So inspired was I by my medicine box makeover this week that I decided to tackle another area of disorganisation – birthdays.
I am officially hopeless at remembering birthdays, so much so that I normally rely on my sister to text me a couple of days before important datess, and am totally lost otherwise. The only birthdays I really remember, apart from the family I live with obviously, are my mum, dad and sister. If you’re not one of these people then apologies for all the birthdays I have accidentally ignored.
I do feel though that in this age of modern technology, fancy gadgets and what not that I should be able to organise myself. There isn’t really an excuse is there when you could have a million electronic devices all beeping at you at once? First off though I have to know when the birthdays are, so I text my sister for information. Birthdays are tricky – if you’ve known someone for most of your life it seems a bit rude to ask ‘so, when is you birthday exactly?’ It’s a bit like meeting someone new and forgetting their name. You can’t ask more than twice. After that you just have to make sure you never find yourself in a situation where you have to introduce them.
Armed with dates then, I spent a happy half hour tapping away on the iPad, setting myself reminders. Part one complete.*
The next stage is having a plan for when you get beeped at and realise you have five minutes until the last post goes. This is where my emergency birthday kit come in. Here I was very lucky, as The Art File very kindly sent me some bits and bobs to get me started, including a selection of birthday cards, some rather lovely notebooks to give as gifts and a box to organise it all in. The Art File have a really lovely collection of useful things, including assorted card packs, which would be perfect for a project like this.
(Spoiler alert: if you are someone that I am ever likely to give a notebook to as a gift in the future then look away now.)
Next I popped over to my local gift shop and got a few more cards, a couple of cute little gift bags and some lovely wrapping paper. I also popped in the personalised cards I got for Belle recently.
Then I added an assortment of ribbon.
Finally I added the boring bits – scissors, sellotape, stamps and a pen – and there you have it! I never have an excuse for forgetting birthdays again.
Are you good with birthdays? What’s your secret for remembering them?
*If you want me to remember your birthday in the future then please let me know what it is and I will try my best! I can’t promise you’ll get a notebook though.
Very organised!!
I have all the birthday written on the calendar….I am quite good at remembering them though :) x
Well done Kim – gold star for you :-)
I also have them all written on the calendar and in my diary. don’t always check either though. very often just watch people’s birthdays sail past, as I just lack the energy to get myself sorted! and my terrible logic is that it’s better not to get a card at all than to get one late…
I’m a bad person, I know.
It’s the checking isn’t it?? I had a big poster once that I wrote them all on and stuck up in the kitchen but kept forgetting to look at it!
My birthday is February 3rd… I don’t expect a present, or even a card. Maybe just a birthday greeting in a blog post!
Simon
X
It’s in my diary ;-)
It’s a great idea to have an emergency supply of birthday stuff. I used to be very good at remembering birthdays but now I do find myself forgetting sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s due to getting older or having kids! I always keep a supply of cards and wrapping paper for when my children get invited to birthday parties too because that’s where I always get caught short.
Yes, I’m with you on that one Dawn! I have a stash too of gifts suitable for random children!
Fab idea I have mine written down in a birthday book starting from next year I am going buy cards at the start of the year so I have them all.