Wednesday, February 17, 2010

46 February Featured Space: Kitchen - Spicin' Things Up!


I am so excited to finally get to share a project I had worked on a couple of months ago.  As I am here pulling up photos of the process, I realize I must have been so excited to just get things done, that I forgot to take some "before" shots of the madnessUPDATE:  I found a BEFORE picture and have posted it below!  But that is OK.... just picture three shelves in a small cabinet, with bins of sugar and flower and spice packets stacked on top of another, gazillions of spice containers of different sizes, stacked in front of one another, and other misc. items strewn about.  It was complete chaos, and that's no joke!  Here is a good shot of the cabinet BEFORE:


So, the day I realize that things could be and should be easier, is the day that something makes it on to my endless "To Do" list.  And when I couldn't find a specific spice without taking out about 12 other ones that were in it's way, I said, "enough is enough!"  I also was going to use this as an opportunity to condense down any counter clutter I had... because I had a couple of flour and sugar canisters on the counter AND in the cabinet?  I also had spices in jars in a rack below a cabinet AND in the cabinet.  No good.  No good at all.

So, I first researched the option of getting one of these cool guys:
But then I decided that I needed to do something about space.  You see, my cabinet space is pretty limited.  I live in a little house with a little kitchen.  And although the tiered spice holder was a good option to better be able to see what's inside the cabinet, it doesn't free up any additional space.
Next I saw these little guys:
And that's when that bright light was shining like the sun!  If I could put my spices on the inside of my cabinet door, I would free up a whole shelf!  SWEETNESS!  or should I say SPICENESS?

So, I counted the number of spices I had in possession, and found some stainless steel options that came in three packs, for about $4.99 from The Container Store.

 

Hmmmm, wait a minute?  The awesome tins I scored have a magnetic backing and my cabinets are made out of wood?  OK, of course I knew this when I bought them, and you would think a simple sheet of tin would be easy to find, but one that is exactly the size you are looking for?  Maybe a small bump in the road, but I love a little brain teaser from time to time.

We ended up going to a local home improvement store to pick up a small pre-cut sheet of tin.  And although it wasn't going to fit exactly, my hubs has some connections.  Like those type that you have when you are really high up and important, or in the mafia.  Or like those types you have when you work at a school district and know the wood-shop teacher!  What a good person to know in this situation, because he had a student at the school, cut the sheet to size, for FREE!  And, he actually cut it so that we could reuse a side piece to extend the length of the sheet to our exact measurements.  IHeart that nothing went to waste in this situation!


So, to attach the two pieces of tin to create one, I just used some simple blue painters tape:


Then, because I wouldn't want to open the cabinet to see tin and painters tape, I needed to come up with a way to make it pretty.

Enter: Double Stick Tape and Scrapbook paper.  Hey, making use of what I have!  It's called being resourceful!


Once covered and beautified, it looked something like this:


And of course, I tested the magnet strength through the paper before I attached it to the tin.

The remaining part of the project was as easy as the beginning!  We just used some Power-Grab adhesive to glue up the tin to the inside of the cupboard:

 

  

We held it in place for awhile and let it set over night.  And to keep myself busy while I was waiting for the glue to dry (literally!), I decided it was time to fill up the empty tins with all the scrumptious spices!

 

As I put the spices in each tin, I used my label maker with some clear labeling tape, to label the front covers.  I did this right away, so that I wouldn't get confused later when all the filled spice tins looked the same.  


YAY for giving myself a LOT of extra space to work with inside the cabinet!  Time for a quick happy dance and giddy jumping around!

  As far as the flower and sugar issue, I actually condensed the contents from both tupperware containers in the cabinet and canisters on the counter, into some clear canisters with scoops.  

 

I am completely digging these containers for their freshness seal, the always handy scoop and their clearness, so I always can see at a quick glance if I am getting low on anything.

Lastly, I had a spice packet problem that needed some addressing.  Enter again: Scrapbook paper.  Along with: An empty Kleenex box.  You may be skeptical, but check out what the combo of those two items can create:

  
  

Yeah, that's right, a free way to hold all those pesky packets.  And now, I can EASILY see what I have, and they really couldn't look more at home in their new digs.  It's like they were meant to live inside a re-purposed Kleenex box.

