ANOTHER CHRISTMAS HAS COME AND GONE

As I write this post, it is -8 degrees and they are predicting that it might eventually get to 3 degrees later this afternoon.  Windchill factor has it about -30 degrees.That is the coldest weather KC has seen in over 10 years.  That is the arctic blast I refer to.  I would not want to go up in the attic today.  

Anyway, I am sharing two tips I learned last year that makes it so much easier to store your Christmas decorations.  If you have already packed away your Christmas, just remember it for next year.  

I am looking forward to 2014 and all the posts that I will share with you.  One thing I want to make sure I share with you this year are the quilts I made for my CO grandchildren in 2012.  I know it has been a while but I got busy with everything else that was going on. Also I started the quilts before I started this blog, so the thought wasn't there when I made the quilts.  And of course I will be sharing lots of recipes.  I have already found several I am anxious to try.

Hope to see you back.  Would love your comments also if you especially like what I am sharing.  Now my tips.....  

After getting back from celebrating Christmas (and New Years) with our son Jeffrey and his family in CO, I was ready to get some work done. 

The first thing I needed to do was pack up all the Christmas decorations back in the attic.  I didn't actually have that much because since I was late decorating this year, I didn't put out much.  

Our weather forecast was for an "arctic blast" to come down on Saturday so I knew I had to take advantage of the temps just being around freezing while I could.  It is cold up in the attic, but gloves and extra clothes help.  Actually after one or two times up the pull down stairs, I don't need the extra clothes.

Packing up the ornaments was so much easier this year since I had tried a tip I saw on Pinterest last year. I thought I did a post on it last year, but when I looked for it, I couldn't find it.  So I will show you how to do it on this one.  It was really nice this year decorating and undecorating the tree.


Since our first Christmas (married) the ornaments on our tree have been homemade.  Eventually I received ornament gifts from students and friends.  So now my collection of ornaments are homemade or purchased gifts.  Because of this, this method works really well.  I can put more than one ornament in a cup.

What you need:

plastic storage tub
larger sheets of cardboard
hot glue gun and glue sticks
plastic cups
knife or scissors to cut the cardboard

I started by cutting a piece of cardboard the size of the bottom of the plastic storage tub.  I used the box that granddaughter Madison's Hot Wheels came in.

Spread the hot glue all the way around the base of the plastic cup.

Then position on the cardboard.  (I arranged the cups first to see how they would fit on the cardboard.  My tub gradually got bigger to the top so I could have the top edges of the outside cups extend slightly over the edge of the cardboard.)

That's it.  Then after it dries, you are ready to place the ornaments in the cups..... 

....and then lower into the box.

So that's why it was so easy Friday when I packed them up. You might notice I stuff some fingertip towels that I have down the sides of the bottom for padding.  It isn't really necessary, I just like utilizing my space well.  I don't show it in this picture, but I also placed a placemat between the two layers for the same reason.  The rest of the set of placemats were placed on top of the top layers.  In between them I placed some of the crochet ornaments that need to lay flat that my mother and Auntie made that won't fit in the cups.

Another tip I learned from Pinterest is how to keep the wrapping paper on the rolls.  I thought I had shared this last year also, but didn't.  

This tip is even easier.  All you need is a pair of scissors and empty toilet paper/paper towel rolls. The stronger the roll the better it works.  Last year some of the rolls I used were thinner and they don't hold on as well....(they stretch out).

All you have to do is cut down the roll with a pair of scissors.

Then wrap it around the roll of wrapping paper.  The roll will secure the paper.  

Pretty neat!    


Then you just put them away for another year!





I was busy up until the day before we left finishing our newest grandson Henry's baby blanket. So I knew my sewing room was a mess.  (Plus it was the "collect-all" room for Christmas wrapping paper, etc.)  

Here is a picture of what it looked like when I got started...








By mid afternoon, I could see most of the floor.  I didn't take a picture because I want to wait to show you what it looks like when I get it finished.  It isn't a job that can be finished in just a few hours...if I want to do a really thorough job.