Labels for LifeLabels for Life will give tips for organizing your life, home and office.

Many men will say in a joking way that they are “scared” to look in their wives or girlfriend’s purse. There is something about a purse that seems to intimidate or put them off. But what women truly know is that keeping your purse organized is a lot harder than it seems.

Sometimes your purse just seems like a cavernous black hole where things disappear, never to surface again. Your lipstick, keys, cell phone and other valued items all go missing. How do you truly keep your purse organized and the items in it labeled properly?

Begin by taking everything out of your purse and cleaning your purse thoroughly. A lot of women discover through this exercise that they are a) either carrying way too many things or b) truly need a larger purse for needed items. This little exercise is the best way to discover.

Once you’ve got everything in front of you, it’s time to sort. Make three piles: must-keep, recycle/refuse and reconsider. The first two are probably quite easy. You are going to want your car keys and cell phone with you at all times. But do you need to carry your allergy medicine – when it is not allergy season? Or what about the sixteen lip glosses? Make the tough choices and lighten your load.

Refill your purse now will ONLY your must-have items. It will be such a treat to see that your purse is surprisingly light. But are you truly being honest with yourself? There may be other items that you need to carry – that you aren’t including. This exercise only works when you are including everything you really need or don’t need. Sometimes you discover you need a larger purse, which is a better discovery than to have to reorganize your purse again.

Understand that organizing your purse is an ongoing process. The savvy woman does light organizing of her purse every couple of days. She’ll add and subtract items as she needs them. She may also occasionally add personal id labels to certain items in her purse.

Many of us get busy and okay, a little forgetful of exactly what we’ve put in there. But getting rid of seasonal items or things you only use on weekends can truly do you a favor.

As you organize your purse, make sure to ICE your telephone and include the same info in your purse. ICE is In Case of Emergency contacts you add to your telephone. If anything happens this means someone can easily contact someone on your behalf. Add the same information to your purse on an index card (remember cell phones sometimes don’t have power).

Related articles

• A Day Without My Purse (prmktgsales.wordpress.com)
• Writer’s Workshop: Purse Psychology (snipewife.wordpress.com)
• The Eight-Pound Purse (3twistedsisters.wordpress.com)
• Experimental Womens Shoes (bizarrebytes.com)
• Best Vintage T Shirt Websites (verybestsites.com)

Many people have noticed that they simply have different organization personalities than other people. Why, you probably organize things differently from your sister, mother or best friend!
One reason for this could be your astrological sign.

Our astrological signs are determined by the placement of the sun at the time of our birth. In Western astrology there are 12 different signs. Try our AstroOrganizing to see exactly which sign you happen to be!

Aries (March 21st – April 22nd) The Ram is bold and brash. This organizer doesn’t stop with just putting a few labels in the kitchen or adding address labels to the luggage. The Aries organizer’s home is well organized – with great passion! You can always tell an Aries by their organizing because they are quick and a bit impulsive to come up with a system.

Taurus (April 23rd – May 22nd) The Bull is patient and gentle. This organizer is very easy going and likes to keep a beautiful home. While the Taurus’ home is well organized, most people will at first notice the beautiful objects and decor of their home. But their laundry room and basement – are simply divine and so organized!

Gemini (May 23rd – June 22nd) The Twins is the true social butterfly of the Zodiac. This organizer excells not simply at organizing – but at organizing personal information. The Gemini has a PDA or Rolodex that is so well organized they can find information quickly on any person they wish to reach. That’s good because the average Gemini has about 10,000 contacts!

Cancer (June 23rd – July 22nd) The Crab is a home lover and very nurturing. When we think of their organizational style, they are always thinking of how it will impact their family. So often they come of up systems that make things easy for their family and help improve life for their family.

Leo (July 23rd – August 22nd) The Lion is quite proud and regal, just as they should be! But the Leo does have a bit of a tendency to show off their ability to organize. Their favorite thing are gadgets and new technology that help you organize. The Roomba, the robot that vacuums your home is one of their favorite toys.

Virgo (August 23rd – September 22nd) The Virgin is probably best known for being the cleanest and most well-organized of the signs of the Zodiac! True to point, there are some that say that Virgos can be a little picky – but that’s only because they love us so much. Virgos are best known for coming up with innovative new organizing systems.

Libra (September 23rd – October 22nd) Libras are known for creating art and beauty wherever they go. whatever organization systems they come up with, will always be beautiful. Their file folders will be pretty and have their monogram on them. Libras are highly sensitive to their environments and everything must be “just right.”

Scorpio (October 23rd – November 22nd) The Scorpio has lots of passion and intensity when it comes to everything and this carries over into their organizing. This means that the Scorpio takes organizing to a great extreme — or they may not organize at all! The Scorpio will likely have their socks alphabetized and all of the extension cords labeled. Well that’s the way it should be.

