I really like it when things match. Which is a tiny bit strange seeing as I don’t like putting things away in their proper places, a habit that often goes hand in hand with liking to have matching things.
But, really, I like it when my cutlery matches, I like it when my plates match and I especially like it when all my spice jars match (with the bonus of being able to stack up).
My dollar store spice jars were starting to come to an end, which had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that I dropped them a couple of times. Inspired by smitten kitchen’s post, and encouraged by the fact that liking matching things did not necessarily make me obsessive – I decided to start a spice rack project of my own.
I realised my little side project was taking on a life of it’s own when I went to bed asking my partner what font I should use. But, you don’t need to worry about these things as I’ve provided downloadable labels for you to use should you wish to recreate an impressive spice storage system.
Finding the right jar was the most time consuming seeing as Amazon do not ship to Australia. On a bit of a brainwave, I found the right jars at an online candle supply store – you can find them here and they only cost $10.80 a dozen $17.95 a dozen (plus postage).
They’re oh-so-adorable and I love that the silicone seals make the bottles airtight. Also, the jar openings are wide enough so that you can stick a teaspoon in the jar, rather than trying to tip spices out. On the downside though, the jars don’t feel entirely secure when they’re stacked – they’re good enough for the purpose though. And, some of the seals can be loose (though the company were very good about sending me replacements). Just be sure to count your spices before you order as they charge a flat postage fee – I ordered 24 but found that I actually needed 36.
Not satisfied with your standard office supply cut and paste labels, I opted to design my own so that they’d have a vintage retro apothecary jar feel. Did you miss the part about me being obsessive about tiny details? They’re free for you to download at the link below.
Many minutes of cutting later, a bit of spray on adhesive and ta-dah!
Spice jar labels are available to download here.
Just print on textured card, cut and secure to your bottles with adhesive spray on or clear tape.
*template from justsomethingimade.com
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I’m really grateful to have found this post. I resent having my spices branded as ‘Masterfoods’ or ‘Coles’ so tend to buy big-ish sachets from Asian grocers but haven’t been able to find an ideal storage solution. Flip-top jars and lovely but a bit expensive. These candle jars look ideal – just placed an order. Thanks!
Glad you like them – I must admit I was very pleased with myself for coming up with the idea 🙂 Hope you ordered extra, I ordered two dozen, but I think I really needed four dozen.
Yes very clever indeed. I currently have an excess of the jars but that could change if I cook a meal from a different kind of cuisine and might need some new spices. Really quite stoked. Loved your label offering though I ended up labelling mine with an old school Dymo.
Just a question what size are the containers. Small or medium. Also how much does the container hold in regard to the spice?
They are lovely looking and may be my answer.
They’re about 70-75ml, and they’re the baby candalina jars. Hope that helps!
Hello I love this idea it’s just what I’m looking for! I have found a place that’s sells spices in 250g lots and I was wondering how this would translate into volume? When you buy your refills how many grams would you estimate to fill your 75mL pots? Thanks Tristan
Hiya Tristan, I’m not at home at the moment but when I get back I’ll measure it up for you. Do you mean whole spices (cloves etc) or ground spices? Spices are one of the few things I buy in small quantities as I find they do lose their potency quite quickly. I have over 30 types of spices rotating through my pantry so there’s not a lot of spices that I’d get through 250g of in six months time, to be honest. If you have a look at Candalina Jars on Candle Supply, they do a slightly larger one called the Small Candalina which fits 150ml – I was thinking this might be better for you. Hope that helps!
Hello Tash, yeah I make a lot of dry rubs for BBQing, because of the large amount of spices that rubs use up it makes a lot of sense to buy in bulk. If these jars are air tight they should keep the spices fresh enough for me 🙂 I was looking at the larger size and the rest of their range for that matter I think you might be right I will go for the 150ml size I think. Thanks for getting back to me!
How did they go Tristan? I’m excited to see them!
Hi Tash,
I haven’t gotten around to getting them yet. I did find a candle place around the corner from me (Aussie Candle Supplies) and have been meaning to head there and pick some up. I’ll post a pic when I get them 🙂
Thank you so much for this post. I spent all day traipsing around Sydney for jars, to no avail; and another day on the internet.I have just purchased 40 of the jars and can’t wait for their arrival . I have ordered flowery spice labels from Amazon and I think my jars will look fantastic! They will be put away in a drawer but I can still enjoy them.
It’s ridiculous the price of ‘spice jars’ at most kitchen and department stores, and then you need so many that it basically becomes unaffordable – glad you found the post to be useful!
Hi Tash,
Hope you are having a great Christmas with your loved ones! I am starting a small project for my Mum’s kitchen and LOVE LOVE your idea with the spice jars and labels so much (guess I am a bit obsessed with it now actually!!). Would it be possible for you to share with me what font you used for those lovely labels please?
Thanks very much!
Hi Lily, I love starting a new project and I’m excited for you! The font is called ‘dear joe 5 casual’ and is free to download. Let me know how your project goes – I’d love to see it.
Hi what is the size of the jar plz
Apologies, link was old but I’ve updated it now. The jar is Size: 6.8cm H x 5.7cmD with a volume of 75mls
Hi Tash,
Loved your post and blog 🙂 Great to have someone from Australia going through the same trouble as me trying to to find airtight glass spice jars – I just spent an entire day online doing so!
I was thinking of buying the candalina baby jars for my spices, and just wanted to follow up with your experience with yours since you’ve been using them 7 years now. Have you found them to be completely airtight? Also have you tried putting them in the dishwasher? Have you had any issues with the rubber seals over time? Thanks heaps in advance!
Hi Zin, Thanks for the lovely comments. So, the thing with these is that they aren’t really airtight. There is a seal but they’re not completely airtight and at that price, they’re not really top quality (some of the lids are looser than others). I have put them in the dishwasher with no issue though. They’ve probably only gone in the dishwasher once or twice over 7 years…
Long story short, they’re not the best but they tick a few boxes for me – I don’t have to worry about screw top jars when I’m using a few different spices, they fit in short drawers and they are easy to refill.