Pantry Makeover! Getting rid of those wire shelves with an Ikeahack

I've always loathed wire shelving in all it's forms... but I do understand why they are used. Lightweight, easy to install, and cost effective - they seem to be the shelving of choice for builders du jour. If you're stuck with unsightly wire shelving - I have the solution for you!

After trying to figure out a way to do built-ins on our own and without custom cabinetry, I turned to the trusted and faithful BILLY from Ikea. Billy comes in two depths (12 and 15 inches I believe), and by choosing the shallower of the two, I not only gave myself some extra space in our walk through pantry, but I avoided the "black hole" - where food items get lost and never used because they are way in the back. You'd never know these are budget bookcases - they look like they were designed to be in a pantry.

 This set up allows for two rows of jars or a bin which makes everything incredibly easy to locate and things don't get lost in Neverneverland. We trimmed out the bottom and the centre (where the two bookcases meet) with some simple baseboard trim to make it look like a single unit. Had we had more time in this house (oh, did I mention we are moving! Another post :) - I would have gone much further like some of the Billy built-ins I found on Pinterest and put crown on the top to really give it that built-in look. I also might have wallpapered or stenciled the back, but I was far too indecisive to settle on anything.

Before our pantry overhaul, my pantry sadly looked like this (can't believe I'm sharing this!).

Granted, I knew we were ripping it all out so I didn't invest any time in making it pretty - seriously, how big of a transformation is that?

Taking out the wire shelving, patching and painting was a bit of a task (the wire shelves were anchored with some pretty serious drywall screws) - but my husband and father-in law tackled it like pros.

I customized my shelf heights to the heights of my jars and was so happy how it all worked out - another big plus about this project is how easy it is to adjust shelf height to accommodate different sized items - something you can't do with wire shelves.

Despite the depth being absolutely perfect for this project, the width did not line up perfectly. I toyed with the idea of building in an extension so the pantry fit the entire width of the space - but instead opted for a chalkboard diy wine shelf (upcoming post!). The little gap (just less than a foot) was good for putting large Costco acquisitions before I had a chance to properly put away, but could also have used it to store a broom or a small foot stool.

While the pantry doesn't always look as clutter-free as these images, the reality is pretty darn close. I've found it really easy to maintain when you have a home for everything. I wanted to redo my labels prior to this post, but with the move ahead just didn't have the time. These labels are going on 2.5 years and still kicking - although some have definitely seen better days. I'm still amazed at how long they've held up though!

Have you ever used a Billy in a non-bookcase way? Do you have wire shelves you hate as much as I do?

Nursery Decor and Labels for Baby Girl

While I remain stumped on how to finish up the nursery decor, one thing I have not delayed on is getting some printables up! I figured the easiest way to jump start the nursery was to create some name wall art (I will share the actual photos of the name art once baby is here and the name is announced!) as well as some clothing labels and tags.

Baby girl's nursery has gone all-out girly and is as feminine and frilly as I could hope for. While I love the many mod nursery designs out there, I just had to indulge my girly side while I can (while I'm the one calling the decor shots and not a 3 year old into Frozen).

Using Photoshop, I've incorporated a watercolor effect on some of my favourite fonts as well as used some hand painted watercolor floral elements and am loving the look.

Looking for some affordable nursery art? I've just listed the clothing tags in the shop for $5 and the custom name art for $12. I'll be adding other labels for baby necessities like swaddles, receviing blankets, etc, very soon. See links below!

Baby Girl Clothing Labels 

Custom Watercolor Name Art

I haven't listed this gold monogram yet - but what do you think? 

A Giveaway made in Organizing Heaven

I made mention of an awesome giveaway in my 500K post, and well, here it is! I think you'll be just as giddy about it as I am!

First things first, this giveaway is brought to you by one of you! That's right! One of my fabulous readers is teaming up with me and I think you're going to like her. Her name is Katie, and she is a Thirty One consultant. I had never heard of Thirty One before Katie let me in on the scoop. Let's just say this fantastic company of personalized organizing solutions is seriously after my own heart. Urm, organizing and personalization? That's ma JAM!

