Lots of people ask me how to store paintstiks, and I have to admit that just about anything works. The only thing that’s really important is that you store them in a way that will keep your other supplies safe from the “open” paintstiks – which can make a real mess until the film re-forms over the outside of the paintstiks.
You can stand them up in a container, you can literally toss them in a zip bag and put them in a drawer, or you can hunt high and low for the perfect paintstik case. That said, a lot of you want something a bit more “organized.” So here’s a simple, inexpensive idea from the Back-to-School section that you can often find in a local store.
I stopped into my local big-box store to pick up a few things and found these colorful pencil boxes made by Sterlite. They looked like they might work, so I picked one up. It turns out they are just the right size to hold paintstiks, (and you can’t beat the price). You can put half the paintstiks in the lid while you’re working and then close up the box when you’re finished. Pretty neat!
This small pencil box holds 19 or 20 paintstiks comfortably. I’ll bet you can put another layer (for a total of 30) in the larger version. They come in several colors, and you can see through the plastic, so it’s easy to see what’s inside. I think I’ll have to pick up a few more the next time I’m in town.
I was a high school teacher and used overhead markers a lot; both the regular kind and the dry-erase kind. They came in a plastic container with a fold-over lid that clicked shut. Instead of throwing the containers away, I brought them home and used them to store my paintstiks. Each container can hold 4 regular-sized sticks.
I had a chuckle over this one. Pencil boxes, indeed! My collection has gone to a pro-size toolbox. I keep the iridescent in the top lift-out tray, then there is room in the bottom for all others, plus samples I’ve made on muslin, plus a veggie peeler for skinning, plus stencil brushes or whatever. Works for me.
I like to keep my paintsticks in Mason jars — they are a colourful addition to my sewing room!