Project Clean Up 2022...Week 2: Organize All-Occasion Wrap/Gift Bags/Greeting Cards/Stickers

Week 2 is finished and it took a bit longer than expected, but I did it and am so happy to have it done! The reason this week in the project takes so much longer is that there is a lot of little piddly things that are done. Yes, I am the one who created this list so it is really my fault that there are so many little things to do within this week, but I am crazy like that so...

Onto the list....

The first part hit is always the wrap. I have a big container of rolls of wrap because I do still prefer wrapping over throwing into a bag (don't think I nix the bags though, they have a place as well) In this area, I make sure all rolls are rolled tightly and secured. If I find any torn, I cut it straight and roll. I had just enough this year so, none to get rid of. 

Next is the gift bags (see, I wasn't playin') I still have a ton of these as well. You tend to gain a lot when you have 8 kids with birthdays. These are just all-occasion bags and do not include Christmas (those were cleaned out in Week 1 and made their way to our other garage) I go through these and put in order by occasion; Birthday, Valentine's Day, Easter, Solids, etc...Toss out any that may have come apart and detach any tags on the handles that have been written on and this bin is finished!  

Next is my wrap cabinet. This cabinet is full of colored tissue paper, little gift boxes, gift card holders, etc...I organized this one really well last year so this year, it was all about folding tissue neatly and adding a few things to the bins I created from before. Have you ever noticed how expensive colored tissue is compared to white?? 

Yep, I'm that girl who flattens and folds the colored tissue paper from my kids' birthday bags. Hey, no shame in my game. I would rather use that money for something I need. So, a nice color coordinated stack is what I deal with each year. The right side of this cabinet is stacked neatly and the left side is this...

I am the same with all-occasion as I am with Christmas. I use all kinds of containers to gift as you can see here. Mini buckets, gift card holders, jewelry boxes, netted bags, wine bottle tubes, etc...

Next is the Greeting Cards. I usually keep all cards because I do send out quite a bit to various people; family, friends, strangers, but if I am just not feeling a certain card or haven't used and it has been sitting for a while, it goes to the sale pile. These are my files of cards. 

These were chosen to hit the sale pile. There are many different kinds here so they will be put into categories and then will go up in my album. 

So, when are we coming into the really piddly part of this week? Right here! 

Seriously, why do I put myself through this part. Ok. Here we go, I am a sticker person. I love them! I put stickers on all letters I send out, birthday cards, etc...so, in order to be able to find the stickers I need, I have to organize them by category somehow. It isn't pretty, but I just do manilla envelopes right now. Prettier than being all over the place, but maybe will come up with another system at a later date. The reason that this is so "gah" is because I snip stickers to seperate into their correct categories which takes so much time. I just keep them lined up in a cube container that I got from The Dollar Tree. 

I had so many kid's stickers this year that I had to make a 2nd kid's envelope! I have a few groups on FB where you can send cards to kids for birthdays, get well, etc.. and not only do I place a sticker on the outside of the envelope, but I also send a few unused stickers as a gift inside the card. 

Stickers are now organized and ready for 2022 use. 

On this work bench are also a few other fabric cubes. One holds spools of paper ribbon that I use for gifts and gift baskets. There is also one for fabric ribbons. One other for bows. Those stay on the neat side so I didn't document with photos. 

That is all for Week 2. Up next Week 3: Organizing Bills, etc...

See you soon! 

Project Clean Up 2022...Week 1: Organize Holiday Wraps/Stockings/Christmas Cards

Well, I flew through the first week of "Project Clean Up" 2022 and for good reason! All of these items are stored in my Master Bedroom during the month of December since they are in use. I never get to enjoy my Christmas decor in this room until after Christmas is over. It is fine, really. I am more comfortable sitting locked in my room with my tv on, The Family Stone on just doing my thing. What a lot of people would be shocked to know is that unlike most, I LOVE TO WRAP!!! 

Well, maybe I don't get dressed up for the occasion, but I do adore wrapping. A little less loud....

What do I love about wrapping? It's everything. All the big and little things. I love to find just the right box especially when wrapping a set of various, themed items. I have certain wraps I use per person. I tuck everything in and wrap away. Choose a bow or ribbon that matches. Don't forget the ornament dangle. Tags match as well, but belong on the bottom or side so they don't mess with the design. I also use gift bags, gift card holders....I have bins and bins of what I use. It's a whole project! I love watching people unwrap just as much as I love wrapping. It is worth every second of my work 💓 

When January begins, so does my Clean Up which lasts 52 weeks. Week 1 is all about cleaning out, adding to and freshening up my gift wrap bins before sending them on their trek to the garage for the next 11 months. 

