| How to Make Halloween Decorations Posted: 27 Oct 2019 01:00 AM PDT Homemade halloween decorations are a world away from the mass-produced flimsy plastic and paper dollar store offerings. Making your own decorations ensures a unique look, plus you can reuse items around your house that might otherwise go to waste. By making your own decorations with family and/or friends each year, you can look forward to an enjoyable Halloween tradition. [Edit]Decorating with Pumpkins - Make a Jack O'Lantern. No Halloween would be complete without the iconic Jack O'Lantern in its various forms. The classic Jack O'Lantern is made by carving a pumpkin and placing a candle inside it, but here are some other ideas:
- Carve a disco ball pumpkin. This is a carved pumpkin with a twist and it throws light out from all over its many holes. It's a load of fun to make and people won't be able to resist making comments about it.
- You can make Jack O'Lanterns out of various fruits and veggies, including oranges, pomegranates, and peppers.
- Decorate a pumpkin. If you don't want to go through the mess and stress of carving a pumpkin, there are many ways to decorate a pumpkin without carving it:
- Paint or spray paint a pumpkin a single color. You might leave it one color (silver and gold are popular), or draw designs on the pumpkin with a sharpie after it's been painted.
- Use a stencil to help you draw or paint a face or other design on your pumpkin.
- Use stickers or other surface embellishments to decorate a pumpkin. If you want to use something more natural, consider covering a pumpkin in lovely autumn leaves.
- Dress your pumpkin up like a person. Use your pumpkin as the head of a mummy or zombie in your yard, put a wig on it, or add other embellishments that make it look more human (or monstrous, as the case may be).
- Peel your pumpkin. Draw a design on your pumpkin and then use a knife to only cut deep enough to pierce the skin. You want to expose the pumpkin's flesh without cutting the flesh. Draw an outline with your knife and then dig the knife beneath the pumpkin's skin as you pull the skin back.
- Grow a pumpkin patch.[1] This one is a long-term project and will only work if you have access to a yard, but it's sure rewarding. Choose a large spot that will give the pumpkins ample space to grow and that will be easily seen by trick-or-treaters.
- Make sure the spot will get lots of sun, and that the soil can get ample drainage, especially after heavy rain.
- You'll need to find out when to plant pumpkins in your region. Pumpkin seeds generally need to be planted in late spring or early summer if you want to harvest them in the fall.
- There are different types of pumpkins to choose from: pie pumpkins for eating, decorative pumpkins for carving, and mini pumpkins.
- Make a fake pumpkin patch. If you aren't into growing pumpkins, just buy a bunch of pumpkins and arrange them in a way that mimics a pumpkin patch. Don't forget to add vines and greenery to make it look more authentic.
- You can even make a neat yard design with pumpkins, for example, having them line your path. In this case you could connect them with vines so that they look kind of like a pumpkin fence.
- Make pumpkin tabletop decorations. There are quite a few ways that the pumpkin can grace your Halloween party or dinner table:
- Make a still life arrangement using miniature pumpkins of various shapes and sizes. Pile them up beautifully, with a few fall leaves here and there.
- Decorate a pumpkin with netting and ribbon, and then place it in the middle of your table as a centerpiece.
- Make paper pumpkin cut-outs. Use construction paper or different types of card stock to make pumpkin-shaped cut-outs for decorating your home.
- You can make big cut-outs to fix to your walls, or smaller ones for bunting, banners, and mobiles.
- To make pumpkin bunting or garland, glue a row of paper cut-outs to yarn or a long strip of paper, and hang them up around your home. If you're worried about the cut-outs falling off the yarn, poke holes in the top of them and run the yarn through instead of glueing them.
- Make pumpkin favors. These cardboard decorations can be placed along benches, on shelves or they can be strung along like bunting for a ceiling decoration:
- Cut out a 3-inch circle from a piece of orange cardboard (one for each favor/guest). This will form the base of your pumpkin.
- Cut out a 9-inch circle from orange crepe paper or tissue paper. This will form your pumpkin. You need one for each base that you cut.
- Place the cardboard circle into the center of the crepe paper circle. If you want to, you can fasten it in the center so that it doesn't move around while you finish making the favor.
- Gather the edges of the crepe paper/tissue and pull them up so that it looks like a bag.
- Stuff the "bag" tightly with cotton balls, shaping it as you go so that the bag is in the shape of a pumpkin. Tie a knot at the top of it.
