For the Home Archives | While He Was Napping

February 27, 2019 by Krista

How to DIY Laser Printer Labels for Home Organization

Welcome! I’m so glad you stopped by today! Have you ever been organizing something and thought, this sure could use a cute label!? Or maybe you’ve wished for something cuter than a sticky note. If you’ve ever wish organization could be easier, cuter and functional then these DIY Laser Printer Labels are just what you need. Simple, inexpensive, cute and actually useful! Just how organizing should be!

ORGANIZE SIMPLY, EFFECTIVELY AND INEXPENSIVELY WITH DIY LASER PRINTER LABELS

Organizing supplies can get costly quickly. But it doesn’t have to be a choice between chaos and cash. Keep your things in order with a quick print job and this easy DIY project. These labels will make it easier to calm the chaos in the kitchen, the toy room, the craft room, the bathroom, or anywhere else you might need a little more calm and a little less chaos.

ORGANIZE YOUR SPACE FOR FUNCTION AND FORM WITH THESE EASY DIY LASER PRINTER LABELS

Does your spice cupboard look like a disaster zone?
Do you buy foods in bulk?
Do your kids have toys with lots of little pieces? (Lego bricks and Shopkins, I’m looking at you.)
Is your home office or command center a jumble of pencils, pens, sticky notes, markets and other paraphernalia?

You need some containers, my friend. But what good is a container if you don’t know what goes in it? And that is where your super easy, oh-so-cute DIY Laser Printer Labels will come to the rescue!

GET ORGANIZED WITH DIY LASER PRINTER LABELS IN JUST 30 MINS

Now that you know why you need some super useful DIY Laser Printer Labels, are you ready for the best part of this little project?

These only take 30 minutes to make. Seriously.

In 6 super simple steps, you’ll be ready to organize ALL. THE. THINGS.

Ready? Let’s calm that chaos!

DIY LASER PRINTER LABELS SUPPLIES:

Labels. You can download my blank farmhouse-inspired wreath labels HERE and fill them in with an image editor before you print them. Or grab my set of Ready-to-Print Spice, Baking and Pantry Labels with editable templates from my Etsy Shop. The editable templates will make it super easy to quickly make labels for anything you might need.
Laser printer. No, unfortunately, ink jet won’t work for this project, as the ink is water based. I personally own a Brother Laser Printer and it does a decent job, as long as you aren’t looking to do photos. You can also get your files printed at an office supply store for just a few dollars, if you don’t have access to a laser printer.
Copy paper. Any standard copy paper will work. In fact, the cheaper, the better.
Box packing tape or contact paper. I personally prefer the packing tape. The ink tends to transfer better with the tape than with the contact paper. More info on this is below, at the bottom of the directions.
Scissors.
Bowl and water.

DIY LASER PRINTER LABELS DIRECTIONS:

PRINT YOUR LABELS

Step #1: Print your labels on a laser printer. You can download my blank labels from the links below. If you choose to use them, you will need to edit the image files before you print them. Any image editor will work.

2-inch Spice Labels | 2.75-inch Baking Labels | 4-inch Pantry Labels

Or get the pictured Ready-to-Print Labels and editable templates in my Etsy shop.

COVER YOUR LABELS

Step #2: Cover your labels with packing tape. If the label is too large for the packing tape, you have 2 choices:

Layer with strips of tape to cover the entire label or
Use contact paper to cover the label.

I personally prefer to layer the tape than to use contact Paper. The ink transfers better with the tape If you use tape, you’ll have to overlap the layers of tape a little or your label will fall apart. The overlap lines are barely noticeable. There is a photo below of a layered label so you can see if it bothers you or not.*

CUT OUT YOUR LABELS

Step #3: Use the scissors to cut out your label. The shape of the tape is more important than the shape of the paper. I typically just cut around the perimeter of the label. If you want a specific shape for your label, make sure you cut it out of the tape, not just the paper.

SOAK YOUR LABELS

Step #4: Fill your bowl with water. Regular old tap water at room temperature is my preference. Your hands will be in the water, so super hot or super cold water is not recommended.