First is going through the rolls of wrap. I keep them in a tall box. I have thought of other storage ideas, but the rolls are usually too tall for the wrap bins they sell or a garment bag. This just works best with how much I have. The first job is to look through the wrap and rid any rolls that don't have much left, are no longer a pattern I want to go with or just have not been used at all and won't be. If I have had a pattern for 2 years and haven't used, it goes to the sell pile. I also send wrap from the year that I only have 1 roll left of. I have certain patterns I like to go with per year and they do not always match for the following year. 

These rolls are heading out to sell. 

Gift Boxes: I do remove all pieces of tape, match with their bottoms and throw out any torn ones. I have many sizes, but they are all in a nice order. 

These are the only boxes that I found to get rid of this year. Can you believe that I actually have boxes that are made to gift dvd's? Though we still purchase dvd's as we do not get the best internet to stream, I can honestly say that I don't think I have gifted anyone a dvd outside of the family in quite a while so out these go.... 

DVD boxes....seriously.

Next, I go through my gift bag bin and stack in order by size. Just a few thrown out due to tears. I did purchase a bin this year for my bows and ribbons. They are normally in a cardboard box, but last year, the box fell and well, just bows for miles....

The only thing I keep separate from this huge bin of bows and ribbons are my mini's. I store them in this guy....I mean, isn't he just incredible?!!!

Next is the gift card holders. I have sleeves, cards, tins, etc....Aren't some of these just adorable? I mean, coffee cups and parcels...I love these! 

These are my package dangles. You see Christmas tree ornaments, I see a beautifully decorated gift! I buy these on clearance the day after Christmas and watch out for unique ones here and there throughout the year. It's like giving a little gift...with the gift! Who can't use an extra smile, especially around the holidays?

Sometimes, I don't use all of them and sort through what I have and put into the sell pile. Someone else may be able to use. Now, sometimes, I purchase large bags of items and only want a few so what's left also goes up for sale. Here is my sale pile for this year...

Christmas cards! Yes, I still love to send them so I pick up new boxes each year randomly, depending on what I like. Here are some new ones for next year...

These are making their way to the sell pile...

 

Now that it is all sorted and packed away, I can finally enjoy my beatiful bedroom....

These pillows make the bed so welcoming! 

 

These tiny stockings found at Walmart fit this little metal tree

yard sale find perfectly! 

I just love this wall! The print is our fave restaurant in our area, the mitten a Dollar General find and one of our talented friends painted the canvas. 

Now just to sit back and relax....

See you all next week!

 

52 Week "Project Cleanup" 2022

                       Project Cleanup 2022

I created this project about 3 years ago based off of all of the rooms in my house. The idea was to be able to deep clean or clean out at a nice pace, each room in the house along with our garages and all areas of our land outdoors (geez, what do I get myself into every year). Over the years, I have made notes on how to do things even more efficiently so I am always trimming up this list and or adding in other areas as long as it stays at 52 weeks. 10 people in a house...whew! I have succeeded, for the most part in keeping up with this list in the past so 2022...here we go! 

Challenges 

My biggest challenge is larger rooms that may take all day every day of a week in order to hit my deadlines that I set for myself, along with keeping up with the everyday chores, dinner, running kids to functions, etc...I also like to blog each week so you can see my progress. The blogging is, I think, the biggest challege as I end up only doing a few in the year although in the background, all cleaning is following the chart. I pinky promise that I will keep up this year with the blogging as I go for anyone who is following. 

Here is what we have for this year....can you take the excitement????

Week 1: Christmas Wrap/Supplies/Stockings

Side Note: This is a BIG job as there is a lot to throw out with torn boxes/bags, smashed bows, etc... Why do we even buy these cheap bows? 

Also, since my wrap area during Christmas is my Master Bedroom, I cannot enjoy my decor in December. Until this clean out is done in January and items are moved back to the garage, I have to hold off until the first of the year to really love my decor and love it...I do. 

Week 2: All Occasion Wrap/Supplies/Greeting Cards/Stickers

Week 3: Bills & Personal-Bedroom, Cabinets, Files, Computer Desk

Week 4: Gift Bins

Side Note: I buy for my family all year long (you never know when you will come across that awesome item or a price worth paying...

Therefore, everyone in my family and extended family has a bin that is theirs. My family each has their own, but extended family has one per family. I keep all items written in a notebook so I know what I have. This time period is to re-evaluate what I have for each based off of ages, etc...and neatly store away anything waiting to go into bins. Anyone ever seen a row of skyscrapers? Yes, that is an accurate description of the bin stacking in my garage. 

Week 5: Great Room

Week 6: Foyer/Stairs

Week 7: Powder Room

Week 8: Coat Closet

Week 9: Dining Room

Week 10: Den/Magazines/Newspapers

Week 11: Pantry

Week 12: Large Appliances

Side Note: Large appliances are my most dreaded clean up as it is nothing, but scrubbing.

Satisfying, but I enjoy "clean outs" more than "clean ups." This consists of the Fridge/Freezer, Stovetop/Oven, Microwave, Washer and Dryer. Back to the list....

Week 13: Kitchen

Week 14: Recipes

Side Note: I have a recipe blog and so I am always looking for new gourmet, but fast recipes to serve weekly that I can blog about. Although you can find anything online, I am kind of old fashioned and cut recipes from magazines still (hence the big stacks of magazines in a few baskets of my house). 

I keep these cuttings separated by category in a file box until they are used. This time is used to file away any that I have cut throughout the year that didn't get filed.  

Week 15: Laundry Room/Purse

Week 16: Lower Level Foyer/Stairs

Week 17: Upper Level Bath

Week 18: Carport/Porch/Cars

Side Note: Our Carport is a huge challenge. It is an open one and we end up with a ton of leaves that blow in from the outside. Mother Nature, slow your roll....

Not only do we have to rake out the leaves, but then go through all bins of sport's balls, gardening tools, etc...and toss or organize. This one is a family endeavor. We re-graveled last year so that helped with the muddy ground that had happened over years of raking. I can't tell you how many times before the new gravel that I looked like I was ice skating through here... 

Week 19: Front Rock Garden/Landscaping

Week 20: Driveway/Right Side Yard by Garage

Week 21: Front Yard/Right Side Yard

Week 22: Pool Area

Week 23: Backyard

Week 24: Extended Yard

Week 25: 2 Car Garage

Week 26: 2 Car Garage

Side Note: Our 2 Car Garage is not actually used for our cars. We have a yard sale business and this garage is one of 2 buildings used for storage of our consignor's items. It also has our gym equipment, cleaning supplies, gift wrap supplies, candles and tools. You can imagine the amount of bins that get moved around. Our cats also sleep here at night so their toys, food bowls, blankets are in an area of this garage. We allow 2 weeks for this job. Anyone have a garage we can borrow to park in? No? 

Week 27: 4 Car Garage

Week 28: 4 Car Garage

Week 29: 4 Car Garage

Week 30: 4 Car Garage

Side Note: As above with our 2 Car Garage, our 4 Car Garage is an even bigger challenge. Not only does it store more of our consignors items, but it also houses boxes of decor that I pick up for my Interior Designing. Along the left side wall and entire back are bins of clothing that the kids have not yet grown into, holiday bins of decor, Christmas trees and gift bins. The center has furniture that we would like to use, but have no room for at the moment. My filing cabinet is full of vacation books and maps. The back right corner is my crafting area and the right side is cabinets of party supplies and small cook items. What in the mess of a garage....? We allow 4 weeks to do this right. If it takes less time then we have free time that we didn't expect. 

Week 31: Game Room

Week 32: Matlyn/Wynslet's Bedroom & Closet

Week 33: Reiner/Brandis' Bedroom & Closet

Week 34: Linen Closet

Week 35: Cameron/Genin's Bedroom & Closet

Week 36: Master Bathroom

Week 37: Lower Level Bathroom and Closet

Week 38: Kaplyn's Room & Closet

Week 39: Master Bedroom & Closets

Week 40: Freezer Room (Storage Room)

Side Note: This room is our inside storage area. Since our lower level is finished, this is the place we store things that are in use, but no other area can house. It holds shelves of board games, Little People Toys, Kitchen and bin of play food, Bin of dress up play clothing, Holiday Books, Scrapbooking Supplies, Large kid's tents and sleeping bags, train table and our deep freezer (hence the name freezer room) The kids love this room when it is organized and it gives one more place for them to escape to and out of my hair...

