pinspiration: chalkboard spice jars.

{image via anthro}

i am sure you have seen these spice jars either in-store at anthro or pinned all over pinterest. i have had them pinned on my to-do list pinterest board for months since the $12 a piece price tag was a little steep for moi.

this was a fairly easy project, though it took me a long time to complete. you could probably finish it in a weekend.

supplies:

• glass jars – I used baby food jars left over from amanda’s baby shower
• chalkboard paint – I used the spray paint
• white paint – I used a sample of cloud cover from benjamin moore
• craft paint
• paint brush(es)
• painter’s tape
• paper – to make label

{first i spray painted the jars with chalkboard paint. in hindsight i should have taped off the neck of the jars (for the entire process) and added one or two more coats of chalkboard paint. you could just paint or spray chalkboard paint on the area where you want the label, as opposed to the entire jar. i found that the chalkboard paint worked really well as a primer. i also primed the lids with bonding primer that i used here.}

{once the lids were dry, i painted them with acrylic paint that i picked up at michael’s. i found that if i painted around the lid first, holding the top & bottom {as seen in the second photo} & then gently set the lid down on the newspaper to paint the top, the process was much less messy {i.e., not as much paint on your fingers.} it took about four or five coats of the red & blue paint to get to the opaque-ness i wanted.}

{to make the chalkboard “label,” i made a design that i liked and cut it out of computer paper. then i traced it onto painters tape & cut it out.}

{i attached the tape labels to the jars & made sure the tape was really stuck on there. then i taped the jar necks – again, i would recommend taping the jar necks before painting on the chalkboard paint. then i painted the jars white. i used a sample of cloud cover by benjamin moore that i had from our kitchen cabinet update. i didn’t paint the bottoms of the jar since there was a useable chalkboard surface there, for expiration dates or other notes. i painted about three or four coats of white paint.}

{after the jars were dry, i took off the tape from the neck and the label. at this point, i decided my jars needed some touch-up, so i painted the rest of the necks white & i used a very small craft brush to clean up the edges of the label.}

{the final touch was to “season” the chalkboard label by rubbing chalk all over it & then wiping it off. then, fill up the jars with your favorite spices & add names!}

how do you store your spices?

M