• Organized Chaos: Wrapping Paper Organizer

    Wrapping Paper Organizer

    There are oh so many reasons why I love my husband….here is just one of them.  About 10 years ago when we moved into this house I had all my wrapping paper organized in a box.  Yes, it was all in one spot but since it was all crammed together it would often get torn or the roll I wanted would be pushed behind several other wrapping papers so I couldn’t find it or I would find the paper but had no tape.

    One day I came home and my husband had put together this awesome wall mounted wrapping paper organizer for me.  I may have even squealed with delight upon seeing it I was so excited!  I LOVE that each wrapping paper has its own individual holder so I can easily grab the one I need.  As you can see I try to stock universal wrapping paper that can be used for multiple occasions.  Also a pair of scissors and tape remain hung up on the wrapping paper organizer so when I need to wrap a gift or better yet when my husband is wrapping a surprise gift for me everything is ready and accessible.  The wrapping paper organizer is hung in a storage closet over our deep freezer.  Everything I need is in one place – the wrapping paper, scissors, tape, flat surface (the deep freezer) with the bows and pens stored nearby.

    Organized Gift Wrap with Scissors and Tape

    Each wrapping paper roll is hung individually and can  be taken down as needed.   Every once and awhile I will have more than 11 rolls of wrapping paper if I hit a good sale (or stock up for the year after Christmas or other Holidays).  If I have more than 11 I keep the new ones in their original packages, store them either in a container under the bed with my bags and tissue paper or another place out of the way until I am ready to put another roll onto my wrapping paper organizer.  This system keeps me from having a lot of open wrapping paper sitting around with 1 chunk cut out of it, helps prevent tearing or wrinkling, it’s easier to find the one I want, and overall increases my efficiency when it comes to wrapping gifts for family and friends.

    Scissors and Tape hanging on the gift wrap organizer

    I hang a pair of scissors and a roll of tape on the wrapping organizer to make them easily accessible.  When the tape gets used up I put it on my shopping list and hang the new one up so it is there for the next time.  Whether I have an upcoming birthday party, baby shower, wedding, graduation, Holiday or another special event I know exactly where to go to wrap my gifts.  Having the wrapping paper organized helps make the process of gift giving not only more efficient but more enjoyable!

  • Teaching Our Children: How to Celebrate Special Days (Wrapping Gifts & Writing Cards)

    Birthday balloons they picked out earlier this year - Karlie picked out the star one and Brina picked out the birthday celebration one.

    When a celebration is drawing near whether it is a Birthday or Holiday or Baby Shower or  Wedding or just something fun the girls get excited.   They LOVE wrapping gifts and writing cards.  It is cute watching them pick out the perfect card, beautiful wrapping paper, special balloon, and diligently work on putting together their surprise.  Sure they use a lot more tape, wrapping paper and the process can be messy but think about all the amazing opportunities you have to teach your child during it.

    • The Joy of Giving to others
    • How to wrap a gift with wrapping paper, in a gift bag, and adding the additional bling (ribbons, small gifts, etc…) to it
    • Hand Eye Coordination Skills with the cutting, taping, and folding
    • Creativity with wrapping and writing the card
    • Thinking of others
    • Measuring
    • Shapes
    • Sharing with someone else
    • Sizes and how they fit into a bag or how much paper they will need
    • And Many More
    Karlie wrapping a gift

     I let them each pick out their own wrapping paper to use.  It was a looked a little more like “Christmas” Holiday wrapping paper but that’s what they wanted and it was their gift to give away.  As you can see she picked out a special “treat” gift as well!  I am amazed at how much more efficient they have become even in the last year with wrapping.  Yes, we still have the occasional – “Mom, I didn’t cut the wrapping paper big enough” but overall they are getting better at the process as a whole.  (I’ve even had problems not cutting the paper big enough!)

    Brina working on a card

     Many times the girls will write not only a note in a card to someone but also draw and color a picture for them.  They really do put a lot of heart and thought into the cards and gifts.  It is really neat to see how much they care for others and enjoy doing it.  To them wrapping and card writing is almost as good (maybe better some days) than doing a craft.  Thankful for their willingness to be a blessing to others both family and friends.