Repurpose A Vintage Stamp Holder Into The Perfect Spice Storage For Your Kitchen

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

As any foodie will tell you, having a passel of assorted spices at the ready takes your kitchen from merely the place where your fridge resides to a chemistry lab of flavors and scents. While many spice racks exist, few have the potential to add as much whimsy to the cooking experience as a repurposed one. In this case, a vintage rubber stamp holder, complete with metal clasps, is just the thing you need to complete your gastronomic alchemy in real style. 

Like many clever DIYs you find today, the strength of this project depends on finding an item that already has a great structure upon which you can build. Vintage rubber stamp holders come with metal clasps that are tight enough to grab onto the handles of the stamps. These items kept the stamps off the table – preventing an inky mess — and yet within arm's length for easy access. You'll be converting the stamp clasps into spice clasps during the course of this DIY, giving you the ability to keep your spices neat and organized. 

This project also calls for spice jars. However, the number of spice jars you'll need for this project will depend on how many clasps the holder has. For example, if your stamp holder has nine clasps, you'll only need nine jars. Finally, because this project relies on you repurposing a vintage item, the cost can vary a great deal. You can find simple stamp holders for as little as $25 and as much as almost $90 or more, depending on the kind of features the vintage piece has. 

The project calls for a number of spice jars. It's not possible to state an exact number here since some rubber stamp holders even have two or three tiers of clasps. By the way, tiered stamp holders give you the potential to create a vertical spice rack if you're short on space. The number of clasps that each unit has also varies, with some having as few as six and with as many as nine or 10. As for the spice jars you'll use, you'll want to keep the original intent of the holder in mind. That is to say, rubber stamp handles can range from 1 inch to nearly 2 inches, so to be on the safe side, don't get jars that fall too much outside that range. The metal clasps are typically flexible, so you'll have a little leeway in terms of ensuring your jars fit.

This aspect of the piece — the spice jars — has the most potential to add real character to the DIY. You can go with standard square spice jars, but more fun options like these miniature storage jars with a metal clasp on the lid from ComSaf or Hawooky clear plastic test tubes with lids make more of an impression. Finally, keep in mind that you don't have to fill all of the clasps with your coveted spice jar collection. If you have a double- or triple-tier stamp holder, you can reserve one of the top clasps as a recipe card holder for the vintage recipe cards your nana wrote her spaghetti and banana bread recipes on.