Author Archives: Andrej Zivor

Last-Minute Moves: 6 Tips to Help You Move in a Hurry

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Moving can be incredibly stressful. Ideally, you will have plenty of notice that a move is happening and time to figure out the details. However, you may find out you need to move on short notice, or you might have a tendency to procrastinate. In any case, moving quickly is possible, though you may need to shift your approach. Here are 6 tips to help you have a successful move, even if it’s rushed:

1. Logistics First

The first step to the moving process should be to figure out the details of how things will go down on moving day. Are you hiring movers or renting a truck? Will you have friends helping? When do you need to start, and how late should people plan to help? People need notice, so figure this out first before you start packing.

2. Get Rid of the Clutter

In order to save time when packing you should start by going through your home and getting rid of anything you don’t need. Sort everything into 3 piles: trash, recycle, and donate. Don’t spend too long trying to make decisions, the important thing at this point is speed. Once your piles are done be sure to clear them out before tackling the packing so your space stays organized.

3. Pack the Essentials

Any move should start with the packing of an essentials bag. Include anything you might need in the next couple of days like toiletries, chargers, and a few outfits. Also throw in any important paperwork you need to keep track of. This way you don’t have to worry about accidentally packing something you need when you’re in a hurry!

4. Pack the Rest

Don’t overthink it, just pack! You goal now should be getting things in boxes. Here are a few tips to help you do that:

  • Don’t sort, just pack.
    Don’t worry about organization or keeping similar things together. Just make sure everything is packed safely!
  • Use what you have efficiently.
    Use things like clothes, socks, and towels to pack more fragile items. This saves you money on packing supplies and cuts down on time since you will have less to pack separately.
  • Keep box clutter to a minimum.
    Set up your cardboard boxes as you need them. Once one is finished, tape it up, put it aside, and set up a new box. This will help you stay organized and cut down on cutter.
  • Pack what you can as-is.
    Put garbage bags around hanging clothes and tape shut any dressers and file cabinets that can be moved with their contents intact.

5. Get Help

The fastest way to move in a hurry is to get friends and family to help you pack. Be sure to provide a meal or some baked treats as a thank-you, and stay on task. Don’t let packing turn into a purely social gathering.

6. Let the Movers Do Their Thing

If you are hiring movers, many companies will help you pack your items in addition to loading and unloading everything. You might end up paying more for supplies and services, but it might be worth it during a rushed move!

Design Ideas for Custom Gift Packaging

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A set of personalized candy boxes is a great way to add a unique touch to your Christmas candy or other holiday gifts. These packaging ideas make fun projects for kids and can double as extra decorations.

Box Templates

These templates already include designs to spice up your decorative boxes. They are easy to print and apply to standard box designs, and you can add clip art to personalize them further.

False Wood

Faux wood packaging is a classic example of a design that is perfect for holiday candy bark. You can wrap it in clear packaging so that the recipient can appreciate the unique patterns of the bark-like container.

Personal Labels

If the candy you’re giving has a unique shape or texture, such as a honeycomb, you can put it in clear cellophane and use a festive gift label to add that personal touch to it instead of focusing on the packaging itself.

Chip-Wood Candy Boxes

Chip-wood boxes make great packaging for various kinds of brittle candy. The textures of the candy and the box go well together and pull everything into a similar theme.

Ribbon Boxes

Stock card templates make excellent gift boxes. You can use cut-outs or designs online to fold the cards into shapes that you think the recipient will enjoy, and it’s easy to make boxes of various sizes for all your needs.

Flavor Stamps

If you’re putting toffee or other candies into an envelope for your recipient, flavor stamps are a fun, tasty way to close the buttons on the packaging. You can choose from chocolates, hazelnuts, dried cherries, rice, pretzels, and more. Most small candies can act as closures for packaging that traditionally uses buttons.

Candy Shop Packaging

If you’d like to give a gift that looks like it came right out of an old-style candy shop, all you really need are a few jars. Pickle or spaghetti jars are excellent examples of the types you can use to store jelly beans, peppermint sticks, or candy foils. They make great holiday decorations while your recipients can eat the candies at their leisure.

