Wednesday, January 23, 2013

82 Reader Space: Spicy Spice Storage!

Things are spicin' up around here, as I am featuring a reader who created some of the sweetest spice storage I have ever seen!


My gal pal, Jaime from Raising up Rubies, is back again with some darn darling spice storage.  I once featured her incredible craft room here which was also just featured in the recent issue of Better Homes & Gardens!  Yeah, this pretty lady has major skills and I couldn't be more excited for her!

Back to the adorable spice storage.  They weren't always that way.  She started out with a few buckets of spices, which would cause digging and searching when it came time to cook.


So, she grabbed a few supplies to whip those spices into shape!
  • 4 oz sized mason jars
  • Krylon chalkboard spray paint {for the lids}
  • Rustoleum Aqua spray paint {for the lid rings}
  • Polka dot wrapping paper
She smartly moved the spices from buckets in her pantry, to a drawer in her kitchen.  This would allow her to do less traveling around the kitchen when cooking, and also allow her to easily see her spices just by opening a drawer!

Before adding the spices to the drawer, she popped in some brightly patterned paper inside.



After a few coats of chalkboard paint on the lids, she used a chalk marker to label each spice jar.


Before I show you the delightful "after" photos, I had to find out more, so I asked...

What did you do to go the extra mile and "make it pretty"? 

"By far, using the wrapping paper!  With such an affordable way to make your kitchen pretty, how could anyone resist?  Plus, it's glossy finish makes for easy minor cleanup... and for major clean up, just cut a new piece!"


Where did you find your inspiration? 


"I found the wrapping paper idea from iHeart, I've always loved it and have since lined many drawers with it!  The chalkboard idea was found on Pinterest, a lot of folks were using baby food jars and painting the lids, but no babies here!  And mason jars are almost always my go to storage containers for small things"

How has it impacted your life for the better? 

"I don't really like to cook, it's not my thing... I'm not bad at it or anything, I just don't like it.  So when it's prep time for dinner at like 5 p.m. I'm usually rushing to get things into the pot, pan or oven!  Digging around for spices in that bucket usually resulted in a big mess on my counter that I had to later clean up with the rest of the dinner dishes.  Boo.  This way, I just open the drawer, scan the names and pick up my measuring spoons and done!  Put it away, pretty spices all in a row!"
 
Have I made you wait long enough?  Ready to see those pretty spices all in a row?


What a difference a little project makes right?  I love that the jars can be used in a versatile way and switched up, since the labels are all just temporary with a chalk pen.  I adore that she added spoons in the drawer to avoid opening another drawer just to measure spices.  To me, that is thinking smarter, not harder.

And how do you not swoon over the cheerful colors?  I would accidentally on purpose leave the drawer open each day....


I can hear your hearts pitter pattering from here.  It's a lovely, happy sound!

Next month is kitchen month at iHeart Organizing, so a special thank you to Jaime for giving us amazing inspiration to "spice" things up in the busiest room of the home!  You can find all of the details in her original post here.



ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!

82 comments:

  1. I love this! will have to rearrange my kitchen a bit :)

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  2. Love this idea and totally plan on following suit. My only concern is how to know when spices expire. Did she put stickers on the bottom or anything?

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    1. That's a good question! No i did not :(
      I have noticed I don't usually have spices that hang around for too long, since most of them are used frequently in the recipes on my weekly meal plan.
      Maybe just flagging a date on my calendar, reminding me once a year to go through and purge? If there's a bit left in the jar by that date, wash out and refill with new? Thanks for pointing that out!
      ♥ jaime

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  3. This is truly beautiful! And they are even reusable! Just what I've been looking for. I'm gonna try and find jars like this and do exactly the same!

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  4. I love this!! I am planning on organizing my kitchen starting February 1st and my spice cabinet has had me stumped! I have to see if I can make room in a drawer for something like this. Love, love, love!!

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  5. What a great idea! I'm slowly organizing every kitchen cupboard but I'm yet to have a "close encounter" with the one where the spices and herbs live. I might have just gain some courage with this post! ;o)

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  6. This is so awesome and beautiful!! I'm feeling so inspired by all of the great organization going on!!

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  7. LOVE!!! Makes me want to clean out a kitchen drawer just to have space for this.

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  8. Great idea! And look sooo pretty :) I wish to do the same but I don't have an extra drower :(

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  9. That is so, so cute! I'm just starting to organize my home, and I've been struggling with how to manage the spices. I love this idea! The jars are adorable!

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  10. I loooove this idea!! everything neatly organizd! ;)

    http://building-llops.blogspot.com

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  11. Spices are hard to keep organized! Especially since they all come in different sizes! I recently moved mine into magnetic containers. They're now housed on my fridge!

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  12. This is a cute idea. Where did you get the jars?

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    1. Most stores carry them ... these came from Target during the summer!

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    2. These were from Target last summer :) I think most stores carry them!

