How to Make Easy Chalk Board Basket Labels

Editor’s Note: Cute chalkboard labels are popping up everywhere, but they are so overpriced.  Annie, of Organized With Annie, is here with a budget-friendly solution for DIY tie-on chalk board labels…perfect for baskets, bins, drawer handles, and anywhere stick-on labels aren’t an option.

I love labels of all kinds! Why? Because a label is a commitment that certain items will be housed in a given location! But sometimes baskets are a little trickier to label. You can buy chalkboard labels, but I wanted a lot of labels for my buck, so I took matters into my own hands.

Supplies:

• Wooden Shapes (I got a bag of 30 for $3.99 less my 40% coupon at Michael’s)
• Chalk Board spray paint
• Twine or string

Tools:

• Drill

Step by Step:

1. Drill holes in the wooden shapes. This wasn’t very scientific (I just eye balled it ;-))

2. Lay all the wooden pieces on a garbage bag. I didn’t want to use my usual painting tarp, because this project has a lot of over spray and I didn’t want to get spray paint all over them.

3. Spray paint the first side of the wooden shapes and let them dry overnight.

Tip: If you don’t have a spray grip to slip over the top of you spray paint can, put your hand inside a plastic bag, so you get no spray paint on your index finger.

4. Use a second garbage bag to set the shapes on to do the second side, so that paint doesn’t chip off from the first coat and dry onto the wooden pieces (believe me, it happens). These shapes are kind of like wafers and very thin so the edges were easily covered while spraying the front and back. Allow to dry.

5. String twine or string through the holes and hang them on all your organizational baskets. Although you can use chalk with chalkboard paint I prefer a chalkboard marker instead because it shows up better.

A few of places I use chalkboard labels:

In my office for calculators and adhesives (tape – all kinds and glue – all kinds):

In my mudroom closet to label the basket where hats and mittens live.

I also used them on the three baskets I have in my mudroom above my hooks and shelf.

I’m a big fan of “point of usage” organization, so when we are heading out the door I like the things that we may need to be right there. The baskets in our mudroom are labeled extra hoodies, Playdoh and crayon bags, and portable DVD players.  Of course living in MN, hoodies are a very high usage item most of the year and they are right there. I dislike Playdoh, because the havoc that it reeks on my carpet – it’s such a mess so we don’t play with it at home. But I do have bags of Playdoh tools and 1 or 2 containers of Playdoh ready in one of the baskets, so if we go out to eat my kids are entertained while we wait for our food. I also have little zipper pouches with crayons and small coloring books ready to go in this basket. The 3rd mudroom basket houses our portable DVD players which we reserve for long car trips or plane rides, but they are ready to go.

Hope you liked this super easy project!  What are you planning to label?

If you’d like help organizing your mudroom or office or any other room in your house, I’d love to help you! Check out my website, Organized with Annie.