On the hunt for a way to organize and store your ribbons??
Thanks to frugal friend Kathy in Connecticut for sharing this creative Ribbon Storage Idea!
I’m always picking up fun new ribbons to make Ribbon Hair Clips, Crafty Clipboards or whatever other crafts I’m working on, so I absolutely love this fun way to store them!
What You’ll Need:
- A thick plastic container with a lid {or a sturdy cardboard box}
- 5/16” wooden dowels
- A 5/16” drill bit and drill
- Either wood glue or hot glue… or both. {Tip from Kathy: I didn’t have the patience to let the wood glue set before loading the dowels up, so I also glued around the outside of the dowel with hot glue.}
- As many ¾ inch, wooden, screw-hole plugs as dowels {alternatively, Tinker Toys may fit these dowels. I think they would be adorable on both ends but glued on only ONE end.}
What You’ll Do:
- Using your 5/16” drill bit, drill holes in the wooden screw-hole plugs but not all the way through. Put some glue in the hole and attach your dowel. It should be a very tight fit. You can sand the dowel a little to make it fit if necessary {but it shouldn’t be ~ use some muscle!}.
- While your glue dries, measure a dowel to fit your container’s width so that they extend about one inch or so beyond the outside of the box.
- Cut all dowels to your measurement. {they’re small enough that you can simply use a serrated knife to score around the dowel and then just snap it off}
- Measure and mark the spacing of the holes for your dowels on the box with a Sharpie. On each side of the box, the holes should be approximately 2.5” from the short end of the box, approximately 2.5-3” down into the depth of the box, and a minimum of 5 inches away from each other going down the length of the box. Use your ribbon spools to gauge the exact distance you would like them placed, just be sure that they match up on the opposite side. Depending on the size of your box, mark as many holes as will fit dowels. {I used three dowels}
- Using your 5/16” drill bit, drill the holes according to your marks.
- When the glue is dry on your dowels, push the dowel through a hole in the box and load ‘em up with ribbon spools! When full, put the dowel through the second, corresponding hole.
Ribbon ends can be secured to the rest of the spool with either a small tab of tape or a sewing pin.
See Also…
How do you store your craft supplies or ribbon?
Got a tip or trick?? Leave a comment & share!
Love this idea…definitely will be sharing it with my fellow thrifty crafty chicks!
FINALLY – a simple and inexpensive way to organize all of the bags of ribbon I own! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
I saw at a store they hung ribbon on a piece of ribbon from the ceiling. So they were all stacked on top of each other. I plan to try it soon
So easy! Both of these ideas make it a piece of cake to pack and go to a crop, too! Thanks for sharing your find
This is an awesome idea!
I cannot wait to make this for my home… I have been trying to come up with some easy, inexpensive ways to organize all of my craft supplies since I don’t have an extra room for them. I think I’m going to get a container that is shallow enough to slide under my bed but still deep enough to hold the ribbon, that way I can just slide it out for easy access. THANKS!!!
I have a ton of ribbon, way more than anyone should and I have a closet with a regular door (not sliding) so I mounted one of these: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100198623/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 to the inside of my door. The ribbon spools fit perfectly in there and I can easily grab what I want and take it to wherever I’m crafting.
Love this idea. right now, I am using baby wipes containers in a drawer. But, I am starting to run out of room! So, this is a great idea!
I have mine in a shoe box! It seems to work petty good and is easily stored/stacked!
I used to keep mine in a shoe box UNTIL I had more spools than would fit in the box. Necessity is the mother of invention!
Oh I love this idea..the only thing that would make it better is to find boxes with flat ends to stack on top of each other.
Wouldn’t file crates work? They stack and you could put the dowels through the sides.
I LOVE this idea. I’m going to have my husband mount one to the wall in my craft room. With the snap on lid it should be no problem. I also just saw in Better Homes & Garden Feb 2011 page 79 a great Gift Wrap Organizer the hangs on the back of a closit door. They utilized a wire pantry rack that only cost $29.00.
I made this for about six dollars and am going to make another one soon (I’m not sure where all the ribbon comes from, I think it multiplies in the closet when I’m not looking!).
Thanks for all the nice comments!
Love the idea..going to get to the store and make one..so tired
of ribbon everywhere..what a kewl solution…Thanks for sharing it.
Great way to stay organized!! I always use Elmer’s wood glue for my projects. Works well!
This is a great idea, but I like one I use for ribbon, too! Take a coat hanger that is meant to unclip for slacks, undo the clip, slide ribbon spools on the rod, clip back and put hangers wherever you want them! (Like the closet or a hook near your crafts…) I like the wooden hangers but they also have metal ones. They are getting harder to find, but you can still locate them at Thrift shops, yard sales, and specialty closet-type stores…
I love this idea, it is soooo creative. I have a blog for busy moms and I would love to share this on my blog with your premission of course. Can you email me if that is ok. Thanks!!!
LOVE THIS! For someone like me who runs a flowershop and has ribbon of all sizes and designs coming out her ears this is the most perferct way i have EVER found to organize me ribbons! Let me tell you when i say i have tried everything i mean it!!! Thank you so much for this for idea. Love this website!!!
I cannot wait to make this. I also have the wire rack (mine form walmart), but I like the idea of this being portable. Sometimes late at night I craft in my bed while watching movies. This can go anywhere in the house.
Thanks
Very cool idea thank you for sharing…
I did this for my yarn only I rolled the scrappy leftovers of yarn on toilet paper rolls and put them on dowels in a box.
I saw another good idea at lifehack.com about organizing wrapping paper (which is the bane of my existence – even in those neat plastic storage bins the ends always unroll!) – take a used paper towel roll (just the cardboard) and slit up one side. Then wrap it around the wrapping paper roll and voila – it keeps the ends from flying free!