- Twist the paper at the top so that it looks like a stem. Add some glue to the "stem" so that it won't unravel, then cover the stem with green paper.
- Use a black felt pen or stickers to add a face to your pumpkin, and you're done!
- Make a pumpkin collage. A pumpkin collage can be an interesting piece of artwork for decorating a wall. Start with a cardboard cut-out of a pumpkin, and then fill it in with items of your choosing.
- You might fill the collage with autumn leaves, photos of previous Halloweens, or images from your favorite scary movies.
- Make a pumpkin wreath. A simple wreath can be made using a wire wreath form and miniature pumpkins as follows:[2]
- Place the miniature pumpkins in a circle to see how many you'll use to make a wreath. You may need around 14 to 20 pumpkins, depending on their size.
- Drill a horizontal hole through each miniature pumpkin. Keep the holes as close to the bottom of the pumpkins as you can, as this will keep them hidden from view when the wreath is hanging.
- String 20-gauge wire through the first pumpkin's holes. Place this pumpkin against the wire wreath form and twist the wire inside the pumpkin holes around the wire wreath form to keep in place.
- Repeat for each pumpkin until all are attached to the wreath form.
- Tuck dry moss into the gaps between the pumpkins. Keep this in place with more wiring.
- Tie a large bow at the top of the wreath, leaving long tie lengths hanging below the wreath. Cut the ends diagonally to prevent fraying.
- Hang a wire hook at the top of the wreath and hang the wreath in position on your front door.
- Make mini-pumpkin candle holders. Pick out some mini-pumpkins at your local grocer or pumpkin patch. Cut off the tops and scoop out enough flesh to make room for a votive candle or tea light.
- Push the candle or tea light into the emptied mini-pumpkin and you're done.
- Place the candle holder wherever you'd normally use a candle, using common sense to keep it away from flammable items.
- Make pumpkin-shaped candles. Purchase wax, wicks, and pumpkin moulds from your local craft shop. Place the wick in the mould, melt the wax down, and pour it into the mould too.
- Once the wax cools, remove it from the mould and you've got a pumpkin candle.
- You can add colors and/or scents to the wax to the candles as well.
[Edit]Decorating with Witches - Make a witch hat decoration. You can do this using paper, felt, or if you're comfortable sewing, you can use fabric. You'll need a quarter-circle for the top and a circle with a hole in the middle for the brim.
- If you're short on time, you can buy plain black ready-made witch hats from the dollar store or anywhere else that sells Halloween costumes, and then decorate those.
- Once you have your hat, decorate it with artificial gems, glitter, stickers, felt pieces, ribbon, sequins, or whatever else tickles your fancy.
- You can even make a witch-hat collage by pasting various items onto a paper witch hat or a piece of cardboard that has been cut into the shape of a witch's hat.
- You can use the decorated hat as a centerpiece on your table or on other surfaces around your house.
- You can also hang the hat from the ceiling — just make sure it's low enough that people can see your decorations, but out of the way so that no one will accidentally bonk into it and knock it down.
- Get creative with your witch hats. Use decorated witch hats or paper cut-outs of witch hats in varying sizes around your house. You can use small witch hats for bunting or garland, for instance, alternating the hats with cut-outs of black cats, brooms, and candy corn.
- You could even make a witch hat in a candy corn theme by sewing or pasting together fabric that has orange at the base, yellow in the middle, and white at the tip.
- Make paper witch decorations. There are lots of ways to turn the silhouette of a witch into decorations, including witch garlands, streamers, collages, cards, signs, and cut-outs.
- Witch silhouettes are especially effective decorations when placed against a window or white surface.
- With the witch come some other traditional symbols that can be added into your artwork, including the black cat, the moon, and the broomstick.
- Make witch legs.[3] Stuff a pair of stripy stockings with whatever you've got handy — batting or polyester filling will work nicely. If you'll be putting the legs outside, avoid filling them with paper products or anything else that is easily damaged by water.
- Draw and cut out witchy-looking boots on a fabric of your choosing (black is recommended). Draw each boot on 2 pieces of fabric (or 1 piece folded in half), and make it extra large as it will shrink when sewn and stuffed.
- Cut, sew, and stuff the boots, and attach them to the ends of the stockings.
- Put some wire in the legs to make them bendy, then stick them in a prop cauldron to make it look like the witch fell in her own brew. You can also have the legs coming out from under a flower pot or anywhere else for that matter.
