Making Things Better #2

 

Seasonal décor is one of those things that can seriously get out of hand and takeover your home and storing it can be a bit tricky as well.  I came to the realization several years ago that the best thing for me to do in order to get a handle on things was to pare it down considerably and stop trying to keep everything.  Tastes change, things wear out or get damaged and it is completely okay to get rid of stuff.  No matter how much was spent on it, where it came from or who gave it to me, it is okay to let it go.  With that in mind I got rid of a ton of stuff and even a few more items were culled this past fall and Christmas.  I have no regrets for doing this either.  No worries though, the butthole turkey is still here.  Now to figure out what to do with the things I had left.

 

His snowflakes were looking a bit worse for wear and he was missing a button

"Oh help!  She has a hot glue gun!!" yelled Mr. Snowman
No worries, he survived his new buttons procedure just fine

One thing I did this year was to look at the items I wanted to keep and make any repairs or improvements if needed.  My set of Mr. and Mrs. Snowman has been in need of some love.  Actually, just Mr. Snowman.  He was missing a button and his snowflakes were all chipped up.  My daughter removed the rest of the paint from the snowflakes and then I repainted them with white acrylic paint.  

Mrs. Snowman seems quite please with the results

While the snowflakes were still wet she sprinkled them with some white glitter I had.  I used hot glue to add some cute little buttons to his front and then once the snowflakes had dried overnight I put a dot of glue on each hand and reinserted the wire into place.  He looks perfect and Mrs. Snowman heartily approves.

 

I went through everything, purged a few items, and made sure Halloween
was all in one bin and Fall decor was all in the other 
I also made sure things were properly wrapped and protected

The lids fit nice and secure and the bins are labeled

I needed easy to manage storage systems as well as proper containers to keep things clean, safe and organized.  This past Christmas I invested in an ornament bin with customizable dividers (on sale for $9.99) to safely store my precious vintage tree ornaments.  Most of these ornaments belonged to my grandparents so they are pretty special to me.  Others are ones I’ve found at antique shops or are mine from my very first Christmas tree as an adult.  I also have a small collection of handmade ornaments I’ve made over the years.  It was time to improve my storage system so these things stay better protected.

 

The Christmas tree, tree lights and wreath fit all in one large bin
Eventually I plan to eliminate this bin in favor of a smaller tabletop tree

With everything stored in proper containers that fit nicely inside the designated holiday bins I was able to get the lids on tight which is really important for storing items in the garage.  Things tend to get pretty dusty in there so now all I have to do is wipe them off with a damp cleaning rag every once in a while and know that what is inside is safe and sound.

 

I invested in a special organizer to hold my vintage ornament collection

All of the ornaments & decor fit in one bin

Right now I have one bin for fall décor, one for Halloween décor, one for Christmas decorations and a separate bin that holds our artificial tree , tree lights and our wreath.  I will likely be adding a smaller bin to hold miscellaneous spring, Valentines and Easter items, but I haven't completely decided.  I don't have a lot of other décor but I do want it all stored in one place.

 

Lovely!

I put labels made with scraps from my card making supplies on the bins and taped each one to the appropriate bin with packing tape.  I used a calligraphy marker to write the words.  I think they turned out pretty cute. I spent $10 for the ornament organizer  and everything else was done with items I already had on hand.  So, not and expensive project at all.  They all have a place in our garage to sit and wait their turn.  Feels good to have everything properly put away, labeled and stored.  I definitely feel I've made things better.