Week 41: Scrapbooking 

Week 42: Organize Memorabalia

Week 43: Hope Chest/Craft Area

Week 44: Jewelry Box

Week 45: Home Office/Address Labels

Week 46: Decorate for Christmas

Week 47: Decorate for Christmas

Week 48: Decorate for Christmas

Side Note: Anyone who knows me knows that my decor is different every year. I keep my most fave pieces for next year, but I purchase new pieces so areas always look different. My husband sees most of his paycheck leaving during this time period. I call it retail therapy, he calls it, "we may be living in a box soon and then where will that bottle brush tree go?"

It takes me about 2-3 weeks to decorate the way I like it so I give myself time for this one. 

Week 49: Wrap 

Week 50: Wrap

Side Note: I enjoy my holiday wrapping time. I love to wrap and take my time on each gift. I allow a few weeks to get it all finished! Who doesn't love a good ornament dangle?

Week 51: Enjoy the Holidays! 

Week 52: Enjoy the Holidays! 

So, that is this year's plan. Lets see what we can do, not do, figure it out and try not to lose a kid in the process. See you soon! 

Project Clean Up 2021...Week 5: Great Room

The Great Room took more time than it ever has. Not sure why exactly? I think I focused a lot more on the mopping and drying than usual. I was able to get the Valentine's Day decor up so I was very happy with that. 

I went from the golds and whites of the Valentine decor last year to basing the design around a jar and block set I made during a craft night. 

I loved how it turned out! 

Onto the cleaning...

So, as I've told you before, this room is big. I mean, BIG. It is the room with the highest ceiling, tall walls, lots of windows, ceiling beams, lots of furniture, fireplace and hardwood floors. Here is how I made it all happen...

__Vacuum sofas

__Spot clean sofas, if applicable

__Febreze Sofas and any pillows that cannot be laundered

__Launder throw pillows and blankets

I love that feeling of a completely clean couch. Spot cleaned, vacuumed out, washed throw pillows and Febrezed. Holiday pillows put out really perks it all up. 

__Dust shelves, furniture and decor

__Touch up black furniture with marker

This is one of our ladder shelves. We have 2 total, one on each side of the tv. I use a simple black marker to touch up any scuffs. This is also done on the tv stand. 

__Clean lamps and lampshades

__Wash windows and sills

__Take down curtains and handwash, dry, rehang

These are the windows towards the back of our room, towards the pool area. There are 3 other high windows in the front of the room, but these are the only curtains that have to be taken down, handwashed and dried. 

__Take out and wash window screens

__Clean TV screen

__Carefully dust electronics

__Tidy electronics wires. Tuck nicely out of sight. Label them, if practical.

__Sort dvd's in basket under coffee table. Keep any under that are currently watching, put others back in dvd cabinet. 

__Wash switch plates

__Wash walls and trim as needed

The walls go up very high so I have to be sure to break out the 6 ft ladder. Still having random stink bugs here and there, I have to look very closely for stink bug track marks to clean off of the walls.

__Wash doors and door knobs

__Wash floor registers and other vent covers. Hose sweep as far down in vent as possible. 

__Clean floors; broom sweep, shopvac sweep cracks of plank wood. Mop, Dry. 

We have plank wood flooring so I get the Shop Vac going and sweep thoroughly between the cracks. That is when you really have that feeling of the room being clean. 

__Vacuum area rugs 

Onto Week 6: Foyer.

See you next week! 

Project Clean Up 2021...Week 4: Organize Gift Bins

This week is always my favorite because I love to organize the gifts for upcoming holidays. Let me let you in on what my gift bins are:

I buy all year long. I begin the day after Christmas and watch out all year for just the right gifts. You never know when you will find that "ultimate" item (and at a great price too)

So, here is my system. Each member of my family has an 18 gallon Rubbermaid type bin that I keep in my garage (younger ones have 2 due to sizes of toys)

Each bin has their initials added to the end. Simple black marker written on an index card and attached with packing tape or get your own self stick labels...you know your storage space, have at it!

I am lucky. My kids do not go near them. In their defense though, they are stacked 4 bins up!

I keep a notebook of all items bought. Just a 70 sheet spiral notebook written in pen. Example of my pages:

Pg 1: Mom
Pg 2: Dad
Etc...

