A Few Christmas Storage Tips

Have you jumped on the Organizing Bandwagon yet? I mean, Sheesh! Everywhere you look online, they’re talking about Getting Organized. I’ve gotta confess, I love it.

By ‘it’, I mean reading about organizing. It’s like making the ginormous To Do list – I just automatically feel better making a list – like everything is getting done just by writing it down. ‘Cept that’s not the way it works, is it?

I’ve recently discovered I’m following in my mother’s footsteps too. She’s a BTKer. She said it the whole time I was growing up, to the point where it used to drive me crazy. So I never thought I’d be a BTKer but, sadly, it’s true.

BTK = Before The Kids

Yep, BTK I used to be organized. BTK I knew where everything was in my house. BTK my filing was caught up. Not only caught up but filed in pretty files with color-coded typewritten labels.

Oh yes, my friends . . . I was one of those people. I was . . . BTK.

But now the kids are all grown{ish} with homes of their own. It’s time to unleash my OCD tendencies.

The Christmas decorations were my first victim project.

Now, I’ve never done the ‘room’ thing – this Santa goes on this shelf, this wreath goes on that door. Nope. I start from scratch every year. Wreaths, garlands, vignettes. Different, every year. So I want all like items grouped together – ribbon with ribbon, poinsettias with poinsettias. Get the idea?

But if you put the same decorations in the same place each year, then by all means, pack them up in a group.

After yanking pulling everything down I moved them outside and wound up with this mess.

The box with an old paint tray or a few stray twigs that didn’t make the frosted project, or the old tire, aren’t part of the group.

Whether I’m organizing Christmas or anything else, I have 2 secret weapons . . .

Ziplock bags and a labeler.

Ah, my labeler. ♥ It was a huge deal when I got the labeler. It was my The Boys Are Grown{ish} And Have Finally Moved Out present to myself. *insert angelic choir singing*

When I switched to plastic bags my ♥ labeler didn’t work so hard because I can see what’s in the bag. Doh! Plus they take much less room than boxes and they’re easier to pack up in storage bins. Sheer awesomeness. (‘sheer’ – did you get it?)

ahem. Oh, and since the labeler doesn’t get the heavy workout that makes Mama happy because she saves on the ink and little label rolls. Just sayin’ . . .

Tip #1 – Use clear baggies to group like items before storing in totes or boxes.

So let’s take a closer look at the Before mess.

From left to right we have stockings, Fall mantel scarf, assorted baggies, assorted wreaths, a box of Didn’t Get Done This Year Christmas crafts, a box of assorted Christmas and Fall decorations and some mini Christmas trees.

So I drug/dragged (?) a bunch of plastic totes out.

Tip #2 – Group like items together and then find a storage bin that accommodates them.

It saves so much more space if you group your items together and THEN find a storage bin or box. If you just grab a bin and start randomly dumping stuff inside, you’ll either wind up with mish-mash or empty space in the bin.

Does that even make sense?

Tip #3 – Label the outside of the bins or boxes.

Sharpies work fine. Believe me, I used them the whole time the kids were home – if I could find one with the cap still on it. If you have a labeler ♥, that works too. If you want to list the contents inside, Jen @ IHeartOrganizing has a fabulous way to do it.

So let’s review.

 

No, I don’t have matchy-matchy bins. Why? Because I want to maximize every spare inch of storage space, both in the bins and in my workshop where the bins are shelved.

A tall-ish box stores 4 wreaths. The ‘Isabella’ box stores breakables. The Bankers Box stores fabric items – stuff that I might get into throughout the year for photo shoots. These work better for me than plastic bins.

So Christmas is done. Duh duh DUH! And I’m in full OCDish mode now, folks. Shanna @Imperfectly Perfect calls it Type A, which I should start using because it sounds way better than something with ‘disorder’ in the mix.

Whichever. It feels great to start organizing again. Like a long lost friend has come home. Ahhh.

I gotta run now. I need to pick up some extra labels.

Stay tuned for a huge announcement! Ok, hints – some awesome bloggers, some great organizing tips, and you get to play along too!

Nope. That’s all I’m gonna say now.