Don’t throw away those empty ribbon spools!

In a previous post, Finding a place for all those ribbons, I discussed the different methods you can use to store ribbons. My own preferred method is to wind ribbons onto 2-inch by 2-inch squares of chipboard, and to line them up like books inside the cubbies of a thimble rack.

Although many of my ribbons do fit inside the wall-mounted thimble rack, I began storing the rest inside a plastic drawer. That drawer began overflowing, however, so once more I wound ribbon onto squares of chipboard because that takes up far less space.

It feels like a sin to throw away the empty ribbon spools, or even to toss them into the recycle bin that the city collects every other week.

I scoured the Web for ribbon spool recycling ideas, and to my delight discovered there are many ways to re-use ribbon spools. You can turn them into ornaments, gift boxes, mini albums, pumpkins, sweet treat holders, and even dimensional flowers. In the video below, Heidi Borchers illustrates how she makes ribbon spool flowers. You can find step-by-step written directions in her post, Ribbon Spool Flowers.

Diane Henkler of In My Own Style, shows you through her tutorial, Recycle a Ribbon Spool Into a Gift Box, how to convert ribbon spools of various sizes into gift boxes that are truly a delight. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to receive a pair of earrings, a necklace, or one of my crocheted flower brooches in a box like this?

Cristina Garay of Remodelando la Casa assembled a unique pumpkin ornament from multiple ribbon spools using nothing more than spray paint, glitter, wire, paper and jute. She was inspired to make her pumpkin from a post she read last year that used canning jar lids. You can find Cristina’s tutorial on her Web site by visiting A Recycled Pumpkin.

In her post, Recycled ribbon spool ornaments, Sarah Roberts of Quince and Quire designed adorable Christmas-themed ornaments you can hang on your tree, mirror or window, or suspend from a hook. I can see how adapting this idea by adhering a child’s photo or a family photo to one side of the ornament would make this decoration especially memorable.

There are many more ideas you can discover on the Web, so feel free to click on any of these links to read about them:

• Ribbon spoolie album designed by Elisha Drewery
• Christmas tree and ornament designed by Beth Watson
• Mini photo album designed by Michele Kovack
• Spool Cap Goodie Holder designed by Becca Feeken
• Trinket box designed by Lorrinda Holman
• Recycled Ribbon Spool Quilling Card designed by Charlotte of The Art of Quilling
• Frayed Fabric Bangles designed by Marilyn Hanus Chick
• Merry Little Wreath Ornament designed by Lauren Meader

© 2013 Judy Nolan. All rights reserved.