Brown Bagging It.

So you come home from a successful day of holiday shopping and along with your carefully selected purchases you bring home a wide variety of big and small, cute, durable, glossy shopping bags with convenient carrying handles that have such amazing potential... right?  

Bags (big, small, paper, plastic, even canvas/fabric) are a major if not the biggest contributor to disorganization.  Here's why shopping bag storage doesn't work:  You can't see what's in them, you can't stack them, you forget what's in them, and your items will most likely end up dented or damaged over time.  They are a black hole for clutter.  Bags are good for transporting items to and fro, and that's about it.

Let me also remind you that you are paying MORE for the products in that glossy bag because the store is giving it to you.  Someone has to pay for it and guess who, it's YOU.  If more people used eco-friendly, reusable shopping bags, stores could save some money on disposable bags and possibly reduce their prices (not to mention save a few treas or oil). 

I'm not saying you should trash the bags you currently have in your home.  Keep some on hand for transporting items to charity, use them as trash bags or use the plastic ones to pick up after your dog.  If it's irresistibly cute, reuse it as a gift bag but then store it with your other gift wrap supplies.  Ultimately I recommend investing in a couple envirosax or other similar bag you can store in your purse or car so you can avoid bringing extra bags into your home in the first place.

What's the alternative to bag storage?  First, simply put the items away where they belong if you can.  If it contains a current craft project consider using a decorative basket with a handle: it looks nicer sitting out in your living room anyway.  If the bag contains seasonal clothing, transfer it into a med/large clear plastic bin and label with the person's name, the corresponding season, and the size of clothing (especially for kid's clothes). 

Of course there are exceptions to every rule, so I challenge you to email me your brown bagging woes and I will send you a personalized response with at least 2 alternatives for you.

Don't cry over spilled candle wax.

Power outages stink; I was reminded last night as I arrived home from work to a darkened neighborhood.  It was pitch navy blue out providing an ominous glow (well, that and my Flashlight app) to help guide me to by door.  I managed to make my way inside, greeted the anxious pets, and began my search for candles.  Thankfully, I always have a few candles out and aboot, so I just had to find a lighter (stashed conveniently in an easily accessible drawer) and began the process of lighting the main areas of the house.  Later in the evening, as I was blowing out the candles, I accidentally knocked one over and spilled a giant blob of wax on my wood (laminate) side table.  Oops!

Did I cry about it?  Negative.  There's an easy way to remove it.  First step is to remain calm while waiting for it to dry.  Seems counter-intuitive, but trust me.  If it's thick, you might be able to take your finger nail and push the edge of it up, snapping the whole thing off in one piece.  If it's thin and spread out, simply cover with a paper towel and use a warm iron to slowly melt the layers of wax.  The paper towel absorbs the hot wax up and off the spill (this may require a few sheets of paper towel).  As the wax heats up you can wipe larger areas off, but use a clean paper towel and iron for the last smears and streaks for a good as new finish.  This technique also works great on fabric (table cloths, carpet/rugs), but depending on the color of the wax, stain removal may be your final step.

PS:  A machine washable, dark and/or patterned table cloth will make your life so much easier!