What is a blog-jam, you ask? It’s a close relative of the log-jam, but has nothing to do with logs and everything to do with blogs. A blog-jam happens when a blogger, like me, gets back-logged with blog questions and comments to respond to. Why do I mention this? Because I am seriously blog-jammed. And today, I will start the process of freeing the blog-jam and answering the bevy of unanswered questions that have piled up.
Question 1: Do you have any tips for keeping a pen with the r+h mini binders?
Answer: I keep my mini binder in my purse, and keep a pen in my purse, too. So I don’t really have a pen that goes into the binder itself. Have any of you found a pen that will either clip to the binder in some way or clip to the rings without damaging it? If so, please share! Thank you.
Question 2: I was looking to find an idea about what to do with all the Christmas Cards? I remember Ali made a layout that used a square punch to crop a small part of the card/photo card. But I can’t bear to cut anyone out…LOL! I want to keep the whole thing, but how will I make it neat and how can I keep it going for years to come. I already have about 3 years of cards…at least 40 each year!!
Answer: My special cards are in a file folder in my file cabinet, which I realize isn’t a terribly inspiring answer. So…what do you all do with your cards? Have you come up with a fun and creative solution for your Christmas cards?
Question 3: How do you get started. We just moved into a brand new house and we brought only our personal stuff. Everything is brand new in our home. And I just love it all. I have so many organizing books from you to everyone else. I really want to do all baskets as much as I can. I am trying to work one room at a time and its so hard. Any advice to help me get this going.
Answer: I recently posted links to a bunch of my organizing articles. This one is about getting started and offers ideas to help you overcome organizing inertia.
i saw the coolest idea for storing christmas cards here:
http://knitandpurlgrrl.blogs.com/scraphappy/2007/12/im-back-in-the.html
one of these days…when i have time…this is what i plan to do with mine.
Marci Lambert did a cool binding project with hers – a little book you can display each year.
http://makearteveryday.blogspot.com/2007/12/so-lets-talk-holiday-cards-again.html
Hillary
Not very inspiring idea, but I keep all of my cards in a large ziploc bag and then write the year in permanent marker on the front of the bag. These are all (2000-2007) kept in an old dresser in our guest bedroom. Perhaps I’ll give the knit and purl idea a whirl.
Huge fan of your blog and organizing! My card organizing idea: you know those cute tins that you can find everywhere around xmas? I buy one each year (or multiple ones if I find on clearance for future years) and put cards, photo cards, newsletters, various pictures from our Christmas celebrations and any other mementos from that year (ornaments the kiddos make our annual picture and newsletter, etc.). Then I find a cute way to add the year to the tin. So now each year we can spend an evening enjoying hot chocolate and reminising about past Christmases. And they add a fun element of decor too. When the tins begin to take over the decor I may have to combine decades but for now it works!
OK, truth be told, mine are in the ziplock bags by year, too. LOVE the bound book by Marci Lambert. The one creative thing the kids & I did do was to make placemats. We glued various Christmas card fronts to cardstock (or poster board) then laminated it. We use those every Christmas. For those with personal greetings written inside, I glued that to the back of the placemat so you can still read it – great memories. The file folder thing looks bulky after just one year’s worth. I don’t see how that is going to work for 5 years. I had that same thought after I saw Donna’s idea in CK for school papers- are the rest of you dealing with the sheer volume of cards & schoolwork that I am?
This year I’m planning to take a tip from Oprah & Nate Berkus and frame some of the special greetings along with a photo of the person. On Oprah a few years ago, I’d seen the idea to frame letters and meaningful notes from friends, and since I live far away from my family I thought I’d add a picture. I’d also like to make a collage with all the photo cards we get. Something fun with mod podge, paint and canvas.
For my Christmas cards…I actually only keep photo cards and newsletters. I have a Christmas Planning binder where I have dividers for each year and for the year I have a sheet protector that I put the cards in. The binder has the Christmas card mailing list (with check marks for who sent us cards as well) and my shopping list. I can go back and tell you what I bought everyone for the past 3-4 years.
I went to Joanns and bought a cute red Slip Photo Album. I only saw the photos/photo cards. I start the year with my familys picture and add from there. I also keep six of my Christmas cards because I have four kids that way they will all have one. (If they want)
My idea is similar to msdramateacherlady’s, but mine is a little more like a scrapbook. I have Christmas binders with 8.5 x 11 page protectors. The newsletters slip right in, and I mount the photos and special cards on cardstock with some stickers, etc. I love making them and looking through them!
I just saw the metal LOVE letters on clearance for 90% off at Target!
My idea for Christmas cards is not so much a saving idea, but reusing idea. Every year I cut up the designs on the fronts into cute shapes and stash them with my Christmas wrapping paper.Then I use them as tags for next years Christmas presents. They make beautiful tags and you aren’t storing them never to be seen again.