Simply Curious

I admit, I have lots of tools.  Not just screwdrivers and hammers and glue guns and my don't-call-me-girly yellow DeWalt drill, but little tools, scissors, and X-Acto knives, and tools that really aren't tools, but I use them to create things so they're now designated as tools. 

I have a hard time keeping them organized due to their widely varying shapes and sizes.  Now that I have a big work space, I wanted to reorganize what I had so I didn't have to keep opening various boxes.  Craft organizers didn't meet my needs.  My favorite easy-action Fiskar scissors were so top-heavy that I couldn't store them upright, and I had lots of little items that needed to be within easy reach.  I poked  around on Etsy and eBay, hoping for ideas, but only one thing stood out.  It was a fancy cardboard sewing box with lots of reach-in compartments.  It wasn't what I needed, but it DID remind me of the cardboard suitcase box my grandmother gave me for my birthday a few years ago.  It had done its service in storing ALL of the accouterments for my Archaeologist's Study when I moved, and was quietly sitting empty on top of the bookcase.  I did a little thinking, scrabbled through my stashes, and came up with something I hope will work.


The ruler, the knitting needle, and the dental tool are held on using clip-on earring backs.  The long razor, tweezers, nail file, and doll sewing needle are held on by a magnet.  The compartment with the sculpting tools and pencil was the lid to a small gift box.  The long, narrow pincushion is simply the cotton from that gift box rolled up tight and glued into some extra fabric.  The fancy box is what I use to store my X-Acto knives and blades - I try to keep those as safe as possible to avoid any more damage to myself than necessary.  There is plenty of room for my scissors, wire cutters, and anything else I might need in there.  The glue box has a false bottom to keep the bottle semi-upright.  I glued fancy ribbon to the sides to hold the lid up.  I'm fervently praying that the hot glue I used holds.  I hate that stuff.  If I lay the glue bottle down flat, the entire thing can be closed and moved about by the handle on the front, just out of the photo.  I haven't tested this too thoroughly yet, but I'm pretty sure that everything will stay in place - except maybe the doll needle.  It's metal, but doesn't like to stick to the magnet too well. 

So far, I'm pleased, but I haven't yet had time to do a project and test it out.  Of course there's plenty of other things I can think of to put in there, but I can't put in EVERYTHING.