A Day in the Life of Alice – DIY Baby Labels

Alice is on a roll I tell ya and the timing couldn't have been better because Baby Alice arrived Friday, April 11th weighing in at 6lbs 7ozs and we at THB are so happy about it! In honor of Baby Alice, we are even happier to show you some more of her room. Today, we are focusing on labels...how Alice labeled all of Baby Alice's belongings. You see, labels are so easy but add such an huge impact to a space. They not only have the ability to look pretty, but they help give your belongings a home. I mean come on, you have an address don't you? Think of a label as an address for your belongings. Our rule of thumb is if you can't see into it or you can't easily decipher what it is, you should label it. A true test of this is to have someone come into the zone/space and ask them where something is...if they can't easily locate it then you probably need to label it. Now, for those with spouses and children that need a little more of a "push", I would suggest that you first label and then give a tour ☺ yes a tour...because although it says it very clearly and you assume they will read it...they won't...and you need to explain to them how the system works. Also, see if they have any input to the system (At THB we encourage you to involve your "team" in the process so they have buy-in to the way it's set up). You will be amazed at how involved your team will get by just giving them the opportunity. So in honor of label week (ha you see how I just deemed it label week?!?!?) We wanted to show you Alice's process with hopes that you will find it encouraging and that it will motivate you to think of ways to give your items an address. ======================================= Our first step was to assist Alice in identifying what items she needed to store for the baby. Once this list was compiled, she printed it on colored paper. (This can be done organically or you can use a label template from your computer to space them for you.)  As you can see, she cut her labels out using decorative scissors. The next step was to cut squares out of the remaining scrapbook paper that was leftover from her clothing dividers project, to serve as her background. She secured the label and the background together using mod podge (you can also use glue or tape). The final step was to punch a hole in the corner of the background and feed the ribbon through the hole, which Alice recycled from a gift she received at her shower. We were very happy to see that Alice used recycled materials because at THB we believe in using the resources you have. There is no requirement that you break the bank to get organized...I mean just look at Alice's pretty labels, they turned out really nice. Hanging from baskets[/caption] Now her family can help locate/return items for Baby Alice without her having to be present because we all know she (Alice) is gonna need her sleep. ☺ Drawer Labels For the drawers in the room, Alice just used the labels created in the first step above and taped them directly to the drawers. By adhering them with tape it makes them easier to change out as Baby Alice begins to grow. Oh and as a bonus do you see how she used small boxes to separate the different clothes within the drawer? These are recycled boxes!!! We are so very proud! So as you can see, the great thing about labels is that you can create them however you want. You can create them with a label maker, with chalk labels or just have picture labels. You can insert them into label holders, pin them on, glue them on, etc. The key is to give your belongings a permanent address, a permanent home so they won't be lost...no one wants to be lost in this big world, not even your stuff. Enjoy the process of personalizing your environment. Involve your "Team" and remember this is an easy way to get people to understand where things live without a lot of associated costs. Happy Labeling! Please share your various label adventures with us, we'd love to see your creative ideas.