This past Christmas, we decided to set up a “wrapping station” down in the basement (away from lots of curious little eyes!) But to do so, I had to carry down all our rolls of pretty paper…then the ribbon basket…and also the gift tags box. Then we remembered there was wrapping paper hidden in the bedroom closet and some leftover gift tags in the holiday decor boxes. In short, we had wrapping supplies all over the house, and just getting everything gathered up was a total nuisance. More and more, I’ve been relying on (and LOVING) various “caddies” around our home – a single box/tote/bin that contains everything needed for one task – and I knew it was time to setup something similar for our gift wrap storage. Today, I want to show you how to store wrapping paper (and ALL your gift wrapping supplies) so they are contained, easy to find, and most importantly: easy to use!

Gift wrapping supplies stored in a wrapping paper storage tote

In all honesty, our wrapping supplies weren’t that disorganized. I had (most of) our wrapping paper standing up in a crate under my craft counter; bows, tags, bags, and tissue paper were stuffed together in a Drona bin on the Kallax shelf in my craft room; and tape and scissors were in the drawer. But this scattered arrangement meant that any time we wanted to wrap even just a single gift, we had to pull supplies from three different locations. And because of the complete hassle of this, these areas became messy and cluttered over time.

Mess of wrapping paper stored in a white crate

The frustration peeked this past Christmas, so I recently took the time to gather every single wrapping supply we had (yep, every roll, bow, tag, etc)…

Mess of gift wrap supplies in bins

…and organized them into a single, convenient, and perfectly-organized tote!

Grey wrapping paper storage tote

Now everything (and I mean everything) we need to wrap one gift (or 20) is contained in this single 14″x40″x6″ canvas organizer from Amazon. It easily stores away in a closet, basement, or under a bed…and it can be dragged anywhere around the house as needed. I am practically giddy over this wrapping paper storage idea, so let me give you a full tour of our “kit” before I break down exactly how to do the same with your own wrapping mess collection!

A Tour of Our Wrapping Paper Tote

This particular wrapping paper holder is made of durable canvas, has sturdy zippers, and completely collapses down flat. While the canvas bottom/sides do have firm cardboard inside the fabric, the tote itself is fairly flexible and can hold quite a bit of wrapping supplies!

Grey wrapping paper storage tote

Just underneath the zippered top, I have three (perfectly-fitting) plastic boxes down the length of the case. These boxes hold gift bags and boxes | gift tags | bows and ribbon.

Grey wrapping paper storage tote opened on a floor

Below the plastic boxes are about 20 wrapping paper rolls in various lengths. Adjustable straps keep the rolls tidy and compact.

Grey wrapping paper storage tote opened on a floor

On the inside of the zipper flap are two clear pouches. I have loaded large gift bags into the bigger pouch and tissue paper into the smaller pouch.

Grey wrapping paper storage tote opened on a floor

Having all of our wrapping supplies in a single, storable, transportable tote feels like such a game changer. And while it wasn’t hard to assemble, this project did require some sorting, purging and (lots of) experimentation. Let me break down exactly how to declutter and store your wrapping paper and supplies!

Featured Supplies

Here are the products I used to organize and store our wrapping supplies:

Boxes Inside Boxes

This particular organizer only features the main area (for wrapping paper rolls) and two clear pouches inside the “lid.” I realized early on that if I wanted to store everything together, I’d have to add some additional bins or pouches inside the larger tote.

The plastic boxes I ended up using for the gift wrap accessories were a purely accidental find. I ordered them for another project (coming soon!) and realized my leftovers fit perfectly in this tote. While you don’t have to use these particular plastic boxes, having some sort of “rigid” sub-compartments for these supplies can be very helpful.

Video Tutorial

A thorough “how to” is outlined below, but if you’d like to watch this snazzy wrapping paper project come together from start to finish, here’s a fun, quick video! (Video not loading for you? You can watch it HERE!)

How to Organize Your Gift Wrapping Supplies

Long-time readers shouldn’t be surprised to see that I put my tried-and-true SPACE Method to work yet again (it works every time!). Here’s a quick refresher and how it applied to this specific project.