Santa Boxes

Any box that has a vague egg shape to it can become a fun Santa storage unit with just a little glitter, paint, art, and a few accessories. You can fill his belly with the candy of your choice, and the recipient will have a new, reusable Christmas decoration.

Personal Packages

Take those old cardboard boxes you have in storage and turn them into fun gift containers. You only need some wrapping paper and a bit of glue to turn a simple box into one that is both festive and decorative. Traditional wrapping paper works well, but you can use special arts and crafts paper or even wallpaper to get the look you want.

Custom Containers

If you have some boxes with lids that lift off, you can paint them in the color of your choice, add some decorations, or put a family photo on top of the lid as a decoration.

Decoupage Boxes

You can place custom imagery on over silver paper and add those pictures to wooden boxes for a decoupaged effect.

Gift Bags

You probably have some plain paper bags from shopping sitting around in a closet somewhere. Take these out and dress them up with beads, ribbons, and other party supplies to make a custom gift bag. Party supply stores may stock bags in various colors as well.

Tips For A Stress-Free Moving Experience

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Moving is not the greatest joy in our lives. Yes, your new location should be a rewarding experience. However, if you don’t make wise decisions about how to move, then your move can be a horror tale. Your moving experience is lessened if you follow a few tips as identified below.

Trusting a Moving Company
Unless you thrive on stress when you are planning to move, then find a reputable moving company that is certified by the American Moving and Storage Association. This organization conducts extensive background checks on their movers. Perform research for the company’s that you are considering. Read their reviews, complaints, and do a search on your local Better Business Bureau website. Also, talk to family and friends to receive a recommendation for a moving company that is trustworthy.

Keep a Moving Schedule
Moving is complicated enough especially if you are not organized with a schedule. Choose a date for your move so that there are things you can do before that time period. First, see if you can have access to your new home before you move. This will help you have a place to put your belongings rather than looking for a storage unit, especially if there is a delay. Having a specific moving date allows you more time to clean and to make sure that you have accounted for all your personal items.

Where Is My Packing List?
Give yourself plenty of time to pack! Conduct a room by room inventory of what items will be placed in what rooms in your new home. This process will also help in identifying any missing items when you unpack. Use a notebook for all your room checks because it is more orderly and efficient.

Do I Really Need This?
When you are creating a packing list, this is a good time to determine what is worth keeping and what you should discard. When we move from our old home, we often have years of items that we never sorted out. Now is a good time to lessen your packing time and to reduce the weight of your cardboard boxes. If you don’t have time to get rid of unnecessary items, then contact your local community agency that will pick up your unwanted items from you.

Pack Early To Avoid Stress
If you are not using a professional moving company to pack up your personal belongings, then try to pack yourself early, as much as two months in advance. Packing requires some forethought. Pack the items you know that you will not need in the next month or so. Prepare a small suitcase for yourself containing the items that you will need until your move.

Collect Your Packing Supplies
If you have decided to pack yourself, then gather all your supplies. Having these materials on hand will allow you to pack properly each day and still be organized on your move day. Commonly used supplies include:

> Box cutters
> Cardboard boxes of various sizes or let a moving company provide your boxes
> Packing material: bubble wrap, packing paper, newsprint or your own linens
> Packing tape
> Permanent markers for labeling
> Scissors
> Sticker labels (optional)
> Tape

Revise Your Address and Cancel Services
During the week or two before your moving date, make your new address change by contacting your local United States Postal Service (‘USPS’). You can contact USPS via phone or go to the USPS website. Cancel local services or have your account transferred to your new address, like cable, phone, electrical, and gas.

Candy Boxes: How To Make A Beautiful Candy Box In Only Five Minutes

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If you are into making your delicious candy to give to family and friends as gifts, would it be great to know how to make beautiful candy boxes to show off your scrumptious treats? In a few steps, you can make a cute candy box in five minutes. Making beautiful candy boxes is also an excellent activity for you and your children to make together.

A handmade gift box is a fun craft project for children. No matter what the special occasion, it easy to make your gift box. Once your gift box is created, stock up on your favorite candies and attach a message to your gift box. The gift box is simple to make at home. Get your family involved in this creative endeavor.

