Free Your Space: A tisket, a tasket…

Once again, it
is the season for giving. Not long
after we swallow the last bite of turkey and cranberry jelly we will be asking
for the children’s sizes, picking names for gift swaps and reviewing lists of
relatives, friends, colleagues and service providers who we would like to
acknowledge.

Food, wine and
spa catalogues that sport gift baskets of various types and sizes are often a
popular and practical choice for gift giving. These consumables can be just the solution to the pressures
of an overstuffed home. Sometimes, however, we receive and collect so many
baskets that we just don’t know what to do with them all. Oddly shaped containers can be
cumbersome and difficult to store, but they are so nice that letting them go
can be challenging.

I would like to
suggest a few ways to use some of the baskets you already own to help manage your
holiday home and events and then offer some useful organizing product ideas
that you might give as gifts, some of which can double as gift baskets.

First, with a
little forethought, a basket is a convenient and decorative way to handle all
the extra considerations that this season brings. Pull out whatever baskets you have so you can decide which
ones might be handy and then look around your home for areas that will need to
be managed, especially when there area few
extra people in the house. Some
uses might be:

• to hold extra hand towels or toilet tissue
• holiday card holder
• guest slippers
• candy/goodies to offer
• paper goods holder
• centerpiece container
• key basket

Wherever you
think a container might make your guests feel more welcomed while making your
job easier is the best spot for a basket.

Once you’ve
chosen those whose sizes and shapes that might do the trick, you can turn each
basket into seasonal décor with as little as a wide piece of ribbon. If you care to get a little more
creative, add holly or garland, and a seasonal cloth napkin as a liner. At the end of the season, if you find
that the basket solution you’ve tried would work year-round, simply change the
ribbon and keep it in place!

As for gift
giving, if you’re looking for a gift or goodie container that will be
appreciated and used, rather than adding more clutter or another odd basket to
someone else’s growing collection, try one of these organizing products:

• collapsible fabric totes (so many colors, shapes and sizes
to choose from)
• under bed zippered shoe storage (add a pair of slippers!)
• car caddy (great for an on-the-go family)
• sewing or Craft organizer (most craft stores carry a large assortment)
• a package of thin non-slip hangers (great space-savers that keep clothes from
falling off. They can be found at
almost any local home goods store). Try using a silk scarf for a ribbon!
• photo storage box (get the kind with dividers for sorting)
• snow salt/sand container (help dad, grandma, neighbor be ready for winter
challenges!)

In this time of
over-abundance in our closets and, perhaps, under-abundance in our wallets,
using what we have and receiving useful things can bring new found appreciation
and some peace and joy to our homes and lives.

Whatever you
choose, my wish for you is that your holiday homes would be filled with
abundance – especially of that which cannot be contained.

* To contact Annette Reyman for
organizing work, productivity support, gift certificates or speaking
engagements in the Greater Philadelphia area call (610) 213-9559 or email her
at annette@allrightorganizing.com.
Reyman is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers
(NAPO®) and Board Member of its Greater
Philadelphia Chapter
.
Visit her blog, http://www.areyofhope.blogspot.com
or her website at www.allrightorganizing.com
or follow All Right Organizing on Facebook.

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  1. jeanne-marie

    Thank you for such interesting and new ideas. I will be using ALL of them!

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