Thursday, May 23, 2013

Whats Cooking in the kitchen

I wanted to show my new kitchen accessory. I love my local grocery store that has the bulk bin section, with grains and nuts and rice and really yummy yogurt covered pretezels...mmmmm

Anyway I also love that they have a bulk spice section too. I don't like spending $$.$$ on spices when they are said to only last roughly 6 months.

My mom has had the same spices in her cupboard for at least a decade, finally I tossed them for her, sshhh she still hasn't noticed.

 And I like to experiment in cooking and don't want to buy a big jar when all I need is a tsp or so, well as you can guess with all this spice purchasing I had tiny little bag filled with spices waiting to be used on a dish, probably for a few weeks cause I lost the recipe, and I had to be very careful cause I didn't want to put Chipotle Chili pepper, or garam Marsala in my Molasses cookies and Allspice in whatever else I am making, actually that might not be a bad combo.

So I was out and about one friday after taking my Bella to school and found a few yard sales, and low and behold I found an old spinney wooden spice rack, and it had all its bottles, and because it was at a yard sale the price was fabulous, a dollar. I at first thought of using it in my craft room as I had just read in my sewing magazine, but then I remembered all my sad little bags of spices and I figured I would use it as it was intended, but after a much needed makeover.

I am really bad about taking before pictures, usually cause I am so excited about starting a project that I don't want to hunt down my camera and then hunt down my battery charger. But I found a similar looking one online

 
Just mine was a bit more darker and had a lot of varnish, grease, yuck on it.
 
Well I spent 2 days sanding it, BY HAND, and after sneezing sand dust out of my nose I was down to the bare wood. (NOTE: to anyone who sands where a mask and protect glasses seriously)
 
Then already deciding to paint white I spray painted, let dry then again
(2nd NOTE: always prime pourous material, otherwise you'll be painting forever)
 
Then I took a 220 grit sand paper roughed up the lids of the bottles and using chalkboard paint painted them with 2 coats. I was so excited that the minute, okay the next day I added all my spices to there new jars and wrote on the lids with a chalk marker and lets just say, I am in love. Not all my spices fit, and I have another spice rack hanging on the wall in total I have 2 spice 'racks' one hold 9 and my new one holds 16. I am going to need a bigger kitchen soon.
 
Here is the finished product
 
 
Isn't it adorable?
 
Stats: Spice holder from yard sale $1
Paint white and chalkboard:$3.50 each
Painters Tape for lids:$2.50
Sandpaper: Already had from another project
Total: Satistifaction