Step #5: Place the labels in the bowl. Push them under the water so they are completely submerged. Let the labels soak in the water for 10-15 mins.

PEEL YOUR LABELS

Step #6: Peel the paper backing off the tape. Rub your fingers lightly, but firmly, over the back of the label until all the paper is rubbed away. The ink should remain on the tape.

It’s a little easier to rub the paper away while the label is in the bowl, submerged in the water. You’ll need to inspect it to make sure all the paper comes off. Pay particular attention around the ink, it tends to stick there more.

Once all the paper is peeled from the tape, let your label dry completely. You can blot with a paper towel to speed this up a little.

STICK YOUR LABELS

Yep that’s it. Once your labels are dry, they are ready to use! The adhesive will be sticky again as soon as it is dry. So start sticking those labels and organize all the things!

CONTACT PAPER VS. PACKING TAPE

So, remember when I talked about the layering of tape for larger labels? In the photo above, the baking soda label is a layered label. Can you see where the pieces of tape overlap? Check out the close up below. The layer lines go through the word “soda”.

The cocoa powder label in the first photo above is a contact paper label. And that one actually came out really good. Most of them were more like the photo below, which is why I prefer to layer the tape than to use contact paper.

If you do decide to use contact paper, make sure you give the ink the best chances of transferring to the contact paper adhesive by rubbing it firmly with a plastic card (like a bank card or library card) or another hard item after you’ve covered the labels with the contact paper.

GET ORGANIZED WITH DIY LASER PRINTER LABELS

Sure, you could spend a small fortune on organizing supplies and custom labels. Or you could make some adorable, functional labels yourself in less than half an hour.

Label your bulk foods, your spice cupboard, your baking ingredients, your kids toys, your office supplies and anything else you might need or want a label on.

So, what are you waiting for? Calm the chaos and organize your life with some totally cute, totally functional, totally inexpensive and easy DIY Laser Printer Labels.

DON’T FORGET YOU CAN GRAB MY READY-TO-PRINT LABELS AND THE EDITABLE TEMPLATES IN MY ETSY SHOP TO MAKE THIS PROJECT EVEN EASIER!

January 3, 2018 by Krista

Calendar Journal

This post was originally posted in 2014. It was last updated Jan 2018 to maintain accuracy and pertinence. Full 2018 calendar journal templates are available in my Etsy shop.

Do you keep a journal? I am the worst journal-keeper ever.

I used to be pretty good at it when I was younger – okay, I used to do it when I was younger. Being good at it might be a little too generous. But, then… Life. Marriage. Motherhood.

I was so busy living (sometimes surviving) day-to-day that I was sure I wouldn’t forget the important stuff and the daily stuff was monotonous. Did I really need another journal entry about dishes and laundry and baby snot on my clothes?

WHY WE NEED TO JOURNAL THE LITTLE THINGS

But, I realized that I WAS forgetting the important stuff. Wait, what day was it when my beautiful little niece was born again?! And how much did the doctor say my youngest weighed at his well-baby check up last week? If only I’d written it down!

And, you know what, the dishes, laundry and baby snot DOES matter. It might seem like small, inconsequential chores and a boring daily grind – but it’s my life! It’s not always glamorous and fancy, but it’s mine.

When I’m feeling unaccomplished and like I spent my day just spinning my wheels, some times I need to account for the little things like laundry and dishes. Because keeping my family fed and clothed IS important. Having a physical list of my accomplishments helps me have the motivation to do it all again the next day.

EVEN YOU HAVE TIME TO JOURNAL WITH A CALENDAR JOURNAL

Part of my struggle was time. I felt like I didn’t have time to sit down and write for 20 minutes! And filling only three lines in my journal was kind of depressing.

However, I seemed to have stumbled on something that works! A Calendar Journal. I first saw a similar idea on a Flickr feed. The one I originally saw, I can’t seem to locate, but the link is quite similar. I totally fell in love with the idea. THIS I can do! AND I DID!

Eleven months down and I only missed a week plus a couple days. It looks so neat and only takes a couple minutes a day (usually right before I go to bed). The good news: I think I’m hooked!

