Tips to De-clutter After a Holiday

Throwing stuff away in my house is tantamount to biting your thumb at someone in Elizabethan England. I might have just as well slapped them with my glove and declared a duel. So, I’ve had to come up with some sneaky ways to redistribute the wealth, so to speak, over the years so that the items still exist, just not in the middle of my living room. Here are some Valentine’s Day tips that don’t lead to disaster.

BALLOONS OR BUST
My daughters love balloons, but they are losing air and scare the crap out of me every time I absent-mindedly walk into the room. (They are my height and look like heads, okay! Give me a break!) So, it’s time to pop these suckers and give them a new home.
Deflate the balloons and hang them over your child’s bed. This can be literally on the ceiling, so that when she looks up, she always sees the words, “I Love You,” looking down on her, or you can hang them in a frame as wall art.

HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT
There’s always the classic tie-those-puppies together and hang them upside down somewhere. Or you could pluck those petals and turn them into art.
Take those drying beauties and turn them into a kids’ craft. Let your loveys decoupage those petals onto picture frames, journals, lampshades, whatever! Let them be creative.
With St. Patty’s coming up, turn those rose petals into a four-leaf clover for the next holiday.

VALENTINE CANDY
Crush those chocolates and use them in cookies. Do the same with the conversation hearts. They will be a sprinkle of color and do well in cake-dough sugar cookies. (On a side note, so do candy corn. Slip them into batter and, once baked, they’re like chewy morsels of sweetness. Oh, my goodness. Delicious!)
Worse comes to worse, sneak them in the trash when the kids aren’t looking. CAUTION: This must be accomplished just before the bag is sealed and brought outside to be picked up with the weekly garbage or else THEY’LL KNOW… I don’t know how, but your children who would never reach their hands into a grody garbage can will happen to dig in the trash on just such a day. And then, Watch Out!

SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE SIGNS
Or in this case, cards, cards, everywhere cards. What to do with all those pesky, lame Valentine’s Day cards that their classmates barely took the time to sign? Here are some ideas:
Scrapbook. Let them choose their favorites and put them together in their own photo album or scrapbook.
Digital Library. Take photos of the little gems and create a file on the computer. Then, in their moments of memorial need, your children can view their friends’ love chests. But let’s be honest. Out of sight, out of mind. Then, throw the disgusting little things away.
Make finger puppets. Most cards are characters. Cut the characters out, tape or glue on a strap, and TA-DA, it’s tonight’s entertainment!

These are just a few ideas. What do you think? Add your helpful contributions to the comments section below.

Written By: Lisa Liebling