Category: How to…

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How to store your Christmas Decorations

Have you taken down your Christmas tree and decorations yet? 

I’m ashamed to say that our Christmas tree still has pride of place in our living room. I really admire my mother-in-law’s diligence of taking down her Christmas tree and decorations every year on New Year’s Day. Sadly, I don’t know if this is a ritual I could commit to. Firstly because I’m not usually feeling my brightest on New Year’s Day after a late night, and secondly because my brain can’t cope with finding a home for all our Christmas decorations. 

This is only the second year that we’ve had a “proper Christmas tree” and collection of decorations that need to be packed away, so I’m going to cut myself some slack as I’m still finding my feet. Rather than shoving everything in a box and hiding it in the cupboard, this year I’ve vowed to be more organised and find a “home” for everything so it’s not such a daunting task next year. Here are some of my favourite Christmas decoration storage ideas that I’m going to try out…


Baubles
These little devils will happily roll away in any direction if you let them. The glass ones are also pretty dangerous if they break with small children around. 

Egg cartons are a cheap and effective way of storing baubles so they don’t roll around and rub together 
Image from www.bobvila.com

You can use smaller egg cartons and store baubles by colour:



Zip lock bags are a great way of keeping different coloured baubles separated and organised. Large clear zip lock bags are also good for storing tinsel. 



If your baubles are too big to store in egg cartons, stash them in plastic cups, which are available in a variety of sizes. 


Wrapping tissue around really fragile ornaments will protect them by preventing them from moving around in their box. 

These metallic beads make lovely Christmas decorations, but get tangled easily and are hard to repair when they break. Storing them in plastic bottles will keep them untangled and easy to find. 


Plastic boxes are a great way of storing all your Christmas decorations as you can see exactly what’s in each box. They’re also pretty cheap to pick up these days, and are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. 


Christmas Tree
I love this idea of ‘shrink wrapping’ your tree with cling wrap. Not only does it protect the tree from dust and dirt, but it also dramatically reduces its size, giving you more options to store under a bed, etc. To release the tree, simply slice up the side of the plastic with sharp scissors. 


Wrapping paper
This padded wrapping paper case is the ultimate way to store your paper, ribbon, bows, etc. which could be used for birthdays, etc. all year round and not jut for Christmas. 


What’s your top tip on storing your Christmas decorations? We’d love your thoughts, please comment below…
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How to Wrap the Perfect Present: Tips from Rebecca Ridhalgh, JetSet Gel

Due to popular demand, our How to Wrap the Perfect Present tips are back! We love asking for advice on gift-wrapping, as everyone has their own unique tips and tricks on how to wrap a present. This week we caught up with Rebecca Ridhalgh from JetSet Gel. 

1. What are the best types of wrapping paper?

Rebecca: Patterned wrapping is the best! But then ribbon should be simple so it’s not too busy.


2. What is your wrapping technique? Why is your method the best?
Rebecca: Best wrapping method is to ensure the wrapping paper is the right size. Too much paper will make the wrapping uneven and bulky in places. Too little…and your gift is a little naked!

3. Ribbon or no ribbon?
Rebecca: We love ribbon and think it really finishes off the wrap. It’s important that the ribbon suits the paper as well.

4. How does your style of wrapping vary for gifts for men, women and kids?
Rebecca: Wrapping often differs for men, women and kids in a number of ways including colours, patterns, ribbon and detail. 
Men: neutral or dark colours, more minimal wrapping with simple bold details, ribbons are often plain. 
Women: more pastels and warmer colours, more feminine and detailed patterns and ornate ribbons. 
Kids: bright and fun colours, the more entertaining and different the better!

5. What are some cost effective/eco-friendly alternatives for presenting a gift beautifully?
Rebecca: Cost effective, eco-friendly AND looks good: wrapping in newspaper. Especially good for guys or kids. Make sure to use a plain ribbon to make it still have the gift wrapped look!

Eco-friendly newspaper gift wrapping with plain ribbon
Image from Urban Barn Blog

These gift wrapping tips were kindly shared with us by Rebecca Ridhalgh from JetSet Gel. JetSet Gel is the ultimate gel polish brand for jetsetters who fly in style. The girls at JetSet Gel realised that the always perfectly polished ladies of the sky needed a manicure option that was flexible, affordable but most of all quality! They started sourcing and testing different gel polish until they kept using one type again and again. That is when they knew they had found the JetSet Gel formula! Now selling their own gel nail polishes and lamps in the Nail Home Kit all over Australia; ladies of the sky can stay forever polished! Check out their website, www.jetsetgel.com or connect with them on Instagram: @jetsetgel; Twitter: @jetsetgel; Facebook: JetSet Gel Australia

Jet Set Gel Nail Starter Kit from www.jetsetgel.com


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Handmade gift of the week: Date Night Jar

Every couple needs one of these! And if you don’t have one, this is a great gift idea for your partner’s next birthday…



Why we love it:
1. It’s thoughtful – you can show how much you know and care about your partner by adding activities that they like to do to the jar. You could even include the names of your favourite restaurants or take-away places. 
2. You can have fun with the colour theme – use coloured popsicle sticks or keep them plain for a more organic look. You could pop them in a glass, mason jar, wooden box or any other type of vessel that you could imagine. 
3. You could even make a jar like this for the kids or a close friend and get them to pick an activity the next time you can’t decide what to do or where to meet up. 

