Obrist’s New Butler Pantry

Hi everyone! If you’re my FB or IG friend, then you know I’ve been in LA since Tuesday. Jules and I made a last minute trek to LA to watch my little brother debut as the Prince for the Cinderella musical. I will share a blog post about it soon because it was completely magical! I can not even begin to tell you how proud I am of my brother. I’m still totally speechless. 

I wrote this post last week and it was scheduled to post earlier this week but since things were a bit crazy with our travels, I’m posting it today. I wasn’t planning on posting this but my friend, UnChong encouraged me to share it. Hopefully, it will inspire and encourage you to tackle the messiest of drawers or that area you have been neglecting for a long period of time. Remember how I organized my junk cabinet recently? I used a very similar method at the Obrist home. 

A few months ago, I was talking to UnChong and she was sharing how her butler’s pantry was basically a nightmare. It caused her a lot of stress every time she walked by it but since it was so unorganized, she didn’t know where to start. It basically became a dumping group for almost 2 years filled with tools, crafts, kids supplies, lightbulbs, etc. There was a lot of stuff in there and it was nearly impossible to find anything. Let me preface by saying my dear friend is actually not that unorganized. She is more of a minimalist so I don’t want you to think she’s some junk rat. LOL. Plus, she’s a work at home mom handling the business end of their amazing photography business.

I think for all of us, no matter how organized we are, there are areas in our home that have been neglected. We put it off because the task seems daunting and we just can’t figure out how to begin. Anyways, we talked about working on it together but it was difficult to plan. Well one day, Craig called me and asked if I could stay in their home while the kids slept so he could surprise UnChong to a movie night. #sweethubby  It worked out and I decided that I would surprise her with an organized butler’s pantry since I had about 3 hours to work quickly. 

Here are the BEFORE pics I took to share with her.

 This was the counter full of games, random tools, flashlights, boxes, etc

The bottom cabinet was full of different kinds of tools. It was all jumbled up together.

The upper cabinets weren’t that bad but totally not maximizing on the space.

I got to work quickly by taking everything out and putting it on their table. This is the best way to sort, get rid of and group like items together. I took out all the tools and put them into 2 large boxes so Craig could take care of that part. I did make a box of everyday tools like measuring tapes, glue guns, screw drivers, nails and hammers to keep in the butler’s pantry since those are used more regularly. After taking everything out, I wiped down the counter tops and wiped all the cabinets clean. 

 This area was dark so the pics are all yellow but you get the gist! 

Before I got to her house, I picked up some containers and organizing trays. You can buy these at the dollar store, target, walmart and the container store. I grouped batteries in a container and used small baskets within the container. Make sure your battery ends do not touch! I also grouped tape, everyday tools, wires, cards and envelopes. 

I brought my shoe boxes and wrapped them up with nice gift wrapping paper and used them to hold similar items together. Remember when I did my own junk cabinet with shoe boxes? I did the same thing for UnChong’s cabinet. 

I also brought some chalkboard vinyl and cut them to create labels. 

Look how much more organized everything is! You don’t have to spend much money on doing this!

For the bottom cabinet, I placed all the games and crafts for the kids. I also used a large box for the light bulbs. There was a top for the light bulbs too so she could stack something else on top. Shoe boxes are so great!

Ahhhh I love a nice, clean counter top! I put all the crayons in those 2 white boxes. I used little box trays for stickers. I brought 2 mason jars to hold pencils and pens. I found a pretty mason jar in the cabinet that was made from one of their daughters and now it holds all the scissors. Putting all these things on a tray make it visually appealing and keeps everything organized. A double win!

Here is one of the drawers. I placed a clear divider and again, grouped items together. Little baskets are also great for small drawers like this. I left the other drawer alone because it contained cook books. When UnChong and Craig came home, I said, “hey come over here.” hehehee She goes, “no, you didn’t!”

After a minute when it hit her, UnChong started to cry! Oh man, I cried too. lol. I felt like Oprah when she told everyone in her audience that everyone got a car except I said, “you got a new, organized butler’s pantry!” haha 

I’m so glad that I had enough time to do everything. Recently, she told me that she has kept it organized. It made me so happy that I was able to help my friend by doing something I love doing. 

If you have one of these area(s) in your home, you just need to prepare a few things like getting a few organizing supplies. It doesn’t have to be expensive like the shoe boxes I love using. Labels are awesome and a necessary way to know what is where. You can get these in the dollar section at target or at a craft store. Afterwards, you will feel soooo good!! This also prevents you from buying the same items twice and gets rid of the stress of looking for things all the time. It’s also a great time to declutter. #springcleaning You can do it! Start small by doing one small drawer!  

Hope this encourages you to tackle that spot that has been giving you unnecessary stress. Sometimes, we put the stress on ourselves because we have too much stuff. Remember, less house, more home! 

Thanks for reading,

<><yuni

Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40