Sagittarius (November 23rd – December 22nd) The Archer has a playful and fun attitude. Yes, they are well organized but they love to be active and full of life. You’ll see that their sports gear and travel things are kept well organized — and they are also well used!

Capricorn (December 23rd – January 22nd) The Goat is known for being an old soul and being the most mature in the Zodiac. This means when it comes to organizing, they likely started organizing at a very early age! Capricorns are very serious when it comes to being organized. They can be quite the perfectionist.

Aquarius (January 23rd – February 22nd) The Water Bearer is inventive and original. Aquarians do organize, but they typically do so in very different ways. Their systems are quite unusual and only they understand them. You’ll just have to take our words for it that Aquarians are organized!

Pisces (February 23rd – March 22nd) The Fish is sensitive and dreamy and sometimes has trouble staying organized. That’s because Pisces folks are known for being creative and love to start many projects. But they do well with simple systems that don’t overwhelm them. However you choose to organize, custom printed labels can only help.

Related articles

• What’s Your Bridal Astrology Style? (myweddingideas.net)
• Great Couponing For Beginners (bestforbeginners.com)

It is hard to buy a computer that does not have a CD/DVD drive capable of burning new disks and the cost of buying the kit to do this has dropped tremendously over the last couple of years. It is common for CD’s and DVD’s to be burned or ripped so the copy can be used to protect the original which makes sense, especially if you are using the disk on the move such as in the car and the normal wear and tear results in scratches and loss of quality.

One issue is having a stack of clunky looking home made disks; you never know which is which because you cannot readily distinguish one from the other. CD and DVD self-labeling kits are a quick, cheap and easy solution to labeling your copies and bringing a sense of individuality and style to your copied collection.

You can create labels which simply provide name and basic disk information or with very little effort, create your own disk designs including using your own photographs and images to create a highly personalized set of disk designs.

Labeling kits start from a few dollars through to the early hundred mark depending on exactly what you are looking for but for everyday personal use you should be looking at spending no more than $20 which will give you an imaging and label design software as well as a large number of templates and image management options. The labels themselves stick on the disk and better quality kits will have the same dimension, circular prepared labels included as well. When you are selecting your kit, be on the lookout for the cost of refills as some manufacturers provide a really cheap deal for the software but are very expensive on the labels themselves.

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone and while loved ones and intended amours are busy looking at the labels of the goodies they have been bought, one thing they are not going to see is, “Made in Prison.”

Yet that is precisely the spot where many Valentine’s Day gifts are made and the honor roll of companies will make you blink more than once: Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, Nintendo, Shelby Sports and the list goes on and on.

For decades prison labor has been exploited by large corporations and major name brands precisely because the labor is as cheap as any sweat shop operation in a Third World country but at the same time, the manufacturer gets to put “Made in America” on it. Prison reform and fair trade groups are banding together to get a law passed to make it compulsory that where prison labor is used, then the label will reflect that fact. The argument goes that big corporations are making high margins on these products precisely because of the low labor overhead, no unions and lack of any benefits such as medical or a 401(k) and so consumers should not be ripped off by being overcharged and it is still wrong to exploit labor no matter what the circumstances. Another compelling point in today’s economically constrained times is that jobs are being taken from the mainstream labor market because of the cheap prison labor.

The manufacturers disagree; this is job skills training that a prisoner is otherwise not going to be able to get and leading to jobs on the outside, frequently with the manufacturer who employed their skills in prison and no matter what the financial implication, the prisoners are rewarded financially for their work as well as with privileges not otherwise available. More than this, many of the jobs would otherwise be done overseas using cheaper labor than the mainstream so the impact overall on the US economy is still positive no matter what the cost of labor.

Nevertheless, are consumers going to buy a high class garment with “Made in Prison” stamped on the label? Do folks even care if barcode labels are literally made behind bars?

Related articles

• Get Customized Shipping Labels That Get You Noticed (easyordershippinglabels.com)
• Products Liability – An Overview of the Law of Dangerous and Defective Products (allenandallen.com)
• Make Sure Your Asset Tags & Labels Work: Surface Preparation (easyorderassettags.com)
• American prison labor used to build Patriot missiles for UAE arms deal (boingboing.net)

Good organization not only keeps a playroom neat, it is an opportunity to teach your children about their letters and spelling words. Many schools now adapt the organization habit of labeling storage boxes in nursery school classrooms with a label that has a picture and the word for what is inside. So a container with crayons would have a picture of crayons and the word “Crayons.”

Adapting this labeling technique for your young child’s playroom at home not only gives you a very well organized playroom, it also encourages a child to stretch their word and lettering skills. The more exposed they are to words and letters, the more they will start to use them!

