Holiday Storage Ideas

Holiday & Christmas Decoration Storage Tips
From Dianne Hadaway,
Your Guide to Single Parents @ About.com
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Tips For Safely Storing Your Ornaments & Holiday Decor
Have you ever been lazy about properly storing your Holiday or Christmas decorations? I admit, I'm guilty of it. I thought I'd just stick them in the garage and handle them later.

Unfortunately, my procrastinating meant disaster for some of my precious and irreplaceable ornaments and decorations. When I finally searched through the boxes I had stuffed things in after the holidays, I found some items were broken, some were sticky, and some I just never found - they're still in a box somewhere that I can't locate.

That was a hard lesson, but it did teach me not to wait when it comes to taking care of these precious and treasured ornaments.

Each year I add new holiday ornaments and decorations to my collection. The kids make new ornaments with their pictures in them and I find new ones in the after Christmas clearance sales. All those ornaments must be stored as efficiently and properly as possible, so now I have a tradition of buying new storage items to contain them safely too. Below are some of the wonderful organizers and containers I found to choose from.

COMPARE PRICES ON THESE STORAGE ITEMS:

Christmas Ornament Storage XL, hunter green storage box divided into 75 compartments
]Clear Plastic Ornament Chest and Wreath Bags
Ornament and Trimming Storage Box from Orvis
Snap N' Stack Ornament Storage Box by Snapware
Gift Wrap Storage Bag - Nice cylindar style inexpensive protection for Holiday Gift Wrap
Gift Wrap Storage Box
Rubbermaid Holiday Wreath Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Frontgate Rolling Canvas Storage Cart, holds holiday wreaths, garlands, and all those oversized decorations
Upscale Frontgate Canvas Covered Holiday Storage Boxes, black-and-tan jacquard pattern, black leather handles
Heavy-duty vinyl gift wrap organizer, from Lillian Vernon or Miles Kimbal
Rubbermaid Holiday Tree Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Proper storage of your ornaments and decorations keeps them in perfect condition year after year. Purchase sturdy storage containers and resolve to store your treasures properly this year!

FIRST: WHAT NOT TO DO!

Don't wrap ornaments or decorations in newspaper, printed tissue or other printed papers. The inks can rub off on the ornaments and ruin them.
Keep glass ornaments away from damp environments, like basements, garages, storage units, or attics. These treasures need to be kept inside to avoid mold or mildew damage.
Avoid using plastic shopping bags for storage as they tend to break down or weaken over time.
CONTAINERS

Compartmentalized ornament boxes are wonderful and can be found at discount department stores or ordered online.
Specially made containers are great, but you can also use sturdy cardboard boxes and inexpensive plastic bins with lids. It's a good idea to save your original ornament boxes whenever possible, especially for breakable items as they are usually packaged to prevent damage.
POSITIVE PACKING TIPS

Save and organize your gift wrapping materials and in a plastic organizer made especially for this purpose. You won't have to buy all new materials next year, and you'll know exactly where your papers and bows are when you need them.
Long rolls of paper can also be stored by tying the rolls together with string or ribbon (don't tape them or use rubber bands that can mark or tear the paper) and lying them flat on a closet shelf. Store gift bags by removing any tissue paper from the bags, fold bags carefully and store the folded bags in your largest gift bag or in a large department store bag. Hang or place the bag so that it won't be crushed or come into contact with moisture.
Sturdy cardboard inserts (like the ones packed inside all those toy packages!) work great for wrapping garlands around to keep them flat and untangled. Layer in paper bags for protection and easy handling next year.
Wrap individual strings of lights around cardboard inserts. Check for broken or burned out lights and replace or mark with a colored twist-tie for replacement next year. Buy replacement bulbs in the after Christmas sales!
You can quickly make a cloth bags to store and protect your lights by cutting the legs from a pair of old, worn out jeans and either sew, glue or use fusable web to seal one end. Place lights inside the bag and secure the open end with a large rubber band and by tying a length of string securely around the end. The bags can then be securely hung up in your storage area on a hook or nail. Store smaller strings of lights (for wreathes, or other decorations) in plastic containers marked to identify what the lights are used for.
Store extension cords with lights so you can locate them next year when you need them. Use acid free tissue paper to wrap loose ornaments and place in shallow, sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic ornament containers.

