"The secret to a happy life is being inspired by the simple things!"

- jessica lyn kirkland

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THE STORY

If you follow me on Instagram, a few months back, you got to see the behind-the-scenes of my process of figuring out what to do with my less-than-desirable spice cupboard. It was a disaster; Not functional at all - unless you consider spice jars falling on your head when reaching for things "functional"! Ha!! (not kidding)

The first step I started with was repackaging all of my spices so things would be organized and uniform and PRETTY...because yes..."pretty" is important - especially for me because you guys know I'm in the kitchen ALL of the time cooking or baking. 

I chose square glass seasoning jars and LOVE them. They are simple, clean and stack beautifully side-by-side.

I decided to handwrite the names of the seasonings directly onto the jars using this pen.

It's so easy and fast. 

BUT...if you cringe at the thought of handwriting the names, the set of square jars I used actually comes with adorable, chalkboard labels! There are some pre-printed labels in the set with common spices and then there are blank ones with a chalkboard marker to write your own. AND...the set comes with a cute, pink silicone funnel with a wide dispenser to make filling the jars easy. (see my tips about filling your jars at the end of this post). 

After my jars looked pretty and organized, it was then time to decide how to store them.

I originally thought I'd just stick them back up in the cupboard.

I tried them that way with the addition of this spice jar riser. 

I did NOT love it for the mere reason I just have too many spices and felt it was cumbersome finding and reaching for the jars with as often as I cook.

So...I continued brainstorming storage solution ideas that would be cute and functional...and EASY!! 

IDEA ONE - Antique Cabinet

I tossed around the idea of finding a pretty piece of antique furniture specifically for spice storage; something that would'n't take up a lot of space since it would be on a wall in my kitchen. 

IDEA TWO - Wall Shelving

Then I decided shelving on the wall, photo ledges specifically, at the recommendation of some of my interior design friends and creatives on Instagram, might be a more streamlined option considering it is also connected to our long hallway. 

In the end, I realized for our particular situation and the layout of our home, putting something on the wall, (furniture or otherwise), would just add a cluttered-vibe to the area. I was craving an organized, clean vibe.

Soooo...this is what happened instead ----->

I found some shelving NOT intended for spice jars that just so happened to be PERFECT, and utilized the empty space on the interior of our pantry door! 

Guys!!!! I could not be more happy with how it turned out!

My kitchen has a significantly smaller pantry than the one in our last home so it's been an ongoing challenge trying to figure out the perfect storage solutions for all of my baking and cooking essentials...and let's be honest...all of the "non-essentials" too. *wink*

I could not be more happy with deciding on a storage solution that keeps my spices beautifully organized but also hidden with the close of my pantry door. Although the original ideas of using a beautiful piece of furniture as a spice cabinet or creating a visual masterpiece with the brilliant use of photo ledges are still wonderful ideas...THIS...this right here was exactly what my heart, (and kitchen), needed. 

I don't often feel that way when a project is finished. I usually start making notes with what I wish I would have done differently, etc. But NOT with this project. I love it. 100%.

And just in case you are wondering, I can fit 10 spice jars per shelf - so I currently have 30 spices hanging on my pantry door. 

These are all of my current cooking spices.

My baking spices, however, are currently stored in the same glass jars, nice and neat in one of my kitchen drawers. However, I'm thinking I may need to add another shelf or two to keep all of my spices in one place. 

My only hesitation with adding more shelves to the door is that I'm considering adding a few hooks to hang some beautiful linen + cotton kitchen torchons! (new word I learned from THIS BOOK)! I'm thinking hooks screwed directly into the door beneath the bottom shelf OR attached to the bottom shelf. If I do that though...there won't be any room for additional shelves. I'll let you know what I decide. 

Friends...I hope you've been inspired to dive into doing some spice organization of your own. If you have any questions about this project I'm here to help! Simply leave a comment.

If you try this "Pantry Door Spice Jar + Shelves DIY...

PLEASE let me know. I want to cheer you on and celebrate the accomplishment with you.

PS - Let's stay cozy + connected in-between posts...find me on Instagram.
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SOURCES + TIPS BELOW

SOURCES

Glass Spice Jars set

Spice Shelf Set

White Pen

SPICE JAR TIPS

1. Clean them. Make sure you run your jars through a dishwasher or wash by hand with hot, soapy water before filling with spices. (ensures they are 100% clean and sanitary). 

2. Use a funnel. If you use the spice jar set I chose, it comes with a silicone funnel. I tried the silicone one but decided to use a metal funnel I already had since it doesn't catch any spice residue on the sides like the silicone funnel tends to do. BUT...if you don't have a metal funnel, the silicone funnel works great...just be sure to start with your fine, less fragrant powdered spices first and THEN the leafy spices - just to help prevent mixing. And I also suggest really banging off of the funnel into a trash can or sink between spices to help clean it out. (you don't want to rinse it off each time - moisture doesn't mix well with spices). *wink*

3. Paint pen. If you use the paint pen I used to handwrite your seasonings on your glass jars, the paint does not smudge or come off with everyday use. And yet, you can easily change or fix mistakes made during the labeling process by scrubbing with warm, soapy water. Yay!

