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1. First I had my ribbons on the side table (right of desk) - but my kitty would unravel them there....then I had my ribbons in a drawer..to protect them from her - but also to keep from getting them wrinkled or from being stored in boxes that don't match the room.
2. My cat will dig in the drawer with her paw and pull the ribbons out - yep she's smart. But the VET says that ribbon and string are VERY dangerous for cats. If they eat it, it can block their intestines - or worst the curly kind can cut their intestines and it can be fatal....we've already had one of those scares (fortunately she is fine).
3. As a result of #2 I have moved all my ribbon into the closet....but that makes it invisible to me when I'm working :(
How can I organize my ribbon so it's in a safe place for the smart kitty and visible to me for inspiration? Note: I did try and hang it from the top shelf of my peg board (see here), but she jumped up and jumped up until she was able to snatch one!!!
I saw a clear plastic zip-around bag that had holes all over it. It was a little bigger than a lunch box. You just put all the ribbon in the bag with a little bit coming out of the hole..one ribbon per hole. It was too expensive for me ($25, I think), but I thought it was a good idea. Next time I go to Wal-Mart, I'm going to check for a clear make-up case that I could use.
You have a smart and curious kitty! You could use child-proof gadgets that attach to the front inside of drawers so they can't be simply pulled open. Or clear storage boxes with tops that snap shut.
Our cat is 17 and she could care less about my stuff these days!
This is how I store my loose ribbon now. I used to store my loose ribbon in small plastic containers. I got these at the Dollar Store; 10 for $1.00. This might work good for you.
I keep mine in Cropper Hopper Embellishment boxes. I have had it like this for years, and LOVE it! This might work for you. You can see see my post here for more info too.
__________________ Patter
Mom to Adult Identical Triplets--a police officer, 3rd year medical student, and special education teacher
I saw a clear plastic zip-around bag that had holes all over it. It was a little bigger than a lunch box. You just put all the ribbon in the bag with a little bit coming out of the hole..one ribbon per hole. It was too expensive for me ($25, I think), but I thought it was a good idea. Next time I go to Wal-Mart, I'm going to check for a clear make-up case that I could use.
I've read somewhere that you can create your own type of this clear plastic bag with the bags that new sheet sets or bedskirts or curtain panels come in. Wouldn't be able to get a hole punch in many areas, but you could use an x-acto knife and cut slits for the ribbons instead of holes. That would keep a curl out of the ribbon too!
Over the years I've tried several different ways to store my ribbon:
Plastic shoe boxes - left ribbon on the rolls and kept loose ribbon lightly wrapped - it took up too much space and the loose ribbon got wrinkled.
Bought the little tic-tac boxes and bigger box to store the tic-tac boxes - it took me forever to unwrap all my ribbon and rewrap into little spools; stuffed into the boxes - it looked great, but every time I used the ribbon I couldn't easily stuff the ribbon back into the tic-tac boxes. I'd drop the little roll of ribbon, it would unravel and I'd have to wrap it back into the little roll. Also, if I had a large roll of ribbon it wouldn't fit in the little box.
Wrapped on mat board - this is the final solution for me. I wrapped all my ribbon on mat board that fits into my Jet Max cubes and secured them pins or tape if the pin will leave a visibile hole in the ribbon. You can see it here. I no longer have to rewrap the ribbon if I drop it because it doesn't un-roll. I can easily see all my ribbon and no wrinkles. A person could store the matboard pieces in a shoe box if they don't have a drawer available.
I also wound my ribbon on mat board and put them in those drawers-- can't remember the brand name of the drawers, but you can pick them up at WalMart for under $10 I think. I stole this idea from someone here on SCS a year or 2 ago. Here's a from when I got started . You can fit a LOT Of ribbon into one drawer (like over 80, and that includes the larger SU rolls).
__________________ Michelle
Last edited by MikiBee; 03-20-2010 at 06:16 PM..
Reason: Picture was way too big!
I've been frustrated about ribbon storage too. So far I'm just storing them right on the spools on a spindle I got at Office Max for $1.99. I don't know how to post pictures here yet, so here's a link to it on my blog. http://christygetscrafty.blogspot.co...attempt-1
Can anyone who is using the mat board solution tell me if the ribbon gets wrinkled / creased over time? I have had some ribbon on cards and there were too many creases when I went to use it.
Thanks
Can anyone who is using the mat board solution tell me if the ribbon gets wrinkled / creased over time? I have had some ribbon on cards and there were too many creases when I went to use it.
Thanks
The ribbon towards the end of the spool nearest the mat can get creased a little bit. If it's an obvious crease, I just take out my little iron and it only takes literally about 2 seconds to iron it out. It's that little craft iron that looks like a mini flat iron for your hair. I wouldn't doubt a regular flat iron would work just as well for a quick press. But it's just a small amount that gets creased, most of the roll is crease-free.
