Thrift Store Before & After: Spice Rack

BEFORE (but after staining)

I love thrift store shopping and there just happens to be a few on my way home from work every day. So, I tend to shop around at least once a week for interesting finds that I can totally make over. I recently came across this beat up spice rack with 12 glass jars and plastic stoppers for a grand total of $2.98. For those of you who know me, you know that I'm all about the herb garden that I have going on in my kitchen window. I love drying the herbs and creating my own spice blends, to the point where I have more spices than I can even begin to cook with. So containers become an issue and, aside from the basics, I rarely keep the same spices around.

The first project was to sand/stain the wood, which I have only done once before. I purchased some corks from Michael's and chalkboard paint from Home Depot. The idea of chalkboard labels was pretty new to me, so I set out to experiment. I tried using contact paper to create a stencil, but the contact paper wouldn't stick to the glass very well. Eventually, I figured out that it took less time (and looked way better) for me to freehand the shape of the label with a paintbrush.

So, yeah, this was a lot of fun. And here are some After pictures:


AFTER