Important Safe Storage Tips for Holiday Ornaments, Trees, Wreaths, and Decorations

Use acid free tissue paper to wrap loose ornaments and place in shallow, sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic containers.
Many home/school made ornaments have candy (peppermints, etc.) that can deteriorate, get gooey or sticky, attact pests, and are generally not easily stored. If you want to try to keep them, place each in a ziplock baggie to protect other items from direct contact.
Cushion ornaments by using lots of tissue between them. I don't recommend styrofoam peanuts as packing material because they can get wedged into an ornaments tiny openings and cause breakage, and moisture can also cause the material to stick to your ornaments
Avoid overcrowding a box of ornaments or making too many layers.
Use sturdy cardboard boxes to store antique or fragile ornaments rather than airtight plastic containers.
Ornaments with photos, natural materials (pinecones, dog biscuits, macaroni, etc.) should be wrapped in acid free tissue paper and stored in airtight containers to avoid attracting insects. Note that some natural materials may not store well from year to year.
Place small packets of silica gel (available at arts & crafts stores) in storage boxes to avoid mildew.
Wreaths should be wrapped in tissue paper and can be stored in cardboard boxes; avoid stacking wreaths.
Separate out any ornaments or objects in need of minor repairs and set aside for to fix before packing them away.
Store collections or like items together, snow globes, nutcrackers, bells, etc. so that each collection can be easily put together next year.
Label boxes for easy identity next year.
Use a clear plastic shoebox to organize and store extra gift tags, tape, scissors, small ribbons, trims, ornament hangers, cookie cutters and other small miscellaneous holiday items.
Ribbons and bows are best stored in a large plastic box so they won't be crushed or exposed to moisture.
STORAGE ENVIRONMENT

A cool, dry area where the temperature remains fairly steady is preferable for storage of your treasured collectibles.
Avoid storing holiday decorations in laundry rooms, garages, outside storage buildings, basements, or attics that are not temperature regulated.
A high closet shelf or indoor under the stairs storage area where the boxes can remain undisturbed is ideal, especially for fragile items.

COMPARE PRICES ON THESE STORAGE ITEMS:
Christmas Ornament Storage XL, hunter green storage box divided into 75 compartments
]Clear Plastic Ornament Chest and Wreath Bags
Ornament and Trimming Storage Box from Orvis
Snap N' Stack Ornament Storage Box by Snapware
Gift Wrap Storage Bag - Nice cylindar style inexpensive protection for Holiday Gift Wrap
Gift Wrap Storage Box
Rubbermaid Holiday Wreath Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Frontgate Rolling Canvas Storage Cart, holds holiday wreaths, garlands, and all those oversized decorations
Upscale Frontgate Canvas Covered Holiday Storage Boxes, black-and-tan jacquard pattern, black leather handles
Heavy-duty vinyl gift wrap organizer, from Lillian Vernon or Miles Kimbal
Rubbermaid Holiday Tree Storage Bag - 6 Pack

Wonderful Holiday Hostess Gifts

Being in direct sales, I am always hosting a party or a class or providing a workshop for a group. At the holidays it become even more so! Most of the time I am presented with the issue of purchasing something special for the hostess - a thank you for hosting a party with me. However, that can be challenging. Plus as the holiday approaches, money is tight. My direct sales business has wonderful products and does provide most of the items free. But often the host or hostesses have to wait to receive them, so I like to get something extra to give to him/her (yes men are interested in my products too) the night of the party. I have created this list after researching easy gifts, and then shared them with my consultants to see what they thought. The following items are what we chose as perfect hostess gifts for just about anyone.

Small Journal or Notebook
Stylish pen
Bag of Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate (especially good now)
Lotions, Soaps or Bath Gels (great if you sell these)
Candles
Personalized Stationary (use their name or initials)
Small Gift Basket (cheese, meat, crackers)
Coasters
Small Box of Gourment Chocolates
Notecards
Music CD
A Small Plant
Homemade "Gift In a Jar"
Gift Card
Small Knick Knack
Inventory - look through your inventory if you have anything there and choose a gift from that)

The only other suggestion we all came up with, was to constantly be watching for sales, etc. Recently my business started a sale, one of the products is such a good deal I bought 12 of them and they come in sets of 2! So you know I'm going to have 24 of these little bags - but I also have wonderful hostess gifts for this Christmas AND next Christmas! Do the same thing - watch for sales and discounts and use them! Then just find a spot in a closet and stack things. When you are going to a party or lunch or anything you might wish to bring a small gift - voila! Shop from your closet!

Frugal Stocking Stuffers for Anyone

What was that I forgot?
So the gifts are bought and wrapped and placed beautifully under the twinkling lights of your Christmas tree. Cookies for Santa have been left, and the children are sleeping all snuggled in their bed. Oh No! What about those stockings hung by the Chimney with Care? What do you put in those? Did you forget about that? Often the stockings are the last item we think about, and can sometimes be the hardest to fill. So what do you do when you have NO idea what to put in there? I've provided a few ideas for Stocking Stuffers to help ease your pain. I also would like to suggest that you go stroll through your local dollar store or dollar tree and check out all the fun gadgets and small items they sell to add to your stocking stuffers list. I think that if you use your imagination, you will have NO problem filling those stockings with the best stuffers ever (some are a bit pricier, so just ignore those if they are over your budget)!

