One thing I realized during the Christmas season was that I was very unorganized when it came to my wrapping paper, bows, gift bags, ribbons, to and from tags, etc. I wasted a lot of time trying to find things and when I did find them they were often damaged. Everything was a mess and I vowed to get everything organized after the holiday season.
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The old way was tossing everything into 3 large plastic tubs (like Rubbermaid storage bins) that had no organization at all. Things were mixed together and a nightmare to find. When it comes to getting organized, you don’t have to spend a fortune…even affordable products will work. Here’s how I got things cleaned up and organized.
1. Take everything out of those containers and sort items on the top of a large table or the floor. Like items should be sorted together ie. wrapping paper rolls, large gift bags, medium gift bags, small gift bags, cellophane bags, ribbons, to and from tags, gift boxes, etc.
2. Toss out anything that is damaged or items you know you’ll never use. Get rid of them!
3. Secure the items. I placed hair ties around each roll of wrapping paper to keep the roll secure (better than rubberbands which dig into the paper). I placed all of the to and from tags into a gallon size zipper close bag. Gift bags should be sorted and stacked according to size. Go through the gift boxes and make sure that you have a base and a lid for each one. Then flatten them (shirt boxes) paired together. Once flattened…tie a ribbon around the stack to keep them secure.
4. To store the wrapping paper I placed all of the rolls in a container made specifically for wrapping paper rolls. I placed the partially used ones in the front (on top) and the unused/unopened ones on the bottom (the back). You want to use up what’s opened when you start wrapping again the following year.
5. I opted to store the gift bags in a multi-purpose gift wrap and bag organizer. It has 2 pockets for storing bags and then a big area for the rolls with velcro-close straps. However, I use ALL areas to store ALL of the gift bags (no rolls). The one in my photograph is holding 50+ gift bags (of various sizes), 2 bags of bows, and 2 bags of to and from gift tags. I could stuff a little more in it if I wanted to.
6. Label your storage containers and/or bags with what’s inside them. I have one labeled for wrapping paper, one for gift bags, and one labeled for wrapping accessories.
Once everything is sorted and organized you’ll need to store them. I like storage organizers that can fit underneath a bed (like underneath a bed in one of our guest rooms) or in the back of a closet. Storage organizers like the ones that I’m using can go just about anywhere unlike those hard plastic containers which take up too much space.
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I have one of these storage containers and I do use it for all of my paper. both partially used and new. I t makes it much easier to find the paper I need.
The BIG question for you …………………. Did you know how much stuff you had before you got it all separated..
I am a big fan of organizing stuff and putting everything back where it belongs
These are very interesting and could be used for a lot of different stuff
A few years ago I won one of these storage contains from the Hallmark Channel and I LOVE IT! It came fully stocked and I will use it for many years to come. I had no idea that they sold these on Amazon and that is a great price.