Time Saving Ideas: Labels for Presents

Yesterday was a big day for my Cookie. We celebrated her birthday. (Check out her cute birthday T we made from this post. Can you tell how many candles we put on the cake?)

With birthdays comes presents. Which brings us to today's Time Saving Idea.

My husband comes from a proper card giving family. He is faithful about cards for all occasions. He routinely braves Hallmark with all the kids to pick out just the right cards.

I didn't. In fact, when I was growing up, we usually pulled a black marker out of the junk drawer and wrote To: and From: smack dab on the present. If we got fancy, we would actually cut a rectangle out of the wrapping paper and fold it into a nice little card to tape to the present.

I openly admit, when I'm going to a shower or birthday luncheon and presents are going to be opened, I don't even bother slapping my name on it. I just shout out, "That one's from me." It's terrible. I know.

I feel horrible passing this habit on to my kids. Afterall, the hubs only takes the kids to Hallmark for my birthday, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day. The rest of the holidays land on my list of things to do. And the one that falls most frequently on a young mother's list is birthday parties. So I'm meeting my bad habit in the middle...

One day, I was looking through my arts and crafts closet for a 3x5 card and marker to cut in half, hole punch, and write To: and From: on it for a birthday present. The idea was to attach it to the ribbon around the present. And then all of a sudden my eye caught the papers sitting on the top shelf: AVERY Labels. And then it hit me.

I've got stacks (because they come that way) of address labels (both return address - smaller, and regular address size - larger). I initially started using the larger size and writing To: and From: and sometimes a "Happy Birthday" or I drew some balloons.

(This gift was for Teacher Appreciation.)

But I've managed to go even more simple.

I decided that if my kids are going to a birthday party, then there's no question who the present is for. So I dropped the "To:" Now I just use the return address labels. I find a marker, slap the label on the present, then write who the present is from (I do the writing after the label is on the present so I don't run the risk of smearing the marker, which is always a frustrating event).

So buy yourself some AVERY address labels and save yourself some time too. Now...what to do with all that time?...

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