Tuesday, January 18, 2011

{Tutorial Tuesday} $5 dollar ribbon organizer

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Today has been one of those rat race days where I am now just eating lunch and writing a post...it's what I call multi-tasking along with unthawing dinner, doing loads of laundry, and allowing Punk to entertain himself in my baking sheet cupboard.

Today's tutorial is so simple I think Hunk could even do it. HA!

First thing you need to know...I have this habit of buying ribbon. I mean I have a lot of ribbon. I usually end up taking it off the spool and shoving it all in clear containers. That ususally turns into a disaster. When I try to retrieve a specific strand of ribbon I end up pulling all the of out, and then I spend more time untangling my mess then actually doing my project.

I have even tried the hanger trick where you undo a metal hanger and then slide the ribbon rolls onto the straight part--the ribbon would always be hanging down or it would unwind on its own.

ahhhhhh.

So I finally decided to tackle my ribbon once and for all. And this is what I came up with...


For this project you will need:
*slotted tupperware bin (I found mine in the organization/storage section of Walmart).
*1/4 inch dowl rod (can be purchased at any hardware or craft store).

 I then inserted each ribbon spool onto the rod. Once I had enough spools on the rod I then stuck each end of rod into the holes on each side of the bin.
 Like so...Isn't that cool?
Then I pulled each ribbon end through a hole on the front. Now the spools can't roll and I don't have to worry about a tangled mess.

Cost:
Bin: $3
dowls: $.12 (clearance)
My mental state: sane and gleeful ;)

ALSO, don't forget to check out my amazing giveaway packages this week that are worth over $250 dollars. Whoaza!!!!

Here are the parties I link up to!


125 comments:

Missy said...

I adore that!!! i'm gonna copy it!

Something Nice and Pretty said...

A really neat idea, I'll have to remembe that!

Michelle said...

I have a total of 3 spools of ribbon, so this isn't too practical for me, but SUPER creative. I love it!

April said...

Um, you are a GENIUS! I may very well hijack this idea!

Ally said...

This is so super smart! Thanks for sharing!

Susan said...

A very good idea!! I am afraid I might have to us steal , I mean borrow the idea~

LP said...

That is so clever, I wish I'd thought of it!

Honey at 2805 said...

Very crafty of you!

Christie, Describe Happy said...

Very smart idea!!

The Girl Creative said...

Wow! That IS super easy!!! Nice job!! :)

Betty said...

Simple and clever. This is a great idea.

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

WOW...love this awesome idea...I so need to try this one! Thanks for coming to my party...please be sure to link my blog name:)

Blessings,
Linda

Raquel W. said...

Great Minds Think alike! I did that exact same thing with my beading wire, over 2 years ago!!!! only mine was one dowel.......I have been wanting to get into making things with ribbon, now this encourages me to try it!

Stephanie said...

great idea, i will have to "borrow" it from you

Maggie said...

That is brilliant!!! I love it.

CraftyBrit said...

This is ingenious! Thanks for sharing! I'm absolutely doing this :)

Katie said...

This is a great and inexpensive way to get organized!

Laurelann said...

That is really clever!
http://one-girl-vs-world.blogspot.com

A Pretty Life in the Suburbs said...

Great idea! I think I even have one of those bins! Gonna get to work!
Jo-Anna

PEACHES said...

GENIUS!!!!

Kim said...

Brilliant!! And my baby can't dump them all out of the container with this idea. Love it! Thanks!!

mindingmomma said...

That is a super idea! And such a great alternative to ones at the craft store for big bucks.

Donnie said...

What a cool idea. Thanks so much for sharing.

Life In The Thrifty Lane said...

Great idea! I'll try it too! Thanks for sharing :)

Mandalyon said...

Why hadn't I ever thought of that!?! I love it. Must copy it and share it. Thanks a bunch!

Linda said...

Oh my goodness, I have such a ribbon disaster and was looking for a solution. This is great! The funny thing is that I have the same containers in my closet, but I never thought to use them that way! Thanks sooooo much for the great idea!

Heidi Wendland said...

This is such a great idea. I have been collecting ribbon and now I have a great way to store it!

Mandy @ thetinkersmuse said...

that's awesome! i have been looking for a way to store ribbons better, i like this a lot.

