Organizing Ribbon

Ribbon: we use it to decorate clothes and adorn our hair and packages, so it seems only natural that it would find its way onto our scrapbook pages. I love using it on my layouts and I think the trend is definitely here to stay.

Admittedly, I have enough to circle an entire city block. Earlier this year, I was on a quest to figure out where to put them all before they took over my whole scrapbook room.

In the beginning, I was able to just stick them in a drawer together. But as my stash quickly grew, getting them untangled took more time than creating the layout. So next I tried stuffing them in a canning jar. It kept them better contained, but there was still the task of separating them whenever I needed just one. Then I tried draping them over a hanger in my closet. This worked out very well in the summer, when I wasn't wearing my jackets. But as soon as the closet started getting used more frequently, I found that most of them kept slipping off onto the floor.

My final solution came by accident while in a sporting goods store with my husband. He was looking at fishing lures when I spotted this 13"x9" box. It came with dividers that would make twenty-four little sections to hold stuff. Perfect for my ribbon! Not only was I thrilled that the dividers were removable, the fact that it was clear plastic for viewing appealed to me immediately.

Now when I get a new ribbon, I simply coil it up and put it inside. The box in this photo contains over 100 yards of ribbon and there is room for plenty more (much to my husband's dismay).

For the ribbons that are sold on a spool, I use a wire basket organizer to hold them standing up. This allows me to see their colors without having to take every one out. When there is only a yard or so left on the spool, I unwind the rest and it goes into my ribbon box.

If you find yourself busy unknotting ribbon or are simply looking for a way to store your collection, I highly recommend one of these boxes. They are light, durable and at less than two inches in height, are easily packed for taking to crops. I am sure that you will soon discover, as I did, that this is a great way to spend more time scrapbooking and less time all tied up.