A vintage spice rack is easily repurposed for craft storage! I love using mine to store buttons, sorted by color! Read on for the tutorial.

How do we accumulate so much stuff? And then form an emotional attachment to our stuff that makes it so difficult to get rid of anything? This has been my ongoing struggle as I try to create a space that breathes, that I feel connected to and creative in.

I've been working on creating an organized office and craft space in the tiny dining room at the front of our home, and really tried to be brutal as I've sorted and organized because a cramped, cluttered space does nothing for the creative process!

As I've been working through this process, I realized that I have never shared my button organization with you before.

So let's remedy that right now!

How to redo a vintage spice rack for button storage

It all started with a vintage spice rack that I discovered at the thrift store. What really excited me were the glass spice bottles. Yes, they had nasty labels and were quite grimy...but they were inexpensive and I was pretty confident they'd clean up well. Plus they are just so cute with the original glass lids!

After soaking off all the labels and washing the bottles, I knew they were a fabulous way to store (and display) my collection of buttons.

I'm a very visual person and I like to see my stuff (out of sight out of mind is very true in my case!) So I love using clear, glass jars and bottles for storage...especially when the contents are as pretty as buttons!

I've talked about buttons before...I've always been fascinated by them, and used to spend hours sorting through my grandma's button box! After getting married, I started my own little button collection, and it has grown through the years. I've collected them, and even purchased some vintage buttons on Etsy because I just love them that much!

I sorted the buttons by color and filled the clean glass jars with them.


Some white chalk paint transformed the dated spice rack, and Mr DIY helped me to staple some chicken wire on the back to give it more of a farmhouse vibe.

I can't show you how ugly this spice set was before I gave it a makeover because I purchased this set before I became a blogger. These pictures should help you if this is a project you want to do for your own button storage. Just picture this cabinet dark and dated, without the chicken wire!


Please be careful when working with chicken wire as it is very sharp! And if you buy it on a roll, it tends to curl up and smack you in the arm so wear protective gloves (and long sleeves) and use wire snips to cut it to the size you need.

My staple gun made attaching the wire to the back of this spice cabinet very simple.


If you can't find a vintage spice set at the thrift store, you can purchase glass spice bottles and storage racks online.

But keep looking, if you are determined! I've actually found two vintage spice cabinets at the thrift store. This other one I found is small and holds just 6 bottles. I use it for decorative brads and eyelets, again, sorted by color!


I think an organized space can also be beautiful. I'm delighted with this fun (and inexpensive) way I've created for organizing buttons and other smalls.


It's a little bit of eye candy in a functional, well-organized craft space.

Be watching in the days ahead as I divulge more of my office space. Hopefully, if the purging keeps up, I'll be able to share the completed space with you soon!


bringing beauty to the ordinary,