So Much Ribbon ... And So Little Storage!

Maybe I have a serious problem, a problem only therapy can solve.  I’ve already admitted on these pages that I’m a compulsive buyer of shoes, but I didn’t realise until recently that I possess enough ribbon to reach from here to the Moon and back.

Twice over.

At least, that’s what it felt like when I had a sort out of my craft room not long ago.

Proper storage in a craft room is important because when your creative juices are flowing and you are trying to create something unique, it’s vital that you can easily see the whole range of materials you have to work with.  There’s nothing worse than getting into creative mode, wanting to put an idea together, but then having to spend fifteen minutes rummaging through drawers and cupboards trying to find something you’re not entirely sure you have.  That’s just too much of an effort which is almost guaranteed to kill the mood.

That explains why, when I was designing my new craft room, I spent nearly as much time researching and buying storage as I did designing the actual layout of the room.

Regular readers will know that I am as pleased as punch with my drainpipe ribbon storage system. I never thought I would fill it up.  How wrong was I! 

Not only was the ribbon storage system completely full to bursting, but I discovered a massive box of loose ribbons.  I realised if I was ever going to use any of this ribbon it needed to be stored properly.  This is where the lovely Ali Reeve came to my rescue. I regularly saw her fantastic MDF structures coming into the studio and quickly realised that this could be the answer to my problems.

Trawling Ali’s website I came across her Double Loose Ribbon Hanger. So I ordered two. Timing was perfect as Ali’s husband was trying out some new design of hangers, so she sent me some of these as well - what a star! (I have hangers for single, two, three and four ribbons per hanger)

At this stage my husband said if any of the kids had ever used cutlery to
spread glue on wood, I'd have blown a fuse... fair point!

The storage units were so easy to put together - they just slot together, although I used a small amount of glue for extra rigidity. 

Then came the fun bit of decorating them. I could have left them plain but I thought I would make them look pretty, so downloading some of my pretty papers from the Tattered Lace CD ROMs, I chose peaches and greens to tie in perfectly with my craft room. 

I stuck these down with a PVA glue and once dried I lightly sanded the edges of the paper and then applied some co-ordinating inks. I think they look lovely and give a kind of aged look.

The next job was to sort out my ribbon box – and what a horrible job it was.  It’s not something that should be undertaken lightly, as the untangling of what resembles birds’ nests can take a fair amount of time and a lot of patience. This took a good few hours to do even when I’d roped in my complaining husband as extra unpaid labour! I didn’t know I had some many pretty ribbons! Take a look. I don’t think I will need to buy another piece of ribbon for months – perhaps years!

Unless I see some really nice ribbon for sale on my travels, obviously...!