Well, not a box, per se, but there are large storage portfolios for artwork that would easily accommodate that size. Some of them are of brown expandable cardboard, others come in black vinyl. We keep my dd's finished artwork in those.

Alternatively, find a box that is about the right dimensions--width and length, regardless of height. Then cut around it--about 5-6" up from the bottom (or whatever height you feel will work) and then to the same for the top of the box. You may have to make a few adjustments--slitting the sides of the top just a bit--but you'll have a top and bottom.

And still another idea? Head to Crate and Barrel, taking a sheet of the largest paper with you--don't know if they have anything that size, but they'd be the ones who might.

Try going to a craft store that sells art supplies and ask
for an empty box like JoAnne's, Michaels Hobby Lobby

Worth a try
If you get one then you can slide it under a bed

you have very generous friends! HOpe you can find something to store that in!
great ideas already!

Both good ideas--thanks, ladies! I should have thought of the art portfolio.....my daughter Jill had some of her artwork stored in one.

I'm feeling less overwhelmed already. :-)

Wal Mart carries underbed containers and I'm sure they have some the right size for you.

Well I just checked my under the bed (Rubbermaid maybe)container, and it is 18" wide at the bottom. The opening at the top is only 20 1/2". Close but no cigar.

We stored stained glass windows that were tied between two boards behind the sofa. they stayed like that for about two years until we had them placed in the window frames.

I have several - they were cardboard boxes that arrived in the mail containing Christmas presents. One box had ski boots, another had the comforter that I bought for my DD. And although they might be taller than you need you can always cut down the height.

Is there a chance that someone in your family has box you could use?

I'll check with my son. One bad good thing about having a barn is you can stick all sorts of stuff in it. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a suitable (after I cut it down) box.

Meanwhile, I may adapt jmc01's idea and sandwich the paper between two pieces of cardboard temporarily. It'll have to be very temporary because it doesn't take long for cat hair, etc. (!) to find its way under the bed.

Thanks, all!

Put some acid-free liner between the paper and the box, OK? If you do the sandwich thing, you could use a long length of elastic, tie a knot and make it a really long rubber band, and use it from corner to corner,diagonally, to hold it tightly closed. You could use 2 of them and get it good and sealed if cat hair is an issue. (It would be at my house, plus the cats would want to play on top of it, because they're pests like that. lol)

Also, if you're looking for a specific size, go to a pack-and-ship place, they stock boxes in hundreds of sizes. If they don't stock it, they can order it. :)

Go to WalMart or BB&B or Target and buy an under the bed storage box. They are long, wide and flat.

Hi alisande,

Visit the produce department of your grocery - many of them have trays that the produce, e.g. strawberries, comes in from long distances, and many of them are large enough, I think ...

... and shallow.

ole joyful

You can always put a plastic trash bag around whatever you find to store the paper - hopefully that will keep the kitty hair out.

Do you have any pizza places there that make those enormous pizzas - you may find that they will either give or sell you some clean, unused boxes. I keep my patchwork squares in unused Pizza Hut boxes, but to get them in the larger size you could try Costco etc. Just a thought!

look at what i found...maybe some could be copied or home made...

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.worthingtondirect.com/art_room_and_drafting_furniture/art_paper_storage_racks.htm

Go to a carpet store and get one of the discarded carboard tubes that carpet is rolled on. Use a hacksaw to cut the tubes into 3' lenghts, then roll the paper and put it in the tubes and put that under the bed.

Look at office supply stores such as Office Depot or Office Max - maybe call before you go, could save a useless trip.

Years ago, stuff like this was sold at art and drafting supply stores. Sadly, drafitng supply stores have gone away, driven out by computer aided design and big screen monitors. If there is a college nearby with an art department, check their book store.

I wouldn't want to roll these, Lazypup; I need them nice and flat. Also, watercolor paper is extremely thick.

I like the pizza box idea--partly because I don't eat pizza and I like the whimsy in the thought of pizza boxes stacked under my bed. :-)

Susan, those look great . . . and they would neatly cancel out economics of getting the papers for free. LOL Seriously, a homemade version would probably be good, but I think paper needs more protection in my house, situated as it is on a dirt road (dust!!) with pets inside.

Whatever I do, I'll have to act quickly. The papers are covering my dining table.

Thanks, everyone!

Are you or someone close a little handy?
Make your own custom sized box out of 1/2 plywood. Put a hinge on one side to slide them in and out. Should cost less than $30.

Salgal, that sounds like something my cousin Dave would be happy to make for me . . . if only he wasn't recovering from surgery.

I just found a 16 x 26" box in the barn. Gotta love Amazon! It's shallow enough to go under the bed, and big enough to hold all but the largest pieces. It's a start!

PS: Oops--some of you will catch my grammar boo-boo.

anyone remember martha stewart using the carpet tubes to store quilts?

If you choose to use a produce tray from the grocery store, use either a garbage bag to hold the material, or if just covering it would be O.K. to keep the dust and cat hair out, laying an old towel or part of a bed sheet over it should take care of that.

ole joyful

At the fabric store,and i'm sure you go to those,ask for the box that the largest olfa mat comes in.They work good for lots of things and are very sturdy.

I have one that i made to pin smaller wall quilts to when working on them,and some times i use it to hide something i don't want to see all the time,like a screen.
Kathi

I'm intrigued, Kathi. I'll check it out--thanks!

Susan...now you know a pizza box just isn't gonna work...cause first you'll be thinkin whimsical...then about 2am one morning...you'll wake up and whimsical turns it to "IM HUNGRY FOR PIZZA"...LOL

My son just had a car hood delivered to our house...the box was huge...about 5 feet long by 3 feet high...needless to say I went out there with a box cutter cause the cardboard was perfect for framing pictures...It would be perfect to sandwich your paper in between...

I'd try Home Depot or Loews or Walmart early in the morning...you'll find your box for a perfect fit!!

I'd check Bed Bath and Beyond for a suitable container. Perhaps an under-bed container. I put my bed up on four "lifters" under the feet and have four under-bed containers underneath. Hubby keeps his "paper collectibles" (comic books, magazines,etc) under there.

Furniture stores have great amounts of packaging material in their dumpsters. Bubble wrap, foam, plastic, cardboard, etc... Appliance stores, too.

Cut down a box in which they ship refrigerators to the correct size.

But I still claim that one of the trays in which they ship produce to grocery stores would be about the right size and depth - and ready-made, to boot.

Cover it with a towel ... or an old sheet ... or find another tray a bit larger and turn it upside down.

And it won't wake you, yelling, "PIZZA" at 2 a.m. - I guarantee it!

ole joyful

so, where is your papered stored?

They're under the bed. I found a big box in the barn, shallow enough to fit. Thanks for reminding me that it's there. :-)

". . . if only he wasn't recovering from surgery."

. . . if only he weren't recovering from surgery.

I don't have any ideas to add for storage. The ideas previously posted are great. :-)

Ha! You're right, of course, Lindsey. Not only do I know better, but I caught the same mistake last night--in a book I was reading.