photo blogheader_zpstbffqjqe.jpg  photo about_zpsgiujxeiv.png  photo home_zpspagqab70.png  photo recipes_zpsdzbe1vbc.png  photo diy_zpsp4upu5gu.png

Friday, January 4, 2013

chalkboard spice jars ... ♥



i've been bitten by the organize your life bug
:)
i love when it's a new year
cause it's reason to start fresh & throw junk out
i feel like my word for this year is 
simplify
not that that's official or anything
well maybe it is since i just typed it?

i yearn for simple
i yearn for peaceful
a more organized home
so that my time is spent with my family
spent doing things i love to do

and not spent looking for the paprika
which i need for the dinner i'm making right now that's burning on the stove cause my spices are a heaping mess in the pantry then all fall out of the bucket cause i'm looking for the paprika which happens to be at the bottom of this bottomless bucket of spices other expired things
really ... you think i kid
i do not.



this is what we're starting this project with ... a few buckets of heaping confusion

everything looks like paprika when you're in a rush to find it
(what is paprika anyway? does it really do anything??)
(besides make things red?)


to get this act together i used half-pint mason jars
spray paint the lids with Krylon chalkboard paint (joanns)
and i painted the rings with Rustoleum 2X coverage in aqua
(not a necessary step in the whole organizing process)
(necessary step for cuteness factor process)
(plus it matches the polka dots in my drawer liner paper)
.... and! some polka dot wrapping paper (Target)



what's the best place for spices in your kitchen? 
i wanted to move them to a half empty drawer that really wasn't being used to it's fullest of potentials 
 instead of running around my island over to the pantry (in a hurry) ...
opening a drawer and scanning names seemed like a much more efficient way to store & locate what was needed (and save a dinner or two from the jaws of scorchment)

i like the idea of using wrapping paper to line drawers ... the top side has a bit of a gloss finish to it, great for clean up ... when it gets stained or torn, it's easy enough to toss and cut a new piece ... and a much cheaper alternative to the typical cabinet & drawer liners found in most houseware sections
(fyi: Hobby Lobby has a great wrapping paper selction, 
very thick paper and super durable)




measure, cut and fit




i sprayed my lids with 2 coats of chalkboard paint ... i would highly recommend a primer first
as i later found that my chalkboard marker tip scratched some paint off a few of the lids




i prefer the markers to real chalk, it has a finer tip to fit more letters into small spaces :)
and it doesn't brush off as easily




now all you need is a set of cute measuring spoons 
for all the measuring & using of spices you'll be doing
cause your spice drawer is so dang cute
paprika anyone?




i hope to purge & simplify other problem areas in our house throughout the year
in hopes that our home will run more efficiently 
then our time together will be spent more ...well ... together!

i'm still working on my year long menu plan
that i can't wait to share with you
(with printables!)
i've been working on a few other spots in the kitchen this past week too
i will be back to share those soon

oh! and my craft room feature in Better Homes & Gardens comes out in 10 days!!
the February issue will hit newstands on January 15th
i'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited :)
look for me on the I Did It! page on the inside back cover!

a more detailed tour of the room will hopefully be published in one of the BHG special interest magazines sometime this year! can you believe it?? in 2 BHG magazines??
wow ... i feel so blessed

loves to you & happy weekend ♥
linking up to ...


79 comments:

  1. I love this! Such a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a great solution! :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my gosh, can't tell you how many times I have to dig above the stove for my spices (worst possible place to store them, but it is what it is). This is a genius idea! Love it and so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm literally jumping up and down with joy right now! I have a ton of those little jars (don't ask, a FAILED attempt at edible teacher gifts) and I thought "these would be super cute for spices". I even wanted to do chalkboard tops, but I only had chalkboard PAINT. I didn't even realize they made spray. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

    I'm beyond excited to get started now :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. So pretty and organized. Love the idea of using wrapping paper in the drawers. Do you just lay it in there or did you tape it down or anything??

