DIY: Magnetic Spice Rack

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! Now enjoy this guest post by my wife!

DIY Under-The-Cupboard Magnetic Spice Rack

After over a year of Coach Kyle working on this blog, he finally let me--his wife!--guest post.  (And don't worry, I don't call him Coach).  He asked me to share a tutorial with you that has helped us save money and stay organized in one small aspect of our home--the kitchen.  Specifically, the spice cabinet.

For a while, we were looking for a new solution to storing spices.  We had a ton of spice jars thrown onto a lazy susan in a corner cupboard, but it just wasn't working.  It was hard to find the spice I was looking for, and I ended up doubling up on some spices in error.  Not only that, but we found out how cheap spices can be at Winco, where you can buy them in little bags and put in your own containers at home.  We needed to figure out a way to do that!  After some looking around online (mostly on Pinterest), we combined multiple ideas and tweaked them just a little bit to suit our home and needs.

Materials:
Baby food jars  (saved from months of feeding our 1 year old)
Strong magnets (We got ours at Joanns)
16 gauge strap (strip of metal with screw holes) (Cheap at Home Depot)
Chalkboard {or any other} paint (again, from Joanns)
Chalk/paint pen
Goo Gone or similar adhesive remover
Painter's tape

1. Clean and wash your jars.  We ripped off the label pretty easily, but we needed Goo Gone to get rid of the remaining adhesive. Put through the dishwasher as many times as necessary to convince you there are no remaining mushed peas and squash to taint your spices.

2. Tape your jar about halfway down around the sides.  This way, you have enough room to write the name of the spice, but can still see the colorful spices all in a row.

3. Paint the lower half and bottom of the jars. It will take several coats (at least, it did for us) and you have to let it cure and then condition it if you're using chalkboard paint. Just use the instructions that come with it. You can paint your lids too, if you feel like it. When everything is dry, remove the tape. That's always my favorite part.

4. Use a very strong glue to affix a magnet to each lid.

5. While waiting for the magnets to set, screw the 16 gauge metal strap into the underside of your chosen cupboard, or use Liquid Nails if the screws will interfere with your food storage.

This is what we used, but any magnetic strip of metal will work.

6. In the meantime, fill your jars with spices. Write the name of the spice on each jar.  I used chalk originally, but every time I picked up a jar the chalk would wipe off.  I switched to a paint pen and was pleased with the results.

7. Stick up your jars!  The magnets are strong enough to hold the jars--we have encountered zero problems so far.

Our spices are neat and in alphabetical order, of course.  They are easy to locate and grab. And I think they look cute out in the open!

Thanks for reading! It's been a pleasure to share this tutorial with you.

Keep on keepin' on!

Mrs. Coach Kyle)