As part of the 5-minute Clutter-Bust post, I’ve been hearing from people across Clever Girl Nation about what they’re attacking.  One idea that came up was sorting through gift wrap. Ever get frustrated because you need to wrap something quickly, and you can’t find what you need, and only seem to uncover lots of things that you don’t? 

How about we Clutter-Bust yours together? 

Bags:  Some of us tend to store more of these than we really need. We probably didn’t even buy them, but received them in gift-giving, and kept them, thinking we’d reuse them.    Sort them into different sizes, setting aside the ones you think aren’t in perfect shape.  and think through the likelihood that you’re going pick that particular bag out as your top choice if you had to wrap a gift.    As you go through each size, rank them in terms of your top choices, and the likelihood that you’ll have that many items in that size needing bags.   For the ones you’re saying goodbye to, rip off the handles and recycle the bags. 

Bows: Have a bag that came with 20 bows, because it seemed like a good idea at the time, and it still, years later, has 18 left in it? Maybe you’re just not a bow person, after all. Let’s face it: Gift wrapping has gotten fancier, you’ve gotten better at it, and bows have become a bit extinct. Time to say goodbye, if these aren’t part of your wrapping style. Toss these (or donate them); they’re not recyclable. 

Gift Wrap (Rolls or sheets):  I know for me, sometimes I buy a package of wrap that I like, and I end up not loving the whole set. But, hey, it’s perfectly good wrapping paper, so, why not keep it, right? Wrong.  It becomes clutter when it isn’t useful to you. Let go of what you don’t love, whether it is because of the style, or the “I don’t think I’m going to go to another wedding soon, and even if I did, I’d send the gift straight from the registry, so I don’t need the Bride and Groom paper”. Recycle or donate the items that aren’t going back to your collection.

Tissue Paper:  It always seems helpful, especially if you’re a bag user. Again, go through your supply and determine what you’d REALLY likely use, vs. just happen to have kept all this time. Just make sure your supply is not a 10 year supply. If you need more in the future, you’ll spend $2, right?  Get rid of anything ripped or torn, and they’re recyclable.

Ribbon:  If you’re a ribbon user, you probably have a few things in your supply: Ribbon you love and use a lot, ribbon you don’t love and can imagine using, scraps you hope to make use of some day, or the dreaded “I like this one ribbon on the spool with the 4 others, but I don’t like the 4 others.  First, the ones you don’t love that are single, consider letting go of. The ones on the spool are trickier, but I suggest liberating the ribbon you love and store that one, rather than hold on to the rest of the useless spool.  As for the scraps, unless you know you are VERY GOOD about looking through scraps FIRST, they’re only getting in the way of how you love to use ribbon. That makes them clutter. This is one isn’t recyclable, either. 

Now that you’ve weeded your supply down to the items you love, you’ll most likely use, and are in good shape, how about we think about storage?

A few months ago, I shared with you the WrapIT Organizer when I was reviewing my favorite new organizing products. 

The WrapIT Organizer is a durable, clear plastic hanging storage system, which has pockets for every different aspect of your wrapping style, including rolls, folded sheets of wrap, tissue paper, ribbons, bows, gift cards, even scissors and tape!  It is a great way to make sure that your new collection has everything protected, easy and simple to find (NO MORE AGGRAVATING WRAPPING FRENZIES!) and it can be stored away neatly until you need it again. 

  What I loved about it: 

  –  See everything you have

  –  Keep it all organized — everything has its place

  –  Keep your wrapping materials protected

  –  Stash it away in a slim way (hang it up in a closet, and it takes up about as much room as a jacket) or store under a bed

Ready for a real adventure?  What if you set up a Gift Wrap Station like I did last summer with one of my clients!  If you have the space, the need (your kids are in prime party-attending age?) you might find a creative way to bring this activity to life in a space you love!