Spice Cabinet Overhaul

I have always been a big believer that any system used within a home must be used, and used again to prove its effectiveness.  It is so easy to set a system in motion that is easy on the eye but lacks functionality.  And sometimes I just have an itch that needs scratching, so I treat myself to a little revamp.  For this week, I have concentrated on making my little kitchen more efficient, and honestly a little more attractive.  For whatever reason, it is the one space in my home that lacks any of my personal decorating touch.  It's almost as if it overwhelms me in the design department.  It may not be the prettiest, but it sure will be organized by the time I get finished!At the beginning of this year I posted about my spice cabinet overhaul.  At best, the printable helped me keep track of what I did and did not have on hand.  And that was about it.  The cabinet began to get more cluttered and disorganized to the point that bags of sugar would slide out of the cabinet once opened.  Not in my house.  I needed to figure out what was working (which was quite little) and what was not.  

Working:

• Turntable.
• Riser for spices.

Not working:

• Everything else!
• Unmatched jars of spices.
• Random ingredients stuffed into the cabinet.
• How overwhelming all the retail packaging had become.
• Losing items, which lead to overbuying.

Again, not much was working but I had a great thought.  Simplify the cabinet by changing the shelf heights, bringing in another turntable, and attempting to decant as much as possible.  Then maybe, just maybe this small spice cabinet would be functional and attractive (fingers crossed!).

And I believe I got just that!  And even more exciting, I got it at a fraction of the price I thought I would pay.  With a little creativity and a big shout out to the person in charge of the dollar spot at Target this summer, I was able to upgrade my cabinet that leaves me with a huge smile on my face!

The glass mason jars, white baskets and chalkboard labels were only a dollar each.  A dollar!  I may or may not have purchased every mason jar in a 5 mile radius.  I have been dreaming of decanting all of my spices, beans, seeds, and nuts into glass jars, I have just never had an affordable option.  But alas, I do now!  The white baskets were the perfect size to add seasoning packets, as they typically get lost in the cabinet due to their inability to stand on their own.  Brown sugars and white sugars grace the other white basket.

With the additional turntable I purchased, I decided to separate the baking goods from spices.  I decanted birthday candles and food coloring into old jars that I upcycled, and added some toothpicks to an old sake glass.  Now when I want to bake, all the necessary items are in their own place, making it easier to get straight to work.

I also decided to purge reusable plastic containers, as I am cycling out of plastic and moving towards glass food storage.  This downsizing helped to limit the amount of space I am using for something as trivial as food storage.  I added a command hook and hung my oven mitts, as they were taking prime real estate space in one of my 4 drawers in the kitchen.  With only 4 drawers, if it can be hung up, it is in our home!

All in all, I am totally smitten!  The cabinet looks clean, uncluttered and airy and I can find everything I am looking for with no trouble.  And only costing around $15 for the upgrade, I am happy to say it was money well spent!

Next up, I am moving on to my food pantry to give it a little face lift.  Join me in the next few days for an amazing update!  Happy weekend all!