Baking Cupboard Organization: take 4

If you've been around here for a while, then you may know I've already posted three times in the past couple of years about my baking cupboard: here, here, and here.

Is that excessive? (Or maybe obsessive?) The fact is, I love to bake. And I've started doing some healthier baking, which has introduced new ingredients that weren't previously in my cupboard. Not only did I need to make room for those, I was also having problems with the ink coming off the clear layer of my fabric labels when they came into contact with anything wet.

When I followed a link to some fabulous printables from WorldLabel.com, I was totally motivated. The sunshine and 80-some degree weather didn't hurt, either.

Since I also wanted to line the cupboard, I removed every single item and wiped down the shelves.

I used an out-of-print laminate by Michael Miller to line the bottom shelf and the back of the cupboard. (It's nearly impossible to find, but Crafter's Vision still has some left for a good price.) Since I had been too burned out back when I painted my kitchen cabinets to tackle the insides, I thought at first I would go with something light. But I realized this fabric would work much better to add a fun pattern without too obvious contrast with the rest of the brown.

All I did was measure, cut the laminated cotton to size, and use my ATG gun to apply adhesive to the edges and in X's across the middle. It was very easy to adhere, and I think it will stick well over time.

Then, of course, I had to deal with the chaos.

 

I decided on these labels, because I knew they would fit on all of my containers, and I liked the border. Plus they match the polka dots on the laminated cotton! (There are several options & shapes of these pantry labels available, including a black version of each set and ones with names already on them.)

This printable was very easy to use since it's an editable PDF. All I did was open the file in Adobe Reader, click on the highlighted area of each label to type its name, and then print. The chalkboard font is embedded right in the file, so it's automatic. (If you'd rather have a different font, you could use a photo editing program such as PSE, but you'll have to create & center your text boxes.)

I printed on Avery full sheet (8.5" x 11") white inkjet labels.

 

Since I was out of contact paper, I used the full-sheet clear adhesive labels leftover from my last baking cupboard labeling project to cover each label sheet and protect it.

Then I used a 2" circle punch like the one below on each label, turning the punch upside-down so that I could visually line up the opening with the edge of the label.

After adhering the labels, I did some reconfiguring to accommodate a few additional containers and ended up with this arrangement. And yes, I did leave the cupboard open for a couple of hours afterwards so that I could admire the contents. :)

By the way, do you like my new measuring cups? I had green ones, but the measurement markings rubbed off a long time ago. I can tell what's what visually, but it was a little frustrating to my kids! These actually have the measurements embossed on them--very smart. Now I need to get measuring spoons, because those markings are about gone as well. Lesson learned.

Another thing I did was to move baking spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.) from my spice cupboard to the baking cupboard. I can't believe I didn't think of it before, because it makes so much more sense!

So, are you motivated to tackle your cupboard? I would love to see pictures if you do, so please be sure to come back and share the link in the comments if/when you get to that point.

• airtight BPA-free plastic containers: Shopko
• smaller glass containers with white lids: Dollar Tree (These aren't always easy to find there, but I did notice that they sell a different glass container online that would also work well. Minimum order is 24, so you could go in with someone and split them. Free shipping to store. They may have them in-store as well.)
• 32 oz. glass containers with aluminum lids: Hobby Lobby
• round spice jars and measuring cups: Cost Plus World Market
• everything on top of the cabinet: vintage shops & markets, except for the clock which was from One King's Lane

 

Reading PDF eBooks on your Kindle or tablet

tablet & arrow images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Perhaps you've considered purchasing a PDF eBook but have held back because you've never dealt with that format. Maybe you think you're going to have to sit in front of your computer screen to read it and don't realize it can be transferred to your Kindle or iPad or other tablet.

I'm here to help! And you won't believe how easy it is! There are other ways of going about it, but I have found this one to be the most convenient and neatest (since it's so easy to format the file name and make sure the author's name is correct).

The very first thing you need to do is make sure you have an Amazon account and your device is registered. You can double-check by going to My Account > Manage Your Kindle > Manage Your Devices to see if it's there.

Next, download Send to Kindle from Amazon's website. It's available for both PC and Mac. Then install it on your computer.

(From here on out, the instructions are for a PC, but I imagine following along with a Mac will be fairly straightforward.)

Once you download a PDF book to your computer, right-click on the file and choose Send to Kindle from the menu.

 You will see a screen like this:

 

At this point, you can change the title to remove the underlines and capitalize words. You may also need to change the author's name since it probably defaulted to yours.

Make sure you've checked which device you want as the destination of your PDF. I would also recommend checking the archive option so that it's added to your Kindle library on Amazon. Then click send. You'll know it's working if you see the progress bar.

  

You'll get another message when it's finished.

 

After a few minutes, turn on your device, wait for the book to download, and you're good to go!

eBook reviews + a summer giveaway

Two of my favorite books from the Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle (no longer available) are from the Budgeting {Finance and Time} category. (Does this surprise you? ;)

Amy's Tell Your Time is short, to the point, and incredibly helpful--not only with practical aspects of time management, but also with perspective. I appreciate how her priorities are reflected in her schedule and that she intentionally creates margin rather than cramming in as much as possible. And she manages to get a whole lot done--plus significant family time--with this approach! I was motivated to sit down and make a schedule for myself as soon as I finished reading her book. (In Excel, even, despite the fact I'm desperately in need of Excel for Dummies.)

Susan's Become a Frugali$ta in 30 Days is the result of years of experience (including making ends meet as a single mom) and covers setting a budget, finding ways to save money so that you can live on it, and strategies for making money so that you can add to it. Each day has a different focus and provides lots of practical tips as well as links to online resources. If you need a book about frugal living that goes beyond theory and gives you plenty of actual strategies to implement, this is the book for you!

 

 
Another resource from Susan Heid that I am so excited about is her 2013 Summer Survival Calendar. Susan spent hours scouring the internet for a variety of fun, hands-on, budget-friendly activities that families can do together, and then she created a May-August calendar with at least one activity for each day. The part that makes my geeky self giddy is that almost every activity is clickable from within the digital PDF and takes you directly to the original website for instructions, recipe/supplies, etc. Isn't that cool?

In addition, she created the 10 Strategies for Your Best Summer Ever action guide which includes the following forms (plus one audio):

•       Summer Goals worksheet
•       Ideas for Summer Fun checklist
•       10 Strategies for Your Best Summer Ever Action Guide
•       Your Best Summer Ever Audio Workshop
•       Quiet Time Activities worksheet
•       Important Summer Dates checklist
•       Standard Operating Procedures worksheet
•       Weekly Menu Planner/Grocery List
•       Summer Weekly Planner
•       Be Summer Organized checklist

There are several options for purchase.  You can buy just the calendar ($5), just the supplemental set ($3), the bundle of both ($7), or a bundle that includes both 2013 resources plus the calendars for 2010, 2011, and 2012 ($10), giving you a lot more activities to choose from throughout the summer.


The summer survival products are not part of the Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle, but Susan has generously allowed me to give away a 2013 set (calendar + action guide) to one of you! Entry for this one is super simple--just follow the Rafflecopter directions below. But be sure to actually leave a comment, otherwise it won't count. :)

P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the cash envelope system wallet set from my shop!


This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 years and older, and will end on May 4, 2013, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. Winner will be contacted by email within 24 hours after the giveaway ends.  This giveaway is over.

Congratulations, Carol! Be watching your email. :)

Note: Two entries were eliminated before random.org chose the winner, because those individuals clicked that they had left a comment when they actually had not.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway