Our Guide to Holiday Gift Wrapping

I LOVE WRAPPING PRESENTS!  I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to unique gift wrapping ideas.  For me, gift wrapping is like the final decorating part of the holidays, and y'all know how much I LOVE to decorate.  I’m sure several of you are thinking “haven’t you been preaching to us about clutter-free gifts?” Well yes we have, but that does not mean you are exempt from wrapping that gift in a way that emphasizes how truly special it is.  Today’s blog is all about making those clutter-free gifts special.

When it comes to wrapping, I have two philosophies.  First, the wrapping should complement or hint at what’s inside.  Second, it should complement the theme. At this time of year, that theme is Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanza.  Since I consider gift wrap to be the final decorating part of the holiday, I select my gift wrap in colors and textures that complement my decorations.   

Get Your Wrapping Stations Ready

So now that you’ve purchased all of your holiday gifts, let’s talk about your gift wrapping area.  I think it is important to have a space or container that holds all items necessary to wrap a present. This should include the basics: paper, ribbon, tissue paper, embellishments, scissors, hole punch, ruler, tape, and pens.  Tags and cards are also nice. I will oftentimes make my own tags so that they match the gift wrap.

When it comes to paper I suggest you keep these basics on hand: white, off-white, gold, silver, black papers in glazed and matte finishes and craft paper.  Over the years, I have been adding beautiful solid colors and patterned papers to my collection.

I am admittedly a bit of a ribbon junkie and will pick up beautiful ribbon throughout the year to add to my gift wrapping station.  I typically pick ribbon from the clearance bins unless I happen upon something very special. I like to have a lot of ribbon on hand as I love mixing several colors, patterns and textures to create bows that are extra special.  I keep an assortment of ribbon in different widths in grosgrain, satin, jacquard, velvet, and picot edge in solids and prints, with and without wire.

Tulle, raffia, and string are also must-haves in your basic gift wrapping arsenal as well as tissue paper in white and assorted colors.  I have also been known to upcycle ribbon and tissue from gifts I receive.

Pro Tip: Did you know you could iron tissue paper on a low setting to remove the wrinkles?

Embellishments are a fun way to add interest to your presents.  An old card with a beautiful picture can be trimmed to reuse on a gift as a tag.  Old family pictures make for wonderful gift tags. Are you a gardener? Fresh or dried flowers, leaves and sticks are superb to add to a wrapped gift.  Ornaments and small toys also make lovely additions to wrapping as do old jewelry pieces. Buttons also make for an attractive adornment.

Wrapping With a Theme

Tess Panzer published this beautiful gift wrapping idea.

Gift Card Wrapping Ideas

These are super cute ways to wrap gift cards for a carwash, car maintenance, music lessons, or voice lessons.

Creative Wrapping

Tap into your creative side. This is a great way to wrap a pet sitting gift certificate. This idea is from craftfoxes.com.

Fun Movie Gift

MyFrugalAdventures.com posted this idea for wrapping gift cards to the movie theater. Don’t forget to add some cash for popcorn!

Wrapping Cash Gifts

TheDatingDivas.com had some amazing ideas for making the gift of cash even more special! Check out their post from December 9, 2017.

As we count down to Christmas, I would like to recap some of the true clutter-free gifts we have been highlighting.  These are gifts that leave no physical footprint.  I’ve broken them down into categories for you.

Subscriptions:

• Netflix

• Hulu

• Amazon Prime

• Magazines

• Make-up

• Food

• Beer, Wine

• Satellite radio

• Audible

Activities:

• Museums

• Amusement Parks

• Movie Tickets

• Theatre Tickets

• Bowling

• Escape Room

• Putt-Putt/Mini Golf

• I-fly

• Zoo

• Go-carts

• Arcade

• Scavenger Hunt

• Murder Mystery

• NFL, NBA, Baseball, Soccer tickets

• Staycation

• Vacation

• Photo Session

Memberships:

• Gym

• Roadside Assistance

• Golf Club

• Country Club

• Hunting or Fishing license

Classes/Lessons:

• Music

• Voice

• Foreign Language

• Dance

• Gymnastics

• Martial Arts

• Painting

• Art

• Pottery

• Golf

• Archery

• Horseback Riding

• Flying

Services:

• Babysitting

• Pet Sitting

• House Sitting

• Freezer Meals

• Maid Service

• House Cleaning

• Lawn Service

• Carwash

• Car Maintenance

• Gas Card

Food:

• Freezer Meals

• Monthly Subscription

• Restaurant Gift Card

• Chef’s Table

• Private Chef

Personal Care:

• Massage

• Med Spa

• Manicure

• Pedicure

• Facial

• Tattoo

• Ear Piercing

• College Fund Money

• Cash

With all of these ideas, you are sure to find the PERFECT gift for that hard to buy person on your list.

