DIY Magnetic Spice Rack

Well, I finally did it. I did a Pinterest project.

I saw this lovely post quite a while ago, but ran across it again last month at a point when I was tearing my hair out over my overflowing spice rack + cabinet jungle and preparing for a trip to Ikea to remedy the whole situation. The moment was right, the inspiration was elegant, and the execution seemed impossibly easy and relatively inexpensive. I mean, who doesn't want their kitchen to look like Martha Stewart Living?

The Pinspiration.

Adorable, right? I was ridiculously proud of my first spice rack because the jars were all wedding registry gifts and I found the rack at Goodwill for $5. Sweet! I was dead opposed to registering for one of those prepackaged Bed Bath & Beyond spice racks because they come pre-filled with spices someone else has deemed important (sorry, I know everyone uses it on salmon but I hate dill and I won't allow it in my kitchen), and the jars have permanent labels, so you can't reuse them for anything else. Another strike is that the typical Bed Bath & Beyond spice rack holds only 20 jars at most. So I loved having the total control to put only those spices that I actually use on my rack, and for so cheap! Unfortunately the one I found only held 16 jars, but for $5 it was a good start.

If you know me, however, you know that I cook waaay too much to get by with just 16 spices. The last several months have found me piling jars, bags, and other random containers on top of each other in multiple cabinet spaces in addition to the rack taking up space on my small apartment kitchen counter. And the most annoying thing of all: the jar openings were too small for my larger measuring spoons--even when I took the whole lid completely off.

So this magnetic spice rack/wall was the answer to my search: uniform containers, fully customizable, as many as I need, no counter/cabinet space lost, and no problem with measuring spoons. Done and done!

Here's how I did mine:

1. Gather your supplies.

You'll need a pencil and scissors, as well as: 30 tins from this fine website, $31.70 (including shipping); magnetic paper from Michael's, $11.95; Martha Stewart Living removable labels, $4.34 (or make your own from scrap paper, totally free!): total = $47.99. For comparison, keep in mind that Ikea's magnetic Grundtal tins are $7.99 for 3. You do the math.

2. Place an empty tin face down on the magnetic paper and trace. Repeat 29 times.

I did some basic math before shopping to make sure
I had enough magnetic paper for 30 2" circles.

3. Cut a couple of circles out. For fun, hold one up against the bottom of a tin to see if the size is right. Realize that if you wanted the circle to fit the bottom of the tin, you probably should have traced the bottom of the tin, which apparently is a nanosmidge smaller than the top. Place the bottom of the tin snugly inside the first circle, and retrace.

Repeat 29 times.

Or you could just start by tracing the bottom to begin with.

4. Painstakingly cut out the rest of the circles. This can take a long time, so you may want to have some old friends with you to keep you company.

5. Wash the jars before putting the magnets on them. Hand-dry them because you’re impatient. Meticulously soak all the water out of every crevice in the lids, because while you’re impatient, you’re also a perfectionist, especially when it comes to food, and you don't want moisture ruining your spices.

6. When the tins and lids are dry, peel the paper backing off of a magnet circle. Carefully place the adhesive side onto the bottom of a tin, being sure to match up the edges.

Realize that in spite of your earlier corrected mistake, you are still going to have to trim a tiny bit of excess magnet off the edge of every tin. (Sigh.)

Repeat 29 times. (Good thing you have those old friends still keeping you company.)

7. Write out your labels and place them on the lids.

8. Now for the fun part! Line up your new spice tins in alphabetical order so that the transition process is at optimal efficiency (since your old spice rack is in alphabetical order, too;). Fill the new spice tins and empty out as many of your old containers as possible.

Jars I was able to empty and get rid of altogether--hooray!

Jars I was able to store out of the way for the occasional refill--hooray!

The 5 spices I kept in original containers in my cabinet for ease of use--only 5 instead of 5874(ish), hooray!

The finished product--HOORAY!

9. Revel in the order and beauty of it all.

 

10. Put away extra labels and supplies. Save the magnet cuttings for another project, another day.

11. Pour yourself a glass of sparkling organic pomegranate juice (it was on sale for $1/liter), curl up on the couch, and finish hanging out with your old friends to celebrate a project well Pinterested.

:)

#32list

September 14, 2013: the birthday table,
a Morgan family tradition.

I recently stumbled across the most inspiring thing I've seen on the interwebs in a long time. What was it, you may ask? No, it wasn't a heroic story of triumph in the face of adversity. No no, nothing so lofty as that. It was this simple list, compiled by a friend, of things she wanted to do before her next birthday, which was last month.

