.  

 The inside is simply natural wood.  All it gets is a periodic bath with soap and water.  

 However, like most pantries, it has seen some unorganized days.  This week I was flipping through the most recent Martha Food magazine and was inspired by this ad on the back cover.  I love the chalkboard labels but the nearest Staples is an hour away. Then I remembered I had some old labels that would be the perfect size, so I quickly made up some on the computer with a charcoal background to look like chalkboard. 

I made labels for anything in the pantry that wasn't easily identifiable. 

They adhered to every surface and are removable.

 Along with the addition of some needful labels, I also gave the pantry a spring cleaning. 

Organizing the canned goods in the pantry was just another reminder of how ready I am for warmer weather. 

I can't wait for fresh produce, sunshine, fireflies and evenings outside.