Spice Things Up

One thing about me: I love antiques. If you know me, you know I'm all about cheap, old stuff (and the occasional old-to-you-new-to-me kind of thing). This past weekend, Logan and I found a cute little spice rack for a whopping $4. My wallet and I were both extremely excited.

New Friends

The brilliant thing about antiques (or new-to-yous) is that IT'S OKAY IF IT'S NOT PERFECT! This cute little piece has a small crack in the corner and some of the "glass stain" paint has peeled off, but it gives it some character!

PATTY'S PERSONAL TOUCH

Because the rack space wasn't very wide- wide enough to hold Mr. McCormick brand spices but not much else- I took an old carousel spice rack, cleaned out the out-dated spices, and put my new spices in them with new labels.

Be careful. When you wash out your containers, be sure they are fully dry before putting any spices in the jar. The moisture can cause lumping and make your spices difficult to use.

In order to get the old stickers off, I made some homemade Goo Gone (recipe & directions at the bottom). 

Then, I took some labels from the dollar store (Dollar Tree literally has 50 in a pack for $1) and lettered the spice on each one. I had to glue some of them on, but that was no big deal.

Then I was left with a free standing spice caddy that wasn't being used. Once again, Pinterest came to the rescue and inspired me to put my K-Cups in for easy access and storage.

All in all, my weekend was rather productive as far as organizing and creativity! I spent no more than $5 (if that) on my new spice rack and I got a coffee caddy out of it all!

Moral of the story- don't be afraid to bargain shop! If you need something functional, check your local new and used store before buying something brand new. You'd be amazed at what unique items you might find to add a personal touch to your own palace!

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Homemade "Goo Gone"

Ingredients

1 part baking soda

app. 2 parts canola oil 

(I used a little bit more for a wetter goo)

                            ewh... ^

Directions

Mix the baking soda and desired amount of canola oil until the paste reaches your desired consistency. 

Then, apply the paste to the area that needs "goo" removed. 

Let sit on a paper towel for 15-20 minutes.

Rinse items with warm water and a little bit of Dawn. 

Quick Tip

This homemade paste doesn't have any of the chemicals in it that store-bought Goo Gone does. Therefore, it works best on simple "goos"-for lack of a better word, like a sticker or label you can't get completely off.