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Organizing Craft Supplies

Organizing craft supplies in a small space is my worst nightmare. I am one of those people that ENJOYS emptying spaces and re-organizing them. I especially get a kick out of doing it for other people (which is why I was a Personal Organizer back in Illinois!) However, organizing a small space that has to hold a LOT of ‘necessary’ items is frustrating.

There are two things I have learned through my years of helping others organize.

  1. You need to take out (donate, trash, sell) way more than you think. It’s likely that your space needs to be thinned by 50%. When you take everything out, only put half as much back in. I can admit that this closet from my craft room needs to be thinned by 50%. When I got to organize it again next year, that’s what I’ll do. Which leads me to number 2.
  2. You might have to re-organize a space every year (or every 6 months) for a couple years before you find a system that works for your family. Over the years this closet could look dramatically different. There might be more kid crafting supplies and board games and less scrapbooking stuff. Who knows? The point is, give yourself grace when the need comes to re-organize.

Organizing Craft Supplies

Organizing crafts is messy and I wasn’t sure exactly how to show you everything since there is SO much in such a small area. I thought numbering the shelves and describing what’s on them would be the most efficient way to show you my goods.

craft closet

The Amazon links below are affiliate links. I will earn a small percentage of your purchase. 

Craft Closet 1

Guitar amp, a bag with ancient gaming consoles and my book bag with supplies from my art class a couple years ago.

CRAFT CLOSET 2

Disney puzzles, chess, hammock, a basket with misc. cords and coloring books.

CRAFT CLOSET 3

Party board games, shoeboxes full of cards for Sophie, our wedding memorabilia and cards to send out, Smash Book basket (whatever current Smash book I’m working on has all supplies in there for easy access), sewing machine, computer/photo paper in magazine folder, and large paper cutter.

CRAFT CLOSET 4

Tote filled with fun crafts (buttons, pipe cleaners, friendship string, heat beads), tote of punches, glue gun and embossing gun, tote of scrapbook paper, magazine folder of misc. scrapbook paper, a Recollections storage unit with stamps in the left drawer and stickers on the right, a photo album of my plant tags (so I know how to care for the plants in my yard), twine, and a 3 hole punch.

CRAFT CLOSET 5

This is the messy part. The floor holds fabric for projects yet to be completed, (stockings and a blanket for Lexi) Scrabble, Rock Band drum kit, transfer paper for my Cricut, all the current scrapbooks/Smash books I’m working on and my Cricut (I know, I need a better place for it!)

CRAFT CLOSET 6

Rarely used games, a tote of cards and dice games and a tote of poker chips.

CRAFT CLOSET 7

Our most played games, (these get played about once/month) our camera bag and photo reflectors. Under the camera equipment sits my Dad’s tripod and a few prepped canvases for a quick craft. I like prepping canvas all at once so they have time to dry so I can get to the painting part when I’m inspired.

CRAFT CLOSET 8

This 6 cube storage unit holds a TON. On top is my massive bead box. Top left: crayons, colored pencils, markers, watercolor, and kid scissors. Top right: ribbons and a few magazines. Middle left: acrylic paints filled to the top (my inspiration for getting this organizer b/c they were spread between 3 totes before.) Middle right: paint brushes, gesso, brush cleaner and other tools. Bottom left: tulle and small scraps of fabrics. Bottom right: sewing supplies (needles, pins, thread, quilt cutter, measuring tape, heat’n bond.)

While I look at this photo, the closet still looks insane and unorganized to me. I at least know where everything is and it’s easy to put away. The main thing is that the floor access to the crawl space is clear for tornado warnings!

Desk Organization

My desk has an Alex drawer unit that holds the supplies that I use most often. I just recently bought this unit and am so happy with it because it has really long drawers and I have room to grow.

Craft organization

The top drawer has my favorite expandable acrylic organizer (I also have one for my makeup.) This drawer holds my paperclips that sit on top of my post-it notes. It also has my pencil sharpeners, eraser, USB stick, extra markers, lip chap, hand lotion, chalk, notebook, iPhone cable, return address stamp, ink and stamp roll.

