So...Maybe It's Not A Pantry {Reveal}

I think I may have been labeling this space incorrectly this whole time!! W shared with me, as I started to fill the space over the weekend, that this wasn't really becoming a pantry, but more like a storage closet.

Although, according to the dictionary, a pantry is: "a room or closet in which food, groceries, and other provisions, or silverware, dishes, etc., are kept." So, whatever, it's a closet with stuff. :)

W installed the shelves once we located an air nail gun {You rock, Olivers!}. Took him a few hours because with each shelf that went in, so did bottom support and top trim to finish it off.

He had to do some creative jimmy-rigging because there wasn't enough room through the doorway to get the shelves in once the other were in place.

Once they were all in, I was all giggles! I decided right then to forgo the extra stenciling on top-- too impatient not to start filling 'er up with goodies!

W even made a little walking stick for E out of the extra support pieces. E also turned it into a hammer at one point, but thankfully on his wooden tool bench.

{yeah, he's a boxer kind of kid.}

Next, came the fun part: trying to figure out what the heck I was going to fill it with. We had our kitchen redone when we moved into our home about 4 years ago...including new cabinets. So, that space is already really functional with some pull out drawers, a lazy Susan, and other helpful features. It just needs to be re-organized. Keeping it real: we got married, moved our stuff in, and haven't spent the time to re-visit how we did it so long ago. 

I decided the split the storage closet into two parts. 1) storing items that are currently in hard to reach places or on the counter taking up clutter-space and 2) my craft supplies because our kitchen table is really where I do it, at least while my kid{s} are so small. 

The top half:

I tried to think both 'pretty' and 'practical' while putting things in. My cook books were split between a really high shelf and stacked on the counter before. The flip jars were also taking up space on our counter. The top two shelves store things that were just hard to reach before and therefore were hap-haphazardly stored. Now, they're a bit on display!

Bottom half:

I'm still working on fill in these shelves. I'm not completely sold out on the storage bins--they were just what we had on hand at the moment. Thinking about spray-painting the milk crate if I keep it. I'm also still moving things in because they were in the nursery/office room before...stuffed into a dresser or in lots of miscellaneous bags. What a chore in and of itself to locate all my stuff!

The milk crate holds fabric scraps, but I'm not liking how I can't see them. There's got to be a better way, right?! The green fabric box contains the randoms: glue guns, sticks, mod-podge, etc while my paint supplies sit to the left and my button jar to the right.

I'm also still working on finding some cute hanger-knobby things for the door to re-hang my Anthro apron, my purse, and his man-bag.

I must admit that this thread container makes me feel so guilty:

I didn't know I've purchased so many. And I have duplicates! I started the jar with three spools from my sewing box and then continued to find more and more while rummaging through my random bags. So embarrassing!!

So...once again, here's the BEFORE:

AFTER...Our new Pantry Storage Closet! Pretty darn close to the plan!

It looks so good and ::gasp:: should I say--a bit girlie too-- which I'm so loving, but not mentioning to W.