Check out our other handmade gifts here…

What activities would you put in your jar? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Handy Home Tip: How to dry clothes quickly

You need that school uniform or pair of jeans dry in a hurry…here’s how to fast-track your tumble drying time…



This Handy Home Tip was kindly shared with us by The Household Helper – your go-to hub; providing tips, tricks, hints and how-tos for keeping your home sparkling clean. From the kitchen, to the bathroom and everything in between, their mission is to share more than 100 years of expertise from the team at Pental Products, owners of some of your most trusted household helpers. Check out their Facebook page for more helpful tips…

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Handy Home Tip: How to clean oil

Kitchen surfaces are notorious for collecting oil and grease. Bet you’d never thought of using this product for cleaning oil…
This Handy Home Tip was kindly shared with us by The Household Helper – your go-to hub; providing tips, tricks, hints and how-tos for keeping your home sparkling clean. From the kitchen, to the bathroom and everything in between, their mission is to share more than 100 years of expertise from the team at Pental Products, owners of some of your most trusted household helpers. Check out their Facebook page for more helpful tips…

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Handy Home Tip: How to clean your dishwasher

If your dishwasher is getting on the nose, this is a great tip to get rid of those smells…
This Handy Home Tip was kindly shared with us by The Household Helper – your go-to hub; providing tips, tricks, hints and how-tos for keeping your home sparkling clean. From the kitchen, to the bathroom and everything in between, their mission is to share more than 100 years of expertise from the team at Pental Products, owners of some of your most trusted household helpers. Check out their Facebook page for more helpful tips…
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Handmade gift of the week: Cork sign for your bar or mancave

Every home bar or mancave needs a great sign, and this one’s a beauty! It’s eye-catching, and a great way to use up wine bottle corks…

Image from www.indulgy.com

Here’s why you need one:
1. It’s easy to make – simply find the letters and font you want and print them out to use as a template to glue your corks together. 
2. The look has a natural, organic feel, but is versatile enough to work with a sleek, modern interior, or a traditional interior. 
3. It’s a great way of reusing corks that would otherwise get thrown away. 
4. The options are endless and you’re only limited by the number of corks you have. 


How do you reuse corks? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…



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Cool Cakes: Pool Shark

Everyone knows a pool shark. And we reckon they’d love this cake – along with anyone else who’s partial to a game of pool…

Image from www.pinkcakebox.deviantart.com


Why we love it:

  • It’s made from cupcakes, which are quick and easy to make. 
  • This is a great cake option for a guy
  • It’s bright, colourful and fun
  • The cupcakes are pretty easy to ice with fondant icing
  • Cupcakes are easy to share, so no need to worry about cutting up a cake so everyone gets a piece (just make sure you’ve got a few spare cupcakes to ensure you’ve got enough for everyone!)
  • You can make the cupcakes any flavour you like, or a combination of different flavours
What was the last occasion you made a cake for? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…


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Kraft paper gift wrapping 5 ways…

The birthday season has arrived amongst our group of friends. The lovely thing about most of the birthday parties we have been going to at the moment is that our children (most turning three) are now old enough to appreciate a birthday party (even though they haven’t mastered Pass-the-parcel yet!). 

Getting ready to go to a friend’s birthday party is a real event in itself at the moment. There’s the present to buy, the card and wrapping paper to choose, a party outfit to select…and my three-year-old is reveling in these choices! We have had a lot of fun making these decisions together, as well as getting crafty with cards and gift wrapping. 

We’re loving kraft paper at the moment. You know, the stuff that you can buy cheap on a big roll at stationery shops or newsagents. Here’s our latest creation from the weekend, as well as some other cool kraft gift wrapping ideas…

How to do it:
1. Take your present, as if you’re going to wrap it and cut kraft paper to correct size
2. Grab some coloured markers, crayons, etc. and start drawing. We love adding a birthday message, as well as who the present is from in case the card gets separated from the pressie. 
3. Wrap as you would with regular gift wrap
4. Add ribbon, twine or other embellishments

Here are some other kraft paper gift wrapping ideas…

Loving the hand-drawn spots on this paper, as well as the spotty ribbon

This one takes a little more drawing talent than I possess, but it’s great to see what’s possible!

Stamps are also a great way to personalise your kraft paper gift wrap
Image from www.popsugar.com

White or metallic pens on brown kraft paper gives it a fresh feel. Play around with simple design motifs such as stars, hearts, balloons. Image from www.witandwhistle.com


Which kraft gift wrapping idea do you like best?
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…


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Handy Home Tips: How to clean your chopping boards

Most of us use chopping boards everyday, so here’s a simple and easy way to keep them clean…


This Handy Home Tip was kindly shared with us by The Household Helper – your go-to hub; providing tips, tricks, hints and how-tos for keeping your home sparkling clean. From the kitchen, to the bathroom and everything in between, their mission is to share more than 100 years of expertise from the team at Pental Products, owners of some of your most trusted household helpers. Check out their Facebook page for more helpful tips…

How do you currently clean your chopping boards? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…