    ReplyDelete
  6. So cute and so organized (two of my favorite things!)! Thanks for sharing your great idea. I hate having all the different spice jars anyway, I like having everything in the same container. Your drawer would make me happy every time I'd open it. And I love your handwriting! I'd have to borrow that :). Thanks again for sharing! It's been pinned! Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so cute! Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yay - can't wait for the BH&G issues!! And the spices are yummy cute ; )

    ReplyDelete
  9. I buy my spices in bulk and store then in the small canning jars and also buttons, laces, other items I sew with - where would we be without these jars. I've been looking for a new way to label them and was gearing up for the chalk way. Where did you get the pen? Great ideas and if I had an empty drawer I would do the same - or wait - maybe I need to empty one of my 2 kitchen drawers for this! Thanks for enhancing my thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love this!! And super pretty too!! :) Thanks for sharing! Happy weekend to you! xo Holly

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great, great, great idea. I love it-love your choice of colors and paper, too- xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  12. Awesome! I've got on my "To Do" list clean out cupboards...
    This is a good idea! Cause my spices are a mess! AND so are the kitchen drawers.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great post and wonderful idea. I may be a copycat and do this one too! Sadly your disorganization doesn't seem disorganized to me J. I think you might faint if you saw my pantry right now, altho I did throw out the kid's halloween candy yesterday.

    Congrats on all your magazine features. You deserve it and I can't wait to see you featured! xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  14. SO great! Aqua and chalkboard....a perfect pair. You lost me at paprika though. I am SO not a cook and have never used paprika. I know my mother in law sprinkles it on her deviled eggs, but that's it. Haha. My poor husband. He loves good food :/
    Can not wait to see you in the mag!! Livin' the dream :)
    Happy new year!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aren't spice drawers the greatest?! I shudder to admit this but I have 2 (yes TWO) spice drawers and a spice basket in the top of my cabinet. However we do buy some spices in bulk, I grow some herbs (such as basil, thyme, lavender, oregano, lemon thyme, rosemary) and we make up our own mixes for chile powder, taco spice mix, pickling spices...so it is necessary for the extra storage. I love the idea of chalkboard paint & chalk pens though! We have used a label maker for years but I am beginning to wonder about the wisdom in that as it takes up so much space in the drawer. I think it will be "going" to "market" soon! Yes all in the name of decluttering! :)

    Congratulations on the magazine features! That is truly wonderful!!

    Have a wonderful day! And thank you for being such an inspiration to us all!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love those measuring spoons! Where did you find them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the measuring spoons, as well. Please, tell us where did you get them? Thanks.

      Delete
    2. I love the measuring spoons, as well. Please, tell us where did you get them? Thanks.

      Delete
  17. Jamie, very creatitive! I love the touch of blue for the top ring! I started a brand new link party and would love for you to share your spice project. http://designeddecor.com/talkin-about-thursday-1/
    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  18. That is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
    blessings to you

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow! I love this idea! I love the wrapping paper to line your drawer with! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love your word for the year :) I've set so many goals for myself this year and it's going to be hard, but worth it :) ~*S*~

    ReplyDelete
  21. Super cute and great idea. We use a drawer for our spices too and it's SO much better then whatever we did before. However I have wanted to have them all in the same containers instead of now, I label them with just a little round circle label on their original container. Since we have an abundant of regularly used spices, that labeling system isn't working as well. I think we'll try this with some of my chalkboard vinyl! And make it cuter with that wrapping paper! Thanks for the great idea! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great idea and it makes such a neat and pretty drawer, too! This will be a warm weather project!
    Thanks!
    ♥ Jil

    ReplyDelete
  23. Such a great idea! Love this! We would love for you to share this at our Kitchen Fun and Crafty link party! http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2013/01/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link-party.html?m=1

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh how FUN! I am a spice addict. My spices are in glass jars, but in varying sizes in several square baskets. Using the same sized jars in a drawer would be fabulous! I love the chalk board tops and blue rims. Yay! Thanks oodles for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great idea and love the colour combos.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I organized my spices in jars last year but, I never would have painted the lid! You are brilliant!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. love it. I am short on drawer space though. Maybe I could find some metal jars, paint them & add magnets to the bottom. Hang them inside a cabinet door?

