Protect your dearest ornaments from damage as you pack up after the holiday this year. Cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to line the bottom of a plastic storage bin. Then use a hot-glue gun to attach paper cups to the cardboard. Wrap ornaments in tissue paper, and place in cups. Then stack cardboard-and-cup flats inside the container. Store smaller ornaments in egg cartons.
For those of you who suggest we buy an ornament container - have you looked them up recently? The flimsy cardboard ones are $20 - $25!! The ones with the weird split tops that never close right are about the same. The good plastic ones with snug lids and handles and that are bigger than 12" x 12" are $50 and up!!!
I got a plain plastic large container at Menards (similar to Lowes or Home Depot) for $5 and all I need to do is add some cups and cardboard. This is a FANTASTIC idea!
I'm going to try that. What I have now isn't working. I always learn something from You.It just goes to show your never too old to learn something new.
This project seems like a pointless waste of time when sturdy but inexpensive divided ornament boxes work just as well. You can still wrap your ornaments in tissue paper for extra protection. I've used the same storage boxes for years without having a single broken ornament.
Coffee cups with LIDS can be found at Office supplies and Smart and final, also large soda cups with lids can also secure larger ornaments. Remember...Use your imagination! Food containers with snap lids: microwaveable foods sometimes come in a tray with a lid large enough for origami paper! Legos blocks or Matchbox cars can be stored in resealable plastic coffee tubs, glass soda bottles can contain toothpicks secured with a cork from a bottle of wine. Containers are everywhere...
My items wont fit in these cups. Good thing I tried a couple before I glued them down.
I have long used the cartons for my German hand painted easter eggs. These are a tradition here in europe, to hang them on branches in the spring. But oddly never considered it for xmas ornaments! I am searching now for white paper cups, not as easily found here in Netherlands, they do have them, So I will be doing this, I hope this weeekend!
Egg cartons can often harbour salmonella.
Don't use them unless you buy them new.
Happy New Year to all,
I think this is a great idea but I am going to use styrofoam cups because my city doesn't recycle them. I hate throwing them in the trash, now I have another use for them. Thanks.
I love ornament storage ideas, as my ornaments truly are heirlooms. Cockroaches, however, are a real problem, even though my ornaments are put away clean. Would some boric acid in the container be safe for the ornaments?
Such a good idea. Every year I open my box of ornaments to find a few broken. Next year may be different. But do you have any ideas for those items which are too large for paper cups. i normally just wrap them in newspaper and that doesnt work very well.
Fiona (Malaysia)
TOO EARLY. I still have a few ornaments
TOO EARLY. I still have a few ornaments
TOO EARLY. I still have a few ornaments
Love the idea. However, make sure paper cups are acid/ligan free. I might try using plastic cups.
this is brilliant! i have a large collection of vintage and antique glass ornaments, and every year, at least one is broken when i bring it out of storage. i try to reuse boxes for packaging, but that just ends up with wasted space inside my larger rubbermaids. this will let me use ALL the space - i might not even need to buy another for this year's acquisitions!
In spite of comments from others - this is one of the best Martha Stewart tips you have posted in a long time. Weejee may be too schmaltzy at 55 but at 61 this is absolutely great. I may not hotglue the cups down, I may just stack and pack as I go, we will see. But I have left over cups and they are cheap so I will buy more if I need them (they will be used, not put in a land fill). Thanks.
I purchased ornamnet boxes. I usee a labeler or permanent marker and put the city and date on the back of each ornament.
The cup idea is cute but far too labour intensive for me. I will put fragile ornaments in Zip-Lock bags, blow and seal to create a natural cushion. shredded wrapping paper adds further cushioning.
I'm too schmaltzy for this. At the age of 55, I acquire ornaments one at a time, and mark the boxes with when, where, and why. However,this is a great idea for many. Especially if you have a colletion of delicate balls or long ornaments.
I like the egg carton idea for my smaller ornament collections. It would be nice to see them all instead of unwrapping each one from individual tissue!
I use egg cartons but the idea with the cups is super and will help me organize my ornaments better! I love to wrap the bulbs in old paper from each year just to see all the different papers I use
This is such a great idea! I am also going to save my egg cartons! We always break at least two to three ornaments every year and I am hoping that this will deter that from happening!
Amy Sutter
www.rpboutique.com