Office and craft room organization

The second drawer down is my adhesive drawer. It holds my washi tapes, embossing pad, glues, scrapbook tape, magnetic tape, glue dots, floral tape, and acrylic tape.  My favorite adhesives, besides the beautiful washi tapes, are the Scotch glue dots and the Martha Stewart glue (in case you were wondering.) I also really love my Aleen’s scrapbook tape for scrapping.

IKEA Desk organization

The third drawer down shows my unhealthy addiction with glitter. It also holds our True Love tin (a wedding gift from my sister) containing mosaic tiles. I also have my One A Day journal, and the Martha Steward circle cutter.

craft organization

The fourth drawer is my obligatory junk drawer that has stuff that I use but don’t really have a place for. Embossing powder, extra x-acto, bleach pen, fancy scissors, screwdriver, date stamp, extra ink pad, stone beads (I guess I do know where those can go…) and buttons.

final-Alex-drawer-IKEA

The final drawer is my techy drawer because it holds extra cables, my iPhone box, headphones and the awesome Bamboo tablet that I NEEDED but have hardly used. *looks down and shakes head*

If you’ve ever been curious as to where this blog originates, it is here:

blogging-desk

This shot was from a couple weeks ago, before I got my new lamp and before I started trying to make a dent in my scrapbook pile. I like using a laptop rather than a desktop so I can move it to the couch if we’re watching a movie or if I’m using the desk for an extensive project.

The shelf up top holds my ‘no touching unless you’re Shelly’ carousel of crayons, fake plant, twine, mini 3-hole punch, tape, stacking dolls and random vase. I also have my favorite Disney princess (Ariel) and favorite musician (Trent Reznor) on the walls. You’ll also probably recognize my friendship lamp!

wall-storage

The area on the wall behind my computer holds the photo wire with some of my favorite memories that I often rotate. I also have a wall container unit that holds my stationery for quick thank you notes, markers, colored pencils, and my favorite writing utensils. I have to admit though, my desk does not always look this empty. I clean it to this state once every couple of weeks, but usually, it has some sort of project occupying at least half of the desk. Here’s what my desk looks like tonight:

messy-desk

My desk will remain like this until I finish ONE scrapbook. In case you were wondering, I’m working on our Disney Trips album. All in all, I know where everything is and I don’t have to make too much effort trying to get it out or put it back away, which is key in keeping things organized. I have also promised myself to not buy any more scrapbooking materials until I go through half of my supplies.

This is hard because I really want to see what Project Life is all about! Does anyone else have a similar method or do you organize completely differently? Similar messy desk syndrome at least? 😉 I’d love to hear how you organize your crafts or if you have any suggestions to help me improve my situation!

Related posts to Small Space Craft Organizing:

Bathroom Linen Closet Organization
https://diymamablog.com/bathroom-linen-closet-organization/
Homeschool Organization for First Time Homeschoolers
https://diymamablog.com/homeschool-organization/

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Organizing craft and office supplies like a professional organizer

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Family Command Center

Hidy ho good neighbor! Do you have a hard time keeping everyone’s schedules in order, argue over what to eat for dinner or always looking for that list for the grocery? Well look no further! I’m going to show you how to create a family command center that can organize all of your family’s information in one place! Ok, I’m done talking like an infomercial. Not sure where that came from.

command-centerThis project was ultimately a success but there were a lot of failures along the way! It started back in February when I thought it would be a good idea to paint in the middle of the winter and not need to open all the doors and windows. I was very wrong. I started with a magnet paint so we would be able to put those magnet letters or other learning tools on the bottom for Sophie. 1. Magnet paint is extremely harsh smelling. 2. It takes FOREVER to dry before it stops smelling. 3. It requires more than one coat. After evacuating our home for several hours to Barnes and Noble, we come back home to the wall not even able to hold a piece of paper with a magnet (and still smelly.) I tried another coat and it still wasn’t a strong enough hold so I gave up on the magnet portion of the wall and waited until spring to do the chalkboard portion. Unfortunately, I can not give you any tips on doing a magnet wall since it didn’t work for me but I may try again in the future.magnet-wall

A few months later, I painted the chalkboard wall. I had to sand down the magnetic surface because it was too textured. Once I wiped my surface clean, I used a roller to apply two coats of the chalk board paint (letting it dry for 24 hours in between each coat and before writing on the wall.) I also taped off where I wanted my boarder. I had to use a boarder because I got outside of the lines with the magnetic paint and didn’t want to touch it up with our grey paint. Happy accident. Also, notice I painted this right before Father’s Day. 🙂

chalkboard-paintI painted the boarder with a regular paint brush to make sure there wasn’t too much paint on the brush which kept it from seeping under the tape. I used Target’s smallest size tub of Devine Color in ‘Pond‘ for the border. Our command center is as you walk into our kitchen, making it a central location for us to easily access it. Once everything had dried for a day, I hung everything we needed to be organized.

locationFor us a large dry erase calendar works well for a monthly at-a-glance snapshot of the big events that are going on. There is also room for our to-do list, coupons, and a few pictures.

calendarUnder the calendar, I hung a picture ledge that holds our planner and chalk. Our planner has been used a lot more regularly now that we have it in a prime spot that is easy to access. We use it for all scheduling and meal planning making it easy for either of us to see what’s going on anytime.

planner-shelfThe bottom portion of the wall is reserved for fun! It is currently showcasing art by my niece, Fiona, and myself (who still draws houses like I did in 3rd grade.) I really love our wall. There are some splatter marks I’ll eventually (who are we kidding) never touch up, paint on the light switches and the frame at the top is not centered. This is what makes it a DiY project and is worth being proud of (even if it took 6 months to complete.)

artHow do you keep your family’s schedules in order? Anyone have their mail sorter in their command center? We’re terrible at going through our mail as soon as it comes in the door. I should probably go work on my house drawings. Let me know if you’ve used magnet paint and if you were successful!

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Organization

organizationI believe this whole heartedly! People, like myself, may get anxious, irritated and disgusted with clutter but I also believe that I really am just too lazy to look for things. If I can’t find something in it’s first two places, I usually give up. I often don’t do craft projects JUST because my craft organization is insane. I do my best to completely stay out of the garage because it is a serious mess. I bought a small hammer, measuring tape and screw driver to keep in the kitchen JUST so I don’t have to go find one of the five we already have. Yes, if we just had LESS, it would be much more manageable and we’d have a place for everything and always be able to find what we’re looking for. In a perfect world. 🙂

Shelly

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Outdoor Living

Sprucing up our outdoor living areas has been on my brain every day since the snow started melting. Before the new year started, we said ‘this is the year we’re going to relax and take advantage of all the hard work we’ve my husband has done building the deck and pergola.’ My job is decorating an area once it’s been built by him. Unfortunately, outdoor decor seems to be REALLY expensive! Especially once you factor in that there’s really only a few months where the weather is bearable enough to sit outside!

outdoor living

Here is what our deck currently looks like. This is before the table and chairs (that are in the mail!) It’s also before it’s new stain job that we’ll be getting in a few weeks.

deck

Sad, right? No pretty flowers adding color. No rug, umbrella or curtains to make the space more comfortable. We did buy an outdoor table and chairs this year to add to our collection but out of everything I’d LIKE to add to our front porch, back porch and deck, we’ve got a long way to go. In the mean time I decided to swoon over what I’d like to be able to purchase for our deck area.