Step 1 – Sort Your Wrapping Supplies

Start by gathering up ALL your gift wrap supplies around your house…and yes, I mean ALL of them. Check closets, under beds, in corners, and even amidst your holiday decorations. Bring together rolls and stacks of paper, ribbons, bows, tags, gift bags, tissue, scissors, tapes…pretty much anything you use to wrap up presents.

We had supplies all over the house. Even when I thought I had tracked everything down, I remembered we had old “Santa” paper hidden on the basement shelves.

Once you have everything gathered in one spot, sort items into logical piles. My piles were: gift bags and boxes | gift tags | bows and ribbons | wrapping paper | tissue paper and stuffing | tape and scissors.

A mess of gift wrap supplies on a white table

Step 2 – Purge Your Wrapping Supplies

As you sort, purge out your supplies. Get rid of items that are just too wrinkled, ripped, smushed, or even dated. I know it can be hard to get rid of still-usable gift wrap, but it’s really okay to remove things you won’t use so that you can easily access the stuff you will.

I very rarely use gift bags (I almost always use wrapping paper), yet I had dozens of bags. I picked out about 10ish that provide some flexibility and got rid of the rest. I also threw out several rolls of wrapping paper that had just a few inches of usable paper left.

Mess of gift bags on a white table

Step 3 – Assess How Store Your Wrapping Supplies

With everything sorted out and purged, it’s time to figure out how best to store your own collection. Spend some time researching the available wrapping paper organizers to see what will work best for your household and lifestyle.

Here are some questions to consider:

  • Do you have space to make a “gift wrap station” or do you need something hidden away?
  • Do you want a soft/flexible organizer or a stiff/solid one?
  • Do you need your wrapping supplies to fit under the bed? In a closet? Under the stairs? Mounted to the wall? Behind a closet door?
  • Do you want everything in one tote? Or do you want to store wrapping paper in one box and accessories in another?
  • Do you need to split Christmas/holiday supplies with everyday/birthday items? Or can they be combined into a single organizer?

There are tons and tons of different organization solutions available (e.g., door rack, gift wrap cart, hanging bag, etc). Only once you fully know what you need for your particular home should you go shopping to buy it!

Step 4 – Contain Aaaallll Your Wrapping Supplies

Once you have your specific organizer(s) in hand, it’s time to actually store your wrapping supplies in a way that is comfortable, functional, and yes…pleasing to look at!

Spend some time playing around with different arrangements before you put things away for good. Keep in mind that this step WILL take some trial-and-error. I think it’s easy to see pretty pictures of perfectly-organized containers and think it happens right away. The truth is, I tried all sorts of arrangements until I landed on the final outcome shown in this post.

Storing Wrapping Paper

Wrapping paper can be unwieldy and messy. As you figure out how best to store your paper, here are some things to try:

Rolls of blue and gold wrapping paper

  • Get rid of rolls that only have a few inches left (if you really want to keep the paper, fold it flat instead).
  • Trim away wrinkled and uneven edges so that everything is uniform.
  • If the paper hangs loose on a roll, re-roll it as tight as you can.
  • Secure paper rolls with rubber bands in the middle or on both ends.
  • Keep unopened paper wrapped up so it stays pristine until you need it.
  • If you have different lengths of paper, place longer rolls along the bottom and then top with shorter rolls so you can see everything at a glance.

Wrapping paper stored in grey tote

This particular organizer has cinch-able straps, which help keeps the tubes from rolling around inside and getting wrinkled or damaged.

Wrapping paper stored in grey tote

Storing Ribbons & Bows

Ribbons and bows are tricky because spools can be bulky and bows can get crushed. Here are some things to try:

Mess of gift wrap ribbon on a white table

  • Consider re-wrapping and/or consolidating ribbons and twine, especially if there are only a few feet left.
  • Wrap ribbon around flat pieces of cardboard (instead of spools) to make them more compact.
  • Secure the leading edges of ribbon to the spool itself with tape to keep them tangle-free and easy to start.
  • Use hard boxes (plastic) to store bows since they can be crushed so easily.

