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

St. Matthew’s Church likes to help out the community. This year they decided to hold a spaghetti fundraising dinner. The funds would help their nursery school and several community charities. A spaghetti dinner is a low cost event but appeals to many hungry appetites. So the spaghetti fundraising plans were underway.

Our tickets were reasonably priced. Adults were $5 and children were $3. You could eat as much spaghetti as you wished. We felt that was a good price. Sodas and drinks were an extra cost as those can get pricy. Dessert was included. A local restaurant stepped up to donate the spaghetti, dessert and even the soda pop!

After a few weeks, the ticket sales were low. Pastor Greg was concerned about the event and wondered what else could be done. The Church Secretary Betty suggested we get bumper stickers to promote the event. The Pastor budgeted for them and realized they were low-cost and an ideal choice for the fundraiser. Best of all they came in many colors and lots of font and graphic choices – so we really could create a top quality bumpersticker that would get lots of attention.

At church, the next Sunday bumper stickers were passed out during the coffee hour. It wasn’t long before then that the phone started to ring with people wanting to reserve spots for the spaghetti dinner. Best of all, lots of people who bought tickets also asked if they could have a bumpersticker – which promoted our event even more! We ran out of the first batch of bumperstickers and had to have a second batch printed up. But they came quickly and we could easily hand them out to new dinner ticket buyers.

Three weeks from then it was time for our spaghetti dinner. Pastor Greg smiled as the Parish Hall was filled to the brim with people. I don’t think we’ve ever cooked that much spaghetti before in our lives! We raised $6,000 and with half of it going to the nursery school we can afford to get a new computer and library of books for the children. The other half goes to community based charities.

Our favorite thing about the bumperstickers was that they were fun. They made fundraising easy. A flyer can also be easy and convenient but they blow away. Many people think a flyer can be a real nuisance to their business. With the bumpersticker people who took them and added them to their cars knew they were supporting a local community event by putting one on their car.

It was also very helpful that the bumperstickers offered very attractive fonts, graphics and many colors for us to choose from. We were able to create a good looking bumpersticker and one that looked quite professional.

I would recommend a bumpersticker to any community fundraiser. It just makes things easier. Bumperstickers help you get the word out. They help to get people excited about what you are doing. Choose bumperstickers and watch your ticket sales explode!

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Let me tell you a story. Some family members are simply harder to shop for than others. Is it like that for you too? In my family, my Grandma is very difficult to shop for. To be fair, my Grandma is not a difficult person by nature or personality. She simply knows what she likes and what she doesn’t like. So when Grandma’s birthday comes every year it can be a challenge to find that terrific gift.

We all want to find that perfect gift. You know the one. The one that makes someone smile so wide you see the tops of their gums and they look like a little kid. It makes you realize you’ve found something they would have thought of if only they knew it existed. That gift. That’s the one we all dream of buying for our loved ones in a perfect world. Well for once I’d actually found it!

I found something I knew my Grandma would love. You see she is an enthusiastic needlepoint artist. I found some patterns inspired by stained glass windows. The patterns were exquisite. Grandma had often complained she simply can’t find “interesting” needlepoint anymore. So the very moment I saw these unique stained glass window needlepoint patterns – the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I gave the little shop my Grandma’s address to send them and thought all was taken care of. Until I called Grandma for her birthday. Then the floor fell out of my plans:

“Happy Birthday Grandma!” I said

“Thank you dear,” Grandma replied

“Did you like your birthday present?” I asked

“No dear? I haven’t received a present,” Grandma said. There was silence on the end of the telephone.

I ended our conversation and called the little needlepoint shop. They had to track the package and it turned out it was on the other side of town! Grandma had moved to a very large town and the zip code number had been transposed. I was both relieved and frustrated, but at least the package would be on its way. Grandma would get her birthday gift on her birthday. And yes, she did smile one of those big kid gum smiles.

That tracking number really saved the day. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I didn’t have one. There was only one set of those special stained glass patterns at the shop – I don’t think I could have gotten another one had I hoped for it. Without the tracking number, I would have needed to come up with a super idea for Grandma’s birthday in a jiffy.

But it makes me wonder what happens to packages without tracking numbers. I think we’ve just gotten so used to packages having them today that we don’t think about them. That tracking number truly can save the day – I know it saved Grandma’s birthday. It could save a special day in the future for you too.

There’s something about Spring that just makes us want to get organized and start new projects. The birds singing and warmer air make everyone have a “spring” in their step and more energy to tackle all of those projects they’ve been putting off. So enjoy Spring and try these great ways to use labels to get organized and make life run a bit smoother.

Canning or making jams/jellies. Spring and summer are the perfect time to can fruits and vegetables or to make jam and jellies. You’ll certainly want large, clear labels that tell you exactly what’s in these jars so when winter comes and you reach for a jar – you aren’t opening a mystery!

Garage sale. This is one of the best times to hold a garage sale. Spring is a great time to clean out your closets and go through the kids’ toys to see exactly what they just aren’t using anymore. Garage sale shoppers always seem to linger more when a sale is well organized and they certainly appreciate prices that are clear. Using label stickers will mean everyone can read prices quickly – even if they do try to haggle you down a bit!

Preparing for summer camp. Now is the ideal time to get the kids’ gear ready for summer camp. Don’t wait for the last minute to find the sunscreen, bathing suit and their sandals or extra pair of sneakers. Get everything ready and put it into the trunk so it is ready to go. You’ll want to use labels to label the trunk and then labels inside every piece of clothing.

Organize your gardening supplies. Spring is when we see those lovely crocuses and tulips coming out in bloom. But every gardener knows to get those beautiful flowers takes a lot of hard work and effort. Organize your gardening supplies and use labels so you know where everything goes and to identify your supplies.

Get the beach gear ready. If your family lives at the beach in warmer weather, then now is the best time to get your beach gear prepared. Look for your bathing suits, aqua shoes, beach towels, sunscreen and beach toys. Use labels to designate everyone’s beach bag and organize your summer fun gear.

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.

There are neat ways to organize all the paraphernalia found strewed all over your dresser or bathroom counter. The organizers below can whip your dressing space into shape and make dressing up a pleasure once again.

Here’s a neat way to store all your earrings. It’s a pullout that displays and stores your earrings and can be tucked away out of sight when you’re done.

Another organizer can either sit on your dressing table or be mounted on the wall.

But by far the piece de resistance is the dresser armoire for your jewelry on the wall. You can organize your jewelry, get a place to dress and clear it all off your floor and move it to the wall.

Diamond organizers are available to organize any drawer. They can easily be cut to size to fit any drawer. They are ideal for socks, panties, knee highs etc.

Another must-have organizer can get all your hair do-dads off your dresser, off your bathroom counter and out of the way either on a wall or cabinet door. All the do-dads can be displayed handily and well arranged till the next time you need them.

I was trying to structure my thoughts for a blog piece. Many ideas came to me. My objective was to expand on one idea at a time per blog. However there were so many connections. It was like a glimpse into the brain itself with synapses and neurons and all connected together in a jangle of nerves. How do I sort this out? How could I chart it out before the whole exercise becomes moot?

Aha! Serendipitously, someone had already gone through this very process and encapsulated a highly intuitive and innovative way of putting it all on paper. After all half the world’s ideas were germinated over a plain cup of joe shared with a friend or colleague and scribbled on the nearest paper napkin at hand. Why there is also a mind map created for de-cluttering!

This could be a terrific tool for any organizing one chooses to do. For authors and writers there is software specially for them but if ideas should occur in the field, as it were, why not chart them out and save for future use in a file labeled ideas?