WHY THE CALENDAR JOURNAL WORKS SO WELL

The limited space is just what I need. It’s small enough that I don’t feel like I need to spend large chunks of time on writing. I just jot down a few quick notes and I’m done. Some times, I write in it while I brush my teeth at night. Super quick, super easy.

It’s also a creative outlet for me and that’s just what I need to wind down and relax at the end of my day.

And, if I do miss a couple days, I can go back pretty easily and fill it in. (Confession: I may or may not have spent some time filling in about a month and a half in November and December… whoops. But I was able to get it all filled in before I forgot everything and my calendar still looks awesome.)

February 2013 Calendar

A couple of close-ups of my Calendar Journal. Nothing super detailed or incredibly personal… unless you want it to be. Sometimes, my entries were just a check list of things I’d done that day – dishes, laundry, wiping up baby snot – and sometimes they were more personal – like we’re having another baby!

As you can see, I am no artist and the little sketches are just simple little drawings.

Click the image to view a larger version of my Calendar Journal.

WANT TO CREATE YOUR OWN CALENDAR JOURNAL?

I have the 2018 calendars available for purchase in my Etsy shop. It is a one-time, single instant download with all 12 months. The PDF file has all 24 calendar pages and is ready for printing right at home. Another nice thing about the PDF packet is that you will be able to print the pages back-to-back all at one time. Each month also has extra space to write down additional notes. I used it for things my kids said, anything exciting that didn’t fit in the box for that day and little extras (like when my husband surprised me with a new cell phone upgrade).

I never got around to binding my pages, they are all still just loose papers, as you can see in the photos above. Some binding ideas are: You could put them in a three-ring binder, bind them with tape and glue or sew them together.

UPDATE 2018: I now do my calendar journal in my planner. I used the Mom on the Go Planner from leafytreetops.com last year. I love the weekly spread where each day is split into three columns. I use the bottom box to do my calendar journal and the top boxes are my appointments and to-dos. Any blank calendar or planner would work though. I also really like the Erin Condren Life Planner – it has the three column layout as well.

Enjoy and happy journaling!

This post was written by Krista and originally appeared on While He Was Napping.

May 3, 2017 by Krista

The Kitchen Declutter Challenge You Can Do In A Weekend

Welcome! I’m so glad you stopped by today! If your kitchen is feeling a little overcrowded and cluttered then you have come to the right place. If you want a little more order and less chaos in your cocina, this is for you. In two days, you can reclaim your space with this weekend kitchen declutter challenge. This checklist will guide you through, step-by-step to a clutter-free kitchen.

A CLUTTER FREE KITCHEN IN TWO DAYS WITH THIS KITCHEN DECLUTTER CHALLENGE

Two days is all it will take to get your kitchen under control, contain the chaos and kick out the clutter. Imagine finding that bowl or pitcher or cheese grater the first place you look. What would it be like actually knowing what spices you have in your cupboards. Imagine a calm, enjoyable cooking experience in a kitchen you love. You can have all that and more! Your kitchen can be a place you love, even if it’s not your dream kitchen. Only store the things you use and love. Make your kitchen a haven where your family will love to spend their time.

A CLUTTERED KITCHEN IS A SMALL KITCHEN

Do you have a small kitchen? Clutter can make the largest of kitchens feel cramped and claustrophobic. My current kitchen is not small. It’s spacious and open and the reason we made an offer on this house. But the apartment we lived in before we bought our house had a teeny tiny kitchen. We barely had room to open the refrigerator door all the way. And, honestly, some days I miss our little kitchen and the limits it gave us.

If you have

a small kitchen with limited space
a large kitchen with plenty of space
a kitchen with awkward spaces
a cluttered kitchen with too many appliances
a kitchen that is cluttered and complicated to use

this checklist will help you put your priorities into place, organize what you love, give up the stuff you don’t and figure out how to best use the kitchen you’ve got to make it a place you enjoy being.

TRASH, DONATE, KEEP

The hardest part of decluttering any space is to ruthlessly purge your things. It can be hard to let go of those measuring cups or that casserole dish you got for your wedding… But, if they don’t work anymore, they aren’t doing you any good. Figure out a way to use them for something else or get rid of them. Start with 3 boxes: Trash, Donate, Keep.

Materials/Ingredients:

3 boxes – 1 for trash, 1 for donations, and 1 for things you’re going to keep but that don’t belong in the kitchen.
A weekend to conquer the list
Weekend Declutter Challenge Checklist (gain instant access when you unlock the premium content below)

Instructions/Directions

CHOOSE A STRATEGY TO CONQUER THE KITCHEN DECLUTTER CHALLENGE

Decide if how you want to tackle your kitchen. Do you work best:

starting in one corner and working your way around the room?
concentrating on one task at a time?
working on small areas at a time?

What works best for you?

PRINT YOUR KITCHEN DECLUTTER CHALLENGE CHECKLIST

Grab your checklist when you click the image below. Download and save or print it right away. No email address and no waiting for it to show up. Just open and print it. And start your decluttering challenge now!

CHOOSE A WEEKEND AND GET TO WORK!

This challenge is designed to focus on a prominent area so you will be able to enjoy the results of your work. It’s designed to take place over two days so it doesn’t feel like you are cleaning and never making any progress. This challenge is quick and dirty.

For best results, divide this list into to parts. One for the first day and the other for the second day. While you don’t have to stick to it exactly, if you can accomplish approximately half the list one day and half the next, you won’t burn out and you’ll be sure to do a fairly thorough job so it will last longer than just a few days. Because, isn’t that the worst part of cleaning?! I hate spending hours working and you can’t even tell a day or two later. Get your results to last without having to kill yourself to get it all done at once.

ARE YOU READY TO CONQUER THE KITCHEN DECLUTTER CHALLENGE?

You’ve got your list. Grab some boxes and get the clutter out of your home. Think how much easier it will be to cook in a kitchen that has the things you need, you know where they are and you aren’t avoiding the things you never use. Use this checklist to get your clutter free kitchen in just two days.

Want more inspiration to declutter your home? Check out these great books:

April 25, 2017 by Krista

Conquer Your Clutter and Throw Out These 55 Things

Hi there! I’m so glad you stopped by today! Have you ever wished there was less stuff littering your home? Or asked yourself why do we have all these things? I have. It’s so hard to get in and get rid of stuff though. It takes time to go through all those things and decide what’s really worth hanging on to. And what you’re better off without. If you’ve ever wanted someone to just tell you “get rid of that, you don’t need it” well, then you are in the right spot. This list does just that. Conquer your clutter and throw out these 55 things.

GET RID OF CLUTTER BY THROWING OUT USELESS THINGS

Some people like to be surrounded by things. My grandparents’ home has trinkets and knick-knacks everywhere. Their home isn’t messy, but it does feel cluttered. That’s right, a home doesn’t have to be a mess to have clutter. Often times, those two do go hand in hand, but not always. Clutter and mess aren’t necessarily the same thing.

If you yearn for more open spaces and less things, you need this list. If you follow this list and throw out the items on it, your home will feel more open, welcome and inviting. The clutter will disappear. It will be easier to keep your home clean – because it’s easier to take care of less stuff. And, more than likely, you won’t miss anything you get rid of.

CLUTTER HOARDERS! THERE IS HOPE!

If you’ve ever wished there was less stuff on your floor, on your shelves, in your cupboards or even the garage, I’m here to tell you that there is hope. It can seem so overwhelming to have to sort through all the stuff. “Is this important? Do I need this? Should I keep it?” If you’ve ever:

wanted someone to tell you what to throw away
been too overwhelmed to know where to start to get rid of your clutter
needed an organized method to throw out clutter

then this list if for you! These 55 things are taking up valuable space in your home. Get rid of them! Chances are you don’t use them often… or ever. If you come across an item on the list that has sentimental value and you can’t part with it, consider displaying it. Ask yourself is it useful? Is it beautiful? Does it inspire me? If one of those answers isn’t yes, you don’t need it. Promise.

CONQUER YOUR CLUTTER: JUST THROW IT OUT!

Move systematically and methodically through your home, getting rid of the clutter you don’t need. Most of these items are ones you don’t or can’t use. As I mentioned above, if an item has sentimental value, consider displaying it somehow.

This list is designed to help you be able to de-clutter your home in an organized manner. One of the important things to remember about de-cluttering is that it isn’t a one time task. It’s something you have to stay on top of to keep the results. Because we are always bringing things in and out of our homes, it’s important to make sure we’re only letting things of value in and we’re sending the things that no longer have value out. So, remember:

Is it useful?
Is it beautiful?
Does it inspire me?

DOWNLOAD YOUR 55 THINGS TO THROW OUT LIST

Part of the challenge with kicking the clutter out of our home is time. I don’t have time to go through boxes and drawers and cupboards all day long. Nor do I want to do that. I’ve got other obligations and hobbies – like doctor’s appointments or spending time with my family. Can you relate?

If finding time is struggle for you, I tried to make this list easy to work through without losing track of the progress you’ve already made. Choose tasks you have time for. Some of them will take 5 minutes, some of them will take an hour or an afternoon. Mark them off when you complete them so you know where to pick back up when you get another chance. I highly recommend working on one room until it’s done.

Ready to get your copy of the list? The list is premium content, so you’ll need to enter your info in the box below to get instant access to the download.

Premium Content Locked!

Download your very own list of the 55 things you should throw out as soon as possible to conquer that clutter.

YOU’RE ON YOUR WAY TO BEING CLUTTER FREE!

If you work through and throw out all the items on this list, you will find your home isn’t drowning in unnecessary clutter; it will be easier to keep your home clean and organized. Reclaim your home and kick clutter to the curb – literally.

Get clutter out and keep it that way! If you need some more inspiration this book by Ruth Soukup is great! I love that she’s just a regular, relatable, real-life person. She’s not a professional organizer or cleaner and her ideal isn’t magazine perfect. She’s a wife and mom with a life and obligations, just like me and you. This book has been super inspiring for me, maybe it can help you too.

Now, what are you going to throw out first? Good luck!

April 13, 2017 by Krista

3 Reasons You Need a Medication Tracker + Free Printable

Hi! Welcome! I’m so glad you stopped by today! Have you had sickness in your home lately? We are going on 4 weeks here. FOUR! Everyone has been on antibiotics at least once and now we’re passing around the strangest virus I’ve ever had. Sick kids can be so hard when you’re trying to run a household. Especially if you’re sick too! But tracking your family’s medication shouldn’t be a hassle – that’s where this medication tracker will come to the rescue!

DISCLAMER: I’m not a medical professional and this is not medical advice! I’m just a mom who has had sick kids, been sick myself, had a sick husband, and missed medication doses or couldn’t remember what time it was when I gave him medicine last time. This is something that helps me keep track and stay on top of medicating my family safely and confidently and I wanted to share it with you, hoping it will help you do the same for your family.

NEVER MISS A DOSE AGAIN WITH THIS MEDICATION TRACKER

Have you ever wondered… “Did I give him his last dose?” or maybe “when did I give her medicine last?” When there’s illness in a family it affects everyone and trying to remember when the last dose of medication was given should be the least of your worries; but often, it’s not.

I know how all those doses run together when a fever lasts days or a round of antibiotics stretches on and on. Save yourself some worry, uncertainty and maybe even sleep! Make it super easy to medicate your sick family with confidence with just a glance.

And these are a MUST-HAVE in families where more than one person might give the medication. Never worry about double dosing again!

IS MEDICATING YOUR FAMILY SAFE AND EASY?

Do you ever administer medication to anyone else or take it yourself, ever? If so, this is for you! Are you tired of trying to remember when that last dose was given? How much? And what medicine was that again? Are you:

a tired mom or dad, giving medication every 4-8 hours, around the clock? Day and night?
a daycare provider that cares for, and occasionally medicates, children you don’t live with?
one of many adults that may give medication to one child or other adult?
ever sick yourself, but still have to keep up with your life and sometimes find yourself missing medication doses?

If you said yes to any one of those, this medication tracker can help make your next bout of sickness a little easier to manage. What are you waiting for?

