how i organized my tiny kitchen without spending any money

my kitchen is small. cabinet space is precious. i cook a lot. every day, several times a day. i have tried various methods over the last 7 years we have lived here. none of them stuck, or were well-liked and efficient. about a year ago we started getting our milk raw from a farm in the valley and i was introduced to half gallon mason jars to store the milk in. i loved mason jars anyway, we used them as drinking glasses. the half gallon size quickly became my favorite. i love them for their versatility and uniform good design. i prefer glass to plastic for storing my food in and so these jars started multiplying in my kitchen.  it only made sense to make them the cornerstone of my organization project.  take a look . . .

before

not pretty or functional. the lunch boxes had  no home and the canned goods were a disaster, not to mention the disorderly food process strewn about.

wow. i don't even know what is going on down there.

the badly designed "pantry cupboard." seriously who ever thought this kind of cabinet was a good idea needs their
(ahem) head examined. it is too narrow and to deep to be useful at all.

after

first step: designate this awkward space the baking center. second step: kiss those cute tiernan cheeks. 

all the baking supplies and grains and flours now get to live happily ever after together.  my perfectionist half longed for a neat and tidy label maker, while my creative half got busy with the masking tape and a black sharpie. my perfectionist half  now likes what my creative half did with the place.

resting peacefully above is: the grain mill, kitchen aid, bulk grain bins, cooling racks, and binders of recipes.

ta daa!

the lower half of these shelves now houses the lunch boxes corralled together in a plastic bin stolen re-purposed from the play room, an old basket houses the plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and parchment paper, and the ice cream maker and rice maker now have a permanent spot to live.

then above that the food processor met the same fate as the lunch boxes and the immersion blender is loving it's new-to-it crate.

"the pantry" has been relocated to the upper shelves and shares the space with my zune dock(gotta have music while i am cooking or cleaning) and the toaster oven. is it weird that the sight of all those full jars makes me very happy? i hope not.

next up: the "china hutch." insightful aside: i find those crumbs on my counter to be particularly inspiring, don't you? 

the masking tape proved to also be helpful in labeling the shelves. high-five to my creative side!

hey look! I even had some 1/2 gallon mason jars left over to store in the "china hutch"

now this little project is something that almost makes me as happy as mason jars. i didn't get a before picture, but i assure you it was horrendous. i am sure this is not an original idea but i cannot remember where or if i saw it somewhere first. basically it is 2x4s cut to the length of the cabinet and stacked on top of each other to make stairs.

i can now see all my stuff! it also works great for my supplements and essential oils. love. it. so. much.

well, that concludes our tour. now the real question is will it still look like this six months from now? i am crossing my fingers but not holding my breath. *wink*