- If you're a film buff you could make it look like your house fell on a witch (like in The Wizard of Oz) by stuffing a pair of black and white striped stockings and putting sparkly red shoes on them, then fastening them to the ground near the foundation of your house.
- Make dangling witch legs.[4] Follow the instructions for making witches legs — stuffing tights and sewing witchy boots on to the ends of them. Once that's done, make the witch a skirt:
- Cut 20-inch-long strips of black tulle or another crunchy fabric that will mimic a fluffy crinoline.
- Cut the handle off a cheap umbrella (be careful that you don't hurt yourself doing this), then tuck and tie the legs and crinoline up into the spokes of the umbrella.
- The crinoline should hide all of the metal in the umbrella so that it just looks like a large skirt with a witch's legs sticking out. Fasten it to your ceiling (you can cut a hole int the top of the umbrella and pull the stockings through to use as a hanging device) and Voila!
- Make lollipop witch brooms.[5] You'll need lollipops (big round or oval ones work best), a brown felt pen, tissue paper (the fancy stuff you wrap presents with, not kleenex), scissors, twine, and name tags (optional).
- Use the brown felt pen to color in the lollipop sticks brown. You can also use black or dark brown if you think this would look better.
- Cut a bunch of squares in your tissue paper, all of the same size. Four inches by four inches is recommended.
- Gently put the lollipop stick through the middle of the tissue square and then pull the tissue down until it rests on top of the lollipop.
- Pull the tissue around the lollipop candy, and then scrunch the rest of the tissue up before tying it with twine to hold it in place. You may need to trim the edges of the tissue so that the broom can stand upright.
- These can double as place settings at the dinner table as well as party favors. If you want to use them as place settings, tie a name tag around the section of the broom that's tied with twine.
[Edit]Decorating with Ghosts - Make fabric ghosts. White fabric scraps of all sorts can be easily transformed into ghosts. You don't even need to sew them: you can just cut out squares of fabric and drape or tie them into your desired shapes.
- One popular method is to scrunch up newspaper into your desired ghosty shape, drape a piece of felt or fabric overtop of it, tie the fabric with twine to form the ghost's "head", and then draw a ghosty face on it.
- Use white fabric scraps to make ghost cut-outs to turn into pictures or bunting. You can also sew little white scraps of fabric into finger puppets, or stick them on to empty toilet rolls to make ghosts.
- Make paper cut-out ghosts. Use card stock, construction paper, or simple white printer paper and transform it into ghosts of all sorts, including ghost pictures or cut-outs, ghost collages, and ghost bunting or garlands.
- You can also cut out a large ghost shape from cardboard and use it as the base for a collage.
- Make use of your bedsheets. Drape white or off-white bedsheets over objects around your house to give the impression of ghosts.
- You can also make your room look like a room in an old haunted mansion by covering nearly all of your furniture in sheets and then putting spiderwebs in the corners.
- You might even add a skull and/or a crystal ball to a table, and play some creepy Halloween sounds in the room.
- Make a ghost out of cheesecloth and fabric stiffener.[6] This is just one of the many ways in which you can transform household objects into ghost decorations.
 - Start by creating a frame for your ghost's shape. Stack two cups vertically end to end (with the rims facing out), and place a small balloon on top. Lay down some newspaper or a plastic bag beneath this to catch any liquid that follows from the cloth as it dries.
- Cut 8 inches of cheesecloth. If the ends are ragged, all the better, as this will make your ghost look more creepy and old. Off-white and beige cheesecloths are good choices.
- Soak the cheesecloth in fabric stiffener. Use a bowl for this. Make sure the cheesecloth is well coated before you take it out.
- Remove the cheesecloth from the bowl of fabric stiffener and immediately place it over the balloon-cup frame. It should take roughly 10 minutes to dry.
- Once the cloth is dry, pop the balloon by poking a pin through the cheesecloth. This will leave you with a hardened ghost shape.
- Now you can decorate your ghost in any way you want. When you're happy with it, pull some fishing line, thread, or twine through the top of the ghost and hang it up.
- Make a ghost out of a styrofoam head, a wire hanger, and some fabric.[7] You can give the ghost broader shoulders by adding additional wire and extra fabric to the hanger.
- Bend the hook of the hanger so that it's straight, then gently push the styrofoam head down onto it. Now it'll look like a head sitting on top of shoulders.
