Box Up the Seasons Including the Clothes

Seasons come and go.  Now it’s winter and before too long it’ll be spring.  You may be considering what to do with the items that you use during the winter months.  Why not box up the seasons, including the clothes that are no longer needed?

If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll have a special place where you store Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanza decorations.  When the seasons change, you’ll probably be packing those decorations up and putting them back in storage.  What about the other things in your home that aren’t used all year long?

You may want to purchase some plastic totes, boxes, or other storage units in which to store off-season items if you don’t already have them.  There are so many things you can put away that could help you get more organized.

are an obvious choice of things to put away until the following year.  If you’re currently using boxes, you may want to look into getting some plastic storage boxes for storing ornaments in.  These types of boxes will keep your ornaments, especially glass or fragile ones, safer than a regular cardboard box.  Since you won’t be storing them until after holidays, why not wait until the after-holiday sales before purchasing one.  You may be able to save as much as fifty percent or more off the regular cost if you’re willing to wait.

Out of season clothing is something else you could store away until needed.  Of course, before you store clothing away, you want to make sure it’s clean and in good repair.  It would be terrible to take clothing out of storage only to find it dirty and having split seams.

Wash all clothes that you intend to put up, but also check to make sure someone in your home is going to be able to use them next year.  If you have children that will be able to use the clothes, be sure to sort the clothes into sizes and clearly mark the outside of the box or tote with the size.  If no one is going to be able to use the clothes that have been outgrown, consider giving them to charity or to someone you know that could use them.

Salvation Army, Good Will, or a homeless shelter would be glad to take gently-used clothes off your hands.  And, if you itemize everything that’s being given away, you can also get a tax write-off for your taxes.  That’s a win-win situation – your house is minus some clutter and you have a tax deduction for the end of the year.

When you’re trying to clean up after the holidays, you may want to box up the seasons - including the clothes that your family has outgrown.  If they can’t be worn next year, be sure to pass anything that is usable to someone else.  Not only will you clean away some clutter, you’ll feel good about helping others in need.

How to Organize a New Year’s Eve Party

American Girl Nellie's SPRING PARTY DRESS set for Dolls

It won’t be long now.  The New Year will soon be here.  Before time slips up on you, you may want to start organizing a New Year’s Eve party.  There’s still time to plan a great party for you, your family, and friends to celebrate.

Here are some things you may want to consider when making your plans:

Set a budget. Before you can plan too much, you need to know how much money you have for everything you’ll need for the party.  You’ll need a location, food, beverages, invitations, decorations, party favors, and entertainment.  Decide how much you’ll spend for each category and stick to that amount.

Set your guest list. Make a list with two columns - a list of people you definitely want to come to the party and a list of those people you’d consider.  Cut the list down until you’ve reached the number that will enable you to remain within your budget.  Buy and send out your invitations so people can respond to the invitation.  Ask them to reply at least two weeks prior to the party.  Remember not to make your invitation list too long.  You can’t take people off the list but you can add people if some of your guests can’t make it.

Set a theme. Decide on a theme to give you a starting place to plan what type of food you’ll have, music, decorations, place settings, and invitations.  There are so many themes to choose from when organizing a New Year’s Eve party that you’re sure to find one that will suit you and your guests.

Set a menu. Food and beverages are always a big expense for parties.  Will you prepare all of the food or will it be catered?  Remember to keep your budget in mind when making this decision so you still have money left for the other items you’ll need.

Set a location. You may want to decide where you’ll have the party as soon as you can unless you plan to have it at your home or a friend’s home.  If you’re going to rent a space for the party, you’ll want to have this task locked in as soon as you can.  A week before the party, call to verify the room is still scheduled for your party.

Set a deadline. If you’ve sent out invitations and there hasn’t been a good response, you’re not obligated to have the party.  Keep all of your plans in a folder for next year and you’ll be that much further ahead in the planning.  Then send out postcards to people to let them know you’ve canceled your party.  Find someone else’s party to go to and bring in the New Year with friends.

