Welcome to my first Home & Garden blog post! I hope you’ll enjoy this little project of mine.

The truth is, I don’t know how often I’ll be able to update this section of my blog. Doing projects like this with my little guy around is no small task. But I’ll certainly do my best to update at least once per month. The recipes, will of course continue to be posted every other day. So I won’t leave you high and dry there. Promise. So moving right along…..

Chalk Board Spice Jars

I find myself constantly mixing spices for different dishes. Especially when I cook from the Tosca Reno books. She seems to have various spice combinations for many of her recipes.

Inevitably, the leftovers end up in some unlabeled container and, over time, become a mystery spice. I then either have to:

1. throw them out
2. drown myself in cookbooks to figure out which spice it is or
3. throw it in the back of my “suddenly-not-so-gracious” pantry and forget about it.

Needless to say, I don’t care for any of those options, and I finally got tired of the nameless spices building up in the cupboard. So these jars were my solution.

I had some jars left over from a previous project. But truth be told, you could do this on just about any container. So pick something that you not only enjoy, but will find easy to use as well.

Supplies
1 small can of chalk board paint (found at any hardware store that sells paint)
1 mini roller brush
1 paint try liner (you won’t need the tray, just the liner)
Jars (as many as you want to make – I did 20)
1 roll of masking tape or painters tape
1 razor blade

Directions

Step 1 – Prepare your work surface. Clean your jars.

Step 2 – Using masking tape, tape off the area you want to paint on your container. This can be any size you like.

Step 3 – Pour a small amount of paint into your tray liner. Remember, a little goes a long way.

Step 4 – Your first coat may leave you wondering if this will turn out, but don’t give up on me now. I promise it will all be okay in the end.

Step 5 – After the required drying time (see package for details), apply your second coat.

Side note: See that gloppy mess on the far right in the above photo? Ya. Don’t use that much paint. Keep the pain on your roller farley thin.

This is what will happen if you ignore my side note.

Step 6 – When your second coat has dried, remove all the tape… carefully. You’ll notice that there are probably some smudges where the paint got under the tape. This is not the end of the world. Simply use a razor blade (just the blade, it’s easier to handle without the handle. Go figure) The image on the above right side shows you what it will look like after the clean up. Just use the razor to get the straightest line you can get. Chip away the extra with your fingernail. Don’t worry if your first one isn’t the greatest. After a couple jars, you’ll be a pro.

More side notes:

1. Don’t forget to pick up some chalk at the store.
   
2. A simple paper towel or dish towel will wipe away any writing.
   
3. Wash your jars with mild soap and water.
   
4. Do not put in the dishwasher (or microwave, although I can’t imagine why you would microwave a jar of spices)
   
5. The paint will scratch easily if the jar is dropped or pushed against something hard, so keep the can of paint handy for touch ups.

And that, my friend, is all she wrote!

Enjoy your spice jars!