Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Imagine the Impossibilities: Organizing the Pantry and Linen Closet

Last week, I joined a challenged called "Imagine the Impossibilities" to help me organize some closets and get rid of clutter.

the space between

I used to be one of those annoyingly organized people.  I would immediately file or throw away things.  As I've gotten older, I started to hold on to more and more stuff.  Either for sentimental reasons or just because I don't take the time to go through my things to purge things I no longer need.  I might have hidden hoarder tendencies, so I took it upon myself to stage a mini-self-intervention to stop the hoarding.

Here's my pantry before:
 I started by taking everything out and wiping down the shelves.


 I had special Easter egg dye that was almost three years old.  It was used to make Pysanki, Eastern Eurepean-style dyed eggs like these:


I also had jars and jars of peaches I had canned five years ago.  This was the first time I had canned anything and we were too scared that we might get botulism eating the peaches.  That was a lot of hard work to end up throwing them away, but it was time.

Here's what my pantry looks like now.

I threw away so much stuff, I actually have empty shelves.

Now, it's much easier to see the food that I have so that I can actually use it and it doesn't go to waste.  Next, I would like to make some cute labels, but this is good enough for now. 

Remember the dreaded linen closet?

Seven large garbage bags of stuff donated or thrown away and here it is now:



Hooray for more empty shelves!

My husband was shocked when we saw me taking pictures of our master bedroom closet to show to the public.  It is always in a state of disaster, but it has gotten especially bad.  I've found that showing you how bad things really are helps to keep me accountable and motivated to get things cleaned.  WARNING: this next picture is not for the faint of heart!


I was able to get the other areas organized, so I know I can tackle this one too!  I'm feeling positive that my self-imposed hoarder intervention will be a success!


14 comments:

Katie @ Wildwood Creek said...

Great job on your pantry and linen closet! Those dyed eggs are fabulous. You'll have to give a tutorial.

Jenny @ Simcoe Street said...

Wow -- great job!!! Good luck with your closet :)

And love those eggs!

HIBISCUS HOUSE said...

Suzy, if I were only as brave as you to post my before pics. I did a pantry clean up but didn't post my before. I applaud you. Looks wonderful!

Sherry @ Thrift My House said...

That is progress!!! I know it feels good to get it all done. Getting rid of stuff seems to always be the key.
It all looks so much better.
Sherry's Bees Nest

Tiffany said...

From one quasi-hoarder to another, I applaud your ambition.

Lisa @ Shine Your Light said...

Awesome Suzy! You must feel so good right now!!

Linda {Calling it Home} said...

You have been saved by Suzy! Well done, how many more to go?

Karah @ thespacebetweenblog said...

This is so great! What an awesome improvement! I can't wait to see the master closet all spruced up!!

A room with a view said...

Wow! Talk about being busy! It is great once you get started on a reorganization project and stay motivated...the effort is worth is to achieve the amazing end result. Great work, Suzy!

Iesha Williams said...

Good job! You tackled quite a big task. Don't you just love when you can purge things.

RHome410 said...

I always feel great when my pantry is clean and organized. I wish I had a linen closet like yours! Great jobs.

Karah @ thespacebetweenblog said...

So fun to take another look at this and see you all linked up. Thanks so much for being a part of the journey with us!! Karah

Eclectically Vintage said...

Looks like we had similar Challenges! I cleaned out my super scary basement - 6 trips to the dump and more to the thrift shop! Glad you decided not to risk poisoning anyone with those peaches!! Thanks for linking up to our Impossibilities Challenge. New Follower.
Kelly

Linda @ it all started with paint said...

Love your brutal honesty ... and pics to back that up. Excellent job! Can't wait to see the master closet organized too!

Thanks so much for joining our Impossibilities challenge.

Linda
itallstartedwithpaint@gmail.com