Monday, January 5, 2015

Five tips for organizing Christmas decor

Like many of you, I spent this last week taking down Christmas.
It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
And after twenty years of collecting my favorite Christmas things...
a few here...
and a few there...
one could say that I own a lot of "Christmas". :o)
The great thing about collecting items slowly over time is
 I don't spend much on decorating each year. 

 I use and reuse everything,
including the silver ribbon-bow, tree-topper each year. 
{how do you pack a bow you ask? I'll show ya...}
 Not only does this save me a bundle; but it saves me time shopping and deciding what to do.  
It's all there for me each year as I unpack and get excited for the holiday season.
And even though the items are the same, each year I use them a little differently.
After eight moves, I have the packing down to a science to ensure that no matter what happens in the next 11 months...our Christmas items will be as beautiful as when I bought them.

Five simple tips on on how to preserve your Christmas keepsakes.
1. Group your items
I group my ornaments and items so "likes" go together.

Some of my catagories that help me sort as I go are:
Fragile ornaments; bird ornaments {i have a few of those};
 table decor; mercury glass; greenery; nativities; lights; etc.

2. Use sturdy clear bins
Now, in a perfect world, all your bins would be the exact same...
...so they all stack and look alike.
But when you collect over time, you may have an assortment of bins.  
That is why I have settled on the clear ones.  
I like the white or red lids where possible.  
As my older bins begin to lose their effectiveness, 
I am slowly going to a standard size for easy stacking.
The clear ones also allow you to put your label on the inside as well.

3. Label your bins nicely--
I like to print out a quick list of a few of the major items in the box.
Then I slid it in a page protector and tape it to the box.  
Either the top or on the inside where you can see it through the plastic. 
Once I did this simple step, the chore of putting things away became so much easier, 
because I knew where everything went.  
And when I am looking for a specific item, I can quickly locate what box it is in.  

4. Add a photo sheet on the inside of your box to jog your memory.
For a few of my boxes I went ahead and snapped a photo of the items grouped together, (like above),
and printed it out as a small pic on 8 x 11 paper, to just lay on the top of the box contents,
for a quick reference to what is in the box.
This helps as you are setting up Christmas the next year.
And if by chance you are moving, and things are damaged, you have a photo reference. 

5. Reuse all your tissue paper to pack items well.
Don't throw all that tissue paper away from your gifts...reuse it to wrap up your fragile ornaments...
You can even use it to preserve special bows for next year...
:o)
Now if I could just find the cat...
Happy Organizing!
sharing with:
Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House




8 comments:

  1. Great post, I will use your ideas. Thank you.

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  2. Hi Aimee,
    We share many of the same organizing practices but I've never before preserved my ribbon bows this way. I usually put them on hangers and tuck them away in a closet that I don't use a lot, but the tissue is a great idea for them! I'll try it out soon.
    Hugs,
    Linda at Beautiful Ideas

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  3. Hi Aimee!
    I forgot to mention...Your kitty kats are GORGEOUS! I am a big time cat lover. Bless you.
    Wishing you a beautiful day,
    Linda at Beautiful Ideas

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    Replies
    1. Linda! Thank you so much for visiting my blog and your sweet comments and kitty compliments! I am hoping to learn more about organizing from you this year...it is becoming my new passion as well...but I have a long way to go! :o) aimee

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  4. Great ideas... I hadn't thought of putting tissue inside the loops of bows, but will definitely use this idea! I use clear plastic bins too, with what's inside written on paper and slipped inside on the end that will face out on the shelf in the shed. (whew!) Your kitty is a cutie -- looks a lot like my Oliver with that same serious expression!

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    Replies
    1. thank you Sarah! I love the name Oliver for a cat! so cute. thanks for visiting/following! xoxoaimee

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  5. Very informative post...♥ how you preserve the bows!

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  6. I organize almost the same way. I label everything well so that I don't have to pull it all out at once. Great way to story the bow! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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