Chalkboard Food Labels

Chalkboard Labels For Your Pantry Baskets

I got my labels completed for my pantry baskets…. I told you I was going to do them!

There are so many uses for this chalkboard contact paper.  I have several other things in mind!

But I want to show you how I made these simple labels for my baskets in my pantry.

I took some of my old business cards (they are such a good size for so many things) and used those for the basis of the chalkboard labels for the baskets.

I cut the chalkboard contact paper so that it would go over the sides just a bit and would fold back and cover the entire card.

When I fold it over I make sure to make a crisp edge and I smooth it out so there aren’t any air bubbles or creases in it.

Then I trim the short edge of the card. I do pinch the edge so that the contact paper adheres to itself to seal the edge.

I used the hole punch and punched a hole in the center top so I can hang it.

Simple enough

I used the same color chalkboard marker and basic design so that they matched the jar labels I made and showed you yesterday.

I looked for twine to tie the labels on, but evidently we didn’t have any. I found some fishing line and decided that would actually work really well.

It won’t show much and it will take care of the problem I worried about … getting through the thin basket weave.

And it looks like this:

I was pleased how they turned out… what do you think?

One of the other little things I did was to use these little buckets that I hung from my wire over the door can holder.

Remember I mentioned that I didn’t like the baggie that was holding the chip clips in my pantry? That I was sure there was something cuter?  I decided this was cuter!

I had a 2nd bucket that I used and wasn’t sure what to put in it….. but had an onion sitting on the pantry shelf and thought… ok.. done!

So of course I made labels for these pails too.  I used the business card as the stencil and cut out a piece of the chalkboard contact paper.  I wrote the name on it with the markers and stuck it on the side of the bucket.

I think they turned out cute too… don’t you?

Adding little touches like this, makes your pantry look a little cuter, but it also makes it functional by letting the family know where to put things away.

And of course that makes me happy!!
You can find the Chalkboard Contact Paper, 18″ x 6′ and the markers I used Liquid Chalk – Works like a Marker Dries like Chalk – Set of 8 Earthy Colors at the two links I have here. They are affiliate links, but that’s not why I’m giving them to you. I had a hard time finding both products and thought I’d make it a little easier for you all.

If you have already made some kind of labels for your baskets or pantry  I’d love to see them!
I’d love for you to link it up to my Organizing Mission Monday Link Party
It will be open until April 9, 2011, but don’t worry, if you finish your kitchen, pantry or label projects after that… my link party is always open to any of your organizing projects!

I Love All Your Sweet Comments

I linked this post up to these link parties

Organizing Kitchen cupboards

Don’t you wish you had more cupboards in your kitchen?

I know I sure do! Insert SlideDeck So how do you organize those kitchen cupboards when you  have a small house with 7 people living in it? Believe me….I know it isn’t easy!   This cupboard looks ok now….but you should see it if one of the kids or my hubby puts dishes away.  The bowls aren’t stacked anymore….you might have that big yellow one on top of the smaller ones.

On the left…forget putting the lids in the slots they are supposed to be in and the plastic containers were they go. Aren’t you supposed to just throw them in that side?

Organizing can be really hard to maintain, especially if others aren’t as on board as you. It is all about the maintenance, but we aren’t going there today…today we are just talking about some ways to try and organize those cupboards.

Baskets

I love using baskets in cupboards.  You can see the red ones up on the upper shelf.  That is a hard place to get to things and it is a narrower shelf, so it doesn’t hold as much.  Those baskets hold the other plastic containers and lids that you accumulate.  They make it very easy to pull the basket out and get to what you want. They help keep things confined so that it isn’t falling all over your cupboard…and they are inexpensive!

Do you use it?

If you find there are things in your cupboards that you haven’t used in ages ….or you don’t have a lid for it and because of that you don’t use it (and you will!!) then get rid of it.  Why should you use that precious space on items you don’t use anymore?  The general rule is if you have not used it for a year or more then get rid of it.

