My baking cupboard has always been reasonably organized, but it needed some help.
Those green-lidded containers have been around for more than 13 years, and the tops were cracked on at least half of them. Not very effective for ingredients staying fresh. Plus, the few non-baking things residing in the cupboard were bugging me a bit.
I had been slowly collecting containers, thinking I would reorganize after painting our cabinets & walls, redoing the floor & countertops... Then I decided it might be better to take the opposite approach: Organize first, and then perhaps I would be more motivated to do the not-so-fun stuff.
So I pulled out my containers, purchased a few others, put my Silhouette to work, and ended up with this:
The layout didn't change a whole lot, but having uniform containers and minimal stacking (and labels!) has made a huge difference in the cupboard being functional and staying neat.
Here's the skinny on the storage:
Glass containers from the Dollar Tree store things that I use in smaller amounts--ground flax, Craisins, cornstarch, carob powder, tapioca and coconut.
(I can no longer find these. I could kick myself for not buying a bunch more!)
They fit perfectly beneath the under-shelf basket
that holds baking chips and boxes of instant pudding & Jello.
that holds baking chips and boxes of instant pudding & Jello. 
Salt and organic sugar (for sprinkling) in glass sugar pourers, $1.50 at Big Lots.
Sprinkles in round spice jars from World Market, $3.99 for a set of four.
Baking soda (which I buy in bulk) goes in a pint-size canning jar.
32-oz. jars from Hobby Lobby hold powdered sugar, cocoa, chocolate chips and cornmeal. They are often on sale for 50%-off and are actually cheaper in the store than online. I paid $2.84 each.
My online-friend-who-should-really-be-my-friend-in-real-life, Kira, sold me on these Gourmet Living containers from Shopko. They are fabulous--sturdy, airtight, and stackable. They're not cheap, but they go on sale regularly. Buying a set like I did gives you the most bang for your buck, but wait until they're 50-60% off.
I can't wait to see what this cupboard looks like after some white paint and pretty shelf liners!
8/25/11: Updated with new labels (and white doors) here.
8/25/11: Updated with new labels (and white doors) here.