Cindy said...

I love you for this! :) I have had this very bin and I wasn't sure what to do with it. My ribbon collections is OUT of control, so this is perfect! Thanks!

Birgit @ Scrapalicious Bytes said...

Great idea! And I have everything I need already on hand! Thanks for the inspiration!

Shelly said...

This is the best ribbon organization idea I have seen. I am totally going to do this. Thank you for the idea.
visiting from creatingmemorieswithallieroo.blogspot.com.

Fancy Lads said...

THAT'S BLOODY BRILLIANT! Congrats on being smarter then the rest of us,haha.

southernscraps said...

Great idea!

Ginger said...

OMGosh that is genius!!! So cool! Visiting from FF&JB. Come visit me sometime at SSB!

http://superstinkyboys.blogspot.com

xoxo
Ginger

Ginger said...

Also your newest follower!

danae said...

i have several of these same baskets at home! what a great idea & how badly do i need it!!!

Mrs. Sassy Crafter said...

What a great idea! I have so much ribbon I don't know where to put it, it ended up in a plastic container, but this is the perfect idea, I have over 50 spools of ribbon, and this is gonna make it so much easier to find the one I want...Thanks so much!!!! oh! I'm a new follower =)

Sandy Jenney - Organize with Sandy said...

That is too cute!! omg.. you have to link up to my link party and share this with my readers! I love it. I keep it open until Sat.
Just found you on Fingerprints on the fridge.
Thanks!!

Liz said...

What a great idea! I think I've even seen similar bins at the $ store. I'd love for you to come link up at my party today: http://fastdaze.blogspot.com/2011/01/linky-fridaze-2.html

Art by Julie H. said...

Very, very clever...I have been trying to come up with to untangle my ribbon mess...thanks!

Leah said...

This is one of those "so obvious" ideas that no one ever thinks of - until someone as think-outside-the-boxy as you comes along! Love it!

picperfic said...

ingenious....I love this a lot! Makes me want to go out and buy more ribbon so I can store it in this way!

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

So very clever! Love it! Super easy to store, too.

Amanda Dale said...

Complete genius!

karrie said...

nice idea!! i was just untangling all of my ribbon and ricrac and trims today brainstorming about an organizational technique. great idea!

K Blue said...

So simple, yet so perfect.
As a fellow ribbon lover I thank you so much for sharing this!

Paisley Walls said...

I will be a copy cat...hope you don't mind :D

Dacia said...

What a great & inexpensive idea!

BookwormDragon said...

Awesome idea! and much better than my current dowel-rod-across-the-top-shelf-of-the-bookcase method. I'm going to try it with a black plastic basket I got at the dollar store.

ROOTMIX.blogspot.com said...

brilliant! they should market the bin for that! (oh, then it would be $12 instead o $3!)

last minute lynn said...

This is one of the most wonderful solutions I have seen. Inexpensive, easy and it works! A million thanks for sharing it and where to buy the "ingredients"!

Anonymous said...

I love it! I am also going to be stealing your idea. I have been trying to come up with a better way to store all my ribbon and so far have been unsuccessful. This should be perfect.

thecraftyscientist.com said...

I've looked at lots of ways to organize ribbon and this seems like the easiest (no power tools? crazy!) and cost effective - I'm super-excited to try it! Thanks for posting and AMAZING idea!

Noga said...

Such a clever you!!!!!!!! I envy at your intellegens!! and run to make one for myself...

Christina said...

very smart!

majeral said...

OH WOW I have been needing a good storage bin. Now I will need to lay out all my ribbon and do a count to how many will fit etc etc.. Oh an I am sending this to my Get Organized challenge with the scraprack group. so cool...

Life with the Lebedas said...

Oh my gosh! I love it. Very clever!

Thanks for linking up to Craftify It Thursday!
Jennifer

stephjacobson said...

Great idea--thanks for sharing!

Piggy Bank Parties said...

I would LOVE to share this on my blog-- www.piggybankparties.blogspot.com Just let us know if we can...thanks!

KeriAnne said...

Love this idea! I am going to give this a shot with all my ribbon!

Brenda said...

