Spice Organization- I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…

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I didn’t earn the nickname Jess the Mess for nothing, however enough is a enough. I’m tired of searching high and low just to find the one spice I need from my spice cabinet. So I went searching for some solutions to help get organized.

But when hubby and I arrived at the home improvement store, we couldn’t find what we wanted. We happened to start chatting with another couple who was downsizing from a 3,000 sq foot space to a 800 sq foot home and also couldn’t find simple shelves or racks. So off to another home improvement store we went. After searching three stores and coming home empty-handed, I looked around for some easy solutions that didn’t include shelling out cash to order cheap plastic stuff online.

One of my favorite things is an old spice rack my Mom gifted me. I was newly married and just out of college when she gave it to me. We didn’t have money for nice spices and she gave the rack fully stocked of my favorites. But this spice rack wasn’t new. Nope, it was much better than new. I remember her using this rack growing up. I watched her add spices from the vintage glass jars, and was in awe of how she knew how to flavor sweet and savory foods. When I grew older and started cooking myself, I experimented with these spices and often asked her what to add in what sauce. This spice rack moved with us to our many houses and was a symbol of the comfort and care she brought to my family.

I never got to hanging the spice rack in my current kitchen since there wasn’t wall space. So instead, it sat way in the back of my cabinet with the glass jars mostly empty. Currently it was a shabby chic cream and I wanted to make it look fresher. I pulled out my robin’s egg blue spray paint and got to work.  Check out all of the colors it was before. I spy orange, green, blue and cream.

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While the paint was drying, I started washing the old spice bottles. Since the spices had miss-matched labels, I also created a new set. Feel free to download the spice labels so you can have a fresh set too!

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The other thing I did was add some wrapping paper as shelf liner. This paper has a plastic-like quality so I can easily wash when needed.

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Then I attached the rack to the cabinet using short screws to make sure I wouldn’t drill through the cabinet door.

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I also added a cake plate so I could add my small spices and have tall spices on top.

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After combining my spices and tossing out extra containers, my cabinet is now clean and easy to use! And I’ll think of my Mom each time I use my updated spice rack. Best of all, I didn’t have to spend a dime to make it happen! Cha-ching!

 



6 thoughts on “Spice Organization- I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…”

    • Thanks for the comment Amber!!! I did a search on Etsy and they do have some old style racks like this, however they aren’t cheap. I wish they still made them of wood like they used to. 🙂

      • And I don’t want to put holes in my cabinets which narrows it down even further. I’m thinking magnets on my fridge but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

  • Cute spice rack, Jessica! Big improvement in convenience and looks. It is a nice feeling to remember one’s mother while cooking. I like your cake plate idea, too. Very clever!

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