DIY Spice Jar Labels

It might seem a little strange that even though I don’t have a working kitchen (or even really the hope of having a working kitchen anytime soon) I just had to do something about my spice rack situation. And technically it’s less of a “rack” and more of  a “bunch of stuff in a box or maybe on a pantry shelf” which looked kind of like this. DSC_1191 I actually really liked the glass bottles with corks when I got them years ago, but the corks make horrible lids, and the labels I hand wrote for most of them were either crappy or gone. The rest of the spices were in mismatched jars or containers, and the whole thing was basically one big mess. I’m the kind of person who likes to have things I use often out in the open, and this just wasn’t going to do. Luckily I stumbled on some inexpensive clamp-top glass jars at Crate & Barrel (12 for $15) and instead of putting it off any longer I bought some jars, made some labels, and ended up with this… DSC_1180 A slight improvement, right? For the labels, I started with a little inspiration from this pin on Pinterest. I wanted the labels to be useful and a little funny. The garlic label, if you can’t read it, says:

GARLIC

Use with wild abandon in sauces,

meats, marinades, or mixed with

butter for bread or pasta.

A LOT OF FLAVOR

Treats infection, keeps vampires

and kissers at bay.

  You can see I included culinary uses as well as “traditional medicine” uses. You know, just in case the zombie apocalypse happens and I can’t get my hands on any Tums. I did my research and laid the labels out in InDesign… labels_layout I wanted to print them on brown Kraft paper, and I found a roll (in the style of wrapping paper) that had some interesting texture, however it was a little too curly to run through the printer. I cut it down to 8.5×11 size, and about five minutes after I stuck it under a heavy book to flatten I ran out of patience, then remembered this long forgotten “tool” I owned. In the laundry room. DSC_1173 Yeah. That’s right. I haven’t ironed a shirt in over a year, but I’ll be dammed if I didn’t bust the clothes iron out to flatten my kraft paper for spice jar labels. Probably I need to reexamine my priorities… uh, later. The iron-on-low trick did work to get the paper flat enough to run through my printer, and after some trimming I had these: DSC_1189 The real question I had when planning this out was how on earth to stick the paper to the jars. I actually looked for “sticker paper” which is what they use for beer labels and such, but I couldn’t find it at my local craft store. What I did find was this thing… DSC_1167 A sticker maker! (And somewhere deep deep inside, my five year old sticker-collecting self gives a squeal of joy.) This one was $12 at Michael’s and I used a coupon which brought it down to something like $8. They have different sizes but this one will make stickers up to 1.5″ wide which was perfect. Just put the paper in the top and pull the “sticker” on the bring it through. DSC_1168 A little rubbing… DSC_1169 And a DIY spice jar label is born! DSC_1170 DSC_1171 The printing did bleed a little bit in some places, but overall I’m really happy with the way they turned out. (Also you can see my “cropping” skills suck, which is probably why people shouldn’t use paper cutters after midnight, but I think it adds to their rustic charm. Or something.) DSC_1177 Now I just have to fill all the jars up. And then find myself a kitchen to cook something in. (Update: I found one.) UPDATE (May 2013): These labels, bless their spicy little hearts, have become quite the internet sensation. I’m thinking about getting them their own agent (one of the Nuggets might be up for the job) in the meantime, I’ve provided two downloadable files below, if you’d like to make your own version of these spice jars.

  • Printable PDF – Almost any person with a computer should be able to view and print this, but it is not editable.
  • Adobe InDesign File – If you have Adobe InDesign and want to edit or make your own labels, you can download this file. (InDesign is not a cheap program and it doesn’t come automatically installed on a computer– it is not Adobe Acrobat or another PDF reader– so if you are not familiar with it, you probably won’t be able to edit this file.)

So, here’s the deal. I’m totally happy to put these out there so that you can use them… I just can’t provide any type of technology, software, or design support for the files. Because, you know, a girl running a farm by herself can’t spend all her time on the computer. I mean, somebody needs to hug the donkeys.) Even though I can’t personally email the files to everyone who asks I hope at least the pictures in this post provide some inspiration for you to create your own!

174 Responses

  1. Love your labels!! They are awesome! I would never of thought of adding, what they are for and funny little quotes on them! Do you have a list of the labels/wording you have? 😛

  2. Hello, I stumbled upon your sight just today and i am very interested in getting a copy of your labels. I’ve clicked on the link but the image of the labels is blurry and un readable. Am I allowed to use them or am i suppose to get the general idea and make my own? Im not very creative and can barely manage to look things up on the internet. Any help you could give me would be great.

  3. These are great! I love the facts but need to edit them to be smaller as my jars are a little fatter and shorter but the InDesign file isn’t working for me? I get a notice that the file is corrupt or I dont have the plugins to open it.. strange!

