Here a Ribbon, There a Ribbon...

I just love ribbons... and who doesn't love them? They make them in so many great colors, textures, patterns... geesh! A girl can get overwhelmed with so many ribbon choices. Not to mention, every craft store seems to have there own assortment, making choosing the perfect ribbon for a project even more difficult.

I recently added some new ribbons to my collection so my mother and I can make some hair bows for my baby girl. With the new ribbons added, my collection quickly outgrew the small shoe box I was storing them all in so I took a trip to the craft store to buy a ribbon holder... only to find out they were a whopping $39.99. There is no way on this green planet that I was going to spend that much on a ribbon holder.

Disclaimer: I am not saying there is anything wrong with others spending that much if they choose too... it just won't be coming out of my pocket.

So I looked at this $39.99 ribbon holder and upon closer inspection I saw it was pretty much a pretty frame with rods.

...and so my brain went to turning...

When I got home I searched every room of the house looking for something to use as a frame... with no luck. Just as I was about to sit down, a light bulb turned on! In my recycle bin was a USPS Priority Mail shipping box from gift my grandmother sent before she passed away early this month (blog coming soon). This was it!

I cut the front out of the box. I wrapped it with masking tape to make the edges smoother. After all, it may be made out of a cardboard box, but it doesn't have to look like it.

Next I used a ruler to make small holes on both sides of the box. These are for our rods we are going to add soon.

Measure your rods before you make you holes. you want them to fit in the tight... too loose and you may end up with more of a mess than what you start off with.

My son is going to be adding a mosaic tile design on the sides for me, but for the time being, I added a quick coat of white spray paint. I also wanted the inside to be white, instead of cardboard brown. Another idea for you crafty crafters... add scrapbook paper to the backing to give it a cute, personal touch.

To finish it I took some thin rods I had from another craft project and stuck a thumb tack in one side to hold the rod in place... added my ribbons... and *wallah*

I don't know if I am more excited that I have a ribbon holder now, or that it cost me less than $1 to make.