Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

  • Shop Our Houses
    • Our Current House
    • Our Richmond House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
  • Before & Afters
    • Our Current House
    • Our Previous House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
    • Our First House
    • Our Second House
    • Our Showhouse
  • DIY & Decorating Tips
    • Most Popular
    • Home Improvement
    • Painting
    • Cleaning & Organizing
    • Crafting & Art
    • More . . .
  • Painting Projects
  • Plants Guides
  • Shop
    • Our Fav Home Finds
    • Our Lighting Line
    • Our Books
    • Book Club Picks
    • Black-Owned Businesses

Young House Love » Cleaning, Organizing, & Eco » Using A Vintage Card Catalog For Kitchen Spices

| By Sherry Petersik | February 16, 2009 | 25 Comments

Using A Vintage Card Catalog For Kitchen Spices

Inquiring minds wanna know what John and I exchanged for V-day so we’re here to spill the beans- er conversation hearts. I found this great vintage metal card catalog at a local thrift shop for $5 (well, originally $6 but I’m an infamous haggler) and instantly fell in love with the gray-green color and the steel drawer pulls. John’s the resident chef in our house, so I knew using it to add function and style to the kitchen would please him to no end. And the fact that he once worked at a library (and his mom has for decades) ensured that he’d love the card catalog reference.

img_5015

I knew the moody sea green tone would look fab in our greeny-blue-gray kitch, so I immediately brainstormed a few ideas on the way to the checkout. I could rewrite all of John’s favorite recipes on cards and catalog them in the drawers (organized by ingredients or meal). Or we could use it as a bread box (the drawers perfectly fit a loaf each) and even as a utensil caddy for our plethora of spoons and spatulas.

img_4991

But when I got it up on the counter at home another use instantly became clear- why not use one of the drawers for spice storage? I placed all of our spices into the drawer and voila: a spice drawer was born. And thanks to the addition of a few labels on top of each container, it’s easy to locate any spice from above when you pull out the drawer. Because the drawers are both pretty deep, I actually could fit all our spices into one drawer, which freed up the second drawer for spoon and spatula storage. Sweet.

img_4998

And sure enough, John was tickled pink about his V-day gift. He loves the extra storage space and of course the awesome vintage-industrial vibe that it adds to the room. And one of his favorite things about the V-day box is an old-school label which reveals that it hails from New York- which happens to be super meaningful since it’s where we met and fell in love.

img_5011

So what did you guys get and give? Do tell. And stay tuned for John’s gift to me later in the day…

Looking for more spice storage ideas? Check out this great suggestion from Door Sixteen. Amazing!

More posts from Young House Love

Filed Under: Cleaning, Organizing, & Eco, Our First House, Shopping & Thrifting

Our Photobooth Picture Tradition
In Search Of A Ceramic Rhino

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
*This site contains ads and affiliate links*
See our disclaimer & privacy policy to learn more

Latest Finds

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SHOP OUR LIGHTING

Young House Love Shades Of Light Capiz Chandelier

GET POSTS BY EMAIL

We’re Digging

Traditional Rug
The “Magic” Rug
Smokeless Solo Stove Firepit
Smokeless Firepit
Outdoor Solar LED Path Lights
Solar Path Lights
Criss Cross Office Chair
Our Desk Chair
Blue Air 211 Air Purifier
Our Air Purifiers
Eufy 11S Max Robot Vacuum
Our Robot Vacuum
Kohler Memoirs Toilet
Our Favorite Toilet
Livable Luxe Book
Fav Design Book
SEE MORE OF OUR FAVORITE FINDS > >

  • About
  • FAQs
  • Press
  • Contact
  • :)

© 2025 Young House Love ® · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · A Fun Wordpress theme on Genesis Framework · Hosted by Liquid Web