Thursday, November 3, 2011

Fun with Chalkboard Paint


When we moved into our new house, I had no idea that we'd have so many mice!  It's not like I'd never had mice in my home before (once I was making toast in my apartment in Brooklyn and a mouse came out of the toaster.  Sick.), but the sheer speed in which these country mice were making their way through my pantry made me realize I had to act fast!

I wanted to make my pantry as organized, functional, and mouse-proof as possible, so I started by shopping for containers that sealed completely.  I grabbed a combination of glass jars from Target and Oxo Good Grips POP canisters.  Here's what you'll need to paint chalkboard labels for an organized pantry:


Chalkboard Paint (I got mine from Home Depot)
Sponge paintbrush
Painter's Tape (optional)
Food storage containers of your choice
Newspaper

Spread down the newspaper so you don't get the chalkboard paint on your table.  If you choose to use the painter's tape to mark out your space for the paint, as shown below, be sure to press hard on the tape so the paint doesn't bleed underneath it. 


 I chose to freehand most of my labels.  They don't need to be perfect.


Paint on one THIN layer, wait for it to dry, and repeat.  If the paint is too thick, it'll clump and chalk won't write evenly over it.  Once the paint is dry, fill your canisters with dry goods, label with chalk, and stack in your pantry to mystify the mice.


Here's the finished pantry.  Not too bad for a quick evening project, huh?  It doesn't use much of the chalkboard paint, so I've got plans for the rest of that can.  Stay tuned...and stay homey!

7 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I wish my pantry looked like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cool idea. I like glass jars and grab them from the thrift store when I find them. I will be doing this. I may also keep this in mind when making homemade jams for friends. Cute way to label.

    ReplyDelete
  3. looks great! I absolutely LOVE chalkboard paint and it made a huge difference in your pantry! Organization = the best! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. What went in glass containers and what went into the OXO containers?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wasn't very methodical with these - I just switched to glass halfway through because, although the OXO containers are BPA free, I'd prefer to use as little plastic as possible. So some containers are glass, some containers are OXO, and they all just get filled up with whatever needs to be stored.

      Delete
  5. Oh, that is a great idea! I did chalkboard labels out of vinyl for my own pantry, and I didn't realize that you could DIY them with chalkboard paint! I'm impressed!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!