Storage Ideas and Free Printable Labels

I’m remembering now how this back-to-school thing works. Every year at the beginning of August the thought of school starting up again with its accompanying busy-ness completely depresses me. I love the long days of summer when there’s time to read and daydream and create and hang around with friends. I toy with the idea of just not sending my kids back to school.

But ever so slowly I’m lured in by the promise of fresh starts and new opportunities. Notebooks are stacked on the dining room table, waiting for stories to be written on their blank pages. Crisp-looking crayons are ready to create artistic masterpieces. And e-mails suddenly start appearing from helpful organizations with lots of ideas to share about Getting Organized for the School Year. I start thinking about all the things we love about autumn—pumpkins and birthdays and apple picking and cozy sweaters and fires—and instead of dreading the school year, I begin to feel a tiny glimmer of excitement.

With every new season, I feel the urge to get rid of extra stuff and attempt to be more organized. So I was happy to get an e-mail today from Better Homes and Gardens filled with organizing ideas. Fresh starts. I’ve included a few, but they have dozens more here.

I think these art-supply holders, made from empty Pringles containers, would be a great solution for storing our paintbrushes, pens, and pencils. And my kids would be thrilled to be told they have to eat Pringles.

What an adorable way to store tiny toys. You can find the printable here. The folks at BH&G printed the square label on heavy card stock, laminated it, and placed it inside a metal-rimmed tag. Finally, they punched a hole in the label and hung it from the tub with ribbon. And then they placed the whole thing on a cute little green chair.

I love this idea for storing beauty supplies. Ours have been tossed in a plastic bin in a drawer in the bathroom. This is much cuter. And what is it about labels? They have such authority. “Put that there,” they say. “Listen to us and everything will be under control.”

Are you excited for school to start? I know lots of people who can’t wait to send their kids off. I think they prefer the structure of the school year. If you don’t have kids or they’re grown, how do you feel about summer coming to an end?