Organizing Challenge: Label Ideas

Hi friends! hope you had a great weekend and that you have been playing along with the second challenge of the Summer Scrapbook Series - organizing! Today I want to talk about label love and show you some of the ways I label my supplies (and other items around the house) for easy identification.

I am a big fan of closed storage - I like to look at a storage unit and see uniform containers with all my little necessities tucked away inside. Not only does it keep things neat and tidy, but it keeps the items protected and free from dust. I've got a number of these areas in my scrap space:

Because I opt for this type of storage, I rely on labels to remind me what is inside each container. Over the years my labels have evolved from a haphazard piece of masking tape to more attractive and functional styles. I love to use my label maker, labels made from colored or patterned papers and especially chalkboard labels.

Can I just emphasize how much I love chalkboard labels? I use them all over my house! And they are so easy to customize and personalize. 

You just need some inexpensive self-adhesive chalkboard paper (I bought mine at the local dollar store, but I have also purchased it in the craft aisle at Wal-Mart) some scrapbook tools such as a paper trimmer, scissors, and punches. You can use whatever punches you have, but I am partial to using CM's 4-Way Corner and Hole Punch or the 2-Way Corner Rounder to finish them off.

If I'm using a cube-bin or basket with a handle, I tend to make a shipping label. Simply trim the chalkboard paper to the size you need, punch the two top corners with your choice of corner punch designs, adhere to a slightly larger piece of cardstock for a backing and then punch the slot or hole through both pieces. 

Write the contents on the label with a chalk pen (or a regular piece of chalk or even a white pencil crayon) and add a pretty piece of ribbon to tie the label onto the handle. FYI: for this label I cut the chalkboard paper to 2.25" x 3.75" and the white cardstock backing to 2.5" x 4".

Sometimes I simply punch or cut a shape from the chalkboard paper and adhere it directly onto the container.

This works so well that I actually use these types of labels in my freezer and pantry! Both spaces are so narrow that I organize the contents using plastic dish pans and rubbermaid bins!

For these shapes I used a retired Stampin' Up punch to create a more decorative shape, but you could use any other punch you have, cut it out with a die-cutting machine or platform, or even trace a shape and cut it out with scissors. You might even find sheets of labels cut in these types of decorative shapes at the dollar store!

How do you tend to organize your supplies? And how do you label them? We'd love to hear and see some of your storage solutions, so make sure to share posts and pics on the OCM Facebook page! Can't wait to get some new ideas!

Happy labeling!