spice it up.

With the pantry overhaul complete, I turned my focus to the ever-troublesome spice rack. My grievances with my old spice rack were thus: all different bottles (some with red caps, some with black caps, some tall, some short, some flip top, some screw top...catch my drift?), difficulty removing and replacing bottles on the three-tiered tray, and labels that were sometimes hidden or too small to read without picking up the bottle. This constantly growing list of awfulness would not jive with the new fabuliciousness of the pantry.

I have never ever been a fan of over-the-door hanging organizers, but our space constraints in the "little kitchen that could" were demanding it. So Mr. Spouse and I headed back, once more, to Wally World where we found one of these lovelies and while Mr. Spouse constructed, I started researching new spice jars.

I knew that I wanted uniform spice containers that could be purchased inexpensively while still looking somewhat attractive. So where do you go when you need inexpensive and somewhat attractive? That's right: Ikea. That Swedish haven of goodness didn't let me down:

At a mere $3.00 per 4 jars, it was a match made in heaven. I then utilized those fabulous free printable labels from Better Homes and Gardens I mentioned yesterday, and hallelujah!

Once all of the spices were re-jarred and labeled, we loaded them into Mr. Spouse's superbly constructed hanging racks, and ended up with this:

Victory! Now, a spice cabinet I can actually use! All of the spices are within reach and easy to remove. Using the Ikea jars also allows me to buy those spices I use most in bulk and just refill the jars as needed. Pretty spice bottles and saving money? Absolutely! I just keep the bulk spice jars in my spice basket in the pantry until we need a refill.

Such a lovely new spice rack is a gem to look at, but also will boost me towards my ever-present goal of conquering all of Julia's divine dishes! Keep it spicy, y'all!