WINTER ORGANIZATION SERIES | SPICE DRAWER
It's time to spice things up a little bit because today we are tackling the spice drawer.
We have been in our home less than a year and I can see areas I've essentially let go. Well, areas that I put on the back burner while I addressed other "more important" areas. Unchecked and unorganized spaces can quickly become nightmares. I'm talking about your spice drawer!
|THE BEFORE|

|THE AFTER|

When I designed the island for our kitchen, I designated a drawer for spices to the right of the cooktop. I knew I wanted easy access and for them to be within hands reach while cooking. I was so excited about this drawer when our kitchen was finished, however, it got pushed to the side as other projects took precedence. I had drool-worthy ideas pinned on Pinterest but never seemed to find the time to tackle it.
While doing a lot of cooking at home over Christmas break, I hit my breaking point of the unorganized drawer with containers constantly rolling all over the place. I revisited my pins on Pinterest and decided to take back control of my drawer. I was drawn to the look of clear glass jars with bamboo lids and a minimalist label.

I also thought about how I wanted the jars to function. I knew I wanted to be able to fit my measuring spoons inside to scoop out desired amounts or be able to fit my fingers inside to add a pinch of something when cooking. So I decided on wide mouth jars with air tight lids and a spot for my measuring spoons.
Disclaimer: If you like to "shake" your containers, this is not for you. I have so many recipes that require 1 tsp. or such that I like to be able to fit my measuring spoons inside the jars.

Once I had my jars, I measured what size label I would need. I decided to make my own labels. Several labels I found online were not the size I needed or didnt have all the spices I needed or were numbered. I knew I wanted to be able to add or take away a spice as needed and did not want to worry about numerical order.

I lined the drawers with black non-slip liner I found on Amazon. These liners keep the jars from slipping around and I love the contrast it adds to the background.

I wanted space for my essential oils, extracts and fragrance oils as well. So I added them in the back with a drawer organizer I found on Amazon.

I love how this drawer turned out and is functioning while cooking. Do you NEED matching, decanted spice jars? No. Does it make your kitchen feel more put together and cooking a little more enjoyable? YES! It was certainly worthwhile to invest a little bit of time and money to spice things up in this small area of my home. I am so glad I did it and it makes me happy every time I open this drawer!
Happy organizing!
My custom Spice Labels (These labels are 2x2" which I believe will fit many different containers):
Links to products used: