Why you need a Brother Label maker

Brought to you by Brother

When my big girl and twins started preschool I went crazy with personalised stickers. But over the years and many house moves later I tend to lose them. I’ve thought of a label maker before but had never used one before so had no idea just how handy they could be……..until I got one. And if someone had told me that I could be making pink labels then I would have been on to it much earlier!

And this couldn’t come at a better time as I work my way through the best selling novel that everyone is reading. ‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying’ by Marie Kondo.  I’m married to a born organiser but I am definitely one busy mummy who doesn’t put things back in the right place and then it all catches up with me. So I went through the house and nothing was off limits. Once you start labelling and organising there is no stopping you…or the kids. My girls were very excited with the label maker and the pink tape got a good workout. It was so easy to use, pop the batteries in the back, the tape goes in too and you don’t need a PhD to put it in, back back on and off you go!

First to be labelled was my iPhone charger to end all debates over whose is whose because apparently someone’s always go missing. No more problems now. I know what mine looks like.

My cupcake carrier was next up as well as my favourite Tupperware containers that I take a cake or slice in. Also great when you need a take a plate and want your plate back. Because the labels are waterproof (amongst other things) they won’t come off in the dishwasher or while you do the dishes.

I also had fun with my organiser. I tend to be a scribbler and have good intentions for a neat and tidy organiser but scribble and cross things out and use pencils, pens and any of the kids pencils I can grab if the phone rings and I need to jot something down. I do however sit and put regular activities in for the month ahead and love the look of the labels in my diary so will stick to this for 2016 I think.

Next up were kids wardrobes. We pulled everything out and decided what we wanted to label each section with. My big girl made her own labels and had some fun putting everything back. I’m just kidding she didn’t have fun putting the clothes away but loved that she made her own labels and that they were pink.

One of my biggest jobs is keeping wardrobes under control. We have some children who grow quickly and others who have a stockpile of the hand me downs. We also have one who stuffs everything into the one cube, another who wears 3 outfits in a day and some kids who never touch their wardrobe! I think the labels look gorgeous and I hope that she can now put everything in the right spot and keep it organised. One wardrobe down and 5 more of the kids to do. Also great for babies as you could do nappy, wipes, singlets, onesies etc and it would make it easy for people to help out if they wanted to.

Now I found more things around the house to label while I was on a roll. Flippers for swimming lessons as we lost a pair this year (but thankfully no more now that we have our name on the flippers and not just the bag they come in). And with back to school right around the corner it’s a great time to label drink bottles, lunchboxes and school bags. The great thing about having your own label maker is that you won’t get caught out at the last minute if you have an item that needs a label. Just a minute later and you’ve made your own label to go straight on a school item. And why not get the kids to make their own. Mine are still fighting over who is going to use it next.

And Christmas handmade gifts had a little personalised touch with these gold labels. So easy and I just trimmed the tape to the width of the space on the jar and done! So sweet and I think the gold tape became my new favourite.

And my biggest job was turning my mess of a pantry into something lovely and organised. Now this took a whole afternoon because it was in such a state but I was speaking my husband’s love language when I did this job. Usually he stages an intervention in the fridge, pantry and car when things get out of control. Once upon a time I would put things back in the right spot but with 8 people in one busy household things kind of go everywhere and anywhere. But I pulled everything out of the pantry, grabbed some garbage bags, cleaned it out and got stuck into labelling all of my containers.

One afternoon later and the kids fighting over who was going to do the labels. It was great to be able to make your own for all the odd things you have in there like gluten free flour or quinoa or cupcake wrappers. And if you’re not into plastic containers they look great on jars too. I just love how the pantry looks and it brings back memories of going to cooking school where they had the same labels and everything super organised.

You get a lot of use out of one roll of tape and I did the whole pantry with one roll which was pretty good. The TZe laminated labels are sun, germ, water, chemical, abrasion and temperature resistant and that means you can use them anywhere inside or out and for any job that requires a label. Or as I’ve discovered any surface you want to make a label for.

I think the Brother Label maker makes a great gift and is an essential for any busy household. There are so many uses and the different coloured tapes make it fun and offer something for everyone. Who knew how addictive it would be? I really just thought I’d have one font and one kind of tape but am really impressed with how many options there are. I was given the PT-H105 and you can view the complete range of Brother Label makers here. And if you’re having trouble convincing someone that you need it just say you will organise the pantry from top to bottom if you get one………….I could be getting tapes in every colour if I keep up this organising!

And come back for my post next week where I tackle the craziest parts of my house – the craft room and linen cupboard. These really are the disaster areas of the house but I’m hopeful………