And... we're spent!

We gave ourselves a deadline. Sydney had her birthday party Friday night and I didn't want to have it with our pantry spread around like it was. So Friday night it would be. The part we were waiting for finally arrived and Larry was able to finish the floor Thursday night. Then Friday we completed the pantry and loaded it all back in just in time for friends to arrive. It's done. It's finished. And we LOVE it! I am so grateful for Larry's hard work- it turned out better than we imagined!

The Kitchen.

Said part. (Grrrr!) But looks awesome!

Another view of the kitchen.

To the pantry: Like I have mentioned, this entire project began with wanting a new pantry. The cheap wire shelving was sagging and could hardly hold 12 cans. I pictured more of a butler's pantry: counter tops, deep solid shelves stocked with food galore, and under-counter storage for the one-year supply. Fast forward- I'm getting what I want but I'm still trying to pinch the pennies. So instead of the 12' solid butcher block, we opted for a less-expensive version. Home Depot carries 2'x4' butcher block table tops. We purchased 3 of them and Larry pieced them to form our counter top. Again, I envisioned a dark stained counter with the white shelving. Sample after sample of stain just wasn't cutting it. So I purchased some new stain and made another attempt- BINGO! Now to get the seems even. Thursday I decided to take this on myself or we wouldn't meet the deadline. So I got out the belt sander and went to work. Needless to say, the belt sander being a powerful tool, took a little too much wood off in some places and not enough in others. What was I going to do?! Distress it, that's what. So I googled distressing and was reminded of what I've seen many times on my home shows. I hammered my counter. I beat it with a bag full of nuts and bolts. I put some nails in the end of a piece of scrap wood and pounded away at it, too. All in all, I think it turned out pretty darn good. Yes, I can still see the seems, but I love it. Larry was pleased when he came home as well. It could have been the VOC's talking- there were an awful lot of fumes in that tiny pantry! And did I mention that he put power in the counter??!! Yes, my super husband spend a good day under the house and in the attic to bring power to my pantry just because I wanted it. Now our microwave plugs right in without the unsightly extension cord running behind the door and into the kitchen! Yeah! We are both very happy with the end result. I still have to hit the grocery stores to stock these bad boys, but it's finished and so are we! (until we find the baseboards we want.... and wrap the windows and door... wait, that would mean new doors, too...)

The pantry counter top.

A closer view of the distressing.

Plenty of under-counter storage room- here come the buckets!

My new pantry in all it's glory!