Happy shopping!  Happy holidays!!

XOXO

- Lisa

Grab a Cocktail, and Let's Get Busy Setting Your Christmas Calendar!

Are you worn out from the hustle and bustle of Christmas?  Feeling overwhelmed? Do you keep starting and not finishing your tasks because of the distraction of so many “to do’s” on your plate?

Grab your coffee (or cocktail) and a pen and paper, sit down and read for just 3 minutes.  I’ll keep it short!

1. Add all dates to all December functions on your calendar.  Do not get up because you remembered you are supposed to bring cookies to your kids class tomorrow and you need to see if you have flour.  Sit back down. Are the dates added?

2. Look at what’s on the calendar. Make a list, in calendar order, of things you will need to do for those activities. Some examples:  Cocktail clothes need to go to the dry cleaners before the company party? Schedule that. When do you need presents shipped? Schedule that. Cookies need to be baked before the school event? Put the grocery shopping and the baking on your calendar.  Give each “to-do” a deadline and add these deadlines to the calendar. If it’s not on your calendar, it doesn’t exist.

3. Download our gift log.  Fill it out as best you can. Put this in a safe place THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER.  My list stays near the computer and gift wrapping in my office. Lisa uses an app for her list.  Here is the link. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/santas-bag/id397698040?mt=8

4. Now, schedule a date with your girlfriends to bring their presents and a bottle of wine for y’all to get busy wrapping! Wrapping and Wine Wednesdays? Schedule it!

Ok, now what’s on your calendar today?  

Ready, set, go!

P.S. Download our Holiday Gift Planner and Clutter Free Gift Idea List to get you started!

The Answer to a Clutter-Free Christmas? Staycations. Here's Why.

Do you find it getting harder and harder to find the right gift for certain people on your list?  Do you find yourself buying a gift just for the sake of giving the gift even though you know the person you are buying for does not need or necessarily want said gift?  I think we have all been in this position. As the world moves toward a less is more mentality, this predicament is becoming even more prevalent.

As a mother, I am embarrassed to admit (on several occasions mind you) to finding unopened gifts my children have received.  The gifts are unwrapped and properly thanked for but beyond that, they are just clutter. This in no way diminishes the feeling of gratitude towards the gift giver; it is just a fact!

WOW, that sounds terribly ungrateful and if you know me you know I am nothing but grateful for the people and gifts in my life!  I cannot stress that enough. However, I have come to know that experiences trump most things, and the gift of an experience outlives that of a trinket or latest gadget.  

This is why my family moved from giving mountains of gifts when the children were young to what we called “the three wise men gifting” (three gifts) as they became teenagers. Now, we do a “staycation.”

What is a stay-cation?  It’s a vacation in your own city or a city nearby.  I will not lie, not buying gifts felt really weird and still does. But when I ask my family what they would like for Christmas, they tell me another staycation.  

Last year’s staycation:

I planned a family dinner at Damien’s Italian Restaurant with a shuttle to the Alley Theatre to see a performance of A Christmas Carol.  If you are in Houston, this is a must!!  Damien’s Restaurant provides a free shuttle to the theatre district.  The minibus drops you off right in front of your theatre and like a magical carriage following the performance it is there to pick you up.  What’s more, they know you are going to the theatre so they pace your meal to accommodate those plans. No need to worry if your entre will be out with perfect scheduling or whether the check will be delivered in adequate time to retrieve the car, drive, park, walk to your seats.  

I wanted to add a little international culture to our itinerary so I planned a dinner at Yauatcha Houston, a dim sum teahouse offering classic and contemporary dim sum, wok dishes, patisserie, and an innovative wine and cocktail list.  I paired this with a performance of Shen Yun, a performing arts group that performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers.

Continuing with our internationally themed staycation, we also attended a family dinner one night at Peli-Peli, a South African restaurant in Houston.