- Drape white fabric over the head and hanger, and then adjust the fabric until you're happy with how it looks, cutting it to make it look more ragged, or bulking it up in places to make it look more like a person's figure.
- If you want you can add long wire arms to the hanger and then put stuff white latex gloves at the ends of the "arms" to make it look more like a person.
- Once you're happy with how it looks, hang it up by tying fishing line around its neck and fastening it to your ceiling or anywhere else you like.
- You can find styrofoam heads at most Halloween supply shops, but also some beauty supply and craft shops.
[Edit]Decorating with Spiders - Make spider-shaped paper cut-outs. Draw spider shapes on construction paper or card stock and cut them out, then fix them to your walls or to string to make bunting or garland. You can also use the spider shape as the basis for a collage.
- Paper spiders can be stuck all over the wall, among fake webs, and in bushes. Be careful about putting the paper spiders outside, as they might get wrecked if it rains.
- Use cardboard for larger spiders that can be hung from ceilings or greater heights to dangle in people's faces. You might cut up garbage bags and glue them onto these so that they're shiny black spiders.
- Make a spider from repurposed items. As an example, you could make a spider from an egg carton and pipe cleaners:[8]
- Cut out an egg carton piece to form the spider's body. Paint in the color you want the spider to be — black, neon, purple with red spots, etc. You might even use a glow-in-the-dark or black-light paint.
- Pierce four holes down one side and another four down the other side of the egg carton piece, then slip pipe cleaners into the holes each side to form eight legs.
- Reshape the legs so that the spider can stand properly and perhaps have two legs splayed in front.
- Glue on a bunch of pre-made googly eyes or paint them on to make the spider's face. You can also add fangs.
- If you want the spider to be larger, you can use two egg carton pieces for the body, and then glue on a ping pong ball or something similar to form the spider's head.
- Make a spider web. If you want a web or two for all the spiders you're making, you have many options:
- A string web is made by weaving a web using string and a wire frame, and then gluing the cutting out the round part of the web. You then hang the web from the ceiling using another piece of string. (Paper or light plastic spiders go well on this web.)
- A pipe cleaner web is made from twisting together 4 pipe cleaners and then working outward until you've reached the desired web size. (Pipe cleaner spiders go well with this web.)
- A doily web is ideally made of crocheted doilies that have been sprayed black. Use string to attach the doilies to a transparent or loosely woven sheet, keeping space between them so that they look like different webs.
- A cheesecloth web will look like an old abandoned cobweb. You cut it into the shapes you want, and then gently pull on it so that the strings come apart and look more web-like. Then you hang it from your ceiling/on your walls/in your windows.
[Edit]Making Other Decorations - Make a Halloween wreath. Add Halloween-themed items to a plain wreath to dress it up. You can purchase a pre-made wreath base, or you can make a wreath from scratch with Evergreen tree branches, twigs, or burlap.
- To make the wreath look extra Halloweeny, spray paint it black, orange, purple, silver, grey — or any other color you'd like.
- Use a hot glue gun (or have your parents help you) to glue black tulle, orange feathers, fake eyeballs, fake spiders, or other Halloween-y items into the wreath.
- Make glowing ping pong ball decorations. For this you only need felt pens, ping pong balls, electric tea lights, and something sharp to poke holes into the ping pong balls with (scissors or a screwdriver will work).
- Just draw on the ping pong balls and then pop them on top of an electric tea light and turn it on to see them glow and flicker. Creepy eyeballs and faces are good choices for this craft!
- Another option is to attach pipecleaners to the sides of a ping pong ball and make it look like a spider — a glowing spider, that is!
- Make paper bats. Bats, like spiders, are another popular creature featured in Halloween decorations. Use construction paper or card stock to make bat-shaped cut-outs that you can hang around your house.
- You might even use a large bat-shaped cut-out as the base of a Halloween-themed collage.
- Themes for great decorations include bats, black cats, coffins, masks, candy corn, snakes, mummies, eyeballs and toenails, cobwebs, rats, owls, vampires, witches and broomsticks, ghosts, zombies — the list is almost endless!
- You can also make a cool Halloween banner!
[Edit]Warnings - Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- If children make the decorations, supervise anything they're not capable of doing for their age range, such as cutting, piercing holes, sewing, etc.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Paper
- Fabric
- Recycled goodies
- Markers, pens, paint, etc.
