16 Creative Projects for Label Lovers {The Thinking Closet}

Hey, hey friends! I am absolutely thrilled to have my friend Lauren from The Thinking Closet here today on the blog! Lauren is truly one of the sweetest and most genuine people in all of blogland, and I was giddy with excitement to be able to meet her in person at Haven this year after having known her online for a long time now. We even hung out in a faux shower together! 😀

The Thinking Closet

Lauren’s creative posts and beautiful heart keep readers coming back to her blog again and again, and if you haven’t already discovered her awesomeness, I know you will quickly become a fan of hers as well! And now, here’s Lauren!

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Lauren from The Thinking Closet

 

Hello there, Just a Girl and Her Blog readers! My name is Lauren, and when I’m not directing musicals or guzzling down a yummy Starbucks drink, I’m whipping up something craftastic and sharing it over on my blog, The Thinking Closet.

Abby and I have been blog buddies for quite some time now, and when she invited me to come on over and guest post, I jumped at the chance! Not only would I bend over backwards for the girl (we all know what a gem Abby is), but I was also eager to meet you all.

You see, Abby and I have a lot of things in common:

  • She’s a preacher’s kid and I’m a preacher’s granddaughter.
  • We’re both former English teachers.
  • I almost ended up at Grove City where Abby attended college. (How crazy would it be if we had been roommies? Bring on the all-night-craft-sessions!)

Oh, and last but not least:

  • We like to label everything.

Which brings us to the subject of this here post!

16 Creative Projects for Label Lovers

I thought it could be fun to share with you all 16 of the many labeling endeavors I have undertaken. Because I have a hunch that Abby and I aren’t the only ones who heave a sigh of relief when we open a cabinet to see baskets of food clearly marked with chalkboard labels. Sure, there may be piles of laundry that remain unfolded and a craft explosion all over the living room from the last DIY project…but if I can block that all out for a moment and just stare at my neatly-organized cabinet, suddenly, all is right in the world.

Can you relate? Well, then this post is for you friends! I hope it brings you some labeling inspiration.

16 Creative Projects for Label Lovers!  Prepare for an inspiration fest that may send you running to your pantry to reorganize and label out the wazoo!

In the Kitchen

These handy dandy D.I.Y. Wooden Chalkboard Labels were actually my very first D.I.Y. project that I shared on my blog…and nearly two years later, they’re still working hard to keep our crowed kitchen cabinets organized.

DIY Chalkboard Label Tutorial by The Thinking Closet
DIY Wooden Chalkboard Label Tutorial

My hubby gave me a Silhouette machine for Christmas in 2012, and it has vastly helped to up my labeling game. One of my very first label projects with my Silhouette was creating Sugar & Flour Jar Labels from frosted vinyl. It gives my sugar and flour jars the classy look of etched glass!

I Heart Labels: Sugar & Flour Jar Edition | The Thinking Closet
Sugar & Flour Jar Labels with Frosted Vinyl

And I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely brought home bakeware that was not mine from potluck dinners. However, now that I have permanently labeled my casserole dishes with our last name, I need not worry about that any longer! Creating Personalized Etched Glass Bakeware is a really fun project to do for bridal showers or housewarming gifts, too!

How to create Personalized Etched Glass Bakeware! Tips, tricks, and a step by step tutorial. Christmas gift-making, here I come! via thinkingcloset.com
Personalized Etched Bakeware Tutorial

Another “label” of sorts that has solved some of our kitchen woes of accidentally re-washing already=clean dishes, has been this Clean & Dirty Dishwasher Magnet I made. No more mix-ups!

Now, I will never mix up the clean and dirty dishes again! This tutorial includes both a Silhouette cut file and a FREE printable for those who want to cut out the magnets the old-fashioned way: with scissors! These would make great shower, housewarming, or hostess gifts!
Clean & Dirty Dishwasher Magnet

Have you ever tried labeling wood with a wood-burner? It’s one of my husband’s favorite tools. And in the tutorial for our Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin, he walks you through the steps of how to add a wood-burned recycle logo to the top of your recycle bin!

