Just before Symon and I were married, the lovely ladies at my workplace put together the most beautiful basket of goodies for my surprise hen's party. It was filled with all the things you could need when setting up house for the first time, including packets and packets of herbs and spices. I was thrilled and couldn't wait to start using them.

Fast forward now to nearly 22 years of marriage, 3 reno houses, 4 kids and a menagerie of pets over the years, and if you were to take a peak in my pantry where the spices and herbs were supposed to be, you would find a half used packet of cinnamon, an out of date and discoloured packet of 'some type of herb that I never knew what it was for' and a tumbleweed or two (or something similar).

That was until today mind you...

I decided it was time I grew up and actually started being an adult and using big-girl things like herbs and spices and other adult type things that proper cooks use. It was time to organise my life, which of course means sorting my herbs and spices!

There are a few different kinds of spice racks and containers available to purchase, but I really wanted to do something different yet cost effective and also allow room for adding more over the years as I grew in my 'big girl' use of flavours. 

So here's my little journey on organising my herbs and spices...

I found these neat small craft jars at Kmart for $3 for a set of 3. Great size for storing herbs and spices and easy to clean and reuse.

In a perfect would I would have loved to have used Chalk board paint (like I did here) on these jars, but decided for now just to use washi tape and a marker. Both of these options mean you can change the labels as needed.

Once I had labeled and filled my jars, I stored them near my cooking and baking area in the kitchen for quick and easy access.

I love them and hope I will be more inspired when I cook and bake to use them! I've also written on the jar bottoms some of the foods that go great with each herb/spice. 

Already I've been a lot more creative with my cooking and baking, thanks to a little bit of organisation! 

For more "How To" ideas, go here.