Pretty Pockets.

I am a slob. Sadly and truly. Not only do I not put things away, I don't even close the cupboard door when I take them out. Nowhere in my home was this more evident than in my pantry: dark wood paneled open shelves with piles of things scattered and piled all over, scary smells emanating from some long forgotten potato (shudder). After painting the kitchen all cheery and bright, the pantry became an even sadder and gloomier place to banish all of our lovely and nourishing canned and dry goods, and so I managed to scrape up enough left over paint (mind you I had to get more before I finished it) to invigorate both the space and my housekeeping efforts.

Here's a peek at the pantry from the kitchen. Those dark paneled walls have been covered with creamy semi-gloss paint. Vintage metal serving trays serve as magnetic message boards.

On the opposite wall is where the real pantry action begins. Buying in bulk saves both money and packaging and requires lots of decorative storage (glass jars, tins, baskets), all of which can be picked up for a handful of change at your local thrift shop. I save the top shelf for display of my prettiest useful things. Then when the shelves below start to get trashed, I can just look up at the "pretty shelf" and avoid reality. I have many "pretty pockets" like this in my home; it enables my slobbiness quite nicely.

My aqua and cream addiction applied to some fun vintage carafes.

One of my first forays into acquiring old junk was assembling a collection of cheery vintage tablecloths to use at our picnic-table wedding. They have been re-employed as curtains, slipcovers, togas, picnic blankets, fort-roofs, and to cover tables, of course. Good memories put to good use.

Aforementioned tablecloth used here to hide a very vintage vacuum cleaner ($2 at an estate sale). This champ doesn't get out nearly as much as she should.

Does is seem a little shallow to be gushing over a pantry? To be posting pictures of it on the internet? Undoubtedly, yes. But I do think it's important to make your "pretty pockets" - something your eyes can rest on when they tire of taking in the mess. And to do it by giving new life to old things, without emptying your real pockets, well, that makes it all the prettier.