- Pumpkins
- Scissors, glue, and related crafting gear
- Items as mentioned for each craft type
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Wear Flannel Shirts Posted: 26 Oct 2019 05:00 PM PDT Flannel shirts are the perfect fall garment—they're warm and cozy and you can style them in about 100 different ways. Wear your flannel with T-shirts and jeans or joggers for a casual feel. Or, create smart casual and office-friendly looks with a flannel shirt by pairing them with items like a blazer or chinos. [Edit]Creating Casual Looks - Play around with colors and styles for a laidback vibe. Don't feel like you have to stick with the traditional red and black or blue and black flannel shirts. You can easily find flannel shirts in all sorts of colors and washes. Try a distressed, acid-washed flannel for an edgy look or opt for a flannel shirt in pastel colors for a softer option.
- Create an effortless outfit by wearing a flannel with a T-shirt and jeans. This is probably the most popular way to style a flannel shirt. Simply toss on a T-shirt and layer your favorite flannel over top. Choose a graphic tee to make a statement or a plain tee for a more traditional approach. Any style of jeans will look great, from more relaxed fits to skinny jeans.[1]
- Tuck in your T-shirt for a more refined look or leave it untucked for a laid-back vibe.
- A red and black flannel, white T-shirt, and blue jeans is a classic outfit that works well for both men and women.
- Bring back '90s grunge style by tying a flannel around your waist. Throwback to the heyday of alternative rock by adding a flannel to your most worn-in and comfortable T-shirt and jeans. Tie the flannel around your waist and head out the door.[2]
- Complete the look with Converse sneakers or combat boots and sunglasses.
- Run errands in a cozy flannel and leggings or joggers. Whether you're headed to the mall or the market, it's easy to create a simple but stylish outfit. Button up a flannel shirt and put on a pair of leggings or joggers in a matching neutral color.[3]
- Toss on some sneakers or boots and finish up the look with a baseball cap or beanie.
- Layer your flannel with warm outerwear for cold, wintery days. Flannel is a cold-weather fabric and looks great underneath sweaters and coats. Add a heavy winter jacket, a leather moto jacket, or a puffy fall vest for a great outdoorsy look.[4]
- Black jeans, a blue and black flannel, and a black vest will keep you warm while also looking polished and put together.
[Edit]Dressing up Your Flannel Shirts - Stick to neutral colors for work and dressier functions. Though flannel shirts are available in a wide array of colors and washes and even come distressed, stick with the more classic versions if you want to dress up. Choose traditional prints with colors like red, black, gray, blue, green, and white.[5]
- Pair a tucked-in flannel shirt with corduroy pants for an office-friendly look. You can look stylish and trendy in a flannel shirt while still staying comfortable. Rather than pairing your shirt with jeans, opt for corduroys to take this outfit to the next level.[6]
- Complete this retro look with a pair of pumps and a matching handbag. Or, add a pair of Oxfords or brogues and grab your briefcase before heading to the office.
- Be a trendsetter by wearing a flannel shirt under a suit jacket or blazer. Button up your flannel and add a blazer or jacket on top for a polished look. Slip into a pair of dress pants, add some loafers or heels, and you're good to go.[7]
- For a formal look, pair a light-colored flannel print with a solid grey or blue suit and a thin, solid tie that matches the suit.
- To create a smart business casual outfit, layer a darker flannel with a blue or brown blazer and wear it with a pair of office-friendly tan or brown chinos.
- Wear a flannel with a solid-colored skirt for a night out on the town. Depending on your style and your plans for the night, you can wear your favorite flannel shirt with a long, dark-colored skirt or with a fun and flirty mini-skirt. Make the look sexier by leaving several buttons undone on the shirt and pairing it with some brightly-colored heels.[8]
- Stick to 2 contrasting colors to really make this outfit pop. For example, you could choose a red and black flannel print, a black skirt, red shoes, and a black handbag.
- Show up for a day date in a flannel shirt and chinos. For a classic and refined day-date look, select a freshly-pressed flannel shirt and pair it with crisp chinos. If you want to look more relaxed, leave the shirt untucked. As long as it's wrinkle-free, it will still look nice enough for a day picking apples or walking in the park.[9]
- A brown and black flannel, tan chinos, and brown Chelsea boots make for a great date outfit.
