Chalk Paint Labels for the Pantry

You know how great chalkboard paint is, right? How creative, crafty people use it for all sorts of projects? 

Yeah. I admire them, but if I'm honest with myself, I'm not gonna go in for all this mess:

photo from planningqueen, via flickr Creative Commons

That's why I was so happy to find these: peel-off, stick-on chalkboard paint labels. And you can reposition them by simply peeling them off and re-applying:

Now, that I can do! I've been wanting to organize my dried peas/beans/lentils/barley stuff for a while, because this is what it looks like now:

In a basket, but slumpy and sort of chaotic. Also not easy to see what I have at a glance. So I dragged out some clean, empty jars and started in:

Okay, maybe it's not the coolest look that the jar on the right says "Laura Scudders Peanut Butter" on the top. Oh, well:

I smoothed on a label and used the white chalk (included!) to identify the contents. If your handwriting isn't gorgeous (mine certainly isn't), you could always ask a friend with a nicer hand to do this part:

Meh. I got my first-ever "C" in second grade for my handwriting. It hasn't improved since then.

One note of caution: these labels work best on jars with smooth, cylindrical sides. If your jars are faceted, you will find the labels pop off, like this:

Oh, well. After you're finished marking your jars, you can toss the chalk into your junk drawer. Or drop a piece or two of chalk in with your sterling silver. It helps keep it from tarnishing.

I found my chalkboard labels at Cost Plus World Market.  You can find a similar set of labels in the Martha Stewart office supplies section at your local Staples.

Happy labeling!