Dollar Store Spice Cupboard

My spice cupboard has looked like this for far too long.



I'm a bit of a cheapo and haven't found a nice spice rack (or even spice containers) that I like enough to spend the thirty plus dollars that they cost. And so, my spices stayed looking like this, which, in my somewhat OCD kitchen, is quite the eye sore.


After living with this mish mash for over two years (eek!), I decided I needed to do something about it. I had purchased three of these little glass spice jars at the dollar store last summer and they were functional and nothing more. I only bought 3, so clearly I wasn't too enamoured with them- I just needed small containers to put my bulk spices and herbs in.

On their own, these guys are pretty blah. But for $1 for 3, how can you go wrong. A little bit of makeup should pretty these up, so off to work I went! I bought 18 more spice jars at Dollorama and used Krylon metallic spray paint I had on hand to paint the lids (Is this foodsafe? Not sure, but the spray paint is only on the outside, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed). I did 3 light coats and they came out perfectly. I toyed with the idea of using blue spray paint but decided silver would give me the look I was going for.



And then, of course, came the labels! I'm a labeler, though and through. I had bought some Martha Stewart labels with the intent on doing something with them for my etsy shop, but that idea has been scrapped for now, which left me these pretty shaped (and best of all, CUT) kraft labels.

I spent $6 on the spice jars at Dollorama, $3 on the kraft labels at Staples, and that brings me to a whopping $9 for my spice cupboard! Such an improvement!



The plastic riser I got at HomeSense for $6 a few months back.


Ain't she purty? I'm just really happy I was able to get the look I wanted without spending a boat load. Move on over Williams Sonoma!

I'm sure some of you are wondering where all the "extra" spices went? Like the stuff that I couldn't squeeze into the jar? Well, I put the leftovers in some little craft bags I got at, yes, the dollar store, and used some old stock kitchen labels I had for them. They are in one of my handy white Dollorama bins.


 If you thought my dollar store kitchen makeover is complete, well, you'd be wrong! I've got some more posts coming up over the next few weeks, including my baking cupboard, my puppy cupboard, and my fridge among others. If anyone else has dollar store kitchen makeovers, I would love to see them! Always gathering inspiration from somewhere!


Comments

  1. I love it, need to get started on my kitchen now. :)

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  2. Love this! Where do you buy these label things (internationally?) They're so pretty!

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    1. Thanks Olivia! As far as I know, the blank Martha Stewart labels are only sold at Staples (office supply chain in Canada and US). Perhaps you can buy them online through their website? I customized the blank labels myself, which is not hard at all to do!

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  3. Wow, I can't believe your incredible finds. How I wish we had a dollar store like yours. Can't wait to see more of your organizing spaces :)

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    1. Thanks! You know, these glass spice jars must be at other dollar stores! My pantry jars are pretty spectacular and I think those might be more difficult to find, but these, I swear I've seen in many a dollar store! They were probably just so hideous you've passed by them in the past, lol! Just give them new life with some spray paint!

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  4. LOVE THIS!! Your pantry/canister post earlier inspired me and I cleared my dollar store out! Now I'm just working on the labels. All of my bulk spices have been sitting in bags in a cute bin in the cupboard but I think now I'll need to head back for spice jars! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thanks Molly! And I'm happy I was able to provide a little inspiration. That;s why we're here, right? I know that seeinf other pantries and kitchens on pinterest certainly propelled me to make take my cupboards up a notch! I love love love seeing pictures so if you ever do a before and after let me know! thepapersociety@gmail.com

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    2. And please excuse all my typos! Still chugging this latte and haven't quite woken up yet!

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  5. It looks so much cleaner and organized. I love this. If you open my cupboard most of it will fall out when opening the door. I need to start working on that myself. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  6. I would not have thought those spice containers were from the dollar store they look to chic. Love it!

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    1. Thanks! I LOVE the dollar store (clearly), but I only really love the merchandise that doesn't look like it's from the dollar store! And if they do look dollar-store-ish, then customizing like this does all the wonders in the world, lol! Thanks for verifying that I'm not the only one who thinks these look way more chic than they actually are!

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  7. I so needed this right now!! It seems like every night I've cooked lately, I've been so frustrated with my spice cabinet. I hate all the different spice containers!! Thanks for the inspiration:)

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    1. So with you on that! Mismatched and random sized spice containers just drive me nutty! So much visual clutter!

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    2. Actually our dollar store spices are about the only ones I buy, I have never had an experience with old or outdated. But this is one awesome idea thanks.

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  8. Adorable! Why doesn't my dollar store have cute little spice jars too? I guess I could buy the actual dollar store spices, which I'm pretty sure are ANCIENT, and clean them out and have all matching pretty ones like yours ... hmmm...

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    1. Thanks so much Lindsey! The containers actually weren't that cute at the dollar store, so I bet they're easier than you think to find! And you're right about $ store spices! I can't imagine ever using them.... ewwwwww.

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  9. Love your organizing posts I found on IHeart Organizing. Desperately need to organize everything so I'll add this to my summer break from teaching to do list. And start visiting dollar stores:)

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    1. Definitely start visiting dollar stores! It makes organizing way less daunting and much more affordable!

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  10. Love those dollar stores-Love the labels too- following you from TDC-stop on by for a visit!

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  11. Love the labels and the painted lids, they look great!

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  12. Are you willing to post your template? I love the design you put on there and the fonts used. :)

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    1. HI Liz- I'm planning on adding a Free Printables page sometime next week which will include a spice label download! It wil only be a sampler and will have just a few labels but will be the most common spices used! After that I will add them to my etsy shop as well in case anyone is interested in a custom set!

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    2. Love your posts! Have you added the free printables page with common items and also spices.