[Edit]Accessorizing Your Outfit - Put on sneakers or boots for casual styles. Converse shoes are a great match for flannel shirts. Several styles of boots, from combat boots to knee-high boots with heels, also work well. Opt for shoes in neutral colors so your flannel shirt is the star of the show.[10]
- Avoid sandals or strappy shoes, as they'll contrast with the cold-weather feel that flannel shirts have.
- Wear heels or loafers to dress up your outfit. If you're sporting a flannel to the office or for a date, choose a dressier shoe to complete your look. Pumps, loafers, Oxfords, or brogues are great choices.[11]
- Top off your look with a baseball cap or beanie. Flannel shirts pair well with hats, especially for casual looks. Stick with a baseball cap in the warmer months or choose a beanie if the weather is colder. You could even add a straw or cowboy hat if the occasion calls for it.[12]
- A blue beanie, blue and green flannel shirt, jeans, and boots make for a smart, cozy outfit.
- Add a pair of suspenders for a chic look. Tuck your flannel shirt into a pair of jeans or chinos and strap on a pair of suspenders to create an outfit that's perfect for a crisp fall day. Add a pair of boots or Brogues to finish it off.
- Opt for understated jewelry rather than statement pieces. A simple necklace or bracelet are the perfect accessories for a flannel shirt. Avoid large or gaudy jewelry which could make your outfit look too busy.[13]
- A pastel flannel over a white tank top, a denim mini-skirt, and a few bangle bracelets would look great for a movie date.
- When choosing a shirt or jacket to your flannel, pick one in a hue from the plaid pattern. This will keep your look uniform and crisp.
- Flannel comes in a single nap (one side is brushed/soft) and a double nap (both sides are brushed/soft). For warmer wear, choose a double nap flannel shirt over a single nap.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
| How to Organize Your Office Posted: 26 Oct 2019 09:00 AM PDT A well-organized office can help improve your focus and efficiency while you're working since you won't have so much clutter. Once you put everything in a specific place, you'll save more time trying to find it later. Try changing the layout of your office furniture to help you feel less stressed throughout the day. Once the layout of your office is set, organizing your office supplies and papers will make your office clean and uncluttered. [Edit]Adjusting the Layout - Position your desk so you can look out a window if you can. Being able to look out a window while you work can help reduce stress levels and focus better on your work. Move your desk to a location where you can easily sit down and glance out the window occasionally. Check that there is no glare on your computer screen or light in your eyes throughout the day so you don't get distracted or annoyed.[1]
- If you're working in an open-plan office or a cubicle, talk to your office administrator or boss to see if it's okay to change the position of your desk.
- Keep the things you use most frequently closest to you. Write lists of the things that you use daily, weekly, and monthly so you know what's important to keep near you. Keep the things you use daily within arm's reach of your desk so you can grab them when you need to. If you use things less frequently, store them in drawers or closets that are further away to remove clutter and save space.[2]
- For example, if you don't use a printer often, keep it on the other side of the room so it's not taking up space on your desk.
- If there are things that you use multiple times per day, keep them on your desk, a nearby shelf, or in the top drawer of your desk.
- Get rolling furniture so you can move things out of the way easily. Look for organizers, shelves, or cabinets that have wheels so you can pull them out when you need to and then put them back. Keep shorter things, like filing cabinets or shelves, under your desk if you have room and only move them when you need to access them. Try using an office chair with wheels if you're able so you can roll to a different part of your office to access something.[3]
- Keep a trash can in your office so you can get rid of things right away. Store a small bin to the side of your desk or underneath it if you have extra leg room. That way, if you have any trash or files that you don't need anymore, you can throw them away immediately rather than letting them clutter up your space.[4]
- Be sure to change the garbage bag frequently so your office stays fresh and clean.
- Shred any documents with personal info on them before you throw them away.
- Add a few personal touches to your office so you feel comfortable. Keep a few personal items in your office to make it your own space and so it doesn't feel too sterile. Hang art on the walls or keep pictures on your desk to make your office a relaxing place to be. You can also keep small knick-knacks or plants somewhere on your desk as long as it doesn't clutter your workspace.[5]
- Limit yourself to 1-2 items on your desk or else they might take up too much space.
[Edit]Storing Your Supplies - Get rid of any supplies you don't use. Sort through the things you have in your office and determine how often you use them. If you have any items that you rarely or never use, put them in a separate box or container. Once you go through your entire office, get rid of anything you have in the box so it doesn't add any clutter.
