February Featured Space: Kitchen - Spicin' Things Up!

I am so excited to finally get to share a project I had worked on a couple of months ago.  As I am here pulling up photos of the process, I realize I must have been so excited to just get things done, that I forgot to take some "before" shots of the madness.  UPDATE:  I found a BEFORE picture and have posted it below!  But that is OK.... just picture three shelves in a small cabinet, with bins of sugar and flower and spice packets stacked on top of another, gazillions of spice containers of different sizes, stacked in front of one another, and other misc. items strewn about.  It was complete chaos, and that's no joke!  Here is a good shot of the cabinet BEFORE:

So, the day I realize that things could be and should be easier, is the day that something makes it on to my endless "To Do" list.  And when I couldn't find a specific spice without taking out about 12 other ones that were in it's way, I said, "enough is enough!"  I also was going to use this as an opportunity to condense down any counter clutter I had... because I had a couple of flour and sugar canisters on the counter AND in the cabinet?  I also had spices in jars in a rack below a cabinet AND in the cabinet.  No good.  No good at all.

So, I first researched the option of getting one of these cool guys:

But then I decided that I needed to do something about space.  You see, my cabinet space is pretty limited.  I live in a little house with a little kitchen.  And although the tiered spice holder was a good option to better be able to see what's inside the cabinet, it doesn't free up any additional space.

Next I saw these little guys:

And that's when that bright light was shining like the sun!  If I could put my spices on the inside of my cabinet door, I would free up a whole shelf!  SWEETNESS!  or should I say SPICENESS?

So, I counted the number of spices I had in possession, and found some stainless steel options that came in three packs, for about $4.99 from The Container Store.

 

Hmmmm, wait a minute?  The awesome tins I scored have a magnetic backing and my cabinets are made out of wood?  OK, of course I knew this when I bought them, and you would think a simple sheet of tin would be easy to find, but one that is exactly the size you are looking for?  Maybe a small bump in the road, but I love a little brain teaser from time to time.

We ended up going to a local home improvement store to pick up a small pre-cut sheet of tin.  And although it wasn't going to fit exactly, my hubs has some connections.  Like those type that you have when you are really high up and important, or in the mafia.  Or like those types you have when you work at a school district and know the wood-shop teacher!  What a good person to know in this situation, because he had a student at the school, cut the sheet to size, for FREE!  And, he actually cut it so that we could reuse a side piece to extend the length of the sheet to our exact measurements.  IHeart that nothing went to waste in this situation!

So, to attach the two pieces of tin to create one, I just used some simple blue painters tape:

Then, because I wouldn't want to open the cabinet to see tin and painters tape, I needed to come up with a way to make it pretty.

Enter: Double Stick Tape and Scrapbook paper.  Hey, making use of what I have!  It's called being resourceful!

Once covered and beautified, it looked something like this:

And of course, I tested the magnet strength through the paper before I attached it to the tin.

The remaining part of the project was as easy as the beginning!  We just used some Power-Grab adhesive to glue up the tin to the inside of the cupboard:

 

  

We held it in place for awhile and let it set over night.  And to keep myself busy while I was waiting for the glue to dry (literally!), I decided it was time to fill up the empty tins with all the scrumptious spices!

 

As I put the spices in each tin, I used my label maker with some clear labeling tape, to label the front covers.  I did this right away, so that I wouldn't get confused later when all the filled spice tins looked the same.  

YAY for giving myself a LOT of extra space to work with inside the cabinet!  Time for a quick happy dance and giddy jumping around!

  As far as the flower and sugar issue, I actually condensed the contents from both tupperware containers in the cabinet and canisters on the counter, into some clear canisters with scoops.  

 

I am completely digging these containers for their freshness seal, the always handy scoop and their clearness, so I always can see at a quick glance if I am getting low on anything.

Lastly, I had a spice packet problem that needed some addressing.  Enter again: Scrapbook paper.  Along with: An empty Kleenex box.  You may be skeptical, but check out what the combo of those two items can create:

  

  

Yeah, that's right, a free way to hold all those pesky packets.  And now, I can EASILY see what I have, and they really couldn't look more at home in their new digs.  It's like they were meant to live inside a re-purposed Kleenex box.

The remainder of the project was kindergarten type stuff.  Just putting everything back in the cabinet, making sure to consider shelf height and frequency of use of the items going back.  And also, the fine print disclaimer:  The spice tins are great for holding spices that come in standard size containers, but the extra bulky sizes, didn't make the cut.  Therefore, requiring me to still return a couple of spice containers back to the shelves.  But am I disappointed?  Not at all.  Since this project has been completed, I have been able to easily grab anything that I need out of the cupboard, without any digging.... or yelling!

Again, the BEFORE:

And, the AFTER:

 

  

 

  

 

I kinda feel like Dr. 90210, only instead of reducing the wrinkles on the face of a Beverly Hills beauty, I got to give my cabinet a face lift!

Are you guys doing anything fun to "spice" things up in your cocina (kitchen)?  Please share!

PSSSSSST!  We made some updates to the cabinet, you can check them out here!