Think of all of the occasions each year that you give gifts: Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Anniversaries, Birthdays, New Babies, Weddings, Graduations, and so on.
Now, think of all of your gift wrapping supplies associated with these occasions.
It’s likely that they’re scattered throughout your home and when it’s time to wrap a gift, you can never seem to find what you need. How many times have you bought a new roll of paper to wrap a wedding gift, not realizing that you already had one? How many times have you bought ribbon, forgetting you already had some at home? What about tissue paper, gift tags, bags, etc.?
If you struggle with an easy and convenient way to store all of these gift wrapping supplies in one place, and you want to find a way to stop buying what you already have, follow these simple steps to solve your gift wrapping storage problems.
1) Collect all of your gift wrapping supplies scattered throughout your home and gather everything in one place.
2) Sort all of the items into categories, for example: rolls of paper, gift bags, tags, tissue paper, ribbon, etc.
3) Look through all of the items, one category at a time, and decide if there is anything that can be tossed. As you go through the piles, ask yourself these simple questions:
* Are there any gift bags that are damaged? If so, recycle them.
* Are there any ribbon rolls that are holding only scraps? If so, toss them.
* Is there any tissue paper that is so wrinkled that you know you’ll never use it? If so, don’t keep it.
4) Sort your categories further, for example:
* Ribbon – sort ribbon by color, season, holiday, or size.
* Wrapping paper – sort by occasion (i.e. wedding, birthday, etc.).
* Gift bags – sort by occasion, holiday, or season.
* Tissue paper – sort by color.
* Gift tags – sort by occasion or season.
5) Make sure all of your categorizing and sorting is complete before you choose your storage container. I recommend, clear, plastic storage containers to store each of the categories. Here are some ideas of great options:
* Ribbon – use shoe-sized clear, plastic storage bins with lids. Package by color, season, holiday, or size.
* Wrapping paper – use a long, clear, plastic storage container with a lid. Make sure to measure your longest roll so that they fit properly. Package by occasion.
* Gift bags – use a clear, plastic filing box (see picture). Package by occasion, holiday, or season.
* Tissue paper – use a shoe-sized, clear, plastic storage container. Package by color.
* Gift tags – use zip-close bags. Package by occasion or season. Place zip-close bags in shoe-sized, clear, plastic storage container.
Assign your gift wrapping containers a permanent “home” in one convenient location in your home, preferably, close to wherever you do your gift wrapping. As you add new items to your supply, make sure to sort and store them by the categories that you have created. When you get your wrapping supplies out to package a gift, put them back in their “homes” when you’re done. When you need the item in the future, you will know right where to find it.
Happy Wrapping!
I should have showed you my attic when you and MB were over. It's a disaster! That's my next big project. I wish I would have used all clear plastic Tupperware, but I didn't.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! We can check our your attic next time I'm there. The clear, plastic containers are great, but other plastic bins with lids are fine too (and usually less expensive)- especially if you're storing things that you don't access often. If you're worried about forgeting what you have stored inside, you can always label them.
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