The remainder of the project was kindergarten type stuff.  Just putting everything back in the cabinet, making sure to consider shelf height and frequency of use of the items going back.  And also, the fine print disclaimer:  The spice tins are great for holding spices that come in standard size containers, but the extra bulky sizes, didn't make the cut.  Therefore, requiring me to still return a couple of spice containers back to the shelves.  But am I disappointed?  Not at all.  Since this project has been completed, I have been able to easily grab anything that I need out of the cupboard, without any digging.... or yelling!

Again, the BEFORE:


And, the AFTER:

 

  
 
  

 

I kinda feel like Dr. 90210, only instead of reducing the wrinkles on the face of a Beverly Hills beauty, I got to give my cabinet a face lift!

Are you guys doing anything fun to "spice" things up in your cocina (kitchen)?  Please share!

PSSSSSST!  We made some updates to the cabinet, you can check them out here!




46 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this idea, and am going to have to steal it when we move into our new house in June! Thanks so much for the inspiration :)

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  2. i just re-reorganized my spice and baking supply cabinet. i like your magnetic tins, but another option is this KitchenArt spice carousel: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenArt-25000-Select-A-Spice-Carousel-12-bottle/dp/B000KELLM2. i have had it for years and love it! while it does take up space in my cabinet, it stores a lot of spices, good amounts of spices, and each click dispenses 1/4 tsp of the spice!

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  3. Just perfect!! You always add "design" to organizing and I love it! ;)

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  4. alright, that door is awesome!!!!! I love it!

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  5. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! Great projects! I plan to take after pics of all 21 challenges and kind of update/check in on the state of affairs. I have already tweaked a few areas and I want to document how I'm living with it and what's working, what's not, etc. I'm thinking maybe Groundhog day may be appropriate for this....won't you join me on Feb 2nd?

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  6. I love that you got all scrapbooky in there. Looks great!!!

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  7. I love your magnet spice containers. I have lots of glass jars too and love them. I am not there yet but one of these days, I will transfer my spices into those cute little containers. Thanks for the tutorial!

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  8. So beautiful. I love those tins too, they are so fuctional and great looking!

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  9. What a fantastic idea!! LOVE the little jars!! Awesome job! :)

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  10. Awesome! I have a magnetic spice rack on the wall next to my stove, but if I didn't I'd be stealing this idea!

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  11. Great job. I may have to look into the spice containers...

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  12. This looks amazing! What a great way to organize and the spice rack looks awesome!

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  13. What an awesome and creative way to organize your spices!

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  14. What an awesome creative idea. I am going crazy with having to take my spices in and out all the time. Do you think magnetic paint would work?

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  15. Hi Sara!

    I have heard good things about the magnetic paint, as long as many coats are applied, it actually seems to work, however, I haven't personally tried it myself so I can't say for sure!

    You will have to let me know, I think it's a fantastic idea!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  16. Which label marker do you recommend, Jen?
    Tks,
    Jordana

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  17. Hi Jordana!

    I use a basic DYMO, it was about $25 at Target. I adore the clear labels, they give such a clean look!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  18. You did really great! The tins look really cute in the cabinet -- I want to have some of those! I'm still finding a way on how to install the cabinet doors in our kitchen. My hubby hand forged the iron pull as he helped me arranged the items. I like how you organized those spices.

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  19. Great ideas! I need to do the kleenex box thing for my envelopes and organizing some other pantry/cabinet items.

    For my spices, I have 3 metal CD boxes that I got from Target a few years ago. I put the spices in there and I take the round garage sale stickers and put them on top of the spice containers and label the spice. I have a pretty good idea of which spices are in which of the 3 baskets because they are semi-sorted. I can just pull down the CD box and see which spice right from the top. I store them above the microwave because I have about 8 inches of empty space above the microwave just asking to be utilized. I love it!

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  20. I recently found your blog through pinterest. I LOVE it! You are such an inspiration! I have begun the organization process in the kitchen The pantry looks great thanks to your ideas! I am having trouble with my spice cupboard. It's only 6 inches wide and each shelf is maybe 12 inches deep. I am not sure what to do b/c I have the same problem as you had...all my spices in front of each other. However, it's such a skinny cupboard. What were we thinking when we built the house?? :) Thanks so much!!

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  21. I think is absolutely brilliant! I have soooo many spices and just moved into a pretty small house, so this is exactly the kind of ideas I need!! After excitedly bringing it to my husband's attention, he brought up a somewhat valid question: After using this for the last year-ish, have you found that the spices move around or is the magnetic hold strong enough that they stay firm in place? I'm anxious to hear back... and hoping for the latter, because I want to do this project so badly! :) Thanks for all the tips on here!