SHELVING TIPS

1. They will fit together - I promise. It may seem, during the assembly process, pieces just aren't going to fit together. On occasion it even seemed impossible to me. But trust me...they do. You just have to use a little muscle and push them together. Promise.

2. Average quality. The shelving is mass produced - not the superior quality you'd find with custom shelving. BUT...they are a great price and are perfect for the interior of a pantry door. No complaints from me.

3. Spacing. Make sure when spacing your shelves you allow room for pulling jars out and putting them back in. Thankfully, I thought about that and didn't make the mistake of putting them too close together. (Mine ended up to be 3" apart - measuring from the bottom of one shelf to the top of the other. OR 9.5" from bottom to bottom if that's more helpful).

4. Level. There's a cute, mini level that comes with the shelving to ensure your shelves are straight when you put them together. You'll love it. I kept it for future projects.

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KEEPiNG iT REAL

I assembled.

I measured.

I used a screw driver.

I made sure things were level.

I drilled. (never used one before and figured it out)

And guys!!! I conquered this project!

All. By. Myself. 

If I can do it - you can too!!

I literally smile every time I open that pantry door.

It looks beautiful, and cooking is so much more enjoyable with things nice and organized now. 

Yep! I even alphabetized them too!

I hope you love it!!

HOME | Dried Flowers + Pitcher + Pumpkin Spice

Hello pretty star flowers….

I picked up a bundle of these from Hobby Lobby over the weekend and I'm head-over-heels in love with them. They are tee-tiny dried flowers in my favorite color scheme…creamy white…and in my opinion have "french farmhouse" written all over them.  LOVE them!

I'm feeling more and more inspired with regards to finally decorating my house…after 4 years of pretty much nothing.

I've got more of a vision and direction in my mind AND…the energy to actually take on some projects.


So...my first SIMPLE project this weekend was to fill this pretty pitcher I picked up from HomeGoods.

I also found these Halloween napkins and cute wooden box that unexpectedly fit my napkins perfectly!!

It looks like it's an enamel pitcher but it's really ceramic. And again…it looks completely French Farmhouse to me….which if you didn't know is my decorating style.

I have fretted over exactly what to put on the island in my kitchen for nearly 4 years now. It sounds ridiculous, right? I've tried everything from glass apothecary jars to oversized pieces of pretty pottery. All of the things I've tried have either been too tall…too short…to bleh…or just plain impractical. I'm in the kitchen A LOT and most of the time our dinners are served straight from the island so I needed something I could easily move to accommodate dinners.

That's how I came up with the tray idea. I picked this one up from JoAnn's a couple of years ago.
I have loved it. But I haven't necessarily loved the items I've put on it. That is…until this weekend.

When I spotted the bundle of star flowers at Hobby Lobby I was concerned they wouldn't quite be right for the pitcher. But I decided to try them out anyway. I'm so glad I did. The stems are super thin but stiff so because they were originally too tall for the pitcher, I took my garden shears…stood over the trash can and easily cut them down to where I wanted them. I cut the whole bundle of stems at one time. Easy peasy.

I think what I love most about the star flowers is that as much as they are perfect for fall right now…they really adapt to every season - and that makes me happy knowing I'm not going to tire of them or be forced to change them out with every holiday. I'll only need to swap out the candle scent. And honestly…I'd burn pumpkin spice year-round…and anything with cranberry! I just LOVE those two scents. Actually, my two older daughters have me hooked on the scents that have a "fireside" smell to them. We LOVE bonfires and roasting marshmallows…so it only seems natural to gravitate towards those smells.

Anyway…this new flower-filled pitcher and candle makes this island my absolute favorite spot in the house right now. I'm not even kidding. I must've said to Clara at least three different times, "You have no idea how happy this makes me." while dreamily staring at the island and breathing in the pumpkin spice scent. I also told her if I was bride I would totally just carry a bundle of star flowers just like this. That's all I would need…tied with a pretty ribbon.

Once again…sticking with simple makes me the happiest. A pitcher of pretty flowers and a $5 Heritage Target Candle. Done. Not too tall. Not too much. Easy to move for meal prep. I can't stop staring!

The only problem now is I think the pitcher would look really pretty on my farm table…and in my living room…or on my mantle…or on the side of my tub…or in my bedroom.  Ha! And to me…that's a good thing because that confirms even more that this was totally the right choice. *wink*

I'm wondering if this new-found inspiration and energy are a direct reflection from the Whole90 I've been doing? Maybe? Regardless…I'm on Day 72 and I'm feeling good. So I'll take that.

If you love the French Farmhouse look too…you'll find MORE inspiration on my Farmhouse Love pinterest board. 

KEEPiNG iT REAL
All of these photos were taken with my iPhone because I'm too lazy to get out my real camera.
The top one is pretty awesome because there was actually sunshine this morning when I snapped that one! However, the other two are from this weekend when it was raining. They are okay - but blurry.

I went back to Hobby Lobby and purchased a 2nd bundle of these dried star flowers because I love them so! (I've got the Hobby Lobby App on my phone and used my 40% coupon for both purchases!!)  Not sure if I should add more flowers to the existing pitcher or place them in spots all around the house. Still deciding.