This morning I tackled my lazy susan. I use the top shelf in this cupboard mainly for spices and the bottom cupboard is my baking shelf. However I haven’t organized it in over a year and it was definitely due to be done. I always have to laugh because for a person who doesn’t enjoy baking I sure have a lot of baking supplies…what’s with that?! You can’t say I don’t try…lol.
Here are my before pictures:
Whew…definitely overflowing with stuff spilling out of the containers everywhere and clearly no boundaries present anymore. I couldn’t stand it a moment longer so I set to work. First I pulled everything out onto the counter and the mess got so much worse before it got better:
This basket below holding my measuring cups definitely needed to be replaced with something a little bigger wouldn’t you say:
Ahh that’s better:
Remember this basket below. I’m using it now to store some of my baking supplies and in case you are wondering why I have a cooler bottle there, that is what I turn my angel food cake pan over onto when it comes out of the oven.
So after alot of rearranging and purging, here is the final product:
You can see I use a lot of containers to keep “like sorted with like”. I absolutely have to have everything similar contained in the same spot. I also gave the spices a new more functional container. I like to keep my spices here for a couple of reasons….first to keep them out of view and from cluttering up my countertop and because the lazy susan is right beside the stove for ease of use.
Items were put back into the lazy susan with the things I use most often towards the front.
Okay so I may have gotten carried away with my pictures again…sorry about that. I am very happy to have this tackle done and am feeling quite the sense of accomplishment today. I keep opening the cupboard to take a peek at it!
For more Tackle it Tuesday participants please go on over to 5 minutes for mom.
Updated: See here for how I ended up labeling my spice jars.
Anonymous says
Wow what a great job! Those corner lazy susans are such a pain and take up so much room in a kitchen. I have a very small kitchen and a pantry to keep my kitchen stuff in and I hung one of those over the door shoe pockets on the inside of my pantry door. It holds all the small stuff like vanilla extract, jello boxes, taco seasoning packets, and the two large bags at the bottom I put my paper plates and napkins in those pockets. It so great to open the door and see them right there.
Your spices caught my eye. I have those turntable spice racks that stack on top of each other. It’s so great to turn the rack and there is the spice you need instead of digging through bottles.
My daughter was making fun of me because I made a pantry, refrigerator and freezer list of items we always should have. If we use the last we have to mark it off so I know when I go back to the grocery store to purchase more. I typed up the list and then laminated them so they can be used over and over. She says I’m being a neat freak!
Marge says
Has anyone found storage containers or baskets that fit a lazy susan, like triangle-shaped?
christine says
Marge, I have been searching on line and have not found baskets that fit inside a lazy susan cabinet. I would also be grateful to anyone who has!
Lisa says
Did anyone ever find wedge shaped containers to fit a lazy susan? I saw the question was posted with only one reply, they were also looking.
Janine says
We re-modeled our kitchen 2 years ago and I have also been looking for some pie shaped containers for my lazy susan. I just can’t seem to figure this one out.. Everything keeps getting knocked off the shelves. There is dead space around the edges of the lazy susan and it drives me crazy to waste space. Plus has anyone tried reaching behind a lazy susan to retrieve stuff? I found 3 cans of peanuts, some candy, and who knows what else is back there. So hard to reach.
Any brainstorm idea’s?
With that said, I do love my new kitchen, it’s just hard re-organizing after doing it a certain way for 30 years.
Sandy says
Using a ‘grabber’ works great for getting to the back!
shelleyt says
I found clear wedge shaped plastic containers at Target in the bathroom section. They are actually corner shelves for your bath/shower and have suction cups on them. They are clear and pretty deep so they work perfect for holding spices, bottles of extract, etc. Makes much better use of the space. They were about $8 each.
syunshine says
That is great. thanks. I was looking for containers and a google search was fruitless.
Anonymous says
WOW, what a difference! congrats…
Anonymous says
That looks great! I posted to you on my comments,but I wanted to make sure you got my message!
You have always been so humbly organized,Laura! One of the things I love about you,my friend!!!
You are a humble inspiration to us all!
Kim
Anonymous says
I like what you’ve done with your turntable. I never call them “Lazy Susan’s” (for obvious reasons!!)
🙂
Barbara H. says
Great work! You’re so right about things getting worse in the process of organizing before getting better.
Anonymous says
You did a great job on your lazy susan. You inspire me! You’re right, I did change my template. I’m waiting on one from Susie at bluebirdblogs, but it’s going to be a while 🙂
Aimee says
Great tackle! I wish that we had a lazy susan in one of our cabinets. They are so great. 🙂 Lucky you!
