Man, my house is a hidden wreck. At a glance, the rooms look good. They’re clean, presentable, and welcoming. They’re rooms I could imaging staying in for a while. Then, the blinders came off. I started to notice things aren’t as clean as they first appeared. Beneath the surface, it’s disorganized. The rooms burst with signs of a life that became too busy, too hectic, and too rushed. Today, after using all my strength to open closet doors sealed shut by an avalanche of linens and backpacks, I realized my house is that Facebook acquaintance who seemed super chill until they started all-capping everyone who agreed with you when you posted, “Habit Burgers is overrated.”
I agree with you;Habit Burgers is overrated.
There is so much to do in the guest bedroom, and a lot of it requires rethinking/plan evolution on my part. Spilling out from the basket are articles of clothing the boys outgrew during the school year. A small donation basket emptied out every summer no longer works. They’re bigger now; their clothes and shoes take up more room. I need a different system or a bigger basket. Not sure which, yet.
The backpacks go back years. That astronaut backpack is Nico’s from kindergarten!
More rethinking/plan evolution. This wrapping paper storage system worked great when I had signature wrapping. I had very little to store and it was easy to access. I am embarrassed to admit that I dropped my signature wrapping technique due to peer pressure. I buckled under comments that it was boring or predictable, and one person thought I did it because I was cheap! Cheap!
I tossed out 10 rolls of wrapping paper today and still had over 30 to store thanks to my American gluttony. I showed them who’s cheap.
Cheap!
I also donated three backpacks, two bedspreads, one quilt, one throw, the Mister’s old soccer gear, and two bags of clothing.
I consider this a “Round 1” shot. It’s much better than the before–I can open and close the doors without risk to life or limb–but there is still work to be done. We’re going to ignore the nursery wall colors circa 2006. I need to get rid of more wrapping paper (I miss my signature wrapping) and store what remains better. I also need to figure out what I am going to do with Nico’s Baptism outfit and the Mister’s letterman jacket. I’m trying to do projects without spending any money, so this is how it will stay until other solutions pop up. More storage and solutions will naturally become available as I work my way through the room and house.
I love the signature wrapping. And why would you get rid of ten rolls of paper if they were good? Better to have sig wrapping then waste, right? Maybe have two versions of the wrapping and change up the tulle/ribbon? Cheap??? No, great taste and aesthetic. I refused to buy holiday paper last year if I had any in supply. Tough, since it is appealing to me but trying to live more austerely or purposefully. I love the hidden wreck description. It is soooo apt for my house and the result of a child growing up plus full time work. Accumulation of stuff with lack of time to purge. Good luck and keep posting. It’s inspirational to us in the trenches of life.
I’m sorry! I wasn’t clear :-) I tossed out the rolls that were crumpled, bent, or had very little paper left.
Ahhh that makes sense. I just tossed one oversized tube of cardboard holding a 6 inch swath (? Better word?) of wrapping paper. Why did I hang onto THAT? And cringing at my misuse of then. Keep up the great writing! So glad you’re back.
So glad to have you back. I love reading your posts about organization as I struggle with this all the time. I spend too much money on “junk bunkers” to store stuff I can’t seem to part with that I will, in all likelihood, never use again. Ugh!
Junk bunkers! I love that term. Totally using it in the future.
Good job.
If you find empty shelves or if you decide to spend some money adjustable shelves here would work great. my guest room closet is working plastic shelves meant for the garage, but it hold the Christmas boxes well.
I don’t think I’m going to have shelves, but I might have two small bookcases (cheap, from Target). I really like the idea of adjustable shelves!
I’ve accidentally fallen into signature wrapping – red paper with big white polka dots. It will work for birthdays, christmas, mother’s day, father’s day. Half the time I use a gift bag anyway because I am short on time. I think you should return to your signature wrap or find a new one you are more happy with!
On the backpacks, why are you keeping them all? Our schools have backpack drives looking for gently used backpacks for children in need so you could probably find a similar drive if you are interested. If not, add some hooks to get them off the ground. We put two rows of hooks on the side of our mud room closet for back packs and bags, I like them there because they don’t interfere with the rest of the storage much. I agree that adjustable shelves would be a good add as well at some point.
Your progress is inspiring!
I got rid of a few backpacks. The ones I kept are the ones the boys will use for school and one they use for hiking. There are still too many in there. I’m fine with them on the floor of the closet until I’m done figuring out what I’m doing in the rest the house, hence why I called this “round 1.” :-)
I love the idea of a school backpack drive!
Oh Jules your writing just cracks me up! I missed your awesome sense of humor and WMP sarcasm. “Cheap…Cheap! I showed them who’s cheap” I laughed out loud at this and re-read it 3 times just to enjoy hearing your voice of indignation in my head. Oh I’m loving having you back for the summer!
Hahaha! It’s great to be back. I don’t want to school to start in a few weeks!
