300 words about Gift Wrapping. Keeping it brief, since we all have things to do.
During high school and college breaks, I worked at a a great local Hallmark chain, Don’s Card Hut in Kalamazoo, MI. Much to my delight, I could spend my whole shift this time of year just wrapping gifts for customers!
So I know a few things, let me share…
- DO NOT WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE!
- Set up a folding / banquet table today, and plan to leave it up for a few days (this may be the only time I will ever say this.). Mine is in the basement.
- Collect your wrapping tools (tape, scissors, pens, etc.) and place them in a shallow container on the table. Expect to misplace them as you wrap, but at least you will start strong!
- Gather the gifts you have bought for your loved ones. This step provides an opportunity to check your gifts so far, and make plans for finishing your shopping (SOON!!).
- Match up the gifts with the necessary wrap. Inventory your supplies, factoring in additional wrap for the gifts you haven’t bought yet
and for the wrapping needs of anyone living in your house (they WILL be wrapping on Christmas Eve.) - Go shopping for your gift bags / wrapping paper / tissue paper / gift tags / ribbons, etc.
- Get wrapping! Do not wait!
- If you have multiple destinations, set up and label boxes near your wrapping area for each destination, and add your wrapped items as you go (For example, “Christmas with my family in Michigan”, “Christmas Eve”, etc. ).
- Collect the receipts for purchased items. Keep yours in a labeled envelope for Just In Case. Place the gift receipts for each household in their own envelope with the family name on them, and plan to hand the envelope off to that household when you exchange gifts.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
most of these tasks are actually pretty short and to the point. So we assigned time estimates to them all, so we could be more objective.
coat closet, etc. However, many of us do not come and go from that front door. Last week, a friend asked if I could help with her new homes’ back door / drop zone / launch pad. In her words,
members can drop their bags as they come home. But they lack coat / accessory / bag storage.
for accessories and keys, and the lower set, installed 6-8 inches below the upper set, for coats, umbrellas or longer hanging items.
I detest errands and shopping. The expense, hassle and time spent. But, of course, there are items – food, clothing, supplies, etc. – that I need for my family, our home and my business. Errands and shopping are a necessary evil.
I have been pondering how to spend less time, money and hassle on running errands and shopping. I’ve talked to a lot of people also working on the same challenge, and we’ve learned a lot from each other!
it was my constant companion. Most days, amidst working and family and living our lives, I was also planning / orchestrating / cleaning or occasionally waiting for activities centered on the Kitchen, and by extension, my office. No summer va-ca for this girl.
track lighting. As soon as we stood at a counter to work on food prep or anything else, we would block our own task lighting. The under-cabinet lighting makes the whole kitchen GLOW, while providing task lighting any where we need it! This is a simple upgrade. You can purchase ropes of LED lighting that simply plug in at any home improvement store.
also beautiful, I am truly loath to leave anything on them. One of my favorite (and cheap) purchases to complete the project was this dish drain that fits over the smaller side sink and can be easily slid over or rolled away (Amazon.com, ILifetech Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack).
now have a breakfast station. My coffee maker lives on this small counter, along with the fresh fruit basket and napkins. In addition, the cabinet above houses breakfast bars and Pop Tarts (my sons’ quick breakfasts of choice), our daily vitamins and supplements, the toaster, and coffee / tea / hot chocolate supplies, etc.
The tops were dusty, and storing stuff up there looked cluttered, so we never used the space. If you don’t want to remodel, you can also re-imagine how you use your cabinets. Use the bottom shelf or 2 for daily use items, the middle shelf for items you use once a week, and the top shelves for items you use less often but would still like to keep accessible.
Fall is in the air.
hello boots and wellies. Toss the old or unmatched flip or flop, get rid of all but the last pair or two of sneakers (“Truly, dear, no one needs 4 pairs of old sneakers for ‘yard work.'” ). Take in any shoes in need of repair, and put away the rest. Then make space for the colder weather shoes and boots. Do the same with sport items. Play it Again Sports, anyone?
returned to a store? Stuff that belongs to other people? Take those piles / bags and boxes that are next to the door or already in the car, and get them Gone, gone, gone!!
First things first, purge the garbage / recycling / donations. And pull out the cars while you work!
boxes. I know, it’s tough to decide do we keep the box the vacuum / lamp / appliance came in or recycle it? However, we’ve discovered that if we do need to pack the item up or return it, we can find another box (more come all the time!) or return the item without it. If you just can’t part with the boxes, break them down and store them flat.
outgrown sports items, chose to leave the items there (instead of hassling with selling them on consignment), they cut me a check. Beautiful! Try listing outgrown bikes and scooters on Facebook sell pages, there is a market for such things! And, thinking vertically again – install some hooks on the walls or beams, to get those summer toys and bikes off the garage floor for winter!
how long to keep certain types of papers. One idea that I shared with the group was the idea of “20 Minutes or 20 Dollars”. A couple of people made a point to tell me that they really liked the idea, so I thought I would share.
20 Minutes: 
The black spaghetti mess of unmatched, unlabeled and unclaimed charging cords from ancient phones or digital cameras gone by? Look around. If what you use regularly already has a cord attached, you could probably purge all of those unclaimed cords and spend $20 someday on a replacement in the very remote chance you actually needed one of those random cords. Clear up a whole lot of space, and bank on the fact you don’t need what is in that THAT box!
Sombreros (or similar items, you get the idea!). Sombreros are big. Awkward to store. Not a commonly used items, let’s face it. If you EVER had a need for a sombrero – party, costume, school presentation – you could either spend the $20 to buy one at a party store or on-line, or better yet, ask 10 friends if anyone has a sombrero, and I bet someone does!
already, especially considering we just painted the kitchen and office. We will also look for any supplies, like paint brushes and rollers, etc., before we head to Home Depot to buy paint and supplies.