As we head into the holiday season I am finding myself trying to keep things as organized as possible to keep the craziness to a minimum. And one of the ways I do that is to keep all of my gift giving/packaging items together - and prepared ahead of time - so that they're easy to grab when I need them.
The key to this is preparing them before you will need them!
I like to keep everything together in some kind of tray (found this letter basket at Target) along with all of the 'accessories' and goodies I'll need. So let me walk you through what I have pulled together!
What I usually start out doing is stamping a bunch of images on cardstock that I can then punch out for cards & tags. I usually break it up into stages...one day I'll stamp a bunch of images, another day I'll do the coloring, another day punching them out, etc. If you have kids you can even get them involved. I've 'hired' my kids to be 'punchers' many times, they love to help :)
For the punched images I like to make simple 3x3 gift cards (great for when you want more than just a tag on a gift). Sometimes I just punch a hole for a simple tag. I usually like to have lots of extras of these for whatever I might need (no matter how well I plan there always seems to be a last minute gift or 2!)
I also make up a bunch of simple gift tags. Now I have a tag punch which is very handy but if you don't have that you could even use shipping tags. The bonus part about using those is that they already have a string attached. Easy peasy!
And then there's my Christmas mini book. I make one of these every year. I'm very much a paper and pen kind of gal :) I like to keep it on the smaller side (this year I made it 4 1/2" x 6") so that I can slip it into my planner or purse when I go shopping. This year I knew I wanted to have George on the cover...yes, I gave that cute pup a nickname ;). And I was inspired by this holiday mini book. I simply take some cardstock and graph paper (I love using graph paper for my mini books) and stitch down the spine (be sure to use long stitches if sewing). You could also attach with 2 holes and some twine, staples, etc.
Inside I stamped on some of the pages to get my holiday organization started. I'll customize more as I go.
As we get closer to December I'll probably add more to my stash (probably some shipping tags for sure), but here's what I typically have in my gift giving tray: gift tags (several types), small gift cards, pens, twine, stapler, scissors, hole punch, washi tape, sticky notes (several sizes including one of my sticky note books), assorted clips, & my mini book.
I like to keep it out on my desk or even on the kitchen counter so that it's easy to grab & find what I need. And having everything in a tray makes it easy to grab & take wherever I need it. It's also great for my kids because when they need a tag for a gift they know right where to go...no hunting around for tags, tape, etc.
I hope this helps you get and stay organized this holiday season!! For more inspiration, be sure to follow Sweet Stamp Shop on Facebook and Instagram!
Stamp sets used (click image for more info):