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  13. This turned out really nice. I have awarded you the Liebster Awards. Please pop over to check it out.

    http://creativeraisins.blogspot.ca/2012/04/liebster-award.html

    Lisa

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  14. I love this! I need to be on the lookout for these containers next time I pop into the dollar store! Thanks for the great idea, I found this post via Pinterest! :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Brooke! Good luck with your search!

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  15. I have the same spice jars at home & have slowly gotten around to organizing my spices =) For all my big bulk spices that are left over from putting into those tiny spice jars, I use the Big glass Baby food jars to store the rest. Puts them to good use instead of throwing them away & I've spray painted those lids (since they're metal, it holds great. But I never thought of doing it to the dollar store ones... genius idea! =) )

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    1. That's a great idea to use baby food jars (if I had a baby and baby food jars I would certainly use them!). I'm actually thinking of hunting down some and using them for craft supplies- saw a super cute pin to that effect :)

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  16. I just bought the same riser from HomeSense! Great minds think alike!! We used to have a lazy Susan for the spices, but it became over-crowded and everything toppled over if you tried to turn it! Now for the matching jars...you're on to something lady!

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    1. I know, right? RIsers are where it's at. Now get your butt to Dollorama and get some spice containers! :)

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  17. Awesome idea!! I've been avoiding our spice drawer for months but it's time to organize it. I love, love this idea!! Thanks for sharing.

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  18. This might be a stupid question, but is the name of the store actually, The Dollar Store? I have a Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and I think a Dollar General. Are any of those correct? I checked The Dollar Tree but they don't have them. Thanks!

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    1. Hi! No, it's not actually called The Dollar Store! The store is called Dollorama and it's a fantastic chain of dollar stores here in Canada. You might have to hunt around a few dollar stores to try and find something similar. Another reader mentioned Dollar General might have some comparable jars. Good luck!

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  19. Can't seem to find anything like your nice finds here at our dollar stores in the States. How much would you say your spice containers hold? Like the typical .06 oz-ish store bought mis-matched bottles? Or larger jumbo ones? It's hard to scale the size in the picture :). Love all of your organization tips! I too am a bit of an organizing junkie!!

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    1. Hi there! FIrst off- the jars actually don't look "nice" when you see them at the dollar store, so don't give up! They look pretty cheapo and unimpressive in their original state and it's only after their makeover that they actually look pantry worthy. And secondly, I'm not sure how much they hold exactly, but if you look at the very first picture you'll see the three small jars beside other store bought jars. They are close to many store bought spice jars, but on the smaller side. Hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by!

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  20. I purchased the identical jars from Dollarama and then I bought the Spice Stack #26552 from Taylor Gifts for $39.98 to hold the bottles.
    It works perfectly and is such a tidy way to store the Dollarama spice bottles.
    It fits into my cupboard easily in the same space as a carousel, but with the pull-down trays/shelves, each bottle is in the front row!
    Highly recommended for spice storage.
    I also bought the Dollarama slanted glass canisters ($2 each) for storage of rice, quinoa, lentils, barley, etc. They fit into a smaller space than tall jars, but hold lots because of their squatty shape.

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  21. I saw those slanted jars there! They are too cute! And great idea about the spice stack! I certainly considered something like that and still may do it in the future. Thanks for popping by!

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  22. Oh, it's lovely! One of the better ones I feel I saw at the link party. I'm a dollar store NERD, so this is right up my alley - thanks for the advice!

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    1. Thanks Amy! I am a major dollar store nerd as well! :)

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  23. Ahhh. More to drool over. Come on. I suddenly want to rip apart my pantry. Enjoy our weekend. PS. . . your photos are really well done!

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  24. My dollar store doesn't have nearly the good stuff you find. Is there a link to download your labels?

    Thanks!
    Michelle

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    1. Not for these, but check out my "Freebies" page for other label download.

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  25. Hi Jen you are my inspiration. I'm in the process if organizing my house and I live the dollar store. I make my own cleaning supplies and also use natural solutions to make them. So I buy dollar store spray bottles and microfiber cloths, etc. I hope I can find canisters like your finds for my fridge and pantry. I live labeling a well but don't really know good designs like yours. For my pantry I just used clear packing tape to tape both sides for the laminate feel...I know... So lame... I'm wondering how you glue the labels on the containers so nicely?

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  26. Hi Jen, how big are your spice jars? In ounces/mls

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    1. Hi! I'm not home right now and I'm really not sure, but if I were to guess I'd say 4 ounces?

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    2. Sounds about right, thanks! PS love your blog, I'm from NZ and I wish we had dollarama stores here!

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  27. Thanks for showing what one can do with the leftover spices that don't fit into the jar. I wanted to get spice jars like this, but always wondered what to do with the excess after filling them lol. Also, the idea of painting the lids to tie into a colour scheme was a nice touch. I have to look for labels now.

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  28. Hi Jen! I love this idea! Are you still selling the spice jar labels on your Etsy site? I didn't see them and would love to purchase them from you.

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  29. Loving the ideas but I have small kitchen with only one counter two upper and lower cabinets

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  30. I hardly ever take the time to type in comments but this I like. 2 thumbs up!!
    Signed,
    The Crafty Critic

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  31. I have the same rack for holding my spices. The only problem is that you can't see what they are until you pick them up. I keep them in the jar they come in and use a magic marker to write the names around the rim of the lids so I can see what they are at a glance. (I know, not very 'cute'.)

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  32. Love it! I would like to try something similar in my kitchen when I have the time. Thanks for the info on the plastic riser. I didn't even know what it was called but I am going to order one. So handy, especially since I have a cupboard full of Indian spices plus dried herbs.

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