Well, I’ll tell you: If I’d been at one of those events where the signature wrapping made its appearance, the look we would have exchanged would have been the equivalent of the slow clap. Big fan! But. I just about break out in a sweat when going past the Christmas paper aisle in Hobby Lobby (it’s always on sale!!), and may have brought a couple of emergency rolls home from Target when they were on clearance. You know, because the rolls I bought 3 years ago are *almost* gone. (Also, I may have bought those original rolls because my kids thought the old paper was boring. Yeah….)
I’m inspired! You’re doing things!!
We are getting a Hobby Lobby close to our house; I’m scared. $$$$$
Signature wrapping- oh my. That was a post that, somehow, I had never read. I too enjoy the simple brown paper and then I have a bag of fun ribbons that I use, depending on the occasion/recipient. I love it! The first time I brought our Christmas presents wrapped as such, however, my in-laws laughed at me. (Not in a mean way— they thought I was being funny? I still don’t get the joke).
I persevered, and still have exactly one roll of brown craft paper for wrapping.
Love these posts. My two oldest kids are out of town and I have been attacking their closets with reckless abandon. Get it all out of my face.
The boys’ room is on my list. Talk about a disaster!!
Yes, how your in-laws reacted was exactly how my brother in-law responded to my kraft paper wrapping paper.
We are a modified signature wrap house. I keep 2 rolls of Christmas (for from Santa presents), 1 roll of rainbow for birthdays and baby gifts, and one roll of neutral for weddings, adult birthdays etc. We save and reuse fabric ribbons all year. I’ve been doing this for 3+ years and it has worked well for us.
Hmmm. Where did you buy your paper?
All from Target. On the rare occasion I need new ribbon, I buy a large roll at Costco during Christmas.
I think signature wrapping is genius. Genius! I think I need to have a Christmas version, a kiddie version, and an adult version. So much less stuff to store!
Careful of the slippery slope. I started off with signature wrapping. Then, I decided I needed signature wrapping for Christmas, adults, and kids. Then, the wheels flew off and I somehow found myself with 200 rolls of paper.
I love the idea of signature wrapping. Alas, I feel compelled to save and reuse every scrap of wrapping paper (and gift bag, and box, and ribbon) that enters this house. How’s that for cheap? I also make a lot of my own cards, so I often find myself trying to match the wrapping to the card or the envelope…
For Christmas, though, I have just two coordinating papers – chosen to also coordinate with our little tree – and everything gets wrapped using those. I only buy more when supplies get low, and then only at the post-Christmas sales!
Your WMP posts make me so happy.
All those gift bags that are hanging in the closet are from other people. I can’t toss out bags. I can’t! I also save ribbon. So….maybe I am cheap. But I wasn’t being cheap when they said I was, so there! hahaha
I’d like to join the signature wrapping support group too. I’ve done brown paper and sealing wax before- my in laws didn’t really know what to make of it either!
In the name of recycling I reuse maps and road atlases a lot, and was very pleased with one coordinated combination of a card (it had footprints and paw prints on a map for a boy who loved walking with his dad and their dog) with envelope and wrapping paper from the same map. The child’s mum knew me well and liked it but another mother glanced at it, gave me a pitying look and said “Oh, did you run out of wrapping paper?”
Insanity! We’re actually being creative and resourceful, but it comes off like we’re disorganized penny pinchers.
People comment on wrapping paper? Seriously? Wow, that’s ungrateful. I keep plain red, and er, that’s it. Covers everything (pun intended). Sometimes I’ll add a ribbon if it fits the parcel, as I save any that we receive. Same with gift bags – I never buy the awful things but generally end up with a pile after a child has a birthday party.
I’m starting to wonder if I should even bother with wrapping. It seems like everyone just gets bags, and those I can reuse.
Just have to say I’ve been reading since your William Morris days and I’m glad your back to writing! I too attacked our guest room closet this summer and went with an under the bed storage bin for gift wrap…. I am considering it a trial run!
I’ve been eyeballing those under bed storage lockers! I’d love to hear how it works out for you.
It’s so tempting to buy a thing to organize the things we have- and then a number of years and hundreds of dollars later- I still have empty bins, stuff everywhere, and feel like I need to go buy more containers to hold all of the stuff.
Keep on keeping on!
You’re an inspiration!
And- as one who just moved FAR too much wrapping paper, I am also on team Signature Wrapping. With the inability to toss the gift bags.
When I first started doing WMP, I spent time reading well known organization blogs. That stopped after about a month after quickly realizing they were all about the cubby. It was such a racket, getting disorganized people to buy stuff they didn’t need to store things they really didn’t need.
So happy you’re back to blogging! You make me laugh like no other!
I see the framed photos leaning against the wall in one of your photos above and it made me think of my own dilemma (which I have just been procrastinating about): I have 25ish years of family photos (some in frames, some not in frames) – in various sizes – and have no idea what to do with them?! Do you store them so that one day your great, great, great grandkids can look through them?! I remember back in the lean years, my husband and I would have our family picture taken (for free) at our local bank by a Olan Mills-type business in the hopes that we’d purchase the big package instead of walking away with our free 8×10. So I have years upon years of 8×10 family photos from yesteryear that I can’t bear to part with!
I have no idea what to do with the frames! Ugh.