A few weeks ago, I was shopping at Shoppers Drug Mart when I saw a mountain of Valentine’s Day stuffed animals and gifts all marked down to $1.00! My first instinct was, JACKPOT! But then I asked myself, “where would I store these until next year”? I always have the best intentions when I buy gifts early, but I shove them here, there and everywhere and always forget about them. I just don’t have a designated spot to store them.
As I contemplated the adorable hippo hugging-a-heart stuffed animal, a lady came and started filling her cart. We talked about what a crazy good deal they were and when I told her I didn’t have anyplace to put them, she smiled and told me she was “refilling her gift closet”. My inner two year old started having a tantrum inside of me, complete with “no fair” and “I want one” whines that almost escaped. In that moment, I had never wanted something as bad as I wanted a gift closet of my own.
Flash forward to today and I finally got my wish! I was looking for extra toilet paper and I opened the downstairs bathroom closet to discover, *gasp*, it was completely empty. An entire closet that I had just never gotten around to filling up with junk yet, brimming with potential. Gift closet, here I come! Now, I realize putting gifts in the bathroom is…weird, to say the least, but this empty space was crying for a purpose and I was crying for a gift closet.
I started planning all the things I could do to this closet to make it AMAZING, but then I realized that I had left my wallet at my in-laws on the weekend (see how unorganized I really am?), which was way too far to go pick up. I literally checked couch cushions for spare change! Between my husband’s change bowl, a few toonies on the bottom of the diaper bag and a ten dollar bill I found in my coat pocket, I had a whomping $26.00 to spend on this closet! Yes!
I bought everything at the dollar store and even had $2.00 to spare! Curtain rods ($1.00 each) hold my wrapping paper and these adorable buckets ($1.25 each) are filled with tape, scissors, pens and twine. I used an old pant hanger to hold my ribbon and some dollar store bins for cards, stickers , gift bags and gifts!
With just a few bins from the dollar store and some curtain rods, I was able to create a great spot to store gifts for last minute kids birthday parties, Christmas gifts on sale and of course, after season clearance items. Now I wish I would have bought that hippo!
Is there something you have always wished you had in your home? Carve out a little spot for yourself this week! We all have spaces in our homes that are misused or filled with things we no longer need or love. Think about what you can create in that spare room closet or in that old computer armoire.