- If you're in an office building, put any unused supplies back in a supply closet so other people can take them if they need to.[6]
- Store pens and small office supplies in cups so you can access them easily. Place 1-2 cups on your desk within arm's reach and place all your pens inside of them. Store other long office supplies, such as scissors in their own cups as well. Store the pens and supplies so they point down so you don't accidentally hurt yourself when you try grabbing for something.[7]
- You can also buy desktop organizers that have various compartments if you don't want to use multiple cups.
- Use glass mason jars if you want your desk to look more decorative.
- Use silverware trays to sort small office supplies. Get silverware trays that have multiple compartments so you can separate your office supplies. Store similar supplies together in the same section of the tray so you stay organized. Put the things you use often in front of the drawer and anything you use less toward the back.[8]
- You can also buy small plastic bins and lay them out inside your drawers however you want.
- Label containers or bins so you know what's in them. Put items that you don't use frequently inside storage bins and keep them in a closet or shelf if you can. Only put 1-2 different items in the same bin so they don't get disorganized. Make paper labels for each of your bins and tape them on the side so you can see what's stored in them at a glance. Be descriptive with your labels so you don't get confused later on.[9]
- You can buy plastic storage bins from any department store or online.
- Get cord holders to remove visual clutter underneath your desk. Cords underneath your desk can look disorganized and easily tangle around your feet. Group all of your cables together and close them inside a cord holder so they aren't all on the floor. Secure the cord holder against your wall or underneath your desk so your cables are organized.[10]
- You can buy cord holders from office supply stores or online.
- You can also secure cables together or to the side of your desk with Velcro strips or zip ties.
[Edit]Removing Paper Clutter - Shred any documents you don't need that have personal information. Avoid throwing any documents that have things like account statements, legal documents, or credit card and social security numbers. Instead, get a paper shredder to destroy the documents so other people can't steal the information. Once the papers are shredded completely, you can throw the scraps away as usual.[11]
- If you have important documents that you can't get rid of, such as birth certificates, social security cards, or living wills, store them in a fireproof safe to protect them from any damage.
- Sort papers into a paper tray if you need to keep them on your desk. Paper trays have multiple tiers so you can separate different types of documents. Pick a vertical paper tray if you don't have a lot of space, or a horizontal tray if you have some room to spare. Put the organizer near the edge of your desk so you can reach it easily throughout the day and grab what you need. Label each of the tiers so you know where certain documents should go.[12]
- You can buy paper trays from office supply stores.
- Paper trays also work great for holding folders or notebooks.
- Designate a section of your desk to stay clean so you have room to spread out if you need to.[13]
- Hang a wall pocket if you want to keep papers off your desk. Wall pockets are plastic trays that have multiple compartments to file documents and folders. Put a wall pocket near your desk so you can remove papers from your desk and reduce clutter. Make sure the different compartments are labeled so you don't get confused later on.[14]
- Wall pockets can also be hung on the back of your door.
- Hang a bulletin board so you can easily glance at papers and memos. Find a place on your wall that has enough space for a bulletin board and put one up. Organize the bulletin board into sections where you can pin items, such as documents, receipts, sticky notes, and memos. Keep the most important documents visible and stack older ones underneath.[15]
- Many cubicles already have walls that you can put thumbtacks in.
- Use differently colored thumbtacks for each type of document you hang. For example, you may hang memos with blue pins and receipts with red ones.
- You can also pin personal photos if you don't have space for them on your desk.
- Color-code folders so they're easy to recognize. Get file folders in various colors and sort your documents so similar ones all share a single color. For example, you may put different types of expenses in red folders and income forms in green folders. Label the tabs on the folders with what type of document is inside. Once you have your documents organized, put them in a filing cabinet in a paper tray so you can find them easily.[16]
- You can also attach colored labels to the tabs of file folders if you don't want to buy multiple colors.
- Try storing memos and schedules digitally to avoid using paper. If you want to cut back on the amount of paper you're using, try writing any of your notes or schedules on your computer. Create folders on your computer and sort your documents into them, or use an online program to organize your files. Once a file is outdated, delete it so it doesn't clutter up your computer.[17]
- Backup any important documents on a cloud storage site or external hard drive so you don't lose them if your computer ever crashes.
- If you have a scanner, you can upload physical documents onto your computer so you can get rid of the paper documents.
- Clean and organize your desk each day so it stays decluttered.[18]
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