This year’s staycation:

We’ll kick off our staycation with dinner at La Griglia Italian Restaurant with a performance of Ä Christmas Pageant at Stages Repertory Theatre.

I have also planned a family outing to I-Fly, the latest immersive experience combing VR technology with the real rush of skydiving over some of the world’s most beautiful destinations.  Now everyone can pick a bucket list place to skydive atop! We will then grab an early dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, where we will no doubt recount the excitement.

To continue the experience, I purchased tickets to the Houston Rockets versus Boston Celtics basketball game and thought that might team well with a great barbecue dinner.  

Our house is still decked out with Christmas cheer.  We still do our Secret Santa exchange on Christmas Eve while wearing our matching PJs and Santa still delivers stockings to our family on Christmas Day, but Christmas has become more about our time together and less about the presents.  These staycations have put the meaning of Christmas right back where it should be!

Check out our Instagram for more clutter-free gift ideas!  We have been posting one per day and will continue to do so until Christmas Eve.  

4 Tips for Organizing Your Refrigerator

What is living back there?  Have you ever had this thought?  Many of us will be doing a whole lot more cooking than we normally do from now through the end of the year.  That means our refrigerators will be working overtime. Things might get lost in there if we don’t put some thought into this space.  

Yes, our refrigerators are no different than any other cabinet in our homes!  We should put the same amount of consideration, if not more, into organizing this space so that it works for not against us.  Here are some of our favorite tips to keep your refrigerator in tip-top shape this holiday season:

1. Dividers

I have found dividing my refrigerator space into categories helps tremendously.  When I put items in the same location, I can easily see what needs to be replaced.  I can also easily tell guests wanting to help in the kitchen where to find things.

Containers like these spotlighted below work extremely well.  

I use this one to store my dairy products such as butter, sour cream, and cream cheese.

2.   Lazy Susan Turntables

Using lazy-susans, also known as turntables, in my refrigerator allow me to easily grab items without having to move things around.  Turntables are also wonderful for cutting cleaning time down in your refrigerator.

3.   Shop Around

There are so many new organizational products for organizing your refrigerator.  Oftentimes I use my house as a test kitchen trying out many of these products, so I am confident when recommending products for my clients.  

4.    Use What Works For You

Pro Tip: A refrigerator item not worthy (in my humble opinion) of my hard earned money or yours:  Egg containers! Because knowing the expiration date of an egg seems to be a good idea, and I like seeing that date on the original egg carton!  Just saying!!

Today’s challenge:  Clean out your fridge in honor of “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day,” and make a list of the items you need to purchase to prepare your holiday meals.  Being prepared will help you take advantage of the holiday specials.

We want to hear from you!

Comment below to share your family’s favorite holiday side dish.  We are always looking for fresh ideas!

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An Antique Store's Craft Room Make Over

We had so much fun organizing a craft area for a client who owns an antiques and gift store.  Our client specializes in making beautiful custom wreaths and floral arrangements.

Here are photos of what the space looked like when we arrived!

BEFORE

We spent the first day of the job purging.  Lots of purging!! We must say, our client was amazing with this process and we estimate she cleared away 40% of her excess inventory.  WOW!! We explained to her why it is important to make the stuff fit the space, not the space fit the stuff. Lucky for us, she totally got the concept, which made our job of getting to the organizing so much quicker.

The store is laid out with an open shopping area and then two additional areas where our client stores her inventory and does her crafting.  Once we cleared the excess in the storage/work area, we designated one area (“room”) for inventory and the other “room” for a workspace.

We created a beautiful floral wall with her artificial flowers, also known as plants we cannot kill - our favorite kind of plants - using trash cans she inherited as bins!  Now she can easily select the flowers she wishes to use in her arrangements and wreaths because everything is in view and very accessible. This also creates an area for her clients to peruse when deciding what items they want in their wreaths. We oftentimes speak of win-win situations, and this certainly qualifies! It checks the box of being an organized space that is both functional and beautiful.

In the inventory “room” we lined the walls with shelving units the client already owned.  We zoned these units into sections for tools not used on a daily basis, vases, cleaning supplies and excess inventory to be sold in the store.  The client owned two inexpensive countertop height shelving units. We positioned these in the middle of the inventory “room” to serve as a staging area as she is taking out needed items.  

AFTER

We hope some of the ideas we incorporated into this design serve as a creative spark for your project.  As always, give us a call if you need our help in finding the perfect organizing solution.

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