Today’s Birthday Special – Vision Holiday Ornament Organizer

It’s Christmas in July! To celebrate our July birthday, today we are featuring Whitney Design’s Vision Holiday Ornament Organizer in  red and green and blue snowflake.  Organize all of your Christmas tree ornaments and other small decorations with these festive storage chests. The best part is the window that let’s you see what’s inside without having to dig!

Organized A to Z is celebrating our birthday in July, but we’re giving you the presents! Each day, we are offering our favorite products at 25% off. The discount is good today only, so get it now!

Today’s Birthday Special – Vision China Storage!

Today we are featuring a new product at Organized A to Z – Vision China Storage. I chose these items because of the ingenious design and dependable quality! The handy built-in windows allow you to see inside without opening up the case. You can be sure your treasured china will be protected and preserved in these wonderful chests!

Available sizes include:

• Saucer Chest
• Dessert Plate / Bowl Chest
• Salad Plate / Bowl Chest
• Dinner Plate Chest
• Tea Cups Chest

Organized A to Z is celebrating our birthday in July, but we’re giving you the presents! Each day, we are offering our favorite products at 25% off. The discount is good today only, so get it now!

Undecorating for the Holidays

Now that the holidays are officially over, you may be rather anxious to pack up all of the holiday decorations and restore some normalcy to your home. Its most certainly fun and joyful to have a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, brightly colored lights, and boughs of holly throughout your home, but these items can take up space and may have required you to rearrange some furniture. Packing up your decorations gives you a chance to reorganize your space and prepare for a brand new year.

Many of your decorations are important parts of your holiday traditions, so you’ll want to pack them away with care. And, you’ll want to ensure you can easily find what you need next year, when the holidays come around again. Here are a few tips for “undecorating” your space:

Totes – Probably one of the safest and easiest way to store your holiday decorations. Make sure you label each tote so you know what’s in each box, and don’t fill them too full. You want to be sure the lid snaps shut to keep your items clean and dry. You can stack smaller boxes inside each one to keep little items organized as well. Organized A to Z also has Bin Buddies, inserts that line your totes with handy pockets for separating and storing smaller items.

Ornament Storage - Make sure your ornaments are carefully put away to prevent breakage! Wrap your fragile pieces in tissue paper and mark the box “Fragile.” If you can, save any of the original protective styrofoam or bubble wrap and rewrap with that, you’ll be even better off. Some totes include cardboard dividers to help you store smaller items, but you can also get a Zip Bin Ornament Storage Container. The bag contains layers so you can safely stack your ornaments, and it has a stylish exterior as well!

Along with ornaments, I might suggest that you take a permanent marker and date new ornaments before putting them away. Start a tradition of giving each family member a new ornament every year, and you’ll soon have a tree full of memories! This is an especially nice tradition for small children. When they are all grown up and decorating their own trees for Christmas, you can hand them a box full of memories from years past.

Wreaths – Wreath bags make storing wreaths simple and convenient. You’ll prevent dust and cobweb accumulation, and you’ll protect it’s shape. Organized A to Z has a Clearly Visible Wreath Storage Bag that would work well. If you don’t use a something like this, you can cover it with plastic and hang it in your attic, basement, or garage, or find a square, sturdy box so you can stack it with other items without crushing it.

Lights – We’ve all have the experience of untangling strings and strings of lights every holiday season. Next year, avoid the hassle! Try wrapping each strand separately around your arm and securing with a zip tie or large twisty-tie. Or, cut squares of cardboard and wrap each strand individually. You can also try large Zip Loc bags and store each set in it’s own bag. Be sure to take the initiative now to throw away old, faded strands that don’t work well anyway. Take a quick inventory of what still works and replace the old strands during after Christmas sales.

Gift Wrap – A great product for this is our Gift Wrap Station. This handy, over-the-door storage solution will even store your rolls of ribbon and loose bows. It rolls up for easy storage. Anothe option is a tote – either a tall upright one especially designed for gift wrap, or a long horizontal, under-the-bed box. If you are going out to buy a new one, make sure to measure your longest roll so you get one that accomodates all of your paper.

Organizing All of those Christmas Cards!

