Pretty pantry: chalk board paint jars

They say when life gives you lemons; make lemonade.

I can’t say I would really mind life giving me lemons. I love lemons….so much you can do with lemons. Pantry moths on the other hand….they’re terrible and nasty. When we got pantry moths last month, I squealed in grotesque horror and then tried to make the best of it.

I had been meaning to clean out the pantry and purge our shelves of expired and unused items. Well, the infestation really got me going 🙂 😦

And, I was inspired to put together a little project that I hope will help prevent future moth problems in the pantry.
I say “when life gives you pantry moths make a pretty pantry”
Doesn’t have the same ring to it…. I know. But, if you ever find yourself with a pantry moth infestation you might need some inspiration and help to find the bright side. Those critters are a real pain, not to mention yucky. I don’t wish them on anyone.

After a little internet research, I discovered that many people use large glass jars, like mason jars, to store their grains and keeps the moths out. I wanted to find something a little wider (to make it easier to measure ingredients). A number of storage containers I came across were acrylic or ceramic and many didn’t seem to have a very tight seal. Several years back I bought some glass jars from IKEA with attached lids and an airtight rubber gasket sort of seal. The months couldn’t get to my orzos in my glass IKEA jars. Unfortunately, the jars are a bit small and IKEA is a little far. So, I went with these glass jars with screw on lids that I found at Target. I’m closing the lids tightly each time I use them, hoping they’ll do the trick.

This was a pretty easy project and I didn’t need many supplies

• glass jars
• chalk board paint (that I borrowed from my neighbor. Thanks neighbor!!!)
• masking tape
• (foam)paint brush
• chalk or chalk markers

To paint the chalk board square on the front of the jar, I simply marked off a square area using making tape and painted directly on the glass within the lines of the square. I removed the tape before the paint had finished drying and used a damp paper towel to tidy up the edges of my paint job. And then….I just waited for it to dry.

Jars before and after 🙂

To write on the jars, I had originally used regular white chalk. But, it left a powdery residue and smeared every time I went to move or use the jars. Luckily, I found a set of 4 chalk ink markers at the craft store. They don’t smear easily! Instead, they wipe clean with a damp cloth or paper towel.

FYI,the markers are a little pricey.