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Compact Desktop Tool Box

September 19, 2019January 25, 2023

Here’s my compact tool box that I am using now (2022-2023). It takes just 3″ x 4 1/2″ of desk space. It holds just about every basic tool and adhesive I need on a regular basis and it’s all easy to see and grab. The tool box you’ll see below is less expensive, and it held up for quite a while, but this one is really quite sturdy.This is the tool box I originally included in this post. You can make it with just four sheets of card stock, a Mini Shipping Box, and a bit of Window Sheet. Watch the video above. You’ll see in the video that I had some difficulty making that row for the tall tools (Snips, Bone Folder, and Take Your Pick). I apparently had miscalculated the measurements. I just make a couple more tool boxes and recalculated with an extra little bit to rape around the very back section. I also came up with an easier way to put the strengthening layer around the Tear & Tape section and the tall tools section.Click here for the free directions for the Compact Desktop Tool Box, updated 2-16-20Click the products you need to make the tool box. In addition to these three items, you will need 4 sheets of any color card stock for the dividers. The links will take you to my online store at Stampin’ Up! The boxes are now retired. You could make your own box from card stock.

I’ve updated my basic tools with the products available 2022-2023.

I can fit more in than you see in the photo above. You can fit a full roll of Tear & Tape into the back section or you can do what I did. I rolled some Tear & Tape into about a 4″ circle and kept wrapping for several circles. This can then fold flat, taking up almost no space, and gives plenty of this strong adhesive for most projects. I did the same thing with some Mini Glue Dots.The wide spaces are just 2″ wide, but I can cut a sheet of Dimensionals in half. I could fit a few small pieces of Basic White and Very Vanilla card stock in case I make a mistake that I need to cover up. I could cut a Silicone Craft Mat cut down to 2″ x 3 1/2″.In addition to the Stampin’ Up! products, I can fit in a pen, a pencil, craft tweezers, a Mono Sand and Rubber Eraser, some dental floss threaders for pulling ribbon through a small hole, and a 6″ ruler. Here’s a wish list on Amazon for those additions to my kit. Most of these things come in packs of 3 or more. Some of them are things you may already have or you might share with a friend.And here are some other tools I consider essential that don’t really fit in the tool box.

Since the boxes are no longer available and neither are the wide stamp cases I’ve also used for my tool boxes I now use this box from the Container Store with a divider insert. This bin is about the same dimensions as the cardboard box so it fits nicely on a crowded craft table. It’s a lot sturdier, but it is more expensive.

THE HOME EDIT Small Bin Organizer Clear, SKU #10077091, Dimensions: 3-1/8″ x 4-3/4″ x 3-1/4″ h Small Bin Divider Clear SKU #10082303, Dimensions: 2-3/4″ x 4-1/4″ x 2-1/2″ h