LABELS

STORAGE BIN LABEL POUCHES
One of the biggest problems with storage tubs (particularly opaque ones) is knowing what's in them! You can put a piece of tape on the outside -- but that's not very attractive and you run the risk of your label falling off.But now there is a more stylish way to organize your storage bins!

These 4.25": X 2.9"W adhesive plastic label pouches stick to any size or style of container -- they even work on storage accessories like shelves, shoe boxes, and Tupperware. They keep your label protected from grime, wipe off easily if they get dirty, and do not peel off in the heat, humidity or even the cold -- yet can be easily moved from one bin to another without losing their stick.

Comes in a variety of packages sizes -- from 10 to 500 labels in a pack -- each with genuine 3M adhesive on the back. Each pouch comes with a 4"L X 2.75"W reversible cover stock insert where you can write the contents of the bin.

And you have 3 insert options. Choose white inserts at no additional cost, pay 40 cents more per insert for solid-color cards (great for color coding your containers) -- or pay 50-75 cents more per insert for our themed and holiday cards (a fun way to add some personality to your organization)!

Later on, if you change the contents and need to change the label, simply turn your card insert over or put in a new card. You don't have to remove the pouch or worry about trying to tear off a stubborn label to replace it. You never need guess what's in that container again! Perfect for:

containers of holiday decorations
tubs of off-season clothes
kid's toy bins
garage, attic, or basement storage
archive files at your office
Tupperware in your freezer or fridge
any container that needs a label

You can get them here!

Mabel's Labels

Mabel's Labels, a Canadian based company founded by moms, offers a great way to keep track of your child's items. They are perfect for labeling clothing, cups, and bags for school, daycare, camp, play dates, and more. The personalized labels enable you to customize labels with your choice of vibrant colors and choose from a variety of fun icon designs for boys and girls.

We received some samples to try and I love them. We tested one on a sippy cup and ran it through the dishwasher. They weren't kidding about labels staying put. After about five minutes of painstaking peeling, I was able to remove it. It did leave a sticky residue, which came right off with my fabulous Goo Gone sticky remover.

Famous Sticky Labels:
UV and fade resistant.
Withstands the dishwasher.
Colorful labels with a variety of fun icons to choose from.

Clothing Labels:
Includes iron-on, Tag-Mates, and shoe labels.
Resists wear and tear.
Withstands washer and dryer.

Do your kid's have allergies? The allergy labels allow you to list up to six allergies and stick the labels to food containers, cups, and more!

Mabel's Labels isn't just for kids. Grown-ups can label their food containers, cups, silverware and won't have to worry about losing them at work. Plus, check out the household labels, which include classroom pack, crafter pack, and my favorite, the cord control.

Mabel's Labels just made my life a little easier.
Customize your labels at Mabel's Labels here.

STORAGE

Short on Storage Space?

Double your kitchen storage space use the "dead space" that's already there.

Add cup hooks to the undersides of the cabinets

Buy drinking glasses that stack; IKEA sells them very inexpensively!

Drawer dividers organize utensils most efficiently.

If your shelves are very deep, look into installing sliding drawers that you can pull out to gain access to the stuff way in back.

Shoes (or even off-season clothing) might fit in a chest at the foot of the bed.

Cleaning Children's Rooms

Here are some creative and fun ideas for motivating children to clean their rooms.

Make a cleaning map for a child's room, showing where everything is to be stored. Include items such as compact discs, shoes, books, stuffed animals and dirty laundry. Not only is this fun and educational, but the child also has no excuse about not knowing where to put away items.

Another way to help a child keep a room clean is to organize the room with bookcases, low shelves, CD stacks, colored plastic bins and dressers with a lot of drawers.

Avoid using a toy box. They just beg to be emptied. If toys are kept on shelves or in color-coded plastic bins, they can be located easily without a child having to dump everything out.

Keep a chore list in a child's room so they know what is expected of them on a daily or weekly basis. Daily items could include jobs such as making the bed and putting away toys.

Use an old pillowcase to store building blocks. Sew a drawstring around the pillowcase opening.

Turn a plastic milk jug into a storage container. Cut a hole in the milk jug on the side opposite the handle and a child can store small cars or action figures in the jug. Leave the handle on so it's easy to carry.

Store stuffed animals in a large plastic bin, which makes it easy to keep all the animals together.

Pack doll clothes and accessories in plastic zipper bags. This helps keep all the small pieces together.

Store toys on a shelf that the child can reach. Fill covered storage containers with toys and keep them on shelves.

found this article at HGTV here.

TOYS

"Turn unused wall or door space into storage with peg, Velcro, and hanging-bag systems. They can clear the floor of everything from stuffed animals to backpacks to scooters. A plastic chain is workable for children who are old enough to use the attached clips. A shoe bag can hide inside a closet door or serve as wall decoration. Affixing a Velcro strip to a wall and Velcro pieces to stuffed animals makes cleanup fun for toddlers. " (photo by Bob Hiemstra, from here)

"A Basket in Every Room Place a bin or a sturdy basket in each of the main rooms where your children play. Teach your kids to deposit their toys there when they move from one room to the next. Your nighttime cleanup ritual will be quicker and simpler as the kids will need to go to only one place in each room to retrieve the toys they've played with during the day. "

(from RDLiving)

Label, Label, Label.
"When it comes to keeping kids' rooms organized for the long haul, labels save the day! Use a computer printer to make simple graphic labels for young children. Pictures of socks, shirts, dolls or blocks help remind the child where these items belong. Enhance reading skills for older children by using large-type word labels.

Slap labels everywhere: inside and outside of drawers, on shelf edges and on the plastic shoebox storage containers that belong there, on boxes and bookcases and filing cubes. Playing "match the label" can be fun--and turns toy pickup into a game" (from here)

Book Organizer

I just saw a really cool orgainzer for book on I'm an Organizer Junkie.

The Organizer Junkie posted a tip from Mrs. Jones and her very clever storage idea for coloring books and crayons! I think it's is VERY creative.

Check out her blog... Mrs. Jones !

Pantry

Snapware SnapCap Storage Container, 8 Cups/64 oz
Found these at Walgreens for $2.99.

Keeps foods fresh.
Convenient snapcap lid.
Stainproof.
Ideal for cereal, flour, cookies & crackers.

Great way to Organize your Pantry.

CLOSETS

Here is where I'll put my tips on Closets. I stumbled on a really cool article called Dollar Store Closets.

Some of the things I really liked were the Labeled storage baskets and the Memo boards for artwork.

"To organize a child's room, solutions must fit the child. For younger children, remove closet doors entirely. Lower clothing rods and invest in child-sized hangers. Use floor-level open containers to hold toys, open plastic baskets to store socks and underwear. Devise a simple daily checklist for maintenance. To organize a child's room, tailor the effort to the child." (found here)

Giorgi's Closet & Other Storage

Kid's CRAFTS

"When the kids art supplies began to get out of control, I had to get the stuff off the floor and the kitchen table. I began to consider the unused spaces in my home, and came up with a solution that takes up very little space, but yields mondo storage capacity for small items. It is a behind-the-door pantry rack that installs in about 15 minutes. I think I'm going to install one on the back of every door in my house now!

Thanks to Gear Freak for submitting this tip!" - from Clutter Control Freak

Kid's ART

Under the bed storage container. All artwork can be saved there. When it gets full, we'll have to weed out what we don't want.

Take digital photos or scan the artwork before we toss it.

Can we cropp it to 12x12 and put in an art scrapbook. Many times art is more appealing when cropped.