Some ideas for Stocking Stuffers
Address book
Arts & Crafts Supplies
Bandaids (colored, characters)
Bath gel
Bath salts
Batteries (especially electronics lovers or gameboy lovers)
Beauty treatments
Bookmark
Books
Bottle Opener
Boxer Shorts (Girls Like These Too and they roll up well)
Bubble bath
Business Card Holder
Calculator
Calendar
Calling Cards
Candles
Candy
Card Games
Cars
CDs
Cell phone accessories
Chapstick
Chocolates
clock
Coasters
Coffee (flavored or specialty)
Cologne
Coloring Books
Cookies
CorkScrew
Cosmetics
Coupons
Crayons
Crossword Puzzles
Date book
Diary
Disposable Camera
Donation to favorite charity
DVDs
Earrings
electric pencil sharpener
electronics
Eyeglass Cleaner
Film
Flashlight
Games (Handheld)
Garden Tools
Gift Cards
Gift certificates
Gloves
Hair Accessories
Hand warmers
Harmonica
Hats
HeadPhones
Hobby goods
Hot chocolate
Ice Scraper
Jar of (favorite item)
Jewelry
Journal
Kaleidoscope
KeyChain
Kitchen Gadgets (egg timer, baster, etc)
Lingerie
LipStick and LipGloss
Lock De-Icer
Lotions
Lottery Tickets
Magazine subscription
Magnets
Maps
Mazes
Mirror
Mittens
Money
Mousepad
Mug
Music (online subscription: iTunes, etc)
Nail file
Nail polish
Napkin Rings
Night Light
Note cards
Notepad
Organizer
Ornaments
Packets of Hot Cocoa or other fun drinks
PaperWeight
Pens
Pefume
Picture frame/photos
Piggy Banks
Photo framed
Pot Pourri
Puzzles
Puzzle/Activity Booklets
Radio (personal size)
Razor
Scarf
Seeds
Shoelaces (Wild, Funky, Specialty)
Sidewalk Chalk
Slippers
Snow Globe
Soaps
Soap Dish
Socks
Stamp Pad with Stamps
Stationery
Stickers
Straws (silly, fun, festive, decorative)
Stuffed Toys
Tea (variety pack)
Tea Cup
Tire Guage
Tools
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Travel Alarm
Trinket Box
Videos
Wallet
Watch
Yo Yo

To get even MORE great ideas, look at November 28th, post. The gift basket contents can be made into stocking stuffers as well!

Christmas Cookies Recipes & Traditions

I thought I would share with you some great Christmas Cookies - well, the recipes that create the Christmas Cookies anyway. (sorry impossible for me to actually SHARE the cookies themselves with you) LOL

First, let me explain about the Christmas Cookies. Every year, we host a "Christmas Cookies Party". And every year, we invite our closest friends (usually that have children) and my kitchen becomes a madhouse for a few hours. It is also required that you actually bring a plate of Christmas cookies to share while we are baking. Why am I telling you this? Because this is probably one of my favorite traditions! And my children just eat it up too (literally I guess) LOL Ok, so Christmas Cookies spark smells and tastes that sometimes are found only at Holiday time at my house. (the good kind of smells people!)

So with everyone gathered at my house and usually crammed into my kitchen (thankfully it's a decent size), we each have our own ingredients and bowls that we've come equipped with. Now, I will admit - the whole process is a little expensive for me, since it's my oven we use. However, you can bake two pans of cookies (sometimes three) at one time, and often more than a dozen little cookies can fit on one pan (just think smaller cookies and kind of scatter them a little).

Ok, so if you're really interested in how we run the whole party, just ask me - otherwise I'm diving into the Recipes for the Christmas Cookies now.

Ok, my favorite first:

Peanut Butter Topped Brownies
For the bars
You will need:
6 squares (6oz) of unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
OR - you can take the easy way out and use a boxed brownie mix to make the process go faster (it's more expensive in the long run however).
Heat your oven to 350°F. This recipe originally called for a 9" square baking pan but we have used a 9"x13" and it just makes a thinner brownie but still equally as moist and delicious. (and you get more) Line your baking pan with tin foil (don't ask just do it!), be sure to leave two sides of it over lapping the two ends (trust me this comes in later). Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Let cool about 5 minutes. With a whisk or electric mixer, add sugar and vanilla just until blended. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Whisk until mixture is velvety. Add flour and whisk until blended, and then stir in optional nuts. Spread entire mixture into pan. Bake 35-45 minutes (if using the 9” square pan or only for about 25-30 minutes for the 9x13” pan). You are looking for the top to crack near the edges and a tester inserted into the middle comes out with moist crumbs. (I usually begin checking mine at about 20 minutes). Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. (takes awhile).
Next, the toppings:
Peanut Butter Cream:
¾ c. regular peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (do not use reduced fat it won’t work right)
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 T. unsalted butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze:
6oz. Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ stick (1/4 c.) unsalted butter
1 T. corn syrup
For the butter cream – beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread evenly over brownies. Freeze 1 hour or cover and refrigerate overnight until VERY firm.
When it’s firm, prepare the chocolate glaze. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring often. Stir in corn syrup until blended. Let cool until no longer hot but still loose and spreadable. (about 8-10 minutes) Spread glaze over buttercream . Refrigerate about 30 minutes. Lift foil by ends onto a cutting board. Cut into bars, dipping knife into hot water and drying it between cuts (this makes nice clean cuts) Then remove bars from foil, place on a serving plate or on individual serving plates to give out as gifts! (Makes approx 32 bars!)

