DIY: Creating a Pantry

I dream of a day when I have a gorgeous walk-in pantry. When I moved into my current house it came with NO pantry. For the past 3 years I have been using two main cupboards. About every 6 months I need to completely reorganize them as they start to take over my life (see pictures below).

I also have a broom closet in the laundrey room (which is right next to the kitchen) that I never use. Brooms are kept in the garage. So I decided to finally move out the junk and create a pantry out of the broom closet.

Step 1: measure the cupboard and head to Lowes to buy wood (they will cut to size), brackets, a level and paint
Step 2: remove everything from the cupboards
Step 3: clean out the broom closet (no dirt or dust allowed)
Step 4: spray paint the shelves
Step 5: measure and place brackets
Step 6: drop in wood shelves
Step 7: add a special touch - chalk board paint to inside of door
Step 8: put everything back into the cupboard (and toss all expired food that was hidden in back of cupboard)

 Pantry by back door in laundry space.

 You can see that there was a lot of wasted space.

 Above is one of the two cupboards that played the role of pantry in my house. YIKES! Below is the second space, which is on the bottom and really hard to see things in the back.

 New pantry all stocked! In LOVE. So happy with this space and I cannot believe I did not do it earlier. The whole thing took an hour - max.

 

And look at how I was able to organize the cupboards. Kids snacks in the bottom one (shown above) with the tupperware and my candy stash in the upper one (shown below). And yes, you can even see I have extra space. WOW! 

 

Sparkling Champagne Bottle

I cannot resist the sparkling champagne bottle. I have had my eye on this concept since I started using Pinterest. I have just loved it. I finally decided to try it for a 40th birthday gift for a friend. It was so simple. Below is an image of my supplies and the post-glitter addition. I can't wait to share the final gift.

Mason Jar Flowers

Mason jars are still an obsession of mine. I LOVE bouquets of flowers in the jars. Whenever I receive flowers I like to place them into mason jars as well as give as a gift. My family was recently invited to a friends Palm Desert home for the weekend and at the last minute I decided to paint the bottom of a mason jar with spray paint and add flowers and a bow. The whole project took me 10min.

 

These last flowers were the center pieces at the Despicable Me 2 premiere. At the end of the evening you could take them home. Gorgeous.

Hot Spots: Golden Road Brewery

Another new blog series for me. Hot Spots is my chance to tell my followers all of the fun, cool, different places that we visit. This week is a recap of our visit to a local brewery. You can find Golden Road Brewery next to the train tracks in Glendale (technically Los Angeles).

5410 W San Fernando Rd  

Los Angeles, CA 90039

213.373.4677

I was introduced to the brewery by a friend who has a son the same age as my son. If you have a son that loves trains and you or your family love beer, you must visit. The trains go by about every 20min and it is very exciting for kids. They have also recently added games and faux grass along the side of the building. The games are life-sized connect four, jenga, ping pong, and a few others. The food is surprisingly good for brew food and the beer is fantastic.

Big Boy Bedroom

When we moved into our first house (with a yard) I was so excited because my son would be able to grow up playing outside and be close to school and work for me. I knew we had found the perfect home when I saw the room that would be for him. The walls were hand painted Dr. Suess and were so cute. I bought coordinating bedding and bath from Pottery Barn Kids. Everything was perfect.     

Cut to 2 years later and my son was ready to expand his wings and leave his baby room and crib for a big boy room. As I mentioned in my wall art post (http://craftynotartsy.blogspot.com/2013/05/wall-art.html), I was inspired by Serena and Lily and knew that this was the bedding I needed. I also splurged and bought the matching paint as well.

Below is the outcome of the room and the new owners reaction to seeing his big boy room.

The crib eventually came down, a chalk wall painted, shelves added, art on the walls and addition of a bench from IKEA and removal of the navy chair and below is what the room looks like today (about 9 months after the transformation started).

We have since switched up the room again and added a chalk wall, bench and play space.

 

Obsessed: Studio @ The Montage Laguna Beach

So I am SERIOUSLY obsessed this week with my meal from The Montage's Studio restaurant that I had two weekends ago. My Uncle celebrated his 70th birthday with family and friends with an amazing evening at Studio. The evening started with cocktails and passed apps outside the restaurant at the fire pit overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Sunset. It doesn't get more gorgeous. A few cute pics of the family below.

The view was gorgeous despite the overcast weather.

My mom and her brother, the birthday boy.

My cousin, like a brother, and me.

Once inside we sat down for an amazing meal. The appetizers were just the warm up. As one person described the food "it is like an explosion in my mouth." The one item I cannot get out of my head is something that I normally would not order, Turbot (a type of fish) with mussel ravioli - WOW! If you ever have a chance, go to the restaurant and eat. Enjoy the food and the view. It is expensive but worth ever penny.

The garden outside the restaurant was not only neat and tidy but chalk full of amazing veggies. 

And to leave you wanting more, a gorgeous photo of the Turbo. Melts in your mouth.

Hot Spots: Annenberg Community Beach House

I love the Annenberg Community Beach House. 

415 Pacific Coast Highway

Santa Monica, CA 90402
Tel: 310-458-4904  

I like to plan play dates at the pool and beach. My family enjoys arriving early around 9:30a to get your arm bands for the pool. Then we play in the sand until the pool opens at 10a. We spend about 45min swimming in the pool before we are ready for morning snacks. usually consumed at the pool. Then we pack up and head to the beach for play time in the sand and ocean before we have lunch and head home. Every time we visit I am reminded of how beautiful Southern California is and how great the weather is here.