3 REASONS YOU NEED A MEDICATION TRACKER

Sickness affects everyone in the house. It affects sleep cycles, you have to keep to the medication schedule. Are multiple people giving the medication? Maybe you’re not thinking clearly from being sick and medicated? Here’s what a medication tracker can do for you:

You won’t have to wonder, “What time was that last dose? Has it been 6 hours yet?” You’ll know exactly when that next dose is due. This is nice to grab and take to the doctor, if you get that far.
If multiple people are giving medicine, this is the perfect way to make sure there are no double dosing accidents. Keep your kids safe!
If you’re the one who is needing medication, it can be hard to run a household while you’re sick. Not feeling well and having to keep up life is a lot to think about. Ease your stress by tracking your medication so you can focus on what really matters.

PRINT YOUR MEDICATION TRACKER AND MAKE YOUR NEXT ILLNESS EASIER TO MANAGE

This is super simple. You won’t need anything fancy. This medication tracker is a single page, but print as many of them as you need. One for each sick child or for as many doses as you need to track. The bright colors will hopefully help remind you to mark your progress and maybe bring some feel-good power to your day… after your next medication dose kicks in, of course. Now, print your medication tracker and medicate confidently!

Of course, you can simply download and print the file. It’s usable as it is. But, I like to make my organizer pages re-usable. It’s super easy, but totally optional. The only thing you really NEED is the download file and a printer to print it on.

Materials/Ingredients:

Medication Tracker –> Get the printable PDF!
Printer
Laminator (I love my Scotch thermal laminator and use it all the time. The cold laminating sheets also work, as does a simple plastic page protector, although the ink of your pen might bubble a little on a page protector sheet.)
Laminating Pouches for each medication tracker you plan to make
Wet erase pens (you can use dry erase pens, but the fine tip wet erase ones usually work better)
Magnet tape
Scissors

Instructions/Directions

PRINT YOUR MEDICATION TRACKER

Step #1: Download the medication tracker and save it to your computer.

Step #2: Print the medication tracker. If you are going to make it re-usable, I suggest using a heavier paper such as card stock. If you’re only going to use it once, regular printer paper is fine.

MAKE YOUR MEDICATION TRACKER RE-USABLE WITH A THERMAL LAMINATOR

Step #3: Turn on your laminator and let it warm up. While the laminator is heating up, slide your printed medication tracker inside a thermal laminating sheet.

Step #4: When the laminator is ready, run the laminating pouch through the laminator. Pull out the pouch and lay it flat on a cool surface until it cools to the touch.

Step #5: Cut a strip of magnet tape and adhere it to the back of the medication tracker. I prefer to put a strip on the top and one on the bottom as well.

Step #6: Use a wet erase pen to write on the medication tracker.

MAKING YOUR MEDICATION TRACKER RE-USABLE WITH A COLD LAMINATING POUCH

DISCLAIMER: I don’t have a lot of experience with the cold laminating pouches. I’ve only ever used the small sizes and my results have been mostly good. I prefer the hot laminating method though.

Step #1: Prep the laminating pouch as directed on the package. Follow all instructions.

Step #2: Cut a piece of magnet tape and adhere it to the back of the medication tracker. I usually do a long piece at the top and a long piece at the bottom.

Step #3: Use the wet erase marker to write on the medication tracker.

MAKING YOUR MEDICATION TRACKER RE-USABLE WITH A SHEET PROTECTOR

Step #1: Slide the page into the plastic page protector.

Step #2: Use a magnet to hang medication tracker on the fridge. Or you can use some magnet tape on the back of the page protector.

Step #3: Use wet erase markers to write on the medication tracker.

MEDICATE YOUR FAMILY WITH CONFIDENCE AND SAFETY

Congratulations! You’re ready to take on the next illness that comes your way. You’ll be able to give your family the medication they need, when they need it. You won’t have to wonder if it’s really been 6 hours since the last dose or if you actually gave that medicine this morning. At a glance, you’ll be confident that you’re doing all you can to manage those pesky germs.

Do you have any tricks for dealing with sick kids? Leave your tips in the comments below.