Come and check out my DIY Pantry makeover, completed in style and on a budget, using the new Cricut Explore 3 and inspired by The Home Edit.  I'll show you all my tricks and share my very best tips for working with those fiddly little letters!   

So hands up, who else has been binging Get Organised with The Home Edit on Netflix, I might have become the tiniest bit obsessed (I even bought the book!)with the amazing Clea and Joanna!  My only regret is that I don't have access to all the amazing products and options available on the show (cue pouty-frowny face), though I'm also pretty sure my hubby is breathing a massive sigh of relief over that!  So time to get creative people and figure out what I can do with the stuff I already have, namely my new Cricut Explore 3 - with this trusty sidekick and a little DIY I was pretty sure I could make the things I already own look amazing!

So a big part of what I love (apart from the rainbow color organising scheme) are the gorgeous labels for everything, this just makes my little heart flutter!  I loved the look so much that I bought some pre-made labels from Amazon, I can't even explain how much of a bad idea this turned out to be! They were shiny, all different sized (and direction) words, in cursive lettering (which as it turns out several people in my house cant read easily - go figure!) and instead of looking beautiful and stylish it looked like a mess #kitchenmakeoverfail

So off they came, and this is where I'm at now, my pantry isn't terrible but it's not Home Edit worthy either!

What are my pantry problems?

To start, I had a look at what I had already in my pantry (there was a $0 budget to buy new storage solutions), I have a few different sizes, a few different brands/types of containers, and everything on shelves.  Then I asked myself what do I need in a solution? 
It needed to:

• work for different sizes, heights, and types of containers
• be easy to read
• looks neat and attractive
• be removed easily if I change what's in a container or decide to change the container in the future

To do this I used:

Au NZ - You can shop Cricut at leading retailers listed on the official website, https://cricut.com/en_au/shop 

For my US-based readers, the links below will take you directly to the Cricut store online.
Affiliate links in use where possible at no extra cost to you 

1. Cricut cutting machine - I'm using the Cricut Explore 3  available in Au/NZ from Spotlight, Big W, Harvey Norman, and Costco
2. Vinyl - I'm using Black Removable Smart Vinyl but you can also use the Permanent Smart Vinyl if you like
3. Transfer Tape
4. Standard grip mat
5. Cricut Basic Tool set - specifically the scraper and weeder
6. Font - Claude Sans Std Regular and ITC Kloegirl Std lotus from the Cricut font list in Cricut Design Space
7. Premium Fine-Point Blade + Housing (that comes with the Cricut Explore 3 machine)
8. Scissors, ruler
9. Whatever jars, canisters, Tupperware, etc. you are already using in the pantry!

The Cricut Explore 3 and most materials have been generously gifted to me by Cricut (HUGE thanks for sending me this beauty to play with) but equally grateful that I'm able to create what I like with this AND provide my honest opinion, as that's always important to me!

You can see what I've done to create beauty and harmony in my pantry in the video below.  I can't wait to show you the final result of my efforts and share my beautiful DIY pantry labels.  I can't believe such a simple solution could make such a huge difference, but check it out!

7 Best tips for working with fiddly little letters

1. Choose a simple font and use all caps – there are fewer letter centers to weed and the pieces you have to remove are larger
2. Leave a little space around each word, wastes a bit of vinyl but gives you more to grip when trying to remove the backing
3. Use the attach feature to make sure your words stay where you want them, this stops Design space from reconfiguring your text and gives you more control over your print
4. Roll the backing paper away from the transfer tape – if you’re a baker it’s a bit like rolling pastry off a rolling pin when adding the pie lid!
5. Cut your vinyl into smaller sections as it’s easier to handle and if you mess up you only ruin one tiny piece not the whole thing
6. Roll towards the finest point if the letters, not always easy since this is sometimes in opposite directions eg: M and W – there is nothing wrong with lifting tape from multiple angles, whatever works best
7. Don’t remove all the backing leave a little so you can position your piece before pressing down onto the surface (this one is a lifesaver!).

Let me share a few pics from my beautiful pantry, I am just so pleased with the results.

But I couldn't just stop with storage labels, I kept looking at the empty wall space and I couldn't resist creating a simple but fabulous wall decal, made from the same removable vinyl as my pantry labels.

I hope that these simple ideas that I've shared might inspire you to take a closer look at your pantry and do more with what you have today.  As for me, I'll be looking on eBay for a few more black Tupperware lids so I can make things a bit more uniform, but I'm absolutely thrilled with the way my space looks.

Links to projects

As promised links to the 2 projects

• Pantry Decal in Design Space
• Pantry labels in Design Space

If you're after a little kitchen organization inspiration I can highly recommend The Home Edit life book (this is the one I bought on Amazon).