Chalkboard Labels

A few days ago, I noticed that my countertops were looking a little dingy.  I started out by wiping them down a little...spot cleaning...next thing I knew, I had the bleach out, everything had been moved from counters to the island and kitchen table, I was putting things away that I never use but have just made the counter their "home", re-organizing to make my kitchen more efficient.....and suddenly I had an idea spark from something I'd seen on a blog somewhere: chalkboard labels.  At first I thought I'd have to go out and buy some chalkboard paint, but then I remembered that I have something even better -- chalkboard contact paper.  About 5 minutes later (using a compass for perfect circles) I had turned a bunch of quart-sized jars into my dry-goods/bulk food station:



I love having these all out where I can see them, and know at a glance if I am low on supplies.



Had I known that I was doing a kitchen overhaul, I would have photographed "before" and "after", but here's what the counter by the sink looks like now.



I've got fruit out for the children to easily access for fresh snacks, and my water kefir (with sugar and raisins -- no lemons or ginger this time) is fermenting out where I can see it so that I won't forget it in the pantry (jar with cheesecloth, 2nd to far right).  The flip-top soda-bottle at the furthest right is a batch of dried cherry kefir getting a 2nd fermentation to build up the fizz and complex B vitamins.  To the far left is the sugar jar, and the next over is Irish Cut (steel cut) oats.

I didn't photograph the rest of my kitchen, but I'm so happy with the final result.  After putting away all of the things that I don't use on a regular basis, I feel like there's room to breathe, and so much more counterspace.  Everything is easier to keep clean and neat, because it's not all crowded anymore.  I'm not a super "organized" kind of person (that's Greg's half of our relationship), but periodic full-on re-ordering like this refreshes my soul.  I guess I'm just weird like that.

Yay clean kitchen!