Oh the Ribbon....

Well, as I mentioned last night...my goal was to organize my ribbon collection.  I mostly use the ribbon collection for scrapbooking, but I'll also sometimes delve into my collection to add that extra special touch to my gifts.  I LOVE ribbon....especially when you can find fun spools for $1 at Michaels and/or Hobby Lobby.  This does, however, also translate into bins and bins of ribbons that look like this.....

Not very cute, is it?  I must have had 4 bins that looked like this.  I tried to separate them in colors, so that I at least knew which bin to search in. Clearly, I wasn't very successful at it.

So I delved into searching for the best method out there.  Most scrapbookers use ribbon boxes like these:

 

Super cute, isn't it?  I found this one on Amazon.com, but you can find a similar version at most craft stores OR make your own.  The only problem with this method is that it doesn't account for (insert dramatic music here):

 Doesn't he look adorable and sweet?  This is Charlie.  Most of the time, he is absolutely adorable and sweet and boy oh boy, does he know how to sleep. 

Once the scrapbook supplies come out, however, he reverts to his childhood stage and come racing to see what I'm playing with.  These images don't even tell half of the story....

 

Charlie thought bubble: "Hmmmm....what are these?"

Charlie thought bubble: "It makes noise!"

So I needed to come up with a system that prevented Charlie from attacking the beautiful ribbons I purchase, and I wanted to keep his hair off everything.   So, I started with the following supplies...

 

We are in the process of relocating our office at work, and I found a bunch of file folder inserts for box bottom hanging files that we don't even have anymore.  In seeing this stack of cardboard, I knew I could put it to good use rather than tossing them out (my one green thing to do!).

I started by cutting the cardboard pieces into roughly 6 inch strips (in half).  I then, unspooled the ribbon I had (the wider ribbons) and taped one end to the cardboard piece like this:

Then the most tedious aspect of this process began....wrapping the ribbon around!  If the original spool of ribbon was large, I would cut it up into smaller sections so that the new wrapped board wouldn't be too fat.  In scrapbooking, you only really use about 12inch strips at maximum, so this didn't affect me too much.  It may become a problem if I decide to use some of this fun ribbon for gifts, but that's just on occasion.  So here is the start of a wrapped up board :

 

Each of these wrapped cardboard pieces were then placed in a medium sized tupperware bin.  I was able to organize them by color for ease in locating what I needed.

3.5 hours later (I had a LOT of ribbon), I had managed to condense my four bins of chaos into a large tupperware container like this (start applauding now, please!):

The smaller bin you see sitting on top is another ribbon storage system that allows you to put the spools in and allow the edges to hang over the edge.  Charlie clearly doesn't allow me the luxury of being able to display anything like that, so I need to store it away.  I've decided to use it to store my thinner and smaller spools of ribbon.

You could also use a smaller tupperware bin for the itty bitty ribbon (thin ribbon) and for the ones that come in flat packages because they are self-adhesive.  I have one smaller bin for these types of items.

Now I just need to label the outside of the boxes for when I put them in their place on the shelving unit.  No more opening boxes feverishly to see what's inside.  I will eventually have a beautifully organized space!

And what is tonight's project?  Hmmmm....don't quite know yet.