Woodburning the recycle logo into the "trap door" of the Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin via thinkingcloset.com
Woodburning a Logo into our Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin
Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin. Gotta love that the recycle bin itself is made from recycled materials! And it's actually big enough that it doesn't need to be emptied every other day. Such a great way to transform the recycle bin corner, so it's no longer an eye sore!
Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin

Hospitality

Table place-cards are labels of sorts, right? Whenever we host company for dinner, I take out my Gold Plastic Toy Animals & Sketch Pen Place-Cards to help guide our guests to their special spot at our table! It never fails to give them a smile.

Sketch Pen Place Cards | A Tutorial and Special Promotion by The Thinking Closet
Gold Plastic Animals & Sketch Pen Place Cards

I also created some festive Halloween Treat Bag Labels using Printable Silver Foil for our Costume Party last fall. I always love adding a handmade touch to party favors if I can!

Halloween Party Treat Bags & Free Cut File for Custom Labels via thinkingcloset.com
Halloween Party Treat Bags

Gifts

My love of labels is so intense, I even give labels as gifts! And who needs labels more than friends in the midst of moving? They’re a key element of my Merry Moving Kit!

Merry Moving Kit & Other Practical Ideas for Moving or Housewarming Gifts | The Thinking Closet
Merry Moving Kit & Other Practical Gift Ideas for Moving or Housewarming

After staying with our friends in Colorado this past February, I left behind some gifts for their kiddos as a thank you: Personalized Milk Bottles. (I only grew up with one sibling, and I still very much understood the value of having your name plastered on something. And not just your first name, but your middle name, too.)

Personalized Plastic Milk Bottles: such a fun throw-back to the days of the vintage milk bottle. These would make such great shower gifts or hostess gifts (for the kids!). Super easy to customize, too!
Personalized Plastic Milk Bottles

Labels don’t have to be too serious either. In fact, I think it can be quite refreshing when they have a sense of humor like my label for the Chill Pills Bottle Gag Gift I made Mark this Christmas. “Side effects may include sudden onset smiling….”

Chill Pills! A great gag gift idea and all you need is a glass jar, some candies, and the FREE printable labels from this Silhouette tutorial via thinkingcloset.com!
Chill Pills Gag Gift

For Father’s Day last year, I made my Father-in-Law a Cowboy’s Toothpick Holder Jar, complete with a vinyl label declaring them as his and his alone! Hands off, pard’ner!

A Cowboy's Toothpick Holder | The Thinking Closet
A Cowboy’s Toothpick Holder

Fun fact: Did you know you can create your own font with just a printer and scanner and pen? And that you can print a clothing label in that font to be added to your D.I.Y. sewing creations? True story! And here’s how to do it: D.I.Y. Clothing Labels with Personalized Font Tutorial.

DIY Clothing Labels with Personalized Font
Clothing Labels with Personalized Font

Storage Time

One of my proudest organizing endeavors was our front hall closet. The “before” is really scary…and so it makes the “after” all the more remarkable. Our white Custom Vinyl Labels have played such an important role in helping us to keep this closet as organized today as it was last summer. That’s the power of labels!

Vinyl labels help us stay organized!
Custom Vinyl Labels

And if you don’t have your own digital craft-cutter for making your own labels, there are plenty of cute ones out there for purchase! Like these cutie-pattootie Martha Stewart Chalkboard Labels I used on my Craft Storage Bins.

Craft Drawer Organization for the Budget Savvy by Lauren from The Thinking Closet
Craft Drawer Organization with Chalkboard Labels

In the Home Office

One of my goals this year has been to work on our Receipt Organization, so they aren’t the hot mess and a half they were at the end of 2013! Thanks to some Target accordion organizers and labels on the exterior and tabs, we are keeping things in tip top order in 2014.

