Create Ornament Storage from Upcycled Gift and Shoe Boxes

Do you have shoe boxes you have been stacking the closet for a project? Or do you have a clothing gift box from Christmas day?

Yes there are ornament storage boxes you can buy but I found they did not work for me. The cardboard storage dividers would come apart and move around causing my precious ornaments to move and slide around in the tote (and sometimes break).

A few years ago I started using a new pizza box for the paper ornaments my kids had made and assorted boxes where I tucked away special ornaments wrapped in tissue paper while the bulk of my Christmas ornaments were packed in 2 plastic totes with cardboard dividers. This worked for a few years until the cardboard dividers started to collapse and my ornaments started to get crushed and broken.

So last year (after I found about half a dozen ornaments broken at the bottom of the tote) I upcycled and created ornament boxes out of left over clothing boxes and cut up cereal boxes using duct tape and just quickly put them together. It works but it is not the prettiest thing. This year I used my hot glue gun and cut up stiffer cardboard in the sweater boxes and put the old cardboard dividers from my Christmas totes to use in the shoe boxes for the glass bulbs.

Organizing my bulbs in categories like my grandparents’ wooden ornaments, ornaments my kids made over the years, and pretty glass bulbs I have had for almost 20 years (what is left of them) go in separate boxes. You can create these ornament boxes to suit your collection which is why I did it. Note: It is easier to have the ornament next to you so you can make so you can make each space fit the ornaments to avoid any sliding or rolling around in the box.

This took me an afternoon but now I know all my ornaments are packed away safer than before. I still use the plastic totes because they are stackable and less likely to be crushed or collapse in heat and humidity. As you can see from the picture below I used plastic totes for storing Christmas decor. After I put in the boxes of ornaments, I have room for miscellaneous decor to fill along the sides and a couple inches on top of the boxes for the tree skirt and stockings. 

I know many of you out there have great ways to store your bulbs and I would love to hear about them and maybe one day pass on to others who need storage ideas. Thanks for stopping by!

Creating. Inspiring. Gardening without the rules!

2015 copyrighted material C Renee Fuller @The Garden Frog Boutique