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  13. question - did you have to paint the mason jar screw on lids too? what kind of paint did you use and what was the process? i love that blue!

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    1. Hi Karen,
      I used Rustoleum Aqua spray paint for the lid rings... I'm lovin' that color lately!

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  14. Love the idea of spices in a drawer, but hesitate at using mason jars. Aren't you then dealing with a two-part lid that comes apart? That seems a little awkward when you've got food on the stove.

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  15. I realize that your supply list is cribbed from her, but I would bet (and I rarely do) that those are not pint size jars. Pint size jars hold 16 oz, are approximately 5" tall and do not fit in what I'm guessing is a standard shallow depth kitchen drawer. Pint size jars also do not come with the quilted pattern seen on these jars. I would guess that those are half-pint jars, possibly even quarter-pint jars.

    I do love the addition of the measuring spoons stored with the spices.

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  16. I love this and would love it even more if I knew where your awesome measuring spoons came from?

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  17. I saw this post on Jaime's blog awhile ago and fell in LOVE! I actually have 12 tiny jelly jars that need a home. BUT, upon doing some research, I learned that the lids/rings that come with mason jars are really meant for pressure canning and not for long-term food storage. So, I ended up buying the plastic leds for my spices. It's not nearly as cute, though :(

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  18. This is such a great idea!:) I also love to organize everything in my home. We are now bulding a new walk in closet. youpiii:) can't wait for the building part and painting to be over so i can start decorating and organizing my new closet. :)
    http://blog.petitjoujou.ca/

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  19. Do die for! And just think.. I have an extra drawer that I need to utilize! This would come in handy if we decide to put a over the range microwave in!

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  20. I'm wondering... were the mason jars big enough to hold the full bottle of spices? I tried making my spices pretty and accessible, but the problem I ran into was that the jars I bought do not hold the full amount from the plastic bottles that the spices come in. So I still end up with the plastic bottles jumbled somewhere in a cabinet so that I can refill my pretty jars...

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    1. Hi Katie!
      That was something I was was thinking as well when I started the process of transferring them into the jars ... most of my spices in these containers:
      http://www.mccormick.com/Products/Herbs-and-Spices/Spices-A-to-Z/Allspice-Ground.aspx

      I had two of those red containers for some spices, and the quantity from both fit in the mason jar! Hope this helps :)

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  21. Oh I love this!! I am swooning over the blue against the black chalk paint... it looks gorgeous. I would accidentally leave the drawer open, too

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  22. I think this is beautiful and brilliant! Truly lovely and economical. I have a couple of questions for you. 1) Does an entire jar of spices usually fit in one of the mason jars or is some leftover? 2) Do you have any concerns though about whether or not the spray paints are safe to have around food? Thanks!

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  23. Love the colors. Great idea adding measuring spoons to the drawer. I lay my spice/herb containers on their side in a shallow drawer to see the labels. Now, I am going to add a section for my measuring spoons as well. Thanks for sharing!

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  24. So, so cute! I love that she keeps a set of measuring spoons near the spices. Unfortunately, I have a million and a half spices, so that would end up costing me a pretty penny just to store them!

    All I've had time for recently is to rearrange my closet to bring my cold season items down, and move summer stuff up. Only a few months late... But then again, I'm in California so it's not TOO bad!

    http://vintagezest.blogspot.com/2013/01/closet-clean-out.html

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  25. I need to do this! I hate my spice rack and it's not air tight! The only problem is that I don't have a spare drawer to put them in! Looks great though :)

    tepotsandtrinkets.blogspot.com

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  26. Too darn cute for a spice drawer! I'd live with the drawer open if I didn't have little ones running around! :) I love your measuring spoons, where are they from?

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  27. Very cute! I love all things polka dots, and this is a very awesome idea. I built a spice rack from an old wine crate, but my spice containers are nowhere near as cute!

    Anja @ cocalores.blogspot.com

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  28. Such a great idea! Love your blog !
    Iris
    THE MARRIED LIFE
    http://matthewandiris.blogspot.fr/

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  29. This is awesome! I'm a new reader, so the wrapping paper idea is news to me and brilliant!

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  30. I adore this idea! I really need to organise my jars of herbs and spices and make them more accessible...just need to find that spare drawer to store them like this :D

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  31. This is a wonderful idea! Every time I open our spice cabinet, at least 5 fall out on my head.

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  32. Love the drawer idea! I only have 2 drawers in my tiny kitchen so my spices are in a rack on my counter. Of course in alphabetical order!!

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  33. Oh my gravy! I am totally going to do this!
    I may use something different for my containers, but I live the chalk board paint, and chalk board marker.
    By the way where would one find Ckalk Board Markers?
    I have never heard of them before.
    I am De-cluttering/ re-organizing my kitchen.... Well actually my whole cottage since I found Jennifer Jones!
    Thank-you fir all you do Jen!
    ~Blessings~
    Rhonda

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    1. Hi Rhonda!
      The chalk marker was from Michaels, in the art supplies/paint section.

