Roll 'em

I love gift packaging, but I also find it very wasteful when they're just thrown away after the gift is opened. So I always try to reuse gift bags and ribbons. To store used ribbons—and stretch them out at the same time, without having to iron them—I roll them around the cardboard cores of toilet paper.  Depending on the width of the ribbon, each core can accommodate one to five ribbons.
  I anchor one end with a small piece of adhesive tape onto the cardboard then start stretching and rolling. The other end needs another piece of adhesive tape, of course. A word of warning: resist the temptation to roll the ribbon perfectly parallel to itself and to its neighbors. The point here is to store the ribbons neatly for reuse—and quickly enough so it doesn't feel like too much of a chore that you end up just throwing them away because keeping them is a bother.

I also keep cords, string, and yarn, but they don't require stretching, so I just loop them then tie them into very loose knots.
  The ribbon rolls are carefully stacked when I store them, but the loops of cord get carelessly tossed into one box.

Baubles, bangles & beads

Ever since college, I've always loved big, chunky beaded jewelry. I'm kind of limited to necklaces nowadays because I've developed allergies to earrings that aren't real gold or silver, and keyboarding is tough while wearing big bracelets, but whether they're earrings, bracelets or necklaces, one thing is certain: they're always difficult to organize neatly. Traditional jewelry boxes are made for fine pieces; their necklace hooks are small and fragile, and the compartments for bracelets are too shallow. I've tried using plastic boxes with multiple layers, laying down necklaces flat in them, but no matter how carefully they're laid down, they eventually end up getting all tangled up.

I finally found a good solution with the My Closet brand of closet organizers sold in one of our local department stores. Made specifically for clothes, they come in different styles, from coat bags and shoe pockets to under-bed storage bags. The ones I use for my chunky bracelets and necklaces are those advertised as hosiery bags. The twelve-pocket design is perfect for most of my baubles. The pockets are flat and are 3 x 4 inches in size. But for my chunkier-than-usual pieces, only the organizer with six expandable pockets will do—it can accommodate my favorite and very thick multi-strand wooden bead necklace. I also love the fact that the pockets are made of clear plastic; one glance and I know what to reach for.



I like how they keep everything neatly organized, so much so that I've started using them for other things, like brushes and hair accessories. I may never use them for hosiery, but who knows.

Artsy drawers

It's the first day of the new year and if you're like me, you have several 2009 calendars to dispose of. Before chucking them all in the garbage or recycling bins, first see if you can re-use them.

Calendars of all sizes made of paper stock (not cardboard), as long as one side is blank and the paper is not too thin that the print shows through, can be used as note/memo paper. Just cut them into squares or rectangles in the size of your choice. This is best done with a paper cutter or an X-acto knife with a steel ruler and cutting mat; but lacking either, scissors will do, though it will take longer.

The bigger wall calendars that are made of card stock, especially the ones with paintings, photographs and illustrations, make for great drawer and cabinet liners. I use them everywhere, from clothes drawers and the closet we use to store toiletry products to our kitchen cabinets.


Lay the loose sheets down on the drawer bottom, making sure that each piece overlaps with the others. When you are satisfied with both the coverage and the placement of your favorite designs, keep the sheets together with adhesive tape. Pay special attention to the corners—you don't want to accidentally tear the sheet out while getting something near the bottom of the drawer.

These liners may not be as pretty as the big drawer liners you can buy at home centers, but they're more eco-friendly and much sturdier, being able to withstand several years' use as long as there are no accidental spills from food and bath products. And chances are, you will always have replacement sheets every year at no extra cost.

Next, how to re-use smaller card stock desk calendars.

Pretty enough for company

Much as I love my airtight Lock & Lock storage containers (read about my love affair with Lock & Lock here), they're a little too utilitarian for the dining table.

Airtight is a must in our old house and in the Philippines' extremely humid climate. For the coffee, sugar and creamer which we always leave on the sideboard, I found these old-fashioned wire bail jars (also known as French Kilner jars). The rubber ring on the lid helps make the jar truly airtight and to make sure that it doesn't turn brittle, I rub a little olive oil on it after washing. I love the lids' colors—though I wish I found a third color for the sugar. Pink or purple would have been nice.

I heart Lock & Lock

I confess: I'm addicted to the Lock & Lock brand of storage containers.

We live in a 40-year-old house which ants of all kinds have decided to call home too, and they used to get into everything—cereal boxes, syrup bottles with the cap screwed on so tightly I had a hard time opening them, dog food, even the uncooked brown rice! We used to place water in cookie trays, put plastic trays on them and keep the foodstuff in the trays. But this awful solution was just that—awful. First, the stale water is just an invitation to mosquitoes to breed. So that meant having to change the water often. Second, have you tried carrying an extremely shallow tray full of water? Third, the trays took up too much counter space. And fourth, the ants learned to swim.

When that last one happened, I decided to go buy a whole bunch of Lock & Locks. I found out about the brand about seven years ago because of my sister, but didn't pay it much mind. Now my kitchen is so full of their products I can actually throw a "Lock & Lock Party." The reason for the heart: they're airtight. As in, you can put water in the container and if you close it properly (there is such a thing as not closing it properly), you can place it in your handbag secure in the knowledge that it won't spill or even leak.

I now keep everything in Lock & Lock containers—at least the ones I want to keep away from ants. And from moisture—this is such a humid country, the containers are perfect for keeping foodstuff dry too. I have tiny ones for spices; small ones for bouillon cubes, salt, pepper; medium ones for powdered milk, ground coffee beans, powdered juice; large ones for sugar, cereals, brown rice, dog food; and one extra large one which serves as a catch-all for oddly shaped items or food we know we'll finish within a day or two. Then we also keep a few small ones as lunch boxes—no more worrying about food with broth or sauces.

The only thing I've discovered so far that Lock & Lock can't handle is onion powder. But I just found out that they've come up with a line of air-free containers. Definitely on my shopping list now.