Ok, the next recipe is interesting – it starts with ONE basic cookie dough recipe that makes TWO delicious cookies. (that don’t taste anything alike!) We double, triple and sometimes quadruple the basic dough recipe and make all kinds of different cookies with it!)

Basic Dough Recipe

2 sticks butter (not spread), softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg plus white of 1 large egg
1 ½ t. vanilla extract
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. salt
2 ¼ c. flour
Beat all ingredients except the flour in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low, gradually adding flour and beat just until blended. Divide the dough into two equal portions (about 1 ½ cups each – unless you doubled the recipe)
Then proceed onto the cookie making.

For Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 portion of basic cookie dough, at room temperature
½ c. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts, walnuts or pecans
¾ c. coarsely chopped chocolate (I tried ¼ c. dark, milk and bittersweet chocolate – you could use white chocolate but we don’t like that here)
Heat oven to 350° F. Have baking sheets ready. Drop heaping Tbs. 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes until light golden around edges. Cool on baking sheet on wire rack for about 2 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

For Chocolate Cherry Swirls
1 portion of basic cookie dough, at room temperature
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ c. dried cherries, finely chopped (I used maraschino cherries that I had washed with water (so no excess juice) wrapped them in a towel to soak up the rest of the water and then allowed them to air dry about 2 hours or so before I was ready to use them – although they weren’t totally “dry” they were VERY good) – dried cranberries can also work!
½ t. almond or vanilla extract
Divide dough in half and place each half in a bowl. Add cocoa to 1 bowl, cherries and extract to the other bowl. Stir each until added ingredients are well blended. Place each half of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper. With a rolling pin, roll each into a 9x6” rectangle. Remove top sheets of paper. Invert cherry layer on top of chocolate layer. Freeze for 10 minutes until slightly firm. Remove paper from top and roll up tightly from a long side, pressing together any cracks in chocolate dough as you go. Wrap in waxed paper and freeze 1 ½ hours or until VERY firm. Heat oven to 350° F. Cut log in ¼-inch-thick slices. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until bottoms are light golden. Cool on sheet on wire rack for 2 minutes, then remove to cool completely on wire rack.

You can also make Snicker Doodles with this recipe.
You will need:
1 portion of basic cookie dough, room temperature
2. T. sugar
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg
White of 1 large egg
2 T. sliced almonds
Heat oven to 350° F. Put sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl. Stir to mix up. In another small bowl, lightly beat egg white with a fork. Shape level Tablespoons of dough into 1 ¼ inch balls. Roll in sugar mixture, then place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls slightly with bottom of a glass, brush tops with egg white and decorate each with 3-4 almond slices. Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are golden. Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet then remove to wire rack to cool completely.



I will post more later! (that is if there is a response for them!)

Crockpot Adventures

Check out Michele's website - crockpot recipes galore!! Wow!
Crockpot Adventures

I just purchased a $10 (yes you read that right) Rival 4qt Crockpot for my brother for Christmas. He is a bachelor, and does't cook too often. So I was hoping that if he had the crockpot he might use it a little and save $ that way. We are also giving him the book More Slow Cooker Recipes by Betty Crocker - it has some great things in there that he will LOVE! I copied a few of the recipes down on index cards and then decided it was ridiculous and just went and bought a second copy for myself :) Love it and have already tried 3 recipes! Yummy and the house always smells SO good!
If you want it, buy it through Amazon!



Totally worth it! I assure you!

I jumped the Gun a little!

Originally this post talked about leaving blogger, because I thought they had done away with a few of the features I used frequently! I had been searching for another blog when a comment attached to this post caught my eye and I was able to "fix" my complaint with the help of another blogger! LOL So I jumped the gun a little. Perhaps I should have looked harder (I did look all over the blogger site for the answers to some of my questions, but only 2 were answered). NEEDLESS to say at this point, I am staying!! :) I really DO like blogger so it would have been sad to leave - plus look at all my hard work! UGH!

~Nicole~
(who will not be so quick to jump the gun again!)