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  22. @Morgan,

    It would have worked better had I just used a single piece of tin and thinner decorative paper, however, there were times when a tin would fall {although not too often} so I decided to try another option: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/06/spicin-things-up-part-2.html They also make magnetic strips for those tins as well! :)

    Hope that helps! xoxo!

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  23. I love the magnetic tins and have them but any ideas for a house that really DOES have over 80 spice bottles and - loving Indian food I buy large packages of spice---one of my Garam Masala packs would use ALL the tins. I had custom spice racks made for the wall in the pantry but that barely made a dent--I think I need a ceiling to floor spice rack---help!!!

    Helen

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  24. @Anonymous - How about pretty mason jars with chalkboard labels? I have always wanted to do that! :)

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  25. Looks a bit like Alton Brown's cabinet on Food Network's Good Eats. Except I believe he secures his spice tins with velcro.

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  26. Love this idea...I too have to "dig" behind spices to get what i want.

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  27. Thinking about doing this & sticking them on a cookie sheet. I would love to put it on the inside of my pantry door, but wonder if opening & closing will cause them to fall off?

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    1. I have seen it done, I think it could work. In fact, love the cookie sheet idea! You may just have to test the magnets before you move forward, I found the ones from IKEA are much stronger than the ones from The Container Store.

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  28. I just *finally* got around to putting my spices in alphabetical order. Sounds so obvious, but now I know *exactly* where each spice is located!

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  29. I tip I thought might would be helpful would be to put a little sticker on the back (like the the little circle ones you put garage sale prices on) and put the expiration dates of the spices. Just a thought. I love your work!

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  30. I really like the spice organization, but how do you take out just a bit without the rest falling?

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  31. Loved the idea of having my spices attached to the inside of my cabinet door and how great and simple a few coats of "magnetic" paint........NOT!!!! What a waste of time and money! Would not recommend. The magnetic paint was not able to hold the spice containers on the door. Thanks to my hubby he came through and placed a piece of brushed steel over the painted mess and I now have a beautiful spice rack inside my cabinet door!

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    Replies
    1. That is such a bummer! We used magnetic primer and it is still working great, but I did do multiple multiple coats. Glad that the brushed steel worked out for you!

      xo,
      Jen

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  32. I just found you through Pinterest. I love this, and am going to try it. But where did you find the clear canisters with the scoops you used for your baking goods? I have looked nearly everywhere and can't find anything I like as well.

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    1. Hi Jill! I believe I got them at Target, they came as a set. I think I have seen similar sets at HomeGoods as well.

      xo,
      Jen

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  33. Just wondering how much space does the spice containers take away from your inside shelving? I mean do you have to leave quite a space on the shelves to
    Ensure the door closes?

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    1. You do have to factor in a small buffer for the cans, but it is pretty minimal. Especially when considering the space savings on the shelves themselves. :)

      xo,
      Jen

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  34. I love your blog so much! However, I have been trying to pin your stuff to my pinterest boards and for some reason, when I push your "pin it" button, it doesn't attach your stuff to my boards. After I push the "pin it" button, a pop up window appears that asks me to describe the pin, which I do, and then I push pin it again - but nothing attaches to my board. I'm wonderin if I'm the only one having this problem? For me, this problem only occurs with your blog. The "pin it" button works fine on the other blogs I've visited. Anyway - thanks so much for the fabulous ideas... you are brilliant and appreciated!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for letting me know, I have since fixed it :)

      xo,
      Jen

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    2. Thanks a bunch! I'm excited to start saving your ideas and trying them out in my home :-)

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  35. Hi Jen,

    I accidently just bought a bunch of metal tins that are not stainless steel, I think they are aluminium. Are these okay for spices, do you know? Thank you!

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  36. Oh wow, the idea for containing the spice packets is perfect! Since my husband has horrible allergies, empty kleenex boxes are easy to come by!

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  37. Thank you for your tips, as I was looking at how you organized the spices I figured it would not work for me since I have a lazy susan corner lower cupboard and I have to lift each bottle up to see what it is, I saw a comment about clear jars and labeling and then came the 'light bulb', wow I could label the lids and know at a glance what is in each one. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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