The BEST Copic Storage

**** HUGE HALLOWEEN GIVE AWAY... CLICK HERE!!!!****

Ok, so I've done posts in the past about various Copic storage solutions, but I was given THE MOTHER of all storage ideas by my friends Jennie Black and Krista Koenig!!!   Let me share with you the construction of the storage box and then I'll finish this off with the BRILLIANT solution my husband came up with.... cuz I married a GENIUS!!!

What you'll need to create the AWESOME storage box pictured here is:
1 Double Deep Art Bin
1 plastic grid for ceiling lighting (found at your local home improvement store)
1 half inch thick wooden square dowel (also found at your local home improvement store)
Dimensional adhesive squares
Wire cutters or sheers
Screws with corresponding drill bit
Drill

So I first cut the ceiling grid down to 19 squares by 19 squares using my wire cutters.   You will need two 19 x 19 sections of grid material.   The wire cutters went through the plastic material of the grid like butter and I was able to get exactly one and a half 19 x 19 segments cut from one sheet!!!  I then cut the half inch dowel rod into four, 2 inch segments (and painted them white... optional).  I used a saw for this, but if you don't have a saw, ask your home improvement store if they can cut it down for you.   Adhering dimensional squares to two adjacent sides of the dowel is the next step.... yes, the kind of dimensional squares you use in scrapbooking.... make sure that you are placing the dimensional squares where you want the grids to be placed (1 - 1 1/4 inches of space between the two).  I secured the dowel into the corner squares of both 19 x 19 grids leaving that 1" to 1 1/4" space.  I then used more dimensional adhesive squares to "prop" the grids in place so they couldn't slip down.  Because I need a little "play" in the structure so that the pens go in and out easily, these adhesive squares worked PERFECTLY to "cushion" the grids.  Finally, and here's where my husband's brilliance comes in..... screws were used to attach the grid structure I created to the container!!!!!

Holes were drilled in the bottom of the case so that the four dowels supporting the grids could be attached with the screws to the Art Bin Box stabilizing the whole thing.  Those screws made this storage solution SHEER PERFECTION!!!!  It really was the key to making this whole thing work for me.

Now I can pull my pens out EASILY without worrying that my organizing grids will shift.  And I don't even mind the saw dust that he left in the bottom, although you might want to blow out the extra dust before tightening those screws down on yours.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this solution for storing my pens and here's why:

I've got the security of a latch-able container (drop your storage container once and you'll appreciate the beauty of being able to latch a container closed). Its also perfect for on-the-go!  When not in use, my pens are stored in the horizontal position* (Art Bin handle points up) and when I want to use them, I can either sit the Art Bin flat as shown in the pictures above, or I can turn the bin on it's side because the grid structure holds all my pens in place... for those who like the pen caps facing them when they color, check out the pic below.  The other benefit of this storage solution is that ALL my pens can be stored in one container and each pen has its own slot no matter HOW MANY Sketch markers I buy because 19 x 19 = 361.  How many Sketch markers are available.... 346?   This is particularly helpful when I'm cleaning up after teaching a Copic class.  Because each pen has its place, I easily see if one of them is missing.

The final reason I love this storage solution is because the whole thing cost me less than $20 (God bless Joann's coupons).  Honestly, need I say more? :)  If you need further instructions, I found some good ones HERE and Krista's blog HERE with some additional, helpful hints.  Have fun with this one gang! 

*While Copic markers can be stored vertically or horizontally, I prefer storing them horizontally.