I love to get it written down immediately and put away, but sometimes I have to do a quick run to the garage and items do end up out of place sometimes so this week is an imperative week of organizing.

If you would like to have a gift system (and save money in the long run) here are your instructions:

**1 Bin per Immediate Family Member

-Label each end with their initials (index card with marker, tape on with clear packing tape)
-Store all gifts per person in their designated bin (includes gifts and clothing)
-Keep a large Ziploc bag in each bin for smaller items so they don't get overlooked (stocking and basket stuffers, jewelry)

I also have one bin for my extended family (all go in this one together...Mom, Dad, Sisters, etc...) and my husband has 1 bin that covers his extended family.

Keep a Notebook

One page per person.
List all gifts on the front of one page.
List all Clothing on the top part of the back side of that page.
List all small stocking/basket stuffers on the lower part of the back side of that page.

Keep notebook and pen in a place in the same area as your bins so you will remember to immediately write down and stay on track.

My notebook seems to go on forever so gifts can get moved around a bit to other people or even knocked completely off if not used in a reasonable amount of time. If that happens, I determine whether to keep in extra bins (*read about these a few paragraphs down) or it goes into a yard sale box.

If you already have this system, simply go through and make sure all items are written down and placed into their designated bins. Be sure to check what you currently have and make sure it still falls under that designated person. Example...are they still within range for a board game waiting in their bin to be gifted, etc...

Be sure to shop all year for Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and any other holidays!

I also keep extra bins; Women, Men, Girl's, Boys. When I come across nice items for a great price, they are roaring and ready to go for a last minute birthday party, host gift, etc... I also do "little blessings" of fun on friends' porches at random times and these items help with putting together those gifts. It also serves as a place I put items that I choose to keep on hand that were originally purchased for a family member and then never gifted.

Happy Organizing!

I have already done Week 5...Great Room cleaning and organization. Blog coming soon! 

Project Clean Up 2021...Week 3: Organize Personal Items

Week 3, time to organize all of those bills, papers...you know, personal stuff. This one was more up my hubby's alley as he is the one who files it all away. Remember, you do not need to junk up your house by keeping years and years and years of old bills.

Organize Personal Items


The bills are my husband's deal so...have at it honey! 

We did our first big clean up last year so here is a recap on what to do....

Decide on a place to keep the next year of paid paper bills and receipts; file cabinet or storage bin. Label file folders with each month. File per month. Keep in a place where you can get to it once a month so bills do not build up and become clutter. 

-Shred old bills and papers.

We don't have a shredder so we pull out the logs for this one...

Burn baby, burn! 

Organize Your Personal Information

Decide where you would like to store this information. Store on computer or write it down on index cards and keep them in a small box. If on your computer, be sure to save a backup copy to a disk or jump drive (store this in your fireproof box) Make sure to completely remove from hard drive if you ever get rid of the computer. 

Label each category so it can be easily referenced. Here are some examples of what to record in each category:

A. Finances

__Your credit score

__Your credit card number(s) and the phone number to call if your card is lost or stolen (do the same for debit/check cards)

__Your bank account numbers and the phone number to call if your checkbooks lost or stolen.

__A budget for your income, expenses, savings and personal goals. 

B. Health

__Allergies (to food, medicine, animals, etc..)

__Your blood pressure

__Health issues that run in your family

__Your cholesterol level

__Your blood type and those of your family members

C. Safety

__Emergency Contact Numbers

__License plate number and VIN

__Current photos of every member of your family labeled with their heights and weights.

__Photocopies of your passport and the passports of your spouse and children.

D. Just in Case:

__Your measurements and clothing sizes.

__Your partner's measurements and clothing sizes.

__Your children's measurements and clothing sizes.

Purchase a Fireproof safety box if you don't already own one. Important documents that should be stored in here may include:

__Marriage certificate                                  __Wills

__Birth certificates                                       __Death certificates

__Adoption papers                                       __Household inventory list

__Automobile titles                                      __Valuable contracts

__Stocks and bonds certificates                   __Passports

Once you have originally completed this system, you just have to check it all for next year. Not so much work. 

Week 4 is finished and on time. Just need to be more on time with the blogs! Organize Gift Bins. Do you buy gifts ahead of time when you find a good deal? Keep them organized! See you with that blog soon!