David & I recently finished up some projects around the kitchen that we have been meaning to do for ages. Even though I am an avid cook, my kitchen is teensy-tinsy, so space is of a premium. My vast collection of both tea and spices were literally overflowing one of my cabinets, to the point where every time I opened it, things were falling out of it! I decided that switching all of them over to universal containers would make it so much easier to store them.
I ended up using our 8 oz. round clear top tins to store them all. They are a bit on the larger side because I buy most of my spices in bulk, but the average spice container would fit in the 4 oz. making it a lot more economical for this type of organization.
I designed the labels just in the regular Avery Address Label template found in Microsoft Word. I used the clear address labels (#18660) that they sell because they tend to be a bit more waterproof, which is a good characteristic to have in the kitchen. The labels can be found at any big box or office supply store. Or you can order them directly from Avery HERE.
David built me a simple shelving system that fit on the back of our narrow pantry door to hold all of the tins. If any of you decide to take on a project like this, I found after a bit of trial and error that it is best to alphabetize the spices. Since they are all in similar tins, it can be difficult to find something if they aren't in a particular order. Since I have alphabetized them, it is a cinch to find things when I need them and easy to put them back where I got them.
I ended up using our tea tins for my vast loose leaf tea collection. The lids on these tins have an airtight seal so it will keep my teas nice and fresh, therefore a longer shelf life. For these labels, I chose to use a white shipping label (#8163). They fit the large tins well and left plenty of room for some fancy embellishing. I created mine on the computer, but it would be just as easy to stamp them with some of your favorite decorative stamp images.
The majority of my teas are from Mountain Rose Herb Company. My sister used to work there and always gave me teas as gifts. They are an organic company and have an amazing selection. If you are an avid tea drinker, you should check it out!
It has been SO nice to have these menacing areas of my kitchen nice and orderly! Sometimes I feel like I am in someones else's kitchen! I hope maybe today's post inspires you to tackle an area of your house that could do with a bit of organization. I still have a lot to do myself in a few other spaces in my house, especially the ol' studio. What is the worst problem area in your house?