Anonymous says
Beautiful! I *love* the red basket. My kitchen is slowly turning red–all because of a new red kitchenaid mixer I got for Xmas.
My mother-in-law has a similar system for her spices. She write the name of each spice on the top of the lid so as she’s standing up, looking down, she can see at a glance which spice it which (what spice is what? I don’t know the correct grammar there…)
Anonymous says
Quite the transformation, Laura! I love how well you organize everything.
Have a great day!
HopewellMomSchool says
AWESOME! You so totally ROCK at this!!!
Lisa
Anonymous says
This is my first time to visit your blog. I love it!!!!!
Anonymous says
You are the BOMB. I feel so inadequate! 🙂
Gina says
The pictures are wonderful. Seeing the transformation take place was neat. It looks great!
Anonymous says
That looks so good!! You make me want to get motivated!!
Anonymous says
Wow, what a difference! You certainly have a gift for organization!!
Anonymous says
What a great tackle! I love getting big jobs like that tackled! I posted on another sit that posting my to-dos and my tackles help keep me accountable!
My tackle has been posted…I tackled my daughter’s closet!
Anonymous says
Beautiful! Your blog is very inspiring to me. I’ve gotten many ideas from reading your posts. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and love of organizing with us.
Anonymous says
That is awesome girl – you are living up to your name. 😉
It is soooo hard to clean when a toddler is “helping.”
Anonymous says
You did a great job!
Jeanie says
Great job! I totally forgot to do my tackle yesterday, LOL! But my Lazy Susan could definitely use a tackle!
Anonymous says
You need to be Homemade Simple’s organizing maven….for real!
I’m not sure how I found your site to begin with, but I found it again while searhing for the ‘Menu Monday’ meme homepage. I saw the widget on one of your posts, do you just add your name to the widget to be included, or is there an actual meme homepage somewhere.
Anyway…I’ll be visiting your site often for inspiration….getting organized is a top priority for me this year. I’m already pretty organized, but there’s always room for improvement, right?
org junkie says
Belle, organizing is definitely an ongoing process….one is never forever organized. Yes to participate in MPM just add your menu post link to Mr. Linky. There isn’t a homepage. We’d love to have you join.
Thanks for your comment 🙂
Laura
org junkie says
Oh by the way I love that show “Homemade Simple”. It is awesome!
The Lazy Organizer says
Man, you had all the fun!!! I went crazy in my junk room yesterday. I should have invited you to the party!
Tammy and Parker says
I really like using the lazy susan like this. But where do you keep your flour, sugar, etc. then?
I have a large family and have very large containers for flour, sugar, etc. that would never fit in my lazy susan.
I’d love to figure out how better to organize my kitchen. Very little cabinet space………..LOTS of people and stuff! But I am getting rid of lots of stuff.
org junkie says
Hi Tammy,
I have one big tupperware container of flour that I do keep in the cupboard next to my lazy susan and the rest of my flours I keep in the fridge. Sugar is kept on the lazy susan. I don’t buy in large quantaties though because I don’t use it up fast enough.
Laura
Lynn says
Thanks for this post! I was considering reorganizing my corner cupboards, and obsessing a little on just how much I hate my lazy susans, when I realized _you_ must have a good way of organizing them! My biggest problem has been that the lazy susan in my lower cupboard is so large that the shelves can’t pull out as far as they should without running into my stove (so there are always items at the back I lose track of). Obviously, crates or trays would be a big help.
Marge says
Has anyone found baskets or containers that fit a lazy susan, like triangle-shaped?
linda parrish says
Wow, just what I needed today just getting those lazy susans organized was a relief. I also have a corner shelf above the lazy susan but nothing to rotate so what would be good to put in that shelf its built like the bottom, everything gets lost?
Susan says
Every food item that crosses our entry door gets 2 things written on them with a permanent black marker. 1. The date of experation (sometimes the products original date wears off) and 2. The date upon opening the item. I keep the marker in my kitchen drawer for easy access.
For fresh food, I mark the item on the kitchen calendar at the time we empty grocery bags.
I also mark over the counter medicine.
I check the fridge, food storage, and medicine every month, and organize shelves with older dates in front. This system seems to work for me.
Susan says
I forgot to say..when I use other plastic containers for storing food etc., to remove those marker dates, I use a moist magic eraser with perfect results!