Stay organized this year with Receipt Organizers (complete with 12 month dividers inside!). Gotta love the $1 bin at Target!
Receipt Organization

Annnd, last, but not least, one of our recent furniture transformations was a Roll-Top Desk Makeover, which has been my most challenging and yet favorite DIYs to date. I just love all the teeny tiny drawers for storing teeny tiny office supplies. So, of course, I used my sketch pens to create some teeny tiny labels to complete the look!

Roll-Top Desk Makeover! Such a dramatic before & after. Amazing what fresh paint and a little vision can do!
Roll-Top Desk Makeover

And yes, I have a drawer just for washi tape!

Roll Top Desk Makeover: Drawer labels made with Silhouette sketch pens, to give it that handwritten look!
Sketch Pen Drawer Labels

To Close

A heartfelt thanks to Abby for the invitation to share this round-up with you lovelies. I hope it serves you well as you label all the things!

For more label inspiration, I highly recommend you take a look back at Abby’s Fabulously Feminine Home Office because she labeled with a capital L for that project! She also has some beautifully Labeled Pantry Tupperware and a sweet tutorial on How to Make Pretty Labels with Microsoft Word, too!

And feel free to stop by The Thinking Closet anytime. The closet door is always open to new visitors! And here’s a great place to start.

Be well,

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Isn’t she the best?! Love that girl! And all of those labels seriously make me swoon! 😀 I hope you were inspired by Lauren’s post today– be sure to head over to The Thinking Closet for even more creative goodness, and follow along on social media while you’re there so you don’t miss the fun! Have a great week!

Delightful Sign Off

14 Comments

  1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

    Thanks SO much, Abby, for having me over here today! It is a true JOY to hang out here at Just a Girl & Her Blog with your awesome-sauce readers…and you have me all blush-faced at your kind, generous words. I had a blast hanging out in that faux shower with you at Haven – – looking forward to our next in-person adventure (and the tons of virtual ones in between!). HUGS!

  2. Love Lauren and all her fabulous creations! Each and every one of these is so cute and useful. Awesome guest post! 🙂

    1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

      Aw! You’re too kind, Bre! The love is so mutual, my friend.

  3. FF @ Femme Frugality says:

    The bakeware is genius! No more losing dishes after potlucks!

    1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

      Wow, that’s high praise, FF! And it’s true: I’m through with getting my bakeware mixed up with all the other identical bakeware at potlucks now that my last name is permanently ETCHED into ours! Ha ha. Take that, casserole dish snatchers! #etchingcreamforthewin

  4. Melissa @ A Prudent Life says:

    What a treat to have two of my favorite gals in one post. Especially since they share my label-love! Great ideas Lauren!

    1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

      Melissa, you are too sweet! Thanks for the warm words and label-love! Sending you a squeeze across the blog-o-sphere. 😉

  5. Theresa @ AMomInTheMaking says:

    Lauren,
    I feel like I need to stop everything and spend the rest of my day redoing my house and making adorable labels for everything.

    I love all your ideas and can’t wait to start transforming all the labels in my house into the adorable ideas that you have.

    You basically took all the cute ideas I dream up and put them into one blog post!

    1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

      Ha ha. I love that this post was a manifestation of your dreams, Theresa! That makes me so happy – – and gives me a sense that we’d get along swimmingly! Off to visit you over at your blog!

      1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

        And after clicking through, I realized I have TOTALLY been on your blog before! Heard your podcast with Abby and LOVED every minute of it. Following along so I can stay in the loop on future podcasts. 😉

  6. I feel like a bad follower for not knowing some of these?! Apologies, Lauren!
    But right now, I’m off to check out that home office… *swoons*

    1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

      Johanna, you could never EVER be considered a bad follower, my dear. You are too good to be true! (And thanks for visiting me over here in Abby’s neck o’ the woods. You’re gonna LOVE her home office!)

  7. BrocanteuseRose says:

    I love labels, I really LOVE them! I am so glad someone else gets the whole “laundry may be a wreck but if the pantry is labeled I’m good” mentality. 🙂

    1. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says:

      Yay! I know – – some may say it’s a distorted way of thinking; but to me (and you!), it’s right on point! Ha ha. Thanks for checking out the post, BRose!

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