Organizing a New Year’s Eve party can be a lot of work, but if everything goes well the effort will be so worth it.  Start early, set a budget, and plan to have fun.  New Year’s Eve only comes once a year, so make the most of it!

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12 Creative Ways To Recycle Your Christmas Cards!

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Don’t throw your Christmas cards away! There are so many creative ways to use your Christmas cards, many of which you can do with your kids. We have brought together some ideas below.

Christmas jigsaw game: Make a Christmas jigsaw game. Gather 10-20 cards and cut each one into 3 or 4 pieces, using straight lines. Shuffle them up and lay them out on a flat service such as a dining table or the floor – then put them back together again! Store the cards in a shoebox for next time. This is fun on a quiet family evening at the beginning of the season as it helps to get everybody into the Christmas spirit!

Christmas tree ornaments: Make cinnamon stick ornaments for the Christmas tree. Wrap a small bundle of cinnamon sticks together with a pretty ribbon tied in a bow (leave a loop for hanging). Using a small dab of glue, attach a pretty shape cut from a Christmas card with pinking shears to the centre of the ribbon bow to finish the ornament off. These look pretty and smell delicious too!

Scented sachets: Make scented sachets to give as gifts or fragrance your own home. Simply glue the bottom and side edges of the card together and then slip a small amount of potpourri (or a cotton ball on which you have dropped a little Christmas essential oil) into the space. Use a hole punch to make two holes on the top edge, through which you can thread a pretty ribbon before tying a bow. If you leave a loop in the ribbon, the sachets can be hung on door handles, coat hooks or radiators (the heat will help to release the scent, but it won’t last as long) to create a welcoming, Christmas atmosphere.

Christmas mobile or “string”: Cut shapes out of the cards in matching pairs. Hearts work nicely, as do simple Christmas tree shapes and even plain squares and circles. Stick the cards back to back and laminate them, then punch a hole in them and use to make a colorful and child-friendly mobile or “string” to decorate next year. You could add to this every year. As a variation, you could back each shape with a plain-colored piece of card or construction paper and write on it the date and name of the person who sent the card.

Christmas card game: Cut playing-card shapes out of the cards, stick a piece of plain card over any writing if necessary, and use to make a Christmas game or quiz for your children to play next year. Laminate to protect.

Gift tags: A traditional activity, but one which never fails to amuse the kids, is making gift tags for next year’s presents. Use pinking sheers, a hole punch, and leftover ribbon

Gift bags: Make gift bags for next year by saving smart paper bags. Cut a nice shape out of each card and stick it to the front of the bag (covering any shop labels if necessary). Sometimes one Christmas card will yield many different bag decorations! Add a little ribbon bow just above the card and wrap your present in tissue paper before putting it into the bag. This looks lovely with brown paper bags and tartan ribbons.

Miniature Christmas cards: Some Christmas card designs can be cut and folded into miniature Christmas cards for the kids to give next year, or for decorating the dolls house.

Christmas screensaver: Scan your favorite cards into the computer – and some of your favorite messages from inside the cards as well – and make them into a Christmas wallpaper or screensaver with a photo program. Children love this and it is a great memento if you do it each year.

Lacing card: Cut out the pictures on the larger cards, punch holes around the edges with a hole punch, add a shoelace or brightly colored yarn (with sticky tape wrapped around the ends) and you have a cheerful and cheap lacing card for little ones. If they are particularly popular you could laminate them to make them last longer.

Christmas confetti: Make some Christmas confetti to use next year (scatter it on the Christmas table, or put a pinch inside your Christmas cards and gifts!) Use either a plain hole punch or a special Christmas one (both together look great) and choose the most colorful areas from each card to cut. Gold and silver looks very effective, especially mixed in with red and green. Small scraps of leftover wrapping paper can be used too. You can keep the children busy with this for hours!

Swarovski 2006 Christmas Ornament

Hand Painted Squirrel Christmas Glass Ball Ornament

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