Project: Organize Ribbon

Hello,

Last week I spent the week organizing my ribbon. It was not an easy process...and it is far from complete.  But I did make good progress.  Unfortunately, by the end of the week I knew I would not finish.  Rather then leave myself with a big huge mess, so I put the leftovers back away until the next time.

I did promise photos and description of the process.  So here it is. :)

Old System:  I had long outgrown my previous system, but for some time it worked quite nicely.  Years ago I started sorting things by color and I still prefer this method.  I had 8 shoe boxes with ribbon, fibers, brads, eyelets, trim and other items sorted by color.  

In addition, I had photo boxes with extra ribbon and fibers that were back-ups or would not fit in the shoe boxes.  I also had a separate area for buttons and flowers.

Finally, I have some small tin buckets with ribbon and a plastic cart with ribbon that was larger in size.  Yes....I had ribbon everywhere. :)

New System:

My desktop is supported by the same modular components I use throughout craftroom.  Originally on the shelves below I had paper and other items, but it never really worked the way I wanted it to. What I really wanted was drawers with dividers for all of my ribbon and other embellishments.  But I did not want to purchase new modular units.  That meant I had to work to find a way to convert them. I like a good challenge. :)

I decided on deep draw organizers.  You can purchase them at your local office supply store or online at Amazon.  They fit perfectly in the openings.   

I quickly figured out that I was going to have to loose the spools. They take up soooooo much room.  They have the added downside of making it hard to see how much ribbon is left.  So I coiled the ribbon around my fingers and then placed them in bags.  You can purchase these clear poly bags at Amazon.  For some of you they may look familiar.  I was use them on my shoe rack to hold dies and stamps.

Below you can see the finished product.  I have places for buttons, brads, eyelets, fibers, trim and of course, ribbon.  As I worked I found tons of ribbon that I totally forgotten about.  And I realize I have way more ribbon then I can ever use.  Still I have a very hard time parting with it. :)

What do I still need to work on?  I did not finish organizing my buttons by color.  I still have multicolored ribbon to organize....remember those metal buckets?  That will be their home.

I will still have boxes for extra ribbon and fibers.  And I still have larger ribbon rolls in a plastic container.  But this new system works far better then the old one.  I am so happy to be free of all of those spools.

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions.
Jeri'