  4. Hi Miss DIY,, I love the jar labels you made,,do you or can you do them still,, I do not understand all the computer stuff,,so I just am so intimidated by all of it..could I buy them from you..would be ever so greatful,, thank you for the inspiration,, with the DIY way at heart..joan

  5. Hi Miss DIY,, I love the jar labels you made,,do you or can you do them still,, I do not understand all the computer stuff,,so I just am so intimidated by all of itccc”..could I buy them from you..would be ever so greatful,, thank you for the inspiration,, with the DIY way at heart..joan

  6. Love love love it! I have to be honest, ironing the paper was a bit too varsity a project for this DIY’er. I bought some copper antique parchment resume paper from Office Max, which ran through the printer pretty easily. Thank you for posting the pdf template; it’s such a great look!

  7. awesome!!

    i got a 30 day free trial of adobedesign so i could make more/different labels 🙂

    1. Where did you get the Adobedesign from? was it the adobe website and how much was the trial?

      Thanks! 😉

  8. I downloaded the InDesign file to modify it to my need, however, it will not open due to an error. Could you possibly email me the document or repost?
    Thanks!

  9. This is so cool… you are getting so many hits that your page wasn’t available… I am getting my download while I can!

  10. These are absolutely gorgeous. So earthy and organic looking. My favorite things. PLUS there are no swirls or wavy lines, hearts etc. I’m a minimalist by heart, and these look clean and uncluttered. Thank you for sharing them.

    1. If I put a swirl or heart on anything, somebody better use my framing nailer to put me out of my misery… glad you like them!

  11. P.S. thanks for the humour in some of the labels like the one about vampires and kissers. If you knew people wouldn’t get too uptight or offended, I’d add to the garlic one “may help relieve anal retention”, as the bit about the vampires and kissers might make a person laugh.

    1. Um… okay. Well I was going to put you in a headlock and MAKE YOU USE THE LABELS, but if you prefer not to I suppose you could make your own.

      1. Aren’t people charming? I love your ideas! I downloaded the labels (didn’t proof them first…lol), went to look at the doormat (I want one), then saw your DIY tab and immediately subscribed to your email list. Thanks for the hard work you put in to document your projects. I’m feeling empowered!

  12. Where can you get those jars? I really like those. The labels are cute too, looks a lot nicer to have organization!

  13. Thank you so much for sharing these! Love the brown paper look. I don’t have much extra $ for fun sticker makers (though I’ve eyeballed that one several times) so my go-to adhesive is packing tape.

  14. I just love these. Please, could you do more? Ie – sage, parsley, paprika etc? I have a really LARGE spice cupboard. haha

  15. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome fabulous spice labels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are so fun!

  16. Hi! Love the labels- quick question about the sticker machine…does it put a glossy cover on the front of the sticker as well? I’m asking because I’m wondering if you can wipe them off or if it would smear the ink?
    Thank you,
    Jackie

      1. I used clear packing tape over the top when I made stickers. Then, trim them. It works perfectly

    1. I’ve had one of these sticker makers for a few years and ran out of sticker paper probably within the first month of owning it. I need to go get more for this project! Also, if you just buy some self adhesive laminate paper and stick it to the top of these, it should work great to be able to wipe it down. That’s what I do with printouts I want to use as a dry erase like a menu calendar for my fridge.

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  18. Dear “Diva” – Im busy as a bee getting all my labels on – Im using clear packing tape!
    These are the most uniquely beautiful labels I have ever seen!
    There are several spices that I have that there are not labels for. Sage is one. I also have lots of seeds – sesame, celery, mustard, etc. that I would LOVE to make these labels for. Will you be making more or should I find and buy the program.?
    By coincidence, I had just jars exactly like yours!
    THANK YOU SO MUCH
    SUE

  19. Very nice!! Could you tell me what version of Indesign you used? I tried opening the file and got an error. I’m assuming you used 5.5? 😉

  20. Thanks for the downloads:) I love these and now that Christmas is over I have time for all the little crafts my heart desires! Go hug those donkeys and let us worry about the rest!

  21. These are great! I did something similar with labels displaying a selected organic molecules/structure/info for the spice. I ran into a problem protecting the stickers (I used printable mailing labels and the ink ran pretty easily). I’ll definitely try your method when I redo them!

  22. I LOVE your spice labels but you only have 20! I have so many more spices. do you think you will/could add more?

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  24. These labels are very cool! Thanks for sharing – very creative and funny in some cases! 🙂

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  32. Love these labels! Thank you for posting. The link where you got a little inspiration from this pin on Pinterest doesn’t work. I’d like to see the info…can you please send me the link? Thanks so much!

  33. I’ve just discovered these marvels and I have InDesign. Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, to save me re-creating from scratch! 🙂

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