It’s the New Year and time to organize your living areas! One of my goals for 2015 was to freshen up my pantry. It’s a walk-in area that tends to get overcrowded, cluttered and messy very quickly. And because I love to bake (think gallons of messy sugar, flour and baking soda), my baking supplies are always everywhere! My pantry, counters and flour are constantly splattered with flour as I take my measuring cup from the pantry to my mixing bowl.
In an effort to straighten things up, I decided to make both DIY Flour and Sugar Buckets and wheeled carts so I could roll the buckets in and out of my pantry with ease. They fit perfectly under my bottom pantry shelf, giving me tons more space in my actual pantry. And when it comes time to bake, I love rolling my buckets straight to my Kitchen Aid and keeping my counters and pantry clear of clutter and mess.
The best thing about these buckets and carts are that the construction is a breeze! Mine are made from 1/2” finish-grade plywood, scraps from Home Depot. Here’s how to make them:
- First I purchased 5 gallon buckets at Home Depot. You can also get them on Amazon. Make sure you purchase the screw-on lids that have air-tight seals so your flour and sugar stay fresh.
- Next I measured the diameter of my buckets, added an inch on each side to account for the width of the sidewalls, and then cut out a square platform using a table saw.
- The sides of the platform are 3” tall and fastened with nails and a bit of Gorilla Glue which works really well on the porous edges of plywood. Once the sides have been glued and fastened, I coated them with a couple layers of black Krylon spray paint and attached some simple bolt-on swivel casters at each corner. You can get the casters at your local Home Depot or online at Amazon here.
- Lastly, I cut the flour and sugar labels out of vinyl with my Cricut and placed them on the buckets.
Once finished, I placed gallons of flour and sugar in my buckets and enjoyed my new-found space in my pantry!