DIY $3 Ribbon Storage & Dispenser

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First things first…I was asked to be part of the True Value DIY Blog Squad! YAY! I’ve been sitting on that news since May, and now I’m finally announcing it. I am going to be doing about 8 posts for them between now and February, and this is my first one. I hope you enjoy the DIY tutorials, and thanks again to True Value for the honor! I love True Value hardware stores because they’re locally owned and you can find a lot of unique things that you don’t see in other hardware stores.

Now let’s talk ribbon.

What if I told you I had a way for you to store 20 spools of ribbon for about $3? You’d probably say: “I love you, Monica!” OR “Why do you have that many spools of ribbon, Monica?”

I’m fine with either of those. I’m a ribbon hoarder. I love to buy pretty ribbon on clearance and in dollar bins. Problem is I don’t really have them all organized or easily accessible.

The majority of my ribbon is the smaller 1/8” to 1.5” kind of ribbon. While shopping at True Value, I saw a variety of Sterilite storage bins and inspiration hit. I also bought two 3/8” dowels and clothespins. My grand total was about $3 plus tax for everything.

When I got home, I cut down my dowels to about 1 foot pieces and I grabbed all of my smaller ribbon (1.5” wide or less) and clothespins.

DIY Ribbon Storage & Dispenser (For 20 ribbon spools)
-2 Sterilite containers as seen above
-4 dowels (3/8” thickness cut to 12” pieces)
-16-20 clothespins
-20 spools of ribbon

Step 1: Stack 5 spools of ribbon together making sure they unwind in the same direction (this is where you can pick if you’re an over or under kind of person). Also, put more difficult to work with ribbon at the top spot or bottom so it’ll end up at the end with 3 holes. My hounds tooth & damask satin ribbon are hard to control, so that’s why they will be on the ends. (This will make sense in a moment)

If your ribbon is unruly, feel free to secure with some sewing pins.

Step 2: Thread the dowel into the 2nd hole on the side and put the spools on the dowel.

Step 3: Once all your spools are onto the dowel, use clothespins facing downward to act as spacers. This will keep your spools aligned with the hole that the ribbon will be coming out of. If you have wider ribbon, you should need 4 clothespins. If your ribbon is more narrow, add one at either end for a total of 5.

Step 4: You have 2 options for how to set-up your dispenser/ribbon storage.
You can have the ribbon loose at the ends, with the ribbon in spots 1 and 5 being a little more secure by doing an over-under-over thread.

Or, you can tuck all the ends in. I’m an option B kind of gal.

Step 5: Rotate your bin and repeat on the other side. Repeat this process on any additional bins. Stack and enjoy!

What I love about this craft ribbon storage solution is that it’s portable. You can take this with you to another room, to your BFF’s house, etc. Plus, if you organize by ribbon color or type, it’ll make your life easier. You could even put it on a lazy susan to make a SPINNING ribbon storage dispenser.

Mind. Blown.

I put my bins in my new bookshelf, and I hung some scissors on a dowel for easy access.

A small glass holds gift tags and twine…and very large paper clips.

Hopefully I’ve inspired you to head out to your nearest True Value to pick up 3 items that can make a HUGE difference in your craft storage.

So, tell me…am I the only one with a ribbon obsession?

I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.