    ReplyDelete
  28. You are such a rock star! I'll be looking for yo in BHG!
    Just love that magazine!

    I just read and reviewed your refrigerator post and now I'm dumb founded how awesome your spices are organized!

    I've seen and thought about using chalk for kitchen labels but I'm very unsure about it. You mentioned that the chalk markers don't smudge as much but are they hard to clean off? I want everything in my kitchen to have a place, label and of course organized in an amazing and tasteful way,
    {cough cough:: Just like yours ::cough cough}
    but I don't want to create more work for myself in the long run.
    Are you still enjoying your chalk labels or have you had second thoughts about it? I would love to know your thoughts and opinions! :)

    Have a blessed day!

    www.mydiscoveredthoughts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH! I forgot to ask another question.. (Sorry, I hope I'm not driving you crazy with the 20 questions this morning.) hahaha

      Where did you find your measuring spoons?
      LOVE LOVE LOVE!

      Delete
    2. thanks Nikki! they are from Anthropologie! ♥

      Delete
  29. So cute! I wish I had enought drawer space to store spices that way!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Where did you purchase the chalk marker? LOVE. LOV, LOVE the colors!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Well aren't you just full of cute ideas - this is adorable!
    xo, Becky

    ReplyDelete
  32. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Love how you updated all the spice jars!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Adorable. All I need is a spare drawer!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I love this! I love simple and organized too. And you have a great name ;) I'm a new follower ;)
    Jamie

    ReplyDelete
  36. BRILLIANT!!! Where do you get the Bistro chalks? I've looked everywhere!!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. This is FABULOUS! I absolutely love it! Such ab great way to stay organised in the kitchen! Oh and those measuring spoons - so cute! Love it! Pinning and following :) Hope you have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Jaime! I just adore your blog! I love your beautiful and crafty ideas. This is just my favorite drawer!! I think the paper just MAKES it that much better!

    Becky B.
    www.organizingmadefun.com
    Organizing Made Fun

    ReplyDelete
  39. You have great style. I just love these little spice jars. I hope to do something similar here soon as I finish up my kitchen. I am hosting my very first link party and would love it if you could link up.

    http://ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-first-ever-link-party.html

    ReplyDelete
  40. You are so clever, Jaime. Just saw your adorable spice jars featured at The 36th Ave and I'm obsessed! Pinning :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. OMG! I LOVE this idea!!! I really like how fun the colors are!!! And, the polka dot paper!! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!!!

    ReplyDelete
  42. This turned out beautifully! And, I have the same measuring spoons!
    Love for you to stop by and check out some of my project:
    www.dosmallthingswithlove.com
    Also, I host and "oldies" link party on Tuesdays--a way to get come traffic out of our awesome, but old projects we posted long ago.
    Hope to see you there--and excited to be following you via rss.
    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  43. Following you after finding you at The 36th Avenue. FYI - what caught my attention was the wonderfully clever name of your blog - LOVE IT! Would love for you to visit me in my bloggy neighborhood at feel LOVD everyday! LOVD tidings, Lilly

    ReplyDelete
  44. Love it! A few quick questions:
    Where did you find the mini mason jars? (What size are they?)
    Where can I find a chalk board marker?
    Do you tape/glue the wrapping paper to the drawer?

    THANKS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you :) the mason jars were from Target (i found them during the summer)
      they are 4oz jars... the chalk marker is from Michaels, and the wrapping paper just sits inside the drawer, the weight of the jars holds it down and i cut it pretty snug so it's fits tightly ... hope all this helps! ♥

      Delete
  45. I love this! I have been struggling for years now with what to do with my spices. I just recently emptied a drawer in my kitchen and was wondering what to use it for!