Outdoor Fun
We’re more in the price range of Target, which is why these items from Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn are wishes. 😉 I think all of these things would make for a comfortable, practical and fun area to hang out with friends on summer nights.
  1. Number one most important item to have a comfortable outdoor area is a big sectional. Sectionals are outrageously expensive, no matter where you get them from. This one looked particularly good for reading a book or napping. 😉
  2. Bright yellow pouf for extra seating or a place to put your feet up.
  3. Garden stool for putting your drinks down or a place to prop your feet.
  4. Bright, happy, colorful pillows that can stand being out in the sun and rain.
  5. String lights to add to the evening’s good vibes.
  6. Wall O’ Flowers to add tons of color and hide the giant wall of siding.
  7. This bar-work station would be an awesome multitasking piece for our deck. I could use it to re-pot plants, display plants and use as a bar cart for BBQs.
  8. Modular nesting tables that would be easy to move around for convenience.
  9. Bold rug because I don’t like wearing shoes and to ground the sitting area.
  10. Outdoor pendant for the pergola that would blend into it’s environment but add lighting for meals and games at night.
  11. Lanterns to stage around the deck for ambiance lighting.

*swoon* I think after 5 years we could afford all of this for the deck, but by then my tastes will change, and I’ll be dreaming of something different! Also, it’s kinda outrageous to spend this much on one area of our house.

Wanna know the total? The total is with ONE of everything…not a whole wall of planters (including flowers), not several pillows, strings of lights or lanterns…just one of everything pictured above. Drum roll please. $5,838 +tax. Easily a week in Paris! I’ll keep dreaming for now. What about you guys? Have you done any outdoor decor shopping lately? Where do you shop? I could use to cut this number back by…way over half! Anyone lucky enough to have more than a few months worth of awesome outdoor weather? Jeal.

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Terrarium Spruce Up

Sometimes it just feels good to do the little things to spruce up an existing project. I’d made a terrarium a few years ago that was looking pretty sad. It was covered in dust and had succulents begging to be put out of their misery. I decided to put a bit of elbow grease into cleaning and re-planting the poor thing and am very satisfied with the results!

pinterest terrarium

The first step is to gather all supplies needed for said terrarium and check the weather. I prefer re-potting outside so the dirt can easily be brushed away (or left out for the rain to wash away.) I did not check the weather and was stuck chasing succulents across the yard because it was so windy…this was before it started raining on me. For this project I used the terrarium I’d already made, gloves and new succulents. You can check out this post on how to make a terrarium OR just buy cactus potting soil and add some rocks on the bottom for drainage and on top for decoration.

sad plants

The Second step is to use your gloves (even if you think they don’t have spikes! Some of them look super friendly and fuzzy but they’re prickly and itchy and you have to put Elmer’s glue on your hands and let it try in order to peel off the stickers…I speak from experience.) Once I put my first succulent in, I realized only two would fit, so I decided on the two that contrasted each other the most.

succulent types

The third step is to pull out the dead plants and replace with healthy, pretty green, lucious plants! There’s really no wrong way to do this. Succulents are very forgiving as long as their roots are in the soil.

terrarium

As for the lil guy who didn’t make the cut in the big terrarium…I threw him away. JK! I’d never throw away plants! There’s always room for more plants! I didn’t have any little pots to put my Echevaria in, so I used an old candle holder. I threw the tin in the freezer a week ago wanting to save the container to DiY it and it’s the perfect size for him! I’m thinking about peeling the sticker off and dip painting in mint paint but for now I’m kinda digging the design on the sticker! Doesn’t he look so cute and fuzzy in his new home?

black prince

For now, my terrarium is happily living with his friends in my kitchen where there’s plenty of sun. I took them all outside to have a play date photo shoot because we’re installing under cabinet lighting in the kitchen and it doesn’t make for a pretty background.

plant friends

All of the plants above are from clippings from a horticulture class I took a few years ago (other than the new succulents for the terrarium). Don’t they all look so happy together?! Has anyone else made a terrarium or have a green thumb in succulents? Any suggestions on how to get my plants to be more full rather than long and lanky? What do you think about using old candle containers for pots? With as many as I go through, I’m going to need to be buying a lot more plants.

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