Return To The Spice Jars

So after two weeks of empty spice jars sitting on the kitchen table, I’ve decided that it’s high time I finish up this little project of mine.  You know, one of the 27 projects I attempted to tackle while Colby was off fishing in Vermont.  To recap I decided that this drawer:

was an absolute disaster and could be better put to use as a spice jar drawer.  Don’t worry, this mess was corralled.  I took a few moments to throw out any expired meds, organize Colby’s vitamins, relocate said vitamins to the bathroom, and reposition the remaining meds in a plant pot in a cabinet.  Why a plant pot?  It was kicking around and served the purpose.  Some call it resourceful.  Then I cleaned out my spice cabinet, setting up all the contents on the table:

Then began the process of painstakingly transferring the contents of the jars on the left into the jars on the right, recycling the empty jars because that’s how I roll (and Brewer has a strict “Pay-As-You-Throw” garbage removal program that has forced me to become a recycling fiend).  I also labeled each one of the lids, which were spray painted with chalkboard paint, with chalk, which was easier said than done.  Lids = Small.  Chalk = Awkward.  Small + Awkward = Frustration.  Some of the spices were easy to label, like alum.  How I loved alum.  But others were not so friendly.  Terragon, you and I can never be friends again!  And curse you pickling spice!  Turns out I didn’t purchase/transform enough jars and had some  spices who still needed a new home:

I guess that’s my own fault for not counting my spices and planning out the project, which is so unlike me!  I love planning…and lists…I LOVE lists!  I guess I was just feeling a little rebellious.  Some girls get tattoos and ride off on a whim to the West coast with Bubba the biker dude, who they just picked up at a roadside diner.  Me…I do organization projects off the cuff.  So here’s the final shot for tonight:

Did you notice I alphabetized it?!  So exciting!  I only filled up half the drawer so I have plenty of room to expand.  I still have about 10 spices who did not get to make the move from the cupboard to the drawer in a fancy new jar, three of which were jars of basil.  Who has three jars of basil?!  The girl who desperately NEEDED to reorganize her spices so she could actually see what she has before buying a new jar.

So far, I’m liking the new organization system but I’m going to give it a few weeks before making my final call.  I’m not 100% convinced I’m going to like the chalk in the long run.  It tends to wipe off super easy and I’m afraid I’m going to accidentally erase my label and not know what something is.  I may have to paint on the label eventually, which kind of defeats the purpose of the chalkboard paint but at least I tried.

How about you all?  Have you done any interesting organization projects lately?  Or have you ridden off to the West coast with Bubba the biker dude?