    Can't wait to get this done :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hi Jaime,

    When you line the drawers with wrapping paper do you tape them down or just lay them in there flat? If you lay them in there flat, do they ever get bunched up?

    Thanks,

    Jill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jill! yes! it just lays flat, the weight of the jars holds in place perfectly :) no bunching!! ♥ thanks for the visit

      Delete
  47. Good idea! thanks for sharing....

    ReplyDelete
  48. I love love love this project! So much so, that I passed this DIY project on to my readers! You out did yourself! Clean and classy! Kudos!-Deb (www.DialMforMoms.com)

    ReplyDelete
  49. Jamie, they look like 1/2 pint jars, is that what you meant to say?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cindy! yes! they are 1/2 pint jars... need to correct that mistake in my post :) thanks for pointing that out!

      Delete
  50. off to find a drawer for my spices. Where did you get those cute spoons?

    ReplyDelete
  51. That is cute as ever!

    ReplyDelete
  52. I love this. I always put mine in alphabetical order too.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I have looked high and low for the wrapping paper, I love it so much! Any suggestions that I might have overlooked as to where to find?

    ReplyDelete
  54. I think this is so cute. I have a question about the lids. Did you attach the lids to to the rings, or do you just pop them off when you open each one? I use some Ball jars around the house for odds and ends, and that's the only thing that annoys me sometimes, having to pop the lids off.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I attempted these…and was fairly successful! It's quite possibly the first project I actually completed haha I only did 6 but they look so much cuter in my cabinets than those plastic spice containers! I was wondering, would priming the metal parts of the lids make them feel not so…strange?

    I have a blog too, but I'm not even going to link it yet because I just got started and I don't have anything for anyone to read yet!

    ReplyDelete
  56. OMG....I cannot wait to fix my spices like this. I have wanted to fix the confusion for the longest time. Your so clever.. My niece's spices are in total
    disarray, I'm going to do this for her for a Christmas gift. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Working on this project now and running into a problem. Maybe someone can help/ has advice/feedback?
    I primed lids but the primer is already rubbing off. Not sure if the chalkboard paint will stay on since the primer comes off do easily. Anyone else experience this? Thinking of using sandpaper to create a rough surface on the lids- but I'm not sure if I want to put that much energy into this project if it will just be in vain anyways. However, I am already invested in the jars, and 3 paint colors so looking for some advice from you ladies;)

    ReplyDelete
  58. I ran into the same problem. The chalkboard paint and the paint on the lids is flaking off. I was wondering if you primed or sanded the lids in order for the paint to have staying power?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a great idea and site! Just landed here from a link on Country Living.

      After cleaning out the junk drawer in my kitchen, I'll prime the lids on 4-ounce canning jars with Rust-Oleum metal primer before spraying with chalkboard paint. Being a creature of habit, I'll keep my "usual" seasonings in the cupboard next to the stove and dedicate the drawer to baking, canning, and seldom-used spices.

      What a wonderful way to clear up an essential kitchen cabinet cluttered with too much stuff. Thank you so much!!!

      Delete
  59. Hi!! I recreated your DIY for my spices and I looove it! Thank you!! check it out on my blog :) http://thelipstickpantry.blogspot.com/2014/11/diy-spice-jars.html

    ReplyDelete
  60. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  61. I just found this and I'm in love! What a great idea. Off to scour the rest of your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  62. I did this project and the spray paint on the lids started chipping pretty soon after. I was worried that the bits of spray paint would start getting into the spices and I didn't want to eat paint, so I ended up having to switch all my containers and now I have 30 mason jars that I need to repurpose. Any tips for getting the spray paint to stick?

    ReplyDelete
  63. I did this and it was great!

    ReplyDelete

comments ♥ i just love them and read them all (sometimes twice) (heehee) ...

Blogging tips