Friday, May 7, 2010

Spice Rack

The Bag Lady has been keeping herself busy with household chores and all manner of little tasks. One of the tasks she tackled yesterday was rebuilding the spice rack she made for the inside of her pantry door. She has a lot of spices, and likes to have them organized and easy to find, and has had her spice rack for many years. When the new floor was put in, it turned out to be the perfect time to rebuild and enlarge the spice rack.

Here is what she ended up with:


She thought she had a 'before' picture, but can't find it. The original had five shelves - she added two more on the bottom, which meant moving the rack up almost to the top of the door. She is not much of a carpenter, so the rack isn't very attractive, but it's functional and no-one sees it when the door is shut! (And yes, her spices are organized alphabetically.... she's sick that way!)

Have a great weekend!

27 comments:

The Fifth Sparrow said...

Looks great! As someone who got a snoot full of paprika recently while trying to identify an unmarked baggie from a box of indian spices, I am totally on board with the alphabetically labelled spices.

My word is antingle which seems quite apropos.

carla said...

I have a spice.

cinnamon.

Gail said...

Looks good to me and very handy.

Leah J. Utas said...

Excellent use of space, dfBag Lady. Good for you for alphabetizing them. Mine are in some form of order, but it's an order only I understand.

Anonymous said...

Your homemade spice rack is putting my two double-decker Lazy Susans to shame. I don't know how anyone can find spices if they aren't alphabetized. (Heck, my husband can't find them even though mine are in alphabetical order.)

the Bag Lady said...

Sparrow - I tend to use spices a lot (especially when I'm canning or pickling) and it drives me crazy when I can't find what I need!

Carla - cinnamon is good! (what? No garlic powder???)

Gail - the pantry door is very close to the stove, so that seemed to be the best place for them.

dfLeah - thanks! As long as you understand the order, it doesn't matter what the order is!

kcinnova - I used to use a lazy susan! But this system seems to work well for me.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

My spice rack is alphabetical, too. It's just easier to find things that way.

Geosomin said...

ooooh....what a good idea.

I covet your spice rack. :)
I'm all over the aphabetizing!

Lauren said...

Your spice rack rocks! Holy6 cow, you have a lot of spices.

I use a SpiceStack in my cabinet to hold and organize store-bought spice bottles. It's not custom, but it's easy and affordable. Check it out at SpiceStack.com.

Happy Cooking!

JavaChick said...

We have a spice drawer and a spice cupboard...Would love to have them all in one place...Want to come build me a giant spice rack? i could use one. :)

the Bag Lady said...

BG - it definitely makes it easier! (and doesn't surprise me at all that yours are alphabetized!)

Geo - it was easy to build - your dad could probably do a much better job of one for you..... just sayin'!

Lauren - thanks! And thanks for the tip - I'll check it out.

JavaChick - of course I'll come and build you one - it'll just cost you the airfare....... :)

messymimi said...

It's a nice, functional space, which is what is important.

I try to organize my spices, but with all the hands that drift over there to use them, they keep migrating, necessitating a thorough search every time I try to cook.

the Bag Lady said...

messymimi - I'm lucky that way - the Rancher seldom uses anything more than salt and pepper when he cooks, so my spices stay put.

Redbush said...

I envy your spice rack set-up, Bag Lady! Mine is in a drawer, and I've had to put them in two deep, so even though they are basically in alphabetical order, they certainly aren't as easy to find as yours would be! Gorgeous work!

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, Redbush!

Gena said...

Jealous! My spices are currently just stuck on a shelf, and I have to lean my body well into the pantry to reach some of them! Also, they are arranged alphabetically. So is the extensive DVD collection.

Also also, Carla's comment is the best ever!

the Bag Lady said...

Gena - I loved Carla's comment, too!

Charlotte said...

And I thought I had a lot of spices!! Want to come organize my cabinet next??

the Bag Lady said...

Sure, Charlotte! It would be fun!

Hilary said...

With that many spices you'd need a system for sure. That looks great. I'd love a pantry!

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

Bag Lady did a great job on the spice rack!

the Bag Lady said...

Hilary - Thanks! I love my pantry, and love having the room for all my spices (a lot of them are for canning and pickling)

Iowa Gardening Lady - Thanks! And thanks for stopping by.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

smart,
I wish I could do that.
Happy Belated Mother's Day!

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, Jingle! Same to you.

Spice Rack said...

With spices like these, you are bound to have a great sturdy spice rack. It is attractive. And you have done a good job in organizing the spices.

the Bag Lady said...

Thank you, spice rack!

Spice Rack said...

Looks great! no one will notice you have a spice rack behind that kitchen walls. Great job