Storage Tips — Ribbon & Fibers

Aside from the hobby itself, scrapbookers share one huge problem — how do you store it?

There was a time when I fit most of what I owned in a bag or two that traveled from location to location.

Then I discovered rubber stamps, ribbon, brads, chipboard, ink, paint and other “supplies.” They started coming in bigger packages and I found myself only using a portion of whatever it was on a project, which left a lot for storage.

I have been scrapbooking for about 15 years. Over that time I have witnessed many trends come and go and each one has had its own unique storage issues. Needless to say, I have wasted a lot of money on storage items. Some were perfect for travel, but didn’t work at home. Others took too long to open and close or too much space or just didn’t work the way I thought they would.

Whether you are new to scrapbooking or have been around a while, you can always learn from another’s storage systems. Every time I find a magazine or blog with storage ideas, I always pay close attention. I still have products that I have yet to find the perfect way to store. But, I have others that I have been using for some time that I think work pretty well.

Of course, no solution is right for everyone. Just like there is no right or wrong way to scrapbook, there is no right or wrong way to store things. It all depends on the space you have, the products you use most often, the way you crop and the way you think. For instance, some products I forget all about unless I have them in view. Others I keep out because I like the way they look. And, there are some that can be out of sight, but never out of mind and I don’t mind moving mountains to find them when I need them.

Anyhow, I thought I would share a few of my success stories, starting with ribbon and fibers.

I generally buy ribbon by the yard, so storing it in canning jars is a great solution. I love how it looks on the shelf, it’s easy to access, I can see what I have and it costs less than $20!

I also love buying the mini spools of American Crafts ribbon. They sell for about $1 a spool and always have coordinating colors and patterns. I like looking at them, so I keep them in a Kaiser Craft storage bin I made. But, once open, the ribbon doesn’t stay nicely attached to the spool and it seems silly to unspool it, rewrap it and put it in a jar.

My solution? Removeable Glue Dots! Place one at the end of the cut ribbon and attach it. It easily peels off with no residue. I suppose it would work if you keep your ribbon on a card, too.

I keep my fibers on embroidery/cross-stitch cards. Many of them are leftovers from a previous hobby. Others were purchased when such things were available and placed on cards made by Cropper Hopper. I keep them all in a box by Cropper Hopper. It has space on the reverse side for other items and has a handle, which makes it easy to carry to crops.