Tidy Tips: Storage Ideas for Holiday Cards

We’re constantly helping clients declutter their belongings. Believe it or not, holiday cards are a major culprit for holiday storage clutter. Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to tackle that growing stack of greeting cards - both old and new.

1. Gather

Collect all the holiday cards and supplies. We’re talking the cards you received years ago, the extra custom cards you ordered, store bought cards, stamps, return labels, etc.

2. Categorize & Consolidate

Group like with like and evaluate the quantity of each category. Eliminate unnecessary redundancies.

3. Cards Sent

If you send out custom holiday cards chances are there’s an abundance left over year after year. We suggest keeping a few from each year for nostalgic purposes. Recycle the rest.

4. Cards Received

This may be an unpopular opinion but we suggest parting with the cards you receive each year. If you MUST keep some, just save the most recent years’ collection in the event you wish to reference who sent you a card (but even that’s a stretch).

5. Contain

As with all items, everything must have a home. Select a designated container - we like this Clear Card Keeper from The Container Store but a simple shoe box works just as well if you’re looking for a DIY version.

6. Label

Surprise! We want you to label the categories. This allows you to see your inventory quickly and helps with maintenance.

We used our very favorite label maker- the P-Touch Cube from The Container Store.

DIY version - use stickie notes as labels.

disclaimers:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Product Spotlight: Weathertight Totes

If you’re a client, friend or follower of Tidy Nest, you know we swear by IRIS weathertight totes for all our long-term storage needs.

Here’s why:

protection

Spaces like garages, attics and basements can be susceptible to the elements (or critters). The air and watertight seals on these totes keeps the content protected. They have 6 (!!) latches and while it makes them slightly more time consuming to open, it guarantees nothing is getting in there! We’ve even sprayed the latched bins with a hose and the contents remained dry!

visibility

Anything that is not accessed regularly should be contained in clear bins so the contents are visible. Opaque bins invite and hide clutter and usually become repositories for miscellaneous items. Plus, your labeling system has to be spot on - if your opaque bins are not labeled clearly or the labels fall off, you’ll find yourself unstacking and opening up bins over and over to figure out what they actually contain.

durability

These totes are more expensive than the basic totes (like Sterilite) but they last much longer. We’ve been using the same totes for close to a decade and you’d never know they were so old!

Versatility

While retailers such as Home Depot and Amazon carry weathertight totes, we prefer the IRIS brand from The Container Store because they have a wide variety of sizes to choose from and even their largest size is still manageable. (don't get us started on those ridiculously large plastic totes).

You can shop these totes (and all our favorite products) on our LTK site.

disclaimers:

photos from The Container Store

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Tips: Storage Ideas for String Lights

We’re sharing our favorite way to store holiday string lights so you’re not spending hours untangling a ball of lights only to find out that they don’t work!

1. Test the lights

Untangle the lights and head straight to the outlet to make sure all your lights work. If you have a dead bulb(s), try replacing them before tossing and buying new.

2. Wrap the lights

We highly recommend coiling or wrapping the lights to avoid the dreaded tangled mess each year.

See below for a DIY option.

3. Contain

Store the lights in plastic or fabric containers. Look for bins specific for lights with wrap organizers already included like this one from Target.

4. Label

Not only label the container but label each string of lights so you know exactly how/where they were used. This makes decorating the following year much easier. We used velcro cord labels from The Container Store - see below for a DIY option.

---

Here’s a DIY Option…

Supplies you’ll need

- Cardboard

- Scissors or box cutter

- Lights

- Container to store lights

- Masking / washi tape

- A curious kitty (optional)

1. Find some cardboard

Use any sturdy cardboard you have lying around. You’ll want to cut a square or rectangle based on the size of the container you’ll be using.

2. Create a cord holder

You don’t have to get fancy here, just make two cuts on opposite sides of the cardboard. This will hold the cord in place. Once it’s secure, start wrapping.

3. Label

We’re using velcro labels here but for the DIY version, try masking tape or washi tape.

disclaimers:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Product Spotlight: All of them!

We’re happy to announce that we are on LTK so our community can easily shop the products we love.

Follow the steps below to follow us on LTK!

1. Download

Download on the App Store

2. Follow

Search “tidynest_pro _organizers” and follow us so you don’t miss any of our posts.

follow us here

3. Shop

You can shop the exact products (and similar styles) at the bottom of each post.

shop this post

4. Search

You can use the search bar under our profile (if you’re on a mobile device) to find specific products.

search our products

If you purchase from one of our links, we may earn a small commission.

Project Spotlight: A Spice Wall For The Books

We loved working on this spice jar project. It took us awhile to source the perfect vessels. We ended up using these tall Weck jars and replaced the regular clipped tops with these wood tops (that have a seal gasket) and then we added these sweetest little jars from a great Etsy shop. We had to keep the Coleman’s mustard tin container because it’s just so classic!

It was an absolute pleasure to be able to work in a space designed by the fabulous @scribe.studio. It was like getting to color in the most sophisticated and beautiful coloring book. They design not only for beauty and elegance, but for functionality as well. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work in one of their homes and will share more photos from the project soon!

Want to shop these products?

Glass Spice Jars with Acacia Wood Lids

The spice jars are airtight and made with food-grade high quality borosilicate glass.

Weck 11.5 Oz. Zylinder Glass Canning Jar

These jars have been around since 1900 and there’s a reason. They are classic and versatile. And that Strawberry is the cutest.

Weck wooden lids

Weck wooden lids come with removable silicon gaskets which help keep ingredients fresh.

If you purchase from one of our links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: What Pros Buy Every Year for Spring Cleaning (The Spruce)

The Spruce recently published “What Pros Buy Every Year for Spring Cleaning”. Check out the article to learn about Shannon’s favorite cleaning supply.

Shop:

Lemon Essential Oil by Grove Collaborative

If you purchase from one of our links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: 15 Ways to Organize Your Makeup and Beauty Supplies (HGTV)

HGTV published “15 Ways to Organize Your Makeup and Beauty Supplies”. One of Shannon’s favorite ways to store makeup and beauty supplies was featured in the article (see slide 8).

Modular System

Keep all your makeup and beauty products in one place without hogging all the bathroom drawers.

Products used:

The Original Beauty Box

It seems like the Original Beauty Box no longer has a website - a great alternative is The Container Store’s Acrylic Modular Makeup System.

The Home Edit Vinyl Labels from The Container Store

If you purchase from one of our links, we may earn a small commission.