Required Materials

Most of these materials you might already have at home. If not, you will need handmade paper, scissors, scale, cutter, satin ribbon, adhesive, a pencil, and decorative mirrors.

Procedure To Make Your Candy Box

The first step is to take an A4 size paper with measurements of 21 cm in width and measure 21 cm in length also.

After you completed the first step, measure along the length of the paper. With a ruler, make little markings at measurements of 7 cm each. By making these markings, it will make it easier to make three rows and three columns containing three squares each. After step two has been completed, cut out the remaining paper strip.

Next, make diagonals in the four squares of the extreme most corners of the paper. After you have made the diagonals, make a crease vertically and a crease horizontally along the lines drawn. Now you should have four creases.

After you have made the four creases, fold the outermost squares into a triangle. This step should give your paper a box shape. Now, repeat the process with the other three squares.

After making the crease in every corner, paste the paper together to hold the box shape, using an adhesive.

Making The Lid The Candy Box

Using a sheet of handmade paper in the shade lighter than the paper in the box. Mark the sheet of handmade paper and mark 9 cm along the length and width of the paper. With your cutter, cut out a square of the same dimensions.

After you have completed these steps, make a 1 cm marking on each corner of the paper. After making the markings, draw lines on all four sides. You should now have a 1 cm square in each corner.

Now you can cut the squares from one side as to fold the sides in; Now you lid in ready to place on top of your candy box. Decorate your box and wrap the box on all four sides. A large satin ribbon could be wrapped on all four sides and then place a large bow on top of the box.

Now the final touch! Decorate your candy box with decorative mirrors or other craft items of your choice. If it’s Valentine Day, hearts, or birthday, small colored candles.

Summary

This handy gift box can be used for a variety of occasions. Just customize your outside gift box decorations to the reason you are using it. From Christmas gifts boxes to Valentine Day gift boxes, with these steps within five minutes you can have your unique handmade gift box.

Simple Ideas To Reduce The Stress Of Moving A Big Family

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A big family is a lot of fun, but it also comes with big responsibility when things come up. If you ever plan to change homes with your 5 or more family members it may be overwhelming to realize all that will be involved. How can you manage a hassle-free relocation and make sure everything is checked off the to-do-list and still guarantee that everyone in the home is taken care of, pets included?

The reality is, moving with a big family will involve challenges and stress, you can’t avoid that. However, you can make it a little hassle-free and efficient by making sure your belongings are secure, making sure your family is doing ok and get everything done. You just need to be aware of the best practice for this type of process before succumbing to the stresses. Here are some easy and effective ways to move a large family and make it fun and adventurous at the same time.

Make A Plan
Of you know, moving requires quite a bit of planning as it is. Moving with a big family actually requires more than the average move planning, plus picking the best date, creating a calendar, budget, getting good affordable movers. You will also have to coordinate the plans with your household and make sure the plan works for everyone. Hold a meeting when you have the main details ironed out, the where the why and the when. Give as much information as possible to keep everyone’s stress levels down.

Include The Kids
Make the children feel included in the decision. While you’re communicating with them push the point of why your decision is better for them and how they can enjoy the area and setting up a brand new room.

Pick The Best Moment To Move
The time has to be workable for everyone so you have to consider all things such as, leaving jobs, starting new jobs, deadline to leave home if there is one, when new home will be ready, mid-school year or summer better break better for children, which season is best to move, any previously planned family events that need to be rescheduled.

Prepare For Your Plan To Change
Even though you have planned ahead, you must keep your plan flexible in case anything comes up, which will most likely happen. If you’re prepared, it won’t be such a disaster if things needs to change direction. There are apps available to help you keep track of your inventory and stay organized as well as help you calculate moving costs.

Perfect Organization
Have a detailed checklist, create a moving inventory, hire the best movers for your situation and book them ahead of time. Make sure you have the supplies you need including cardboard boxes to pack up your house but also coordinate with others. Give everyone a clear understanding of their responsibilities and timeframe in the moving situation. It may be best to assign tasks and deadlines to help you stay on top of things as well. Look at what needs to be done and assign it according to who would be best at handling the specific task. Meet weekly if necessary to keep everyone up to speed on where you are with the process or any changes.