Photo by Transguyjay
Families know that it is summer camp time. Children look forward to this time and even parents look forward to it as a time when their children will develop new skills and make some new friends and just have some fun.

Whether your child goes away to camp or to a local camp, the “camp experience” involves great organization on the part of the camper and the family. It is so important that you get organized for your child ahead of time. Try our camp organization tips so your child will have a great summer.

1. When you register your child for camp – ask for the materials list. Many camps will mail it out as camp date gets closer, but most will provide it at your request earlier – which means you can get your shopping done earlier.
2. Labels in clothing are very important, especially for children attending a sleep-away camp. Add labels early – and remember if your child has a popular name and surname like Susan Smith to add their middle name too to avoid confusion.
3. Sending treats to sleep-away camp and day camp is a popular occurrence. Label snacks so campers know whose snacks are whose. Remember that many children today have peanut allergies – so don’t select snacks with peanuts in them.
4. Your child for sleep-away camp will have a large trunk to put all of their items in. Remember to put labels the actual trunk, both inside and outside so everyone knows whose trunk it is.
5. Many children are tempted to bring valuable items like a charm bracelet, favorite teddy bear or electronic devices to camp. This is often unwise as these items can become lost or sometimes “borrowed” by overeager campers. Sometimes these items are also hard to label – like a teddy bear or a piece of jewelry.
6. Give your child pre stamped stationary or postcards to write friends and family home while at sleep-away camp. Most sleep-away campers do have access to email. But many campers look forward to daily “mail call” and the best way to get mail is to send some of your own.

MaverickLabel.com They specialize in custom label printing and have cheap stickers and custom window decals for summer needs.

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.

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Using shipping labels would be organized and well-planned – who needs that? Let’s just go with the flow and discover some of the great reasons you shouldn’t use shipping labels!

A kid’s crayon is so colorful and always gets attention. When you address a package with one of your kid’s crayons, that is sure to be the package that everyone opens first. Nothing says a first class presentation like a Periwinkle crayon!

Sometimes a surprise is fun. Leave the “To” information out and leave them guessing. See just how long it takes for them to figure out the package was from you. If they really care about you – they’ll know for sure the package was yours. Really, you are doing yourself a favor with this one.

Children need to practice their handwriting. Why not let them practice addressing your packages? If the handwriting is poor – there might be some slight problem with mailing the package – but that’s just a chance we all take these days. This is the ideal time to let Junior practice their “ABCs.”

Always address packages when you have missed a night’s sleep. When you’ve been up all night with a colicky baby or working on a presentation, this is the ideal time to address your package. They say the senses are heightened when you have a lack of sleep – then again there is the lack of motor skills that some complain about. But we’re sure your package will arrive eventually.

Close your eyes and open to a page in your address book and point your finger. The name your finger points to is the person this package is really meant for. You see, had you used a shipping label you would have gotten in the way of this package’s true karma. Thank heavens for the Universe and Divine Intervention!

If you would like to actually get a package to its destination, please consider buying your mailing labels from MaverickLabels.com, a custom label printing company.

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Our gift shop opened this September and while owning our own business has been exciting, I’ll admit that there have been some learning lessons along the way. This very first holiday season certainly brought a very hard learning lesson when it comes to tracking labels. We didn’t use them at our gift shop – and quite a few gifts were not delivered or returned to us. This has been a very frustrating time at Cyndi’s Adorables Gifts!

Tracking labels tell you where a package is at all times. I never really thought about this – and I certainly wasn’t thinking about this as I mailed out holiday packages. Quite frankly, I just wanted to get them in the mail. My gift shop hasn’t done a lot of mailing – and I was excited to see our business pick up. I was expecting to see a lot of gift business because we are a gift shop – but I was not expecting all of the challenges and heartbreak that came our way because of these tracking labels – and our packages not having them.

Tracking labels are easy to attach and scan into a computer system. Using tracking labels in many ways reminds me of going to the supermarket. You know how every item “beeps” as it goes over the conveyer belt as its UPC code is read? That’s just like a tracking label! When your tracking label is read along the way as the package is shipped and delivered – you’ll be able to see where and exactly when your package was there. It’s that easy.

Not having tracking labels is not just careless – it’s very expensive. I did not realize just how much I was going to wish I had tracking labels on my packages. You would think that people mailing gifts to family and friends for the holidays would know the address they are sending things to – but sometimes they don’t have the correct address. This means your package can be undeliverable and wind up sitting somewhere in package limbo. If you have a tracking label – then you know exactly where it is. If you don’t – then you just have to wait for the package to be returned to you. It’s January now and I’m getting all kinds of returns from holiday packages people sent out. That’s not counting all of the angry calls I received from customers who wanted a gift sent to a family member or friend that didn’t make it there on time.

If you have a business – learn from my mistake and don’t make one of your own. Get tracking labels now before you get shipping orders. Your customers will be pleased even if they don’t realize the difference. Best of all, you’ll realize the difference. The cost alone makes it well worth the price. Tracking labels are so small many people don’t think about them. But they hold very important information that can really save the day. Order your tracking labels today – and make your customers happy. Or they may find another business that does!

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I’m about to admit a real confession here: I have a serious addiction. Are you ready to hear about it?

I’m addicted to To Do lists!

To Do lists work. When you create a To Do list, somehow you just DO IT. There is no greater bliss than going about your day checking things off your To Do list. It gets to the point where checking things off your To Do list is just plain fun.

So how can you put all of this To Do magic to work in your life? Start by creating a To Do list the day or evening before your next day — to plan for the day’s events. This is probably one of the most classic To Do lists. Once you start creating this To Do list, you just won’t want to stop.

Write down everything you have to do on your To Do list, don’t edit yourself as you are writing. Once you’ve got everything down on paper – then go back through your list and start to prune.
Does everything truly need to be accomplished tomorrow? Is tomorrow the ideal day to listen to War and Peace on tape? Is that the best day to start your diet or look into the raw food movement? Only you will know the answers to these questions.

Begin to place items in order of importance, the order you want to get them done. So #1 will be done first and #2 will be done second. Continue through your list until you have gotten through your entire day.

The best To Do list adds in breaks for lunch and other practical breaks that you may take during the day for meetings, errands or other necessities. The best To DO lists are made with personalized labels to keep things organized.

Sometimes creating your To Do lists can teach you a great deal about your time management skills. You may discover you are trying to cram way, way too much into your day. Or that you are trying to do too much right after work or in the mornings. Making these To Do lists can help you understand how to be the most effective.

Photo by Mr. Jayel Aheram.

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.

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.

All sorts of bar code labels can be customized for various ways in which you might use them.  From small sizes with just the bar codes to barcodes with images for your bottles or cans or various sized packages.

You can have labels for CDs you have for sale and for various products with your company name on them.  Such as:

For outdoor use waterproof labels can be customized in sizes required.

You may want to post hazard warning labels.

Or maybe you need promotion, business signs or custom bumper stickers.  These signs are now available in vinyl.  They are durable enough to endure outdoor conditions.  They are hardy and scuff and UV resistant.  Made as they are with flexible material, they work well even on curved surfaces.  The pressure sensitive adhesive used, make them durable with a minimum outdoor life of 3 to 5 years.  They can withstand a temperature range of -40º F to 176º F.  They are available in rugged white vinyl or transparent polyester with UV inks.  They can be used indoors or out on windows, signs, vehicles or your products.

Maverick Label can help with your barcode labels and all printing needs stated in this article.