Why on earth, you might be wondering, would anyone find a list of mostly prosaic and just-for-fun items more inspiring than the great sacrifices and accomplishments of humanity? I should at least aspire to do something great on my bucket list, right? Well that's just it, folks. This is not a bucket list.

And frankly, that was what I found so refreshing. Why make the end of your life your goal to accomplish great things, or do what you've always dreamed of doing? If you have the slightest trace of procrastination in you (*raises both hands*), it is all too likely that you, like me, will regard your bucket list as a "haha yeah right as if I wish dream on" list and not really get around to taking it seriously until the proverbial bucket is actually looming, and then frantically do a few mid-life crisis-driven things. And not to be morbid, but speaking of the dreaded Bucket, none of us really knows how long we have in this life anyway. Anything can happen, as the heroes of real life so eloquently (and sometimes heartbreakingly) demonstrate.

Enter #32list. The concept is simple: have a list of things you want to do before your next birthday that equals the numbers of years you'll be turning. Items can be lofty, daredevil, or "just things we had been wishing we would crack down and do," in anothernicole's own excellent words. And there are no rules. Items can be discarded or changed as desired at any time (see #9 in the original post). You can interpret the accomplishment of an item however you like (see #'s 1, 12, 14, and 22). The idea is to have fun and get things done for a whole year! I found this liberating, exhilarating, and downright exciting. Imagine having a "bucket" list...for every year of your life!! Of course, I still do want to travel to all 6 populated continents and live in Europe again at some point in my life, but I can't plan on that next year. But we might visit London, Boston, or Vancouver! Next year might not be the year for the half-marathon I've always dreamed of doing, but hey, if I start jogging regularly again, I will totally give myself a high-five for that. And no, I won't finish all the Life-Studies before next September 14th, nor is it likely that I'll read one message a day. But! I know I can finish at least a book or two from the set! See how this works?

I can't fulfill my whole bucket list right now. And even if I could, there are so many other little things in life that are not "bucket list worthy," but just as satisfying and rewarding (finish decorating our apartment, vacuum once a week, spend more time at the pool, visit all the free museums in my area). If I can check off half my list before my next birthday, I'll feel like I've lived.

So without further ado, I give you... #32list:

1. Start a blog - Oooh look, I can check that off already! #winning #twobirds
2. Have a regular morning time with the Lord - The idea is not to set oneself up for failure (e.g. "every day"), and since my current morning time amounts to 0 times per week, I will happily settle for anything more than that.
3. Exercise regularly
4. Run a 5K
5. Run a 10K
6. Run a half marathon - Just in case I get around to it...
7. Read 1 new book every month (borrowing this straight from anothernicole)
8. Travel outside the country - London/UK gets my first vote.
9. Visit Boston
10. Go camping - In, like, a tent and everything.
11. Learn how to create and edit video
12. Secret personal health related goal that I won't share here (sometimes you can't let it all hang out)
13. Get back in the habit of reading the Bible before bed
14. Check social media less
15. Make every recipe in Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris cookbook - I'm convinced that this one item alone will make me supremely happy.
16. Make these - Since the debut of this coveted urban mashup pastry phenomenon, it's been on my "I wish" bucket list to try the original at Dominique Ansel's eponymous NY bakery. But since I recently learned how to make butter croissant dough from scratch, I decided that there's no need to wait until I die to try a cronut. I can make my own, thank you very much, complete with Tahitian vanilla cream and rose glaze. So there, Monsieur Ansel. The gauntlet is thrown!
17. Get a puppy!!!
18. Find fun things to do instead of watch TV (especially while we eat - is this my life???)
19. Read Les Misérables - I feel obligated to read it in French because I can, which makes an already daunting task a downright chore...but also a challenge that will lead to indisputable #braggingrights. If I am at least halfway through one of the longest novels ever written by September 14, 2014, I will consider this done. If I'm actually finished...then a trip to France will be #1 on my #33list. That, and a giant box of macarons. #motivation
20. Speaking of macarons: perfect macaron-making at home, and learn to make more flavors than chocolate and vanilla.
21. Meet this baby in person - Preferably before he turns 1 and isn't a baby anymore.
22. Spend less money at coffee shops
23. Figure out a weekly chore system that works for me
24. Make dinner by 7:30 pm 
25. Other secret personal health related goal that I won't share here 
26. Throw a tea party (debating if big hats and little gloves should be required)
27. Have people over for dinner more often (once a month would suffice - and hey, if you're reading this, invite yourself over! I do all the cooking and cleanup, there's always dessert, and it's a standing offer :)
28. Spend more time at the pool
29. Go to a (free) outdoor concert or festival
30. Spend a weekend at a vineyard B&B
31. Do more hiking
32. Finish at least 1 book of the Life-Studies