As a Professional Organizer, one of my favorite tools is my label maker. With one little machine you can create oodles of labels in different fonts, colors and even add borders. However, can you create a label without a label maker? Absolutely! Check out these other creative and perhaps “new to you” ideas to keep all of your favorite things in place:
- Use Photos…to quickly find the pair of shoes that you are looking for. While pictures work fine mounted on any shoebox, different manufacturers’ shoes come in different size boxes and those can be hard to organize. Clear plastic shoeboxes fit the bill for that dilemma, but what I really love are the stackable shoeboxes with an open front! With those you don’t have to take all the other shoeboxes off to reach the pair you want that day. By putting the picture on one end and the other end backed up to the wall you will achieve a consistent and colorful look!
- Have you gone to a lot of conferences and never know what to do with those Plastic name tag holders with the safety pin on the back? Flip over the paper with your name on it and use the blank side as your label! Pin them on those fabric cube boxes that you can seem to find almost anywhere.
- Did you know that if you put a Magnet on each side of a clear plastic bin, that the two of them will bond? I just tested it and it worked! Use a generic flat magnet on the interior of the bin and on the exterior, use a magnet with a clip. Consider creating a small label with scrapbooking materials or pressed flowers, laminating it, and then clipping that on!
The additional ideas listed below are brought to you courtesy of Martha Stewart and her new Home Office line at Staples. What can’t that woman do!
- Martha came up with ElastiNote Tags®, which are tags connected to an elastic band. These are ideal for cord control or to secure a box with jewelry, coins or any other small items.
- She also created Small Metal Bookplates, which add a classic touch to items like magazine holders and photo boxes.
- Finally, for those people out there with commitment issues in regards to their labeling, you are in luck! Chalkboard Labels (conveniently placed near Martha Stewart’s chalk!) and Dry Erase Labels (where are your markers, Martha?) are easy and fun to use. Just erase and start over again!
Whatever your preference or style there is a labeling option out there for you…even if it’s as simple as a Post-It and Sharpie! Happy Labeling!
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