Can anyone who is using the mat board solution tell me if the ribbon gets wrinkled / creased over time? I have had some ribbon on cards and there were too many creases when I went to use it.
Thanks
Don't wrap it really tight and like MikiBee said the ribbon towards the end can have a crease. But you don't get hard wrinkles.
I also wound my ribbon on mat board and put them in those drawers-- can't remember the brand name of the drawers, but you can pick them up at WalMart for under $10 I think. I stole this idea from someone here on SCS a year or 2 ago. Here's a from when I got started . You can fit a LOT Of ribbon into one drawer (like over 80, and that includes the larger SU rolls).
I just did this and I LOVE it... haven't had any problems with creasing on the ribbon?
Can't even begin to tell you how much space this saves and how nicely it is tucked away... and so easy to use... and if I wanna take ribbon to a crop then it is nice and compact to pack... AWESOME!!!
I find rain gutters the only solution for me! So many ribbons! Could you hang one high enough? I have two that are eight feet long plus I have my Making memories shelf unit for overload. I love seeing all the colors and it makes it so fast to find just the right one for my card.
I wrap my ribbons around round clothes pins and secure the ends with a straight pin. I keep these in glass candy jars on a shelf. I don't get any creases or wrinkles on mine. I got this idea from Nichole Heady. Here's a link to how she does it: http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capt...ibbon-jar.html
I also have an over the door rack - but instead of having shelves, mine has hooks. I take the ribbons off the spools and hang them over the hooks by color family.
I don't know about your acrobatic kitty's skills, but if this is hung on the inside of the door you can open it when you craft and see all the colors for inspiration and close it when you are not crafting so kitty can't access it.
I have some deep (no dividers) cabela's fishing tackle boxes, I keep most my ribbon in these sorted by color so there is a red box, blue box (two green boxes) etc etc. these are stacked on shelves in the closet but, its not an issue for me because if i want something green i can grab the green lumpy box or the green ribbon box and carry it to the table.
these boxes stack nicely and it keeps the dust off too
this is an very old photo but it should give you the gist of it...
The pics of how I store my ribbon are in post #14 in the above link. The wire rack is from Lowe's - it would normally be used inside a pantry for extra shelf space. It is hung over the door with a couple of over-the-door coat hooks. The wire rack came with hardware, but I wanted to be able to move it around and didn't want to drill holes in the door. I did line the bottom of each shelf with cardboard to keep the thin spools from going through.
For the ribbon scraps, I have them hanging from just regular office binder clips, then the clips are attached to the rack with lanyard clips that I got at Michael's in the jewelry finding section. It was all relatively cheap, too.
Penny
__________________ "Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can�
With the cats, easy accessibility for you means the same for them. I think jars would be your best bet. You can see the ribbon and they would have to be very smart kitties to get the lid off. I find pickle jars have very wide openings.
Over the years I've tried several different ways to store my ribbon:
Plastic shoe boxes - left ribbon on the rolls and kept loose ribbon lightly wrapped - it took up too much space and the loose ribbon got wrinkled.
Bought the little tic-tac boxes and bigger box to store the tic-tac boxes - it took me forever to unwrap all my ribbon and rewrap into little spools; stuffed into the boxes - it looked great, but every time I used the ribbon I couldn't easily stuff the ribbon back into the tic-tac boxes. I'd drop the little roll of ribbon, it would unravel and I'd have to wrap it back into the little roll. Also, if I had a large roll of ribbon it wouldn't fit in the little box.
Wrapped on mat board - this is the final solution for me. I wrapped all my ribbon on mat board that fits into my Jet Max cubes and secured them pins or tape if the pin will leave a visibile hole in the ribbon. You can see it here. I no longer have to rewrap the ribbon if I drop it because it doesn't un-roll. I can easily see all my ribbon and no wrinkles. A person could store the matboard pieces in a shoe box if they don't have a drawer available.
I saw your craft room and I love it! I am so jealous. I also went to Organizemore.com and bought a few things. TFS!!
G33kgr1 you are welcome!! I still have the same Ribbon Solution two years later and I still love it!! People have asked if I get annoying bumps in the ribbon and I have not had any problem with any indention in the ribbon at all. I'm getting ready to go into my next set of drawers
With the cats, easy accessibility for you means the same for them. I think jars would be your best bet. You can see the ribbon and they would have to be very smart kitties to get the lid off. I find pickle jars have very wide openings.
I picked up a few and they seem to be working great! Thanks for the idea!
Really Need Your Help for Ribbon Madness!
. You can fit a LOT Of ribbon into one drawer (like over 80, and that includes the larger SU rolls).
Thanks! This looks really inexpensive.
