Labeling: May the Font Be With You

In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, ordinary people get together to do extraordinary things . . . sounds like your typical organizing session!

It’s been a year since my first blog post “Give it a Home” and so much has been sorted, purged, donated, organized and labeled in that time. Finding a place for everything in your home, office, car or life is one of the secrets to being organized. If you know where it is, or where it goes when you’re finished using it, you’ll know where to find it when you want it again. The final step of this organizing process – the labeling – is the trick to giving your items a home.

So when I saw the book Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue at my son’s school library, I literally laughed out loud. I thought there could be no other perfect way to end 2016 than with a blog post about labeling.

Amulet Books

Before becoming a professional organizer, this is what I envisioned a label maker to be – I had one at age 10, in fact! But I used it to write messages to friends and put funny labels on my things. I never considered it to be an organizing tool:

Etsy

But then I became a professional organizer and saw the light. Professional organizers wax poetic about label makers: everyone has their favorite device, preferred font, chosen labeling style (e.g. write-on or printed, words or pictures) and labeling format (e.g. stickers, hang tags, bin clips, chalkboard labels or vinyl lettering). The truth is that there is no right or wrong way to label as long as the bin, drawer, cabinet or jar is labeled correctly and it’s doing its job at keeping you organized!

Here are a few of my favorite ways to label each area in your home or office:

Sticker Labels

These stickers are the traditional labels that are printed from most label makers. Great for use on file folders and stuck directly on bins.

For labeling inside drawers or on shelves within cabinets, I like to use a clear label to indicate what goes in that particular section.

Hang Tags, Bin Clips & Label Plates

Labeling accessories like hang tags, bin clips and label plates are great solutions for canvas bins or baskets in a playroom or closet. For younger children, including pictures on the labels is a great way to let them know what goes into each bin — as well as to teach them how to sort, categorize and organize!

Chalkboard labels

I love using chalkboard labels in pantries – it just feels more organic and “homemade.” It’s especially fabulous if you can use chalkboard tape in a bin clip on baskets or the removable sticker variety so the label can be removed and updated when contents change over time.

Vinyl labels

If you have a Silhouette or Cricut machine, you’re set on making your own vinyl labels. If you’re like the other 99% of us (myself included), you can order beautiful vinyl labels to match the style of your space. I love these, or for a chalkboard look, these.

I hope these ideas inspire you to start thinking about how you can label the containers and spaces in your world. It will get you one step closer to being organized, and will help those around you know where things go. It’s all about working together to achieve the possible.

So, from Princess Labelmaker at Cary Prince Organizing, may the font and organizing force be with you!