Ribbon Storage Solutions: Craft Ideas for Boxes, Organizers, and More

One important aspect of any type of craft or art work is storing and organizing your supplies. Those of us who like to craft have a habit of acquiring a lot of materials. It is easy to let these materials take over our entire homes. This is neither useful nor practical. While it isn't fun to take time away from creating to organize, the result is well worth it. Once you have good storage and organizational systems in place, they will require little, if any maintenance.

The tutorials and other ideas here fit a wide variety of ribbon quantities. Consider what will make sense for your needs. If you only ever have a dozen rolls on hand, opt for a smaller storage system. It's also important to consider your space needs and if you will be traveling with your supplies. Wall mount storage units may be a better bet for smaller craft rooms while those who travel frequently should consider portable options.

Edi uses a couple dowel rods in her bookcase to create ribbon storage. She uses paper clips to attach the ribbons to the dowels. The big advantage of this system over threading the rolls right through the dowels is that you can take off individual rolls as you want. Instead of removing all of the rolls when one runs out, simply un-clip that one from its paper clip. You can customize this concept for a wide variety of bookcase sizes and shapes.

The next time you finish a container of oats, save it so you can make a ribbon holder. Simply cut a hole in the side. You can decorate it with scrapbook paper like the one pictured. The hole should be large enough that you can slip the rolls right in and out through it. This is an ideal solution for those with smaller collections, although you may choose to make multiple containers to accommodate more rolls. The post doesn't mention it, but you can see in the photo that the designer created a small rest for the container so it doesn't roll enough. This is easy enough to construct out of cardboard.

This post is actually about a different, equally great craft storage system for storing die cuts. It just happens to include a couple pictures of this great bookshelf that she uses for her ribbon storage. How perfect is this? If you can find something with appropriately sized shelves but without lipped edges, you can add them. Otherwise keep your eyes open when you're thrifting for the perfect shelf. Don't be afraid to pick up something that needs a little work. Sanding and/or a coat of paint is much cheaper than buying a brand new shelf (though if you find the perfect one, a new one can be a great option, too).

Paula has a great tutorial for building ribbon shelves that you can mount on the wall. While these shelves will work just fine on a desk or table, mounting them gives you more working space. Consider not only how much ribbon you have now but how much ribbon you're planning to add to the collection over the next year. While you're building shelves, it's easier to build one or two extra now than pull everything out again later. You can paint or decorate these any way you like to match your craft room decor.

While this isn't a practical solution for storing yards and yards of different colored ribbon, this system is perfect for winding up little scraps left over from various projects. I love how the author organized her scrap by color so she can find what she needs later. She wraps her ribbons around foam core. This system could work well for storing fabric scraps, too.

Michelle has a simple tutorial for creating a shoebox ribbon storage box with scrapbook paper and eyelets. She used a skinny shoe box, but you can use a larger one for even more storage. Consider how wide your ribbon rolls are when you space your eyelets. If you have a number of wide rolls, give them more space. For those who travel with their supplies frequently, this is a great option.

Kelley uses dowels and scrapbook paper to create vertical dowels for her ribbon rolls. She sorts her ribbons by color and organizes all of the dowels in one of her plastic storage drawers. It is easy to take old rolls off these small dowels. It's also easy to take out and put away a few rolls at a time instead of letting your entire collection take over your work space. If you don't already have plastic drawers, watch for sales in big box stores during late summer. I've picked up 3 drawer sets (2-3" feet tall total) for under $10 at Wal-Mart during these sales.

This idea is similar to the shoebox design. The trade off is that while you don't have to go through the process of setting eyelets, you have dowels that don't allow for easy change out. However, if you have a small collection and can find a bin that fits your ribbon, you may be just fine with this easy solution. Most dollar stores and big box stores have a wide selection of storage bins. Bring some ribbon rolls with you to make sure that the sizing is appropriate.

For those of you who enjoy thrifting and/or repurposing, this will get your minds going. Honestly, this is generally not so much my style, but I appreciate those who can see the potential for these old objects. This model is similar to several other ones I've shown in this post so the process is pretty self-explanatory. You can use just about any type of crate and knobs. The search will be as much fun as the final creation process.