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Spice up your spice cabinet with this DIY spice organization using tins and chalkboard paint
I promise this isn’t turning into a DIY blog! I know I’ve had two DIY posts in less than a week but they’re all food related :) This next one was also a project that I wanted to do for a while but didn’t want to do it while we were still in the apartment. This was one of the first things I said I’d complete once we moved to a house.
I wanted to organize all my spices! I know it sounds OCD but I hate the containers they come in and how I could never find the spice I’m looking for. I wanted to SPICE UP my pantry. Oh, I’m hilarious. No, but seriously, we buy our spices in bulk sometimes at Costco and they come in those ugly plastic containers. You also buy the ones at the grocery store too that just end up being stacked on top of each other with red lids (you know which ones I’m talking about!) and you have no clue what spice is what. You go fiddle with one, the rest come tumbling down.
So this is where this spice project came into play. I wanted a CLEAR way of seeing every spice I had. I didn’t want to fumble around while cooking.
This was actually a pretty fun project. My MOH and I did this after wedding dress shopping on Saturday and it didn’t take long. The only “long” part was spray painting the chalkboard paint a few nights before to ensure it was dry.
Supplies you’ll need:
- Chalkboard spray paint
- Chalk Ink, extra fine point
- Any kind of sticky labels, we used these from Martha Stewart
- Tins, we ordered these from Specialty Bottle
- Your spices!
- First, you’ll want to go outside and spray paint your labels. A very thin coat will do. Don’t over-spray it or it’ll start dripping and you’ll be left with ugly drip marks.
- Let them dry overnight.
- Once you’re ready for assembly, grab all your spices from your pantry. One by one, start writing the spices on the label. Make sure you let the ink dry completely before putting on the tins. They smear easily!
- Once they’re dry, you can put them on the tins and dump the respective spices into their tins!
See how easy that was? Oh, want to know the best part of using chalkboard paint & ink?! YOU CAN ERASE THEM WITH WATER!! If you change up the tin with a different spice, if you write it wrong, you just take a wet paper towel, wipe and start over!! So awesome, huh?!
The way I have them now (shown above) doesn’t really help if I accumulate more spices as I’ll have to end up stacking them in front of the rows I have now, defeating the purpose of the labeling system. I found these which will help elevate the spices on different levels or this. Not sure which I’ll do yet but at least I have options :)
Happy spice organizing!
What size of Jars did you buy
If you click the link I provided, it takes you to the exact jars I bought. 4 oz.
What size tins did you order
Quick question – once you put the spices in the jars, what do you do with the original packaging? And how long do spices last for..how do you keep track of the expiration date if you put them in the jars? Thanks!
I typically store it on the highest shelf above everything else. The point of labeling these spice jars is to have them where I can easily reach and see them so if I need a quick refill, I just grab the original jar and refill :) Spices can last anywhere from 2-5 years, depending on what spice it is. I use my spices very regularly so I don’t put expiration dates on my jars because I know I’ll use them up way before they expire.
I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time!! Now that you’ve had this in use for over 6 months, how are the jars holding up? I’ve heard from some people that spices can get in the cracks, or the pop lips are difficult to open. Before I splurge on them, I wanted to know how you’ve found the usage of them to be. Thanks for posting this, I can’t wait to be a copycat!
You typically won’t get any spices in the crack if you don’t fill it all the way up to the brim. Mine never have any leftover spices on the sides. You’ll definitely be fine :) it’s a really clean way of using your spices too so I can’t imagine you get gunk in the cracks and you won’t be able to open it.
Julie!!! I bought those exact spice tins to re-organize my spices well over a month ago and I haven’t been able to find any labels that will work for them…so I googled it and your blog came up first! I am ordering the labels right now :) I love the chalkboard paint idea too – so cute!
You could have saved yourself some money by buying the labels as well as the chalk pens from Let’s Talk Chalk on Etsy! We can make any size and shape you want – event the ones purchased from Martha for this blog post.
If you clicked the link in the entry where I listed the supplies..we actually got the chalk ink pens from YOUR Etsy store. We bought them from you….
This looks so fun to do! :D
Complete genius! I love the idea and look of this spice organization! Thanks for the great DIY project!
Not OCD at all! I love this idea, may have to do that once the kids go back to school in the fall!!
Look at you turning all DIY… Can you come do this for me? I’m so not that organized or crafty!!