Labels are easy to make and to find. The very best labels for your nursery child’s playroom at home are ones that are both colorful and durable.

Use words that are simple and very commonly found. As your child sees the word over and over, they will begin to acclimate the word with the toy or other plaything.

What’s Your Labeling Personality? Take Our Quiz!

When you want to get organized, labels are one of the top ways you can stay on top of things. You’ll find things quickly and know exactly what the contents are when things have a custom label.

But everyone has a labeling personality. Do you know what yours is? Take our labeling quiz to discover exactly what type of labeler you are!

1. Your son or daughter is going off to summer camp. You are a little teary eyed, knowing you’ll miss them. To get them organized you start by…..

1. Labeling their trunk, inside of their clothing, snacks, emergency contact information – even their Game Boy!
2. Labeling the inside of their clothes – then asking them to finish their labeling.
3. Looking at what they have packed and labeling some of the items on top of the suitcase. They’ll always know what they have….won’t they?

2. Your family is throwing a tag sale to raise money for charity. You’ve cleaned and organized items and now it comes time to price and label them. You……

1. Organize them into categories by what type of item they are (toys, clothing, books, etc). Then start to price and label them.
2. Ask your children to label their toys and clothing and work on labeling and pricing the higher marked items.
3. Put labels on everything but leave the prices blank. This will mean that everyone can negotiate for a price – tag salers love haggling for a great deal!

3. Your family is going on vacation for two weeks to Bermuda. Sunny skies and sandy beaches call you. But your family is from Minnesota – so this trip has taken lots of extra shopping and now you’ve got to organize all of your packing. You…..

1. Pack everyone’s suitcases and carry-on bags and label each item. Adding clothing labels that include your name and address so they could be mailed back to you.
2. Help your younger children to pack and remind your older teens and husband to pack and show them how to label their clothing and items.
3. Add a label to the inside of your suitcase and to each family members’ suitcase. If any clothing gets lost…it was just meant to be!

Okay….time to tally up!

If your answers were mostly A then you are a Constant Cathy. Your labeling personality is well-organized, methodical and stays on top of every crisis. The only challenge? Sometimes you can go a bit overboard and wind up labeling the dog’s fleas!

If your answers were mostly B then you are a Middle of the Road Melody. Your labeling personality is relaxed and balanced. You see labeling as a way to stay organized, but you aren’t going to label like a chipmunk full of caffeine. The best way you can label is to make a list before you start a project and look at the priority places labels could go.

If your answers are mostly C then no one has to tell you that you are a Free Spirited Felicity. You stick labels wherever you are inspired to. Sometimes this means you have creative and inspired results and other times this means you are missing labels where it could be a great idea to have them. Make friends with Cathy and Melody for some great labeling tips – you can certainly teach them to be more creative!

It won’t be long before March 21st is here. This means it is the perfect time to get a jump on your Spring cleaning duties. Labels help organize Spring cleaning easily and effortlessly. Try these 10 Uses for Labels for Spring cleaning, you’ll likely discover you’ve got plenty of time left over to loaf and relax and think about what you’d like to plant in your garden!

1. Winter clothes. Label all of your winter clothing boxes so you can easily pull them from your attic or storage for next year. While children will likely grow out of many of their clothing, adults know they can wear the same sweaters and coats again and again. Labeling means you save time and effort crawling around in your attic figuring out exactly which box does have your winter coat!

2. Donations for charity. Your Spring cleaning time is the ideal time to donate winter clothing and used toys to charity. Why not label your boxes and bags of donations so they are easier for the charity to sort through? You’ll save them some time and also make your own charity donation list easier to make.

3. The garage. ‘Nough said. The garage gets a real workout in the Spring thaw. Label the spaces where your tools go and even the spaces where the kids’ bikes are stored. Everything can be easily organized and there will be no more tripping over things in the garage. Using asset tags can also help.

4. Canning fruit. Just like Grandma or your favorite aunt, many families can fruit or even make their own jam in the spring. It is very important to label each of these jars so you know exactly what is in them! Your pretty label also helps you give this jar as a great gift to friends and family.

5. Kid’s room. Somehow it seems like your kid’s possessions seem to morph and mushroom all on their very own — without you doing or buying anything else! Spring cleaning is the perfect time to organize and label exactly where things go. This will help teach your kid where to put toys and clothing away. If you have a young kid it also encourages new reading and spelling skills.

6. Coat closet. “But we don’t wear coats in Spring!” you may protest. Well, you may be known to grab your rain slicker or a business dress coat before heading out to work. A well-organized coat closet means everyone finds their coats (and puts them back) so much easier.