Awesome idea! I could probably fill 20 of those bins with the ribbon I have - but that's WAY better than the mess they are now! Thanks so much ...

carol@The Design Pages said...

How brilliant is that? I am totally going to steal this idea.

scrapandscoot said...

Loves it!

Wendy said...

This is really great! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

cool idea. Thanks.

Sally said...

Good idea. I am organizing my ribbons now!

DANA said...

Hi! If you have not stopped by yet, I hope you enter my linky contest for a vie at Best of January and ultimately Best of 2011! Every month prizes are awarded!

http://www.thesaturdaymorningsblog.com/2011/01/strut-your-stuff-link-up-party.html

Cathy @ Five Boys said...

What an awesome idea!

Sheena said...

Gee... this is a superb idea ! Tks for sharing

Laura D said...

Love it! I've tried several methods for organizing my ribon, but haven't found anything I love yet. This is the perfect solution and I love how cheap it is too!

Terri said...

You are not even going to believe this....my ribbon is sitting in a bin JUST like that with dowels sitting behind it in my craft room. Um....never in a million years would that idea have hit me. Literally sitting inches apart and the idea never occured to me. Guess what I'm doing now? :)

Sweet Little Smoothie said...

um...genius! following u now :)

beardediris said...

BRILLIANT! I already have that basket... just need the dowels! I never would have thought of this on my own and my ribbon box is a rat's nest. Thanks for sharing!

Donna's Daze said...

Love this! So simple, yet so inspired.

Ridzomom said...

This is the best idea ever! It is so simple someone should have thought of it years ago! Truly Brilliant!

Marcia Francois, Organising Queen said...

I love, love, LOVE this idea - and your pics are so pretty!

I also don't have that much ribbon but I'm sure I could use a smaller basket :)

Marilyn Holeman said...

I'm visiting from I'm an Organizing Junkie. This is brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

Sue B said...

Great idea! Thanks!

Gina said...

Funny thing is I am actually storing the ribbon in this exact container! Of course, not organized in any way. I think I may hit home depot today to grab a few dowels, too funny!

D said...

You're a genius! Thank you, thank you!
Donna
www.d-eatrunplay.blogspot.com

LivingSoAbundantly said...

That is awesome! :)

tlateach said...

Really great idea!

Seasons of Life said...

Brilliant! Simple and organized ~ a state I desire to continually be in...with children, the challenge remains consistant, though. :-) Thanks for the great and "easy to impliment" idea!

Blessings ~

Anonymous said...

I ab.so.lute.ly love LUV <3 this! It's PERFECT!!

Dee in N.H. said...

Great idea! I need to get a couple of these!

* Taci * said...

Oh u are amazing!
following and trailblazing my thanks! :D

Kimberly from "bugaboo" said...

Oh. My. Gosh. You just made my night. Or year. Or something... Here I've been trying to make it all complicated - "I need the right sized box... a drill, some grommets..." And I can just go buy a plastic basket! Ah!!!!! I may do this tonight, that's how excited I am.
I'm soooo glad I saw you on One Month to Win it and popped on over... (and don't tell anyone this, but you were the only one on there that I felt I really NEEDED to go check out right this second...)

Thanks for the awesome idea!
bugaboo, mini, mr & me

Indizona said...

What an amazing, simple invention!!! Thank you for sharing!

Sylvie Créative said...

I loved it and I did it! Thanks a lot!

Activities for kids said...

What a great idea!! I'm going to have to use this one.

The Heki Family said...

I have a ribbon problem also. This is so easy and can't be dumped out. Great idea! :)

LaDawes said...

I also love to buy ribbon and seem to have tons of it. I think this idea is brilliant!! I'm so doing this!! Thank you!!!

Keep Calm &amp; Do It Yourself said...

this is insanely genius! i'm doing this as soon as i get all my art supplies out of storage (had to move quick and couldn't take any "non-essential" stuff--aka all of my art/crafting supplies--with me)!

thanks for the tutorial! <3

Lorrie said...

I am in love with this! Totally stealing this idea!!

Michelle Cummings said...

i just love this idea and had to share it on pinterest. http://pinterest.com/alteredart/

leona davis said...

for years i have been frustrated with ribbon organization! thank you for this practical idea that really works!!

Lizabeth said...