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  34. Oh my this WILL be happening in my spice drawer!

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  35. I love the measuring spoons. Where did she get them???

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  36. Love it! Her handwriting is so pretty! And I love the spoons. So cute. :)

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  37. This is so awesome! I love that she put the spoons in the same drawer and the colors are just so stinkin' happy!

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  38. Very Cute! How do you secure the wrapping paper to the bottom of the drawer?

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    1. I just laid the wrapping paper in the drawer, the weight of the jars hold it down. I cut it to fit exactly, so it's not moving around at all. Hope that helps!

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  39. I think I need I need to do this asap! usually spices make me grumble because they just add up and get cluttered. Great idea and sooo pretty!

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  40. I've never seen such pretty spices! This is amazing. And I never would have thought to put red and aqua together, but it SO works. Thanks for sharing, Jaime!

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  41. So so awesome! I wish I had an extra drawer to dedicate to spices:) The patterned paper adds a sweet burst of color!

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  42. That is adorable! If you don't have drawer space (like me), you could find some magnets for the bottom and stick them on the side of the refrigerator - at least I think you could, if the magnets are powerful enough. You can get the magnetized metal containers from BB&B or Container Store, but they aren't nearly as cute and don't hold as much as the mason jars.

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  43. I love this! I was totally thinking that I would leave the drawer open and stare at it all the time before I read your comment about accidentally on purpose leaving the drawer open!

    Great minds must think alike, because I posted about organizing my spices today too! And I saw that Chelsea over at www.twotwentyone.net did too! Mine is a lot less pretty, though!

    Jaime, do you think that it will be easy for you to keep up with this system? Did you paint any extra lids for when you purchase more spices?

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    1. Hi Rachel!
      Yes I did paint more lids! ...there is an empty row in the back of the drawer if I wanted to add a few more jars. :)

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  44. I think this is such a clever idea to organize something so simple such as spices. When I have a place of my own (out of living with all these guys) I'm definitely going to consider using this idea!

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  45. oooh love love love.. I need some ideas for a walk in pantry but we rent so cant put spice racks up, at the moment in baskets but not loving it.. thanks for the inspiration!

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  46. This is such a cute idea!! Most of us keep our spices up and close to the stove. This actually isn't ideal since those side cupboards can get a little heated from cooking and ruin the potency of the spice itself. I love the idea of utilizing a lower drawer... I think I'm going to do this!!

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  47. I SO need to do this! My spices are a complete MESS! Thanks for the idea!

    Kayla
    www.lovelucygirl.com

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  48. My favorite thing about this is standardizing the size of the containers. I'm a bit neurotic about organization and neatness when it comes to our spices, but hubs does at least half of the cooking, and just throws the spices back in the cabinet. This system would work for both of us and leave things looking nice to boot!

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  49. My favorite thing about this is standardizing the size of the containers. I'm a bit neurotic about organization and neatness when it comes to our spices, but hubs does at least half of the cooking, and just throws the spices back in the cabinet. This system would work for both of us and leave things looking nice to boot!

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  50. I love the vintage measuring spoons!! WANT

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  51. This is a great organization plan! Love the chalkboard bottles idea. I didn't know chalk markers existed... a lot more clean than actual chalk!

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  52. Adorable! I love the color combination. And, may I suggest if someone hasn't already, alphabetize them in the drawer. It makes finding the one you're looking for a snap!

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  53. How is the paint holding up? I tried doing this awhile ago and the chalkboard paint would come off the lid by just scratching with my fingernail.

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  54. Love this! I'll be featuring it on Craft Gossip this evening :) http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/

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  55. Love this idea! I am going to be doing this sometime this month as my spice drawer is a mess!

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  56. I keep my vanilla extract, almond extract, etc. with my spices in the cabinet. Where would you store those? Would you create a mason jar for liquid?

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  57. Super cute! How did you get the paper to adhere to the drawer? Where can i buy the pen? Thanks!

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  58. Love this!! Just had to share on Facebook:)))

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  59. I've tried this all the paint is flaking off (chalkboard AND regular). Do you have any tips on getting the paint to stay put?

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    1. Did you happen to use any type of primer prior to painting? That typically helps with ensuring your paint adheres well. xo!

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  60. I did not. I will do it. Do you have any favourite brands you could recommend? Also do you think I should maybe give them a quick once over with some steel wool or liquid de-glosser (saw that on another site- YHL)? I love this idea, I just need the paint to stick. :)

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  61. Love this! Is there a way to turn the 2 piece lid to a single piece lid? Is it ok to glue them together so I don't have the lid falling off when I open the bands?

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    1. Hello!

      I would be cautious about using any type of glue near food - unless you find something that is considered to be "food safe". Something like this actually fits a regular size mason jar opening: http://bit.ly/17cOzgb xoxo!

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