Stocking Your Gift Closet

A Gift Closet or box can be a treasure trove all year long but especially at Christmas. I buy for Christmas all year long at yard sales and craft fairs and the thrifty store. I also love the dollar store. At these places, you can always find something to buy for someone on your list. I have found things in July that I have saved for Christmas. Sometimes I see things that I know someone on my list will just love and other times I buy just something that catches my eye.

I use this all year long as a place to not only store gifts but my wrapping paper as well. Having a gift closet means that I know longer am stuck running out for a gift when something unexpected comes up, like a house warming or baby shower. Having my gift closet also saves me a great deal of money because I always buy things on sale, never paying full price for anything.

I also am a crafty person and I watch all the craft shows on TV. So when I am in the mood to craft, I almost always make two or more of the same craft. One because as I am making the first, I almost always come up with a way to do the second one differently and of course I just have to make it. So the extras go in my gift closet. I also hit all the after Christmas sales for wrapping paper. I use some of the wrapping paper to make origami Christmas ornaments to attach to packages or just to have for a quick gift for someone's tree.

Here is a quick list of some of the things that I try to keep on hand:

• An inventory list with everything printed on it that I have on hand. I made a master list and laminated it with clear contact and now when I buy I just put a hash mark next to it with a dry marker so I know what I have on hand.
• Wrapping paper for all occasions
• Blank cards so I can write a personal message
• A few birthday and anniversary cards
• A list of cute quotes so when I can't come up with something cute to say I refer to my list
• Bows and boxes and single silk flowers

These are the staples of my gift closet

• I buy candles to dress up and candle holders to decorate
• I stockpile books of popular authors
• Coffee cups to be filled with drinkables or as a container for candy or pencils or crayons
• Small toys as I try not to give my grandchildren a whole lot of candy come Easter and Christmas
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• Stationary sets, handmade or store bought
• Small bears and animals that I can decorate for graduation or birthdays
• Tins for putting presents in
• Silk flowers and vases for quick arrangements for friends in hospitals
• Gift bags
• Music CD's
• Computer programs and games
• Crossword books and word search puzzle books. I sometimes make these off the internet and you can usual get the New York times crossword on there website for those big cross word fans.

I also crochet and always find myself with leftovers of yarn so I try to take them and make a few granny squares so that if need be I can crochet them together as a quick gift. Granny squares are wonderful, you can make just about anything out of them. Purses, small Afghans, a remote control caddy just to name a few. Then there are the crazy gifts like the Billy Bass and his cousins I keep for gag gifts or the silly ones I keep for when a friend needs cheering up.

This almost always keeps me organized and it also keeps me from forgetting what I have on hand or where I put things. I also try to wrap my Christmas presents early that way I am not always stuck wrapping them all the day before Christmas eve and it also keeps curious grandchildren from peeking at there presents. I have a large family so this also keeps the amount spent on each gift down. Well, I hope you like these ideas.