Very clever! I've seen versions of ribbon holders but this one is the most practical to make for yourself! I'm going to share this with my sister who is a huge crafter! Thanks for sharing!

Patti said...

great idea...love it~

Country Dreaming said...

Popped over from Naps...
Great idea ans so simple. I'm with LP-why didn't I think of this. I too have tooooooooooo much ribbon.

Melinda

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Dropped from BNOTP, Susan, who just featured you in her latest post. This is so fantastic and what a terrific imagination, young lady, wow!!! Simple ideas are the best as it appeals to everyone for it's easiness and cleverness...I'm off to make one right now, for my tons of Xmas and presents ribbons! Have a great weekend. FABBY

Gail said...

You're clever using a container that already had holes for the dowels and the ribbons. very smart

Little Button Girl said...

That's a fab idea! All my ribbon is just in a box, but I don't buy it on spools...so although I love this idea, I don't know how to make it work for me! :( x

Janay said...

Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous idea! Saw this yesterday, bought the supplies and with my daughter's help got most of my 5/8" and 7/8" grosgrain ribbon organized! You can see pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150258192709875.350704.224803934874

Chrissy said...

Brilliant!!!! Love it!

Chrissy

formamas.blogspot.com

Jamie said...

I shared this with my readers today and just became a new follower! What a fantastic and resourceful idea!

Jamie
day-and-age-design.com

Sandy said...

I love the idea, but can't find the bin. I was all over Walmart. Can anyone tell me where to find one? Thanks :)

Sew Spoiled said...

Super Cute! May I feature you on Sew Spoiled!! Next month is October Organization Month! Let me know at leah(dot)sewspoiled(at)gmail(dot)com.
www.sewspoiled.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

GREAT idea!!

Anonymous said...

Brilliant!

Anonymous said...

Super duper idea for home or floristry shop.C

Riette said...

This is absolutely BRILLIAAAAANT!!! I buy ribbon by the metre (yard) for my card making - any ideas on how to store this? (I usually buy 2 metres at a time). I do try to wrap them around cardboard but now all these pieces of ribboned cardboard are lying in a drawer and is still getting messed up.

Linda B said...

Wow, I`ll do it! I have tons of ribbons. Thanks

littlegummie said...

How creative! Great idea!

Becky said...

What a fantastic idea! I saw your post linked to on Pinterest.

I just organized my ribbon tonight. Thanks! Linked to you here: http://smallbitsfs.blogspot.com/2011/11/pinterest-project-300-of-365.html

Thanks again! I added you to my Google reader.

Lori said...

Hi! GREAT idea! What size bin did you use? The small or medium one?

-puturea- said...

Thanks for sharing....totally love ur ideas and gonna copy it soon... :)

Katrina said...

Oh the infamous ribbon storage issue. I have had it for about a year now and have tried many different things but am totally floored with your simple and inexpensive idea that I'm doing. Thank you SO much!

Tammy said...

Love it! I have seen a lot of uses for dowels and tension rods lately. Great photographs as well!

Connie M Fink said...

great idea

Anonymous said...

Sadly, I went looking for them so I could put them into use and another lady beat me to it and bought the whole lot at Walmart. I asked her, "are you taking them all?", and she said, "yeah, sorry". I couldn't believe how someone could take all of them at once.

Oh woe is me. I went to the remaining Walmart's in town and no one else had any. If anyone sees them somewhere like this, please post on here. I even looked on walmart.com and couldn't find them there so I am worried they won't be restocking them. Thanks for posting! I so love this idea...

Anonymous said...

If you have a TON of ribbon like I do put up a peg board. You can see all your ribbons at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Ok so I never comment on anything but I have to say this is genius!!! I can't wait to go out and get some of these bins for my ribbons!! Thanks for sharing your wonderful idea!!!

enJOY Life! said...

This is the first ribbon storage idea I've seen that is portable. enJOYing this!

Ange said...

Perfect idea for all the ribbon I have collected. I found your idea on Pinterest and re-pinned. Thanks for sharing.

LubbyGirl said...

wish I'd found this last year! But the good thing is, it's not too late to clean up that mess of ribbons. Thank you thank you thank you thank you ... and ... T H A N K Y O U ! !

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