Ribbons and bows stored in a plastic tote

Ribbons and bows stored in a plastic tote

I loaded all of our ribbon and bows into a plastic box that fits perfectly atop the rolls of wrapping paper.

Ribbons and bows stored in a plastic tote

Storing Gift Tags

Gift tags are one of the easier things to store because they are small and flat. Here are some things to consider:

Mess of paper gift tags on a white table

  • Gather all of your gift tags together so you have all your options in one spot.
  • Flat boxes or envelopes are an ideal solutions since many peel-and-stick tags come on larger sheets.
  • Consider using smaller envelopes, Ziplock bags, or rubberbands to keep sets or collections of tags together.

Gift tags stored in a plastic tote

Gift tags stored in a plastic tote

TIP! Notice I placed tape and scissors into this prominent box so they are easy to see the second you open the entire caddie! The hard box also keeps these items safe from puncturing paper or the tote itself.

Gift tags stored in a plastic tote

Storing Gift Bags & Boxes

Gift bag storage can be tricky because some are quite bulky and cumbersome. Here are some things to try:

  • Keep only gift bags that are in great condition. If they’ve lost their shape, are warped or damaged, get rid of them.
  • Keep bags you will actually use. There is no point in keeping tons of baby-themed gift bags if you rarely get invited to baby showers anymore. Keep one or two and toss/donate the rest.
  • Can’t decide which bags to keep? Pick ones that are theme-less (e.g., solids, stripes) so they can be used for pretty much any occasion.
  • Fold and collapse gifts bags and boxes down so they fit more comfortably into the bins or pockets you have available.

Gift bags stored in a plastic tote

Gift bags stored in a plastic tote

I separated out my “sets” of gift bags and boxes (multiples of the exact same item) and my decorative gift bags (individual designs) into two different areas. The sets were loaded into a larger plastic tote (above), while the gift bags were folded down to fit the inside pocket of the tote (below).

Gift bags stored in a wrapping paper tote

Storing Tissue Paper

Tissue paper is one of the easier things to sort and store, thanks to its foldability and compact size. Here are some tips:

  • If you have lots of tissue paper, consider consolidating matching colors into single stacks to make them easier to sort through.
  • Refold tissue paper along original fold lines to make it as compact as possible.
  • Long lengths of tissue paper can be folded again and again to fit into more compact areas.

I purged out a lot of our crumbled and used tissue paper and loaded what remained into the other front pouch of our tote.

Tissue paper stored in a wrapping paper tote

Step 5 – Embellish Your Wrapping Organizer

When you finally have all your wrapping paper and supplies sorted, purged, and contained just right, it’s time to “embellish” your organizer(s) with labels. Labels not only help anyone see…at-a-glance…what is where. But they also serve as reminders of where to put things back as you’re cleaning up. I made my labels with white sticker paper using the Print Then Cut feature on my Cricut Maker 3. (Full tutorial coming soon.)

I really can’t overemphasize how excited I am about this new organizing project. For years, we’ve never had a great system in place for our wrapping supplies, which has caused them to be strewn about, damaged, and even lost over time.

Now…every single item we need to wrap gifts is in one spot. Not only do I love how easy it is to wrap a gift at a moment’s notice, but also that I can easily see what we have, what we need more of, and what we have too much of when it comes time to stock up again!

(Coincidentally, this single-tote approach keeps our stash in check and at a manageable level. If things stop fitting, it’s time to purge down!)

Gift wrapping supplies stored in a wrapping paper storage tote

If you too have rolls of wrapping paper under the bed and in closets, spools of ribbon strew about the house, and not a gift tag in sight even though you know you bought some, I suggest you give this simple organizing project a try. Although gift wrapping is not something you do every single day, the time and effort you put in now to assemble a gift wrap organizer will pay dividends in time, sanity, and stuff for years to come!

Gift wrapping supplies stored in a wrapping paper storage tote

See You Soon!
Megan