My “Things That Make Me Happy” list includes celebrating Valentine’s Day. This holiday combines some of my favorite things such as love, chocolate, sparkly hearts and romance. As a kid, I remember waking up on Valentine’s Day to a breakfast table decorated with construction paper hearts made by my mom. She stapled them together into pockets and slipped Nestlé’s Crunch bars inside them. My dad signed the valentines too with his unique “cartoon” signature. Not only did we enjoy getting chocolate for breakfast, but also we felt especially loved.
As our girls grew up, my husband and I created our own Valentine’s Day traditions. Making valentine cards was an elaborate and joyful event. We’d bring out the craft supplies and the girls and I would sit around for hours making cards and writing notes to all the special people in our life. Valentine’s Day breakfast was and still is part of the celebration. I love to decorate the table, make strawberry muffins or chocolate waffles with fresh berries, and share Valentine’s Day cards and small gifts with my family. Chocolate is always involved.
Mainly, though, it’s a day to stop and remind those that you love how much they mean to you. It’s a day about love, gratitude, passion and let’s not forget chocolate.
So, what does any of this have to do with organizing? There are organizing systems that surround traditions, including Valentine’s Day. Here are some ideas:
V-day Card-Making: Do you have a place where you can easily store all your card-making needs? Use a box or drawer to house your paper, glitter, glue, tape, scissors, stickers and envelopes. When you’re done creating the cards, all supplies can return to their designated spot.
V-day Card Memorabilia: What do you do with the cards and love letters you’ve received? I keep cards that have special heart-felt messages written on them, in a decorative box stored in a closet. The ones that are signed “love, _____,” I usually enjoy for about a week and then let them go.
V-day Decorations: Whether you enjoy decorating the entire house or prefer to set the table in a Valentine’s Day theme, establish a place to store your V-day decorations. Depending upon the quantity, you might need one large plastic storage bin or only a portion of a shelf or drawer. A convenient storage location will make it easy to access, put away decorations and contain potential clutter.
V-day Chocolate: As far as I can tell, there’s no need to organize or store it. Chocolate gets consumed so quickly (at least in our household) that it’s not an organizing challenge. For those that are adept at savoring their chocolate, consider storing it in some out of the way location like on a shelf that’s difficult to reach or in a box that’s impossible to open.
V-day Lingerie: When you’re not wearing it, take care to store pieces carefully in drawers or on padded satin hangers. Place scented soap in your lingerie drawer to keep things smelling lovely.
As promised, to celebrate one of my favorite holidays, the LOVE-ly Organizing Giveaway starts on February 7th. One winner will be selected on February 14th. For the giveaway description and contest rules, continue reading.
The LOVE-ly Organizing Giveaway includes goodies that will organize, inspire, relax and delight you. The winner will receive everything described below:
ADD & Romance by Jonathan Halverstadt
Barnes & Noble Red Mesh Zippered Pouches (set of 4)
Red metal tin to organize cards and love letters
Contest Rules:
Comment on this blog post below with your favorite Valentine’s Day thought, memory, tradition, organizing tip or challenge
Comment about the giveaway on the Oh, So Organized! Facebook page
Re-tweet this giveaway on Twitter and include @LindaSamuels when you do
Subscribe to The Other Side of Organized monthly e-newsletter for continued inspiration and motivation
Do one or all of the above to enter. The more you do, the more times your name will be entered to win (up to 4 total entries!)
I look forward to our conversation about love, chocolate, organizing and more. Wishing you all good luck!