Organizing kitchen cupboards isn’t necessarily hard to do.  But keeping it that way can be what is hard for many.

Baskets can Organize your Laundry Room

They can add some color too!

Aren’t these fun baskets?  They were the solution for me in my small laundry room.  Theses were an “impulse” buy.  I was in Target and spotted the lime green laundry hampers and decided they would look so fun in my laundry room. Then I saw these smaller baskets that matched and decided to outfit my laundry room with them.

They serve a great purpose and brighten up a room that isn’t the funnest to go into.

I’ve used these photos before..so you may have seen them, but here is my full (small) laundry room.

I linked this blog post up to:

Totally Organized Tuesdays
A Bowl Full of Lemons 21 Day Challenge

Using Baskets to organize office supplies

Re-purposing a bookshelf in a closet is thinking outside the box.

This picture is actually looking into a closet.  I had a challenge with a client. Organize all these office supplies.  There was a small closet in the room and a bar across it and a couple of little shelves that had been left by a previous owner. There was no need for clothes for this office….and I wanted to utilize this space.

The client had  this bookshelf that wasn’t being used.  I did all the measurments before I had it moved into the room.  It was going to fit! I was So excited!

Now for the containers.  I wanted to use a clear plastic so that you could easily see what was in them.  I measured the shelf height and length to make sure I could get the most use out of the space…knowing I was buying the right size baskets or plastic boxes.

If you notice I have the lids off the boxes.  It would look very nice and neat to have them on, but would things get put back as easy if you had to lift a lid to do it?  This was a place that I could leave them open and easily accessible.  But….I did put the lid directly under the basket so that you don’t have to worry about losing them…and they are there if you want to use them.

Playroom Organizing – Part 3

Toy Storage

So now that you have your toys sorted (well hopefully) you need to know where and how to put them.

My Guidelines and thoughts are Simple

I like a shelf rather than a toy box.  Toys get lost in toy boxes.  Kids don’t want to dig down to the bottom. Pieces fall down into that dark hole of toy misfitness and are never seen again.

Be sure if you use a shelf that you anchor it to the wall.  Kids like to climb on things, especially if they see something up top that they want and can’t reach.  You want to always be sure that shelf can not fall over on them.

Be sure to put the toys at age appropriate levels.  Put the toys where the young children can find them.  Put the older toys and games with small pieces up higher so the younger ones can’t choke on small things.  This toy shelf I bought years ago when my boys were young.  It had been a coat rack in a daycare.  See the smaller cubbies on the right. That was their top cubby when it was turned on its side and their coats hung in the other longer part. I probably bought this about 25 years ago (wow that makes me feel old…I still remember how excited I was to find it…and it was cheap!)

I am all for the clear baskets or like these….where you can see what is in them.  They don’t all have to match or be stylish (depending on where your playroom is). These are from the dollar store.

This one we use for the marbles. Yes…that is a big sock..filled with marbles. Don’t ask me why we keep them in a sock. I just know that my Dad put mine in a sock years ago and these are still the marbles I used to have….(yes in a newer sock)….but it works.

Think outside the box.  I had to figure out some way to hang these guitars for guitar hero.  I had this hook already and it fit perfect….solution.

Our playroom is in our unfinished basement.  We have put down a rug and have a futon, some restaurant benches that my son got from a friend, several old TV’s for the game systems.  So you can make due where you have the space.

We made a bedroom in the basement for one of our older boys (his choice). The kids used to use the “under the stairs” space for a fort. But since that was now made into his closet…we had to block the other side.  This was our solution.

Several bulletin boards did the trick. It blocked off the opening and provided a great place for the kids to display their art work.

I’ll have a list of some other toy storage solutions that you can find tomorrow!

I am all about practicality.  Make it work….think outside the box.

Linking this post to:

A Bowl Full of Lemons