DIY Marker Storage

As I continue my never-ending quest for organization, I decided that I needed better marker storage to keep all my writing utensils close at hand. In keeping with my hoarder collector persona, I have plenty of pencils, pens, markers, and more. My current two desktop holders, a mug and an old mesh container, are overflowing (and a little outdated.) I need something better.

Being the lazy crafter that I am, I apply that laziness to my household abilities. I subscribe to The Grove, a flexible recurring shipment service, that helps to make sure we never run out of household goods like toilet paper and laundry soap. Plus they have vitamins, cleaners, and more.

I’m not sorry. I love anything that supports my laziness.

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When I subscribed to the Grove for my household goods and I received this lovely cleaning caddy as a gift. If you have any interest visit this link to get a Free Mrs. Meyers and Grove set (which includes a cleaning caddy.)

Back to our marker storage. I love my caddy. It’s so pretty. It will make a perfect container for marker storage.

Marker Storage Supplies

Container (I’m using a cleaning caddy from the Grove)
Foam core (I bought a sheet at Dollar Tree)
Scissors or craft knife
Tape measure or ruler

Measure Your Container

First, use your tape measure or ruler to measure your container. You need the length, width, and depth. While you are measuring, you need to decide if you want your divider to be as tall as your container or if you want it to be a little shorter.

It will depend on what you want to store in each space. Taller markers and pencils will be fine with taller dividers. If you have smaller items, consider making your divider smaller otherwise it will be hard to take things out when you need them. The tricky part with our caddy is that the bottom is more narrow than the top. We need to take measurements of the bottom of the caddy too.

Depending on the size of your container, you might need more than one piece for the length and more than one piece for the width. For my caddy I’m creating 6 spaces or openings for markers (or pens, scissors, etc.) I need 3 pieces of foam core, 1 long piece for the length and 2 short pieces for the width.

Make Your Cut Marks

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, measure twice, cut once. That’s a good rule no matter what project you are doing. I often get into a hurry and that’s when I make mistakes.

Luckily our foam core is only $1, but we still don’t want to waste it.

You can see that I am using a leftover piece that has been hacked at for other projects. It still has plenty for this project.

Cut the Foam Core

Using scissors to cut foam core can be tricky. Make sure you have thick, sturdy scissors. If not, I recommend using a craft knife. If you use a craft knife, make sure you have something underneath to protect your surface you you will end up with cut marks on your table, even if you’re being careful. (Ask me how I know.)

Your cuts don’t need to be precise, but longer cuts on foam core are more challenging with scissors.

If your container is tapered, like my caddy, use your ruler to make new marks on one end so you can create a taper.

Cut from your mark to the corner. Your cutting doesn’t need to be precise on this project, just close enough to make it fit.

Test your pieces to make sure they fit. If your foam core is too wide, you will have to jam it into your container. It’s better to cut it a tiny bit smaller.

Cut Notches

Now that we have our divider pieces, we need to fit them together. To do this, we are cutting notches.

I want mine evenly spaced, so I made two marks on my length and one on my width.

Use your tape measure or ruler to mark where your notches should be.

Make sure you mark on the correct side. Since our container is tapered, one side is wider than the other. When you mark your notches, mark the length to cut from the top and the width to cut from the bottom.

Then cut those notches. Note that we aren’t cutting all the way through the width of our foam core. On one piece you will leave about 25% of it for sturdiness. on the other piece, you will only cut about 25% to fit it onto your first piece.