Shortly after starting my shaving hobby/habit/obsession I was given my first few samples. When a fellow shaver hands off a sample they will tend to come in a small dollar store zip lock bag or in a small plastic container.
It was at that point I started thinking about the best way to keep my samples so that they didn’t end up in a pile that would be forgotten about. I came up with what you see pictured above. I’ve posted a few times with work in progress pictures of my sample board and I’ve been asked about it a few times. I figured it would be a great topic for a post.
First off, I wanted something that I would display them in an organized fashion, making it easy to pull a sample when the mood so moved me. I wanted them to pay homage to the original branding so it would to be able to display tub artwork/logos. (OK, there was also a slight OCD tendancy involved too haha) And lastly, I wanted something that would work well in the travel kit for taking on the road.
What I came up with was a container and magnet setup. I mounted a metal backsplash in my den. The containers I used, I grabbed from ebay (with the exception of a few smaller ones that were original samples that already worked as is). If you search ebay for “50pc Mini Sample Bottle Cosmetic Makeup Jar” you will find what I ordered. I opted for the largest size. They are about 1.5″ in diameter.
On the bottom I have stuck on magnets. I found these 1″ peel and stick magnetic dots at our local dollar tree store. They are branded CraftMedley “Magnet Wonder Dots” and cost $1-$2 for 18. I grabbed a few sheets so that I could stick the containers to the metal backsplash for easy display/organization.
I wasn’t able to find 1.5″ labels for the top, so I settled for 1″ 6450 Avery labels. They aren’t perfect, but they did the job. From there I set to work creating the labels. Generally the artwork is quite easy to find using a Google Image search. Find the label you want and save it to your computer for labeling. To layout the labels, I used the design & print online website from Avery. It is very user friendly and doesnt require any software installed on your computer to use. Now it is just a matter of adding the images you downloaded to each label and you are set to go.
Now when I receive a sample, I drop in a container, print another label on my sheet (you can refeed the same sheet just making sure to only use positions for empty labels), stick a magnet on the back and mount to the backsplash. It makes a really nice display that adds to my den. Everything is organized so I can pull a sample quickly and easily. I have also added my favorite soaps to containers for the wall as well. Now when I travel, I can just pull a few off the board and put in my travel kit for a great selection of travel shaves wherever I may roam.
I have a few other containers on order as I want to add aftershave balms/splash to the mix as well. That way I’m ready to hit the road with pretty much any software I so choose. All this, in search of the perfect shave.
How about you? Do you have any OCD fueled den ideas you want to share?
