A Good Looking Binder Idea

Recently, my blog friend, Fran, told me to go check out designer Rachel Krauskopf's house tour on Design Sponge because she knew I would love it.  (And I did!  Thanks, Fran!)

This photo of Rachel's desk area in her small NYC apartment's living room got my attention. 

See those white binders?  They're plain white binders from any place that sells school/office supplies.  Rachel wrote that she dressed them up with vintage-y looking labels from Paper Source.

Isn't that a great idea? I'm betting Rachel uses them for her design business -- maybe one per client?
But I can think of a thousand other applications for these white binders.

Filled with clear protector sheets so there would be nothing to hole punch, I'd keep one for:

• kids school/activity info
• take-out menus
• recipes
• appliance/technology user manuals
• important contacts, including business cards (they make plastic dividers specifically for those) and emergency contacts
• receipts
• home projects that involve a ton of paperwork and/or samples and sources, like remodeling
• basically any paper that you don't really want to file, but that ends up in piles or stuck to the fridge

Currently, I have all the above stuck into one gigantic binder and it isn't working for me.  Too unwieldy.

As for the labels, here's what I found:



Paper Source 4.95 for a pack of 12

 Paper Source 4.95 for a pack of 8  (these would need to go on a 3 inch binder because they're wide)

Etsy vintage gummed labels, $6 per sheet

 Etsy Vintage Labels, $4.60 for 8 labels

I'd probably write on the labels with pencil so it can be erased, but you could also get enough labels to stick one over the top of another if contents need to change. 

Soon, you'll see my own set of binders similar to Rachel's set up in our breakfast nook.  It's getting a muli-functional, mini-makeover.


I'm curious to know what you'd use these binders for.  I know there are some great ideas out there and I want to steal them from you!