St. Patrick's Day and Easter in the same week meant green and pastel items and craft supplies strewn about my house. Come Monday morning I was ready to pack it all away and to regain some table space. The next thing we celebrate in our house is Matthew's birthday and that is at least three weeks away. Plenty of time to get things in place before having to pull things back out again.
As I was packing our holiday decorations away, it occurred to me that it might be helpful to share how we store our family holiday things with the hope of learning a new tip or two from all of you. Those who know me know that I have a not-so-small obsession with Christmas ornaments... not to mention Halloween decorations, Valentine's Day decorations, Easter stuff, supplies for Shamrock Shakes... generally all things holiday. As you can imagine... all those decorations without a plan could make for a quite a cluttered house. I am not into clutter.I have plastic boxes to hold just about everything and those boxes get stored along one wall in our garage. I like the plastic boxes because I can see inside them and my stuff cannot expand beyond the amount of space I have dedicated to hold it. If an item comes in and there's no more space... then something has to go out. The other reason I like this method of storage is because frequently I will find something off-season that I know I will use (wrapping paper, a new ornament, or metallic shred - which makes all packages look better). When I return home, I simply slip it in the designated box and then it is exactly where it needs to be when the holiday arrives.
I would be lying if I made it seem as though I had one box per holiday. In fact, I am smiling at even the idea of such a thing. No, I have multiple plastic boxes for most holidays. To make the containers especially easy to access, I try to buy orange and black for Halloween, green for Christmas, etc.... If I can't, I place a shape (tree, pumpkin, easter egg, heart, or Shamrock) on the outside of the container. All of this fulfills my need for things to be visually pleasing and orderly.
If you don't have shelving in a garage, how about drawers in a dresser?, shelves in a closet?, or tubs under your bed? Now your turn. Is there something creative you do to keep your holiday decorations in order?
Signing off until tomorrow...
P.S. With a sure and safe plan in place, you might be interested to know the scoop on how Target marks down their merchandise. It starts out at $dollar amount.99 (ie. 8$8.99), the first mark down will end in an 8 ($8.98); then a 7 ($8.97); and on and on until it ends in a 4 ($8.94). It won't go lower than a 4. I have my eye on a fun Easter centerpiece. It needs to be reduced some more, but when it does... I want it... and I have just the right amount of space to store it.
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13 comments:
GREAT post!
I was particularly impressed with the Target clearance information. How often do I see something PHENOMENAL at Target only to think to myself, "Wow, that sure is over priced." However knock 5 dollars off of it and I would love to have it in my home. It will be good to know the exact point when the item will go no lower.
I also like to make content lists for my storage containers. It allows me to quickly locate what it is I am needing, which saves time on having to search and open several containers (similar to you I have many containers for each holiday.
My helpfu storage tip is related to magazines. I often end up with a huge stack of magazines because I think to myself, "This would be a helpful tip or article to hang onto."
I have begun several binders with sheet protectors with varying themes (eg: arts and crafts, home tips, design ideas, personal development, etc.) As I go through a magazine I either tear out pages or make copies of articles and then place them in these binders. This allows me to pass the magazine along or recycle it, preventing clutter. I store these binders on a shelf and once a year go through them to purge any articles I may not really need or want.
I can not tell you the number of times this has come in handy.
HIGHLOWAHA keep up the good work! I enjoy your blog very much each day.
I too try the clear tubs but they are not as near organized as yours. And, I throw mine in the attic. Did you know you have 8 Christmas boxes? And those are just the marked ones! I know a couple of those unmarked ones are Christmas, too! And, is that green box the Rockefeller Christmas ornaments? I have those! And, you have 7 plus Halloween boxes!! Whatcha got in there? I have to know- what Valentine things do you keep in the freezer? You are so fun! Can my kids and I come live with you?
I too have done the magazine thing but I haven't gone back and purged... you see... I tear them out and store them... but I never actually DO them! I'm not a doer. I'm a doer-wanna-be. So- what I'm hearing here is that they should all just be purged to clear the clutter out of my life!
I have shelves over my washer and dryer where I was keeping light bulbs and batteries and other JUNK. I don't want to see those things so I purchased the canvas bins and labeled the fronts with the items each bin is holding. Okay- I labeled some of the bins. I'm still working on the others.
Cheryl-
I appreciate your honesty and keeping things real more than you know.
Cheryl, You're a way more fun parent than I am (it is clear in your comments), so no - your kids can't come live with me (that would make 5 boys, if I'm remembering correctly + 1 husband -way too much testostrone for me). But you... I want to meet you for lunch one day. You are way too much fun.
As for the freezer... the heart is also a symbol for all things I love. If you looked in there this second you would see... 1 FINAL box of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, frozen waffles (for breakfast in a pinch), Cadbury eggs, and 6 beer glasses (frozen and just waiting...
Unfortunately, having fun commenting on your blog while I'm at work doesn't equal fun with my boys. :( I won't get in a "nuh-uh, you're more fun" contest with you. I will just let you believe that and say thank you. And thanks for writing your blog everyday. I thought about it several times while I was away from my computer this weekend with my boys. I think it (aka: YOU and your other commenters) made me loosen up a bit and really enjoy the time I had with my boys.
Lunch - yes! If you can do it on a weekend some time. I work in Uptown Dallas.
That's some good stuff in that freezer! And what do you mean "in a pinch"? Waffles are not for EVERY morning?!!?
This is bad news if Bal sees it...seriously out garage is a TOTAL disaster area. I definitely need to get on the organization bandwagon
I so wish that I could be organized like Claudia. I'm happy when all the laundry and dishes get done on a daily basis. Someday it will happen-
But I did want to say something based on your garage picture - this is for those of you who live in the cold, snowy northern areas. If you keep a second refrigerator in the garage be careful, especially if it's a new model. We have a new refrigerator in our garage and we learned something this winter. If the ambient temperature drops below 55 degrees, the compressor in the refrigerator stops working normally. This means the freezer doesn't freeze. After being accused of not closing the door, I called the manufacturer and found this 55 degree rule out. So, if you're freezer's not working properly and it's really cold around your refrigerator, this might be your problem. There's a kit that you can buy to fix it (basically trick the refrigerator to think it's warmer out) but it's only good to 35 degrees. We lost some freezer stuff because of this little glitch. As I said before, this is helpful for those of us with snow still on the ground and possibly more snow on Thursday. I long for warm, sunny days.
With all this talk of Target, can I just mention that I LOVE Target? That's really all I wanted to say...thanks.
AND- aren't you so glad you live so close to one!!! I know I am!
oops... that may be a different cassie...well, I love living so near Target and Lowes and Bed Bath and Beyond and the new shoe store and Hobby Lobby!
I might have a small shopping problem.
Ooohhh... nice tip, Cristine. Who knew? I will tuck this tidbit of information away for next winter. Actually, who am I kidding... it will be a cold day in @!#$ before it's cold enough in Dallas to warrant such information.
But, I know we have at least one Canadian who checks in periodically. I am sure she will find this useful.
As you know, I like my stuff organized, too!
My question to you is: what do you suggest for keeping things organized in a small apartment? I work as a hall director so I'm in a college apartment. I don't have the luxury of a garage or attic like most of you.
Your thoughts!?
Tera
Sorry, but I can't help with laundry tips. It's one of my many downfalls.
But here's a thought on soft hands - put the lotion of you choice on at bed time, then put on an old pair of gloves or mittens. It lets the lotion work with your body heat and when you wake up you're hands will be really soft. It works get with your feet too! The only downside is your husband looking at you like a crazy person.
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