And although I've been to many a "home party", I've never actually hosted one, so I figured why not take this opportunity to host my very first one while we're at it!

Ok, ok, before I get you all the details, let's learn about the giveaway!

Katie is graciously offering up A SUPER DEE DUPER ORGANIZING TOTE (ok, it's actually called the Super Organizing Tote). It comes in 4 pattern-ways, and if you ask me, this is the PERFECT baby shower gift. Who doesn't have a baby shower to go to every month? I know it's not just me! Anyways, can you imagine personalizing this bag with the baby's name and then stuffing full of diapers and baby products? Let's just say you would win the best-ever-shower-present-giver award for a lifetime. Or just keep it for yourself, because there are about 1001 things you could use it for.

In addition to that, the runner up will receive $50 worth of customized labels* for whatever your little heart desires from my shop, The Paper Society. That's one heckuva lot of labels!

To enter, head on over and like Katie's Facebook pages via the links below

Thirty One Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KTBReynolds31Consultant/

Really Reynolds Facebook Pag: www.facebook.com/reallyreynolds

And of course, make sure you're following moi on here and Facebook

And then leave a comment to say that you liked all 3 pages and let us know where you're from!

If you want to do some shopping for your own magical Thirty One pieces, shop my party HERE. Better yet, get your Christmas shopping out of the way! Brilliant idea and way less stress come December. For orders this October, for every $31 you spend, you can get a Retro Metro Bag, an Elite Retro Metro Bag, a Retro Metro Tote, and Organizing Utility Tote, or a Super Organizing Tote for 50% off. Woop woop!

Katie's thirty one page: www.mythirtyone.com/ktbreynolds

The fine print:

Unfortunately ThirtyOne only ships to the USA, so unless you're like me and live in a border town with a US postal address you can use, the Thirty One giveaway will only be open to US mailboxes. If you live in the lower mainland of BC, Canada, I can probably figure out a way to get the prize to you if you win and don't have a US mail box.

The $50 credit towards labels is open worldwide! Just make sure to email me if you win, and I'll send you the details regarding ordering your custom labels. *The $50 is only towards digital, custom labels and not printed labels or accessories.

Contest is open until next Friday, October 26th! The party is on for all of October!

Let me know if you have any questions!

GOOD LUCK chicas!

Inside your Pantry | The Paper Society

Every time I get an order on etsy for The Paper Society, one of the first things I do is check out the invoice and see where on earth my labels are going to end up. I am BEYOND fascinated that in this crazy world, I can have my label designs in pantries from Australia, to the UK, to Texas. It. Blows. My. Mind. I know it shouldn't, because that is the nature of the international web marketplace, but still, I am amazed.

Even my husband (who gets the paypal notifications to his email) comments when he sees an order and says something along the lines of "Hey hunny, your labels are going to Germany! You're my idol! Want me to make you some schnitzel?"...Ok, I made up that bit.

I also love hearing and seeing what people do with my labels and how they organize their pantries. There are some very talented and organized people out there and I have seen a fair share of magazine worthy pantry makeovers. Melanie's has got to be one of my faves.

Melanie lives in NYC, and if that isn't enough to make you a wee bit jealous, she's also a very driven entrepreneur. Her company Elizabeth and Clarke is little bit genius, a lot bit functional. I don't live in the city but I do get the hassle of running around from shop to shop trying to find staples. Elizabeth and Clarke takes all the hassel and guess work out of stocking your wardrobe with the essentials. Ease and affordablity- I like that.

Back to pantries! Melanie has used the OXO pop up containers that I absolutely adore. They seal perfectly airtight, and in a day and age where so many things are short lived and disposable, I do feel like these containers will stand the test of time. I only have a couple but hope to one day outfit my pantry with some more of them!

The jars for the vinegars are also genius! I have a handful of sparkling wine bottles with this type of lid that could so easily be repurposed. And, decanting keeps everything looking the same, so what's not to love!

Are you having pantry envy yet?

I sure am ;)

xo J