Sometimes I think about all those people out there with their nifty little “craft rooms” and “gift-wrap stations,” largely commercialized by the Martha Stewarts of the world.  And sometimes — in my head — I secretly make fun of them, telling myself that it is all just gratuitous luxury for people with too much time and money on their hands.  (But also secretly — I’m just plain jealous!) 🙂

So while I’m working my way up to admitting that I want this… and figuring out a way to make it happen, I’ve discovered a great way to house rolls of wrapping paper in a very simple and inexpensive way — via free-standing wine racks.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking.  Didn’t this chic JUST talk about wine racks in one of her last posts — for storing rolled magazines?  Why yes, yes I did.  Who knew how much one could be inspired by wine… er… wine racks. 🙂

This idea actually came to me a while back, when I moved into a house with this lovely rack sitting in a closet.  (Sadly), I didn’t have nearly enough wine bottles to fill it, so I started thinking of ways to repurpose it.

Prior to using the wine rack for my wrapping paper, I stored my rolls in horizontal plastic bins and containers — one for the long rolls… one for the short rolls… one for Christmas… one for birthdays.  Before I knew it, I was laden with bins… or is that bin-laden?  (Okay, bad joke. :-))

Regardless, you get the picture.  This was taking up a lot of space, bin-wise, and some of the rolls were just standing against my closet walls — anxious to fall out whenever I opened the door. Plus, whenever I wanted to find a roll, I would have to pull out all the bins, open each one, and do a seek-and-find.  This did not bode well for my impatient temperament.

So I found peace in marrying the practical with the pretty and using my wine rack for my wrapping paper rolls — standing them upright.  Now the rack sits in my finished basement, next to a counter, and allows me to easily store and see what I have, making quick work for my wrapping projects.

While I may continue to secretly dream of having a glorious craft room, all pimped out with various crafting stations, multi-tiered shelving, and proper task-lighting, I can get some comfort in using my repurposed wine rack.  Oh… and drinking wine. 🙂