Label your life!

Paint marker on whole bean coffee containers. (The hi octane has a star because caffeinated is written in red marker below. I did this on purpose because I wanted it to have a decoder ring effect. )

Now I am not sure about you, but I love labels. There is a valid reason for this love. Labels can make life so much easier.

 

I know that there are a lot of different types of labels out there but I have a few tips just to help you when you are deciding what kind of labels to use for your project.

What kind of project are you working with?

• When you ask yourself this question, think about your aesthetic. What kind of font or writing style are you looking for? Do you have a preference? Are you more shabby chic or more modern and clean? Some people have very specific prints in mind, and this can greatly change the type of products that would be appropriate for your project. I, myself, am not incredibly picky when it comes to font styles. I do think that you need to put some thought into how the designing that you choose will change your final project.
• After you think about your aesthetic, you need to look at your budget for the project. You can’t really look at a design and say “that is the one!” without thinking about the cost of the materials to make it come to life. You can DIY anything that you want, but you needed to be grounded in the cost. Does it really need to be gold-plated? Really?
• The next thing that you need to think about is time. How long is this going to take with the DIY projects that you have in mind? Are the labels for this project going to take more time than anything else because of the design you picked? (Side note: I did something very similar to this when using my Cricut recently. I was picking out a font for my closet labeling, and I chose a font that was so thin and careful, I wasted an hour and a half trying to weed it before I decided that it was a ridiculous amount of work.) This is an important factor, because of the value that your time has. Are you the type of person that will put down a project and not pick it back up because you are frustrated with the level of difficulty that you have placed on yourself? I have certainly done this. Never go beyond the bounds of your ability. If you know that you cannot handle the level of design or artistic ability that you want in your end product, sometimes the best choice is to find someone more capable to assist you. Sometimes the more valuable solution is to be assisted so you don’t overwhelm yourself and give up, or despair over the idea of the project.

Organization does not have to be lamented. Labels help. They can ease your stress about upkeep after your area is organized. You know where it goes because it was labeled.

After that all you need to think about is the right product for the job. You don’t want to use file tabs to label your canning jars because they would not have the same resiliency as a paint marker or vinyl label. Here is a list of some of the types of labels that you can choose from:

• Paint Markers
• Chalkboard Labels
• Printable Stickers
• File Tabs
• Dry Erase Markers
• Tabs with inserts
• Vinyl Labels
• Stickers (by letter or word)
• Label maker (one of the most convenient products on the market)
• Handwritten or printed
• The possibilities continue…

All you need is a focal point. What point are you trying to make with your labels? Is it for only you or everyone in your home or business? Do you live or work with people who have poor vision? (Big tip is to remember that you want you labels to be easily visible. Anything obscured can be forgotten or ignored. Whether you preference is to have your storage visible or hidden, you need to clearly mark what is in your area.) What exterior factors do you need to consider?

I know this seems like a LOT of questions but the wonderful thing is you already have some of the answers. You know what you like. You have an idea of what you need. You know the people around you that may need to use the same products.

Labels are a wonderful asset to have when you are organizing. Remember this one final tip, just because you put a label on something, does not mean it is set in stone. Creativity is more fluid than order. It can be organized and creative at the same time.

Keep Moving Forward.

Lissa