Organizing Your Ribbon!

I find organizing ribbon to be very difficult, so I thought I would share with you the ways that I have found to be the easiest to accomplish and best to use the ribbon you have.

First thing you need to know is...there is no reason to keep ribbon that is less than 3"   in length.  You can't tie a bow with less...and rarely can you tie a simple knot...at least not without going crazy in the process. So first step is...chuck those itty bitty pieces!

Second thing to do is organize by color. I find the best thing is the rainbow, ROY G BIV, red(this should include your pinks), orange, yellow, green(include teal), blue, indigo(dark blueish purple), and violet (this will include your lavender as well). Then blacks and grays, white, browns and tans, and finally metals (ie. gold, silver, bronze).

After you get all the colors separated, you just need to put them away!  Now I know that this is a really daunting task...but keep with me!  I use a simple strip of heavy white cardstock.  I cut this into 2"  x 12"   strips. I then simply wrap the ribbon around (careful not to do it too tight...it will get kinks in it). I use a small piece of scotch tape to secure the end.  Simple as that!  It did take me a few nights in front of the television...but I got it done!

Finally, I bought a few simple plastic jars from Michael's.  I used these for little strips between 3 or 4 inches in length.  I did 8 jars...one for each rainbow and a jar for black, white, browns, and metals.  I just keep up with this as best as I can, this way it doesn't get ahead of me. Then, I kept the ribbon strips in a decorated shoe box...but you could use a photo box. Photo boxes are inexpensive and already decorated. 

If you do like to buy ribbon on spools, I recommend using a few dowels mounted between two planks of wood. You can paint or decorate them to match your decor.  

This is what I figured out is the easiest way to organize all your ribbon.  Trust me...I have tried it all! I hope this makes life a little easier and more organized for you!