By now, you’ve probably received a bunch of Christmas cards and are wondering what to do with them. They can easily clutter up your space, but at the same time, many of them have such beautiful scenes and pictures that you want to show them off and use them to add to your festive decorations. Here are a couple of ways to display them:

On a string – Hang a colorful piece of string or clear piece of fishing line from one corner of a room to the other, or other appropriate place. Hang each card with a paperclip (for an invisible hanger) or decorated clothes pin. You’ll have a wonderful display and a present reminder of how many blessings you have in your life!

On the mantle (or another designated spot) – You can make a nice display of holiday scenes by standing up all of your cards along your fireplace mantle, on top of an upright piano, on a shelf, or another special spot.

On a board – Pin your cards up on a bulletin board decorated with red and green ribbon.

In a frame – Choose your favorite scenes and display them in a picture frame. This can be a beautiful decoration for years to come.

On a door – Some people like to tape their cards up on a door or maybe an open staircase railing. Just be sure to use tape or sticky putty that won’t destroy the finish.

On a hanger – Many stores carry some type of wire hanger that will help you show off your cards.

Once your ready to put the cards away, consider recycling them or donating the front of the card to a senior center, day care, church, or school. They can use them for crafts. Or, save them for your own crafts. You might create a collage suitable for framing, use them in a holiday shadow box, or make your own gift bags.

Unique Christmas Gift Ideas

There’s not much time left to find the perfect Christmas gift, so if you’re stuck, let me give you a few ideas. These products have been recently added to Organized A to Z and might be just what you are looking for!

• Faux Leather Dresser Valet - A classy yet practical gift, especially for those who empty their pockets and leave loose change, pens, jewelry and their cell phones lay out on the dresser!
• Pouchee Purse Organizer – Know someone who is always digging in her purse looking for loose items? This would be a great product for her! It includes pockets for a checkbook, credit cards, a cell phone, pager, lipstick, pens, change, and much more. They come in both cotton and leather.
• Kid’s Toothbrush Holder – If you have kids who just love to brush their teeth, get them their very own toothbrush holder! Choose from a Ladybug or Busy Bee. Makes a great stocking stuffer paired with a brand new toothbrush!
• BusyBodyBook Schedule Organizer 2009 – For those on your list that live by oganization, or need a little help in that department. It’s more than just a calendar! Includes pages for planning meals, tear-out shopping lists, goal setting, important contact information, holiday or vacation planning, and much more.

Santa Comes In One Week!

With only one week left before Christmas is here, I’d like to give you a few tips on how to stay sane as you prepare for those family gatherings and parties. Hopefully you’ve been able to do some planning and cleaning ahead of time, but if not, I’ll help you prioritize your tasks for the next week:

1. Clean the most used rooms of your home, and spend 15 minutes each day or two maintaining that cleanliness. Enlist your family to help keep toys and other items picked up and put away instead of left on floors, counters, and tables.
2. Double check everyone’s schedule. Use a calendar or dry erase board to keep track of the events going on before the big day. Plan ahead so you know what everybody’s wearing, taking, and driving!
3. Make a list of the essential groceries you need and stock up now. Check your pantry against recipes that you plan on making so you know that you have all of the necessary spices, confections, and special ingredients that you might not use every day. Try shopping in the daytime if possible to avoid the “after-work” evening rush.
4. Make sure your family’s outfits are clean and ironed for Christmas programs and other dressy events. Check the condition of shoes, hose, tights, socks, hems, buttons and zippers in case anything needs to be replaced or repaired.
5. Make a list of gifts you still need to purchase or make. If you can’t think of what to give, assign that name to a person in your household and let them come up with an idea. Gift cards are always an option!
6. Wrap a couple of gifts each night if possible so aren’t overwhelmed the night before Santa is supposed to arrive!
7. Now is the time to bake Christmas cookies and other goodies that will keep for a week, even if you have to freeze them for a few days.
8. Finish your Christmas cards. If you have appointments or activities that require you to sit and wait, grab some cards, envelopes, stamps, and a pen, stick them in a bag, and take them with you.
9. If your budget allows, pick up an extra gift or two and have them ready in case you get an unexpected gift and feel the need to reciprocate.
10. Relax! Listen to your favorite Christmas music, drink a mug of hot cocoa, and sit down for 10 or 15 minutes. Christmas will be a wonderful day whether your plans all come together perfectly or not. Take time to enjoy the company of your family and friends!