I think every crafter has this problem: ribbon remnants. You know, the bits of ribbon that are too short to keep on the roll, but too long to toss. I’ve tried keeping them in jars, storage totes, and small bags. It always wound up a jumbled mess. It was hard to find what I was looking for.
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Now I finally have a solution for this problem. I used an adorable paper mache house to create a scrap ribbon holder! The little “preview” poking through each window helps me see at a glance what’s available. I can easily pull out and cut the length I need anytime. Plus, it looks adorable sitting on the counter in my craft room. I love when storage items can be functional and fashionable!
Project estimate:
- Paper mache bird house, $4 and up
- Paint, on hand
- Glue, on hand
- (Optional) Texture paste, on hand or $5 and up
Total: $4 and up
Step one: Paint the roof of the house. I applied a texture paste first, to give it a different appearance, but that’s optional.
Step two: Paint a base coat over the house. You may also want to paint the inside of the house (mine is hot pink!)
Step three: Paint glue over the base coat to create your own crackle finish.
Step three: Let the glue dry slightly, then paint your top coat over it. The paint will crackle as it dries.
Step four: Paint the base green, like grass.
Now you can start to fill your house with ribbon bits! Poke a small amount through each window. When you need a bit of ribbon for a project, simply pull the desired amount out of the window and cut. Easy to use and cute to look at! This is so much better than a drawer full of ribbon, don’t you think?
9 Comments
RS James
What keeps the ribbon from slipping back down into the house?
Lifesart
This is cute, but how do you know how much of one particular ribbon you have? I keep my loose ends in one drawer of my plastic rolling carts that hold a lot of those little things.
Barbara
Adorable. And very clever.
morena
Great questions! The weight of the ribbon on top seems to be keeping the ribbon from falling back into the house. There really isn’t a way of knowing how much length is left, unless the ribbon is on the top of the pile. I’m keeping my smaller remnants here, the ones I use for paper crafting and for small items. My bow making ribbon is stored on the roll in a more conventional holder. I hope that helps!
Susann LoPresti
Where did you buy your paper mache birdhouse from!
morena
Susann, I got my paper mache house from the Consumer Crafts website. I have seen similar wood versions at craft stores, as well.
mightymadge
I love this. Thanks for sharing. Organizing my ribbon has been the project of the week