7. The video cabinet. Every family has a video cabinet, filled with DVDs and video games everyone enjoys playing. Labeling everything can help you find this quickly. Creating sections such as “video games” or “comedies” can also mean DVDs and other vids are put back in a much more organized fashion.

8. The medicine cabinet. When you are Spring cleaning, this is the ideal time to get rid of old and expired medicine as it is unsafe to have in any home. This is also the perfect time to label what you do have, so your family can reach for what you do need. Labels placed in the medicine cabinet can remind family of basic care tips such as first aid or emergency numbers.

9. Spices and kitchenware. Every family has one of “those” kitchen cupboards that is like a junk drawer, with too many things in it and you can never find what you need. Spring cleaning is the ideal time to organize it. Use Spring cleaning as the perfect time to relabel all of your spices, as many of the labels fall off as you cook.

10. Under the kitchen sink. This is one of the best places to label while you are Spring cleaning, as most families keep their cleaning supplies here. You can label where your sponges and mop go and also where your different types of cleaning supplies go. Labels can also give family cleaning tips for different parts of the home.

We have all dreamed of that paperless office. However, unless we capture all our receipts, every bill and invoice, in fact each piece of paper  floating around your office or home office digitally are dream of a paperless office will remain just that…a dream! We need o make a deliberate effort to decide what we need to digitally capture or not and then go ahead and save it electronically or not. In such an endeavor there are a host of gadgets that have cropped up.

Receipt Scanner

There are the neat receipts and neat scan which help you scan and record in software of your choice. These are very handy for the neatnik travelers among us. Other handy organizers that make business and personal travel a breeze are the well organized wheeled tote. It has a detachable cosmetic bag and separate compartments and pockets galore to enable the well seasoned traveler to neatly stash everything s/he would like to carry.

Jetway Travel Organizer

For that fast sailing through security is the handy jetway organizer. One can stash IDs, passports and cards and safely wear on ones person so they’re easy to produce when required, difficult to misplace or leave behind.

Richard Solo Charger

Then for all those ipods, PDA, cell phone or hair dryer is the universal charger which is the answer to all our charging problems. Richard Solo Charger pictured.

Reviews and information provided by MaverickLabel.com, your source for all your labeling needs from inkjet labels to barcode labels.

Winemaking became a passion when I got out of college. It was something I did for fun and friends and family really looked forward to a glass of my homemade wine. When the opportunity came to own a vineyard with my brother in law David, I jumped at the chance. We called it “Ruby Vineyards” because his wife’s name is Ruby. It’s only fair after all; he did find the vineyard and owns more than half of it.

Having our own vineyard has been exciting and we’ve just passed the first year mark for our business. We wanted to do something nice to thank our customers. We started looking at all of these elaborate thank you gifts like gourmet food baskets or engraved wine glasses – when my brother-in-law said, “Let’s make a special batch of wine, just for this one year anniversary.” That sounded really perfect. But we wanted the bottles to look different, not like our other bottles. So David found personalized labels for our wine bottles. We could add a message along with our logo and company name. It was all in full color and looked very professional. It was the perfect touch and the ideal way to say thank you to all of our customers who have stood by us for this past year.

The wine came out beautifully and David and I both knew right away this was a very special wine. We added the labels and started sending it out. On the labels we said, “Thank you for your patronage, celebrating our 1^st year. Ruby Vineyards.” Right away we started to get response. Our customers loved the wine! I actually had customers begging me to order cases of this special vintage of wine we’d created just for this purpose, something we hadn’t thought about.

The response was so strong from our Thank You wine that we’ve decided to add that vintage to our regular offerings. We call it our Anniversary Wine. I think we’ll make a different one for each year to thank our customers. From what started out as a simple idea, thanking our customers for their business has grown into an even bigger idea we hadn’t even thought of.

The personalized label was ideal because we could add a message without bothering with the fuss of a card. Both David and I were worried about what would happen if the card dropped off the bottle or somehow got lost. Then out customer wouldn’t understand why we were sending them a bottle of wine. We wanted to be 100% sure they knew we were sending this as a thank you. We also wanted to be sure they knew this was to celebrate our 1^st year in business. Both ideas worked successfully with the personalized labels that were so easy to attach to our wine bottles. They looked professional, and in full color we easily got the style we hoped to achieve.

Ruby Vineyards may be small but we are dedicated to making fine wine that people enjoy. I think that passion and enthusiasm shows with every glass. Salut and to your good health!

Related articles

• Short Pump’s The Wine Loft – A Review By The Good Wine Guru (richmondvapresents.com)
• The 7 Best Box Wines (makethelist.net)
• 7 Book Reviews on Food and Travel (7books.net)
• A Video Infographic – The Conception of Wine (infographicsshowcase.com)
• Finding the Words for Wine (online.wsj.com)