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.
- 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.
- 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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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!
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:
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!
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I love Ariel too! And I love the shelves above your desk. Now you make me wanna do a tour of my working space. Which is pretty barren I might add. Like you, I dream of having an actual room dedicated to craft supplies and I am interested in Project Life too. Sadly those things will have to wait for a while.
She’s the best! Although I am starting to fall pretty hard for Rapunzel and Ana. You should take a photo today of your work space and over time make it pretty and organized and then you can do a final reveal post sometime! I love reveals! What about Project Life intrigues you? I’m afraid it’s TOO structured and it will limit me (which is it’s whole point so you don’t have to think as much!) You can always print a couple free printables online and at least hang them with washi tape or a goodwill frame! Super way to make a space happy!
Your desk is AWESOME! I don’t really have a dedicated crafting space anymore since having a second child, so I keep all my “craft crap” crammed in a closet. I barely have time for it anyway, so I don’t mind too much, but hopefully someday I’ll be able to get back into it and find a better way to organize/store it.
Thank you! I helped my husband build it so it would be MASSIVE and sturdy! I hope I’m able to keep up with SOME crafting as my kid(s) are little…it’ll just transform to watercolor finger paints and macaroni necklaces. 😉
I absolutely love your work area! It is so cute. I might have to clean out my craft room so that I can copy it 🙂 Plus, when I saw the little mermaid picture I started singing “look at this stuff isn’t it neat?” in my head.
HAHA Thank you! You totally should! I just love that song and now I’m singing it!
I love how you personalized your work area & I love the laptop stand. Great idea! We used to have 2 desks so that I could keep all my things on my side but now we share a desk so it has lots of junk paper on it. I have to whip out and clean up whatever craft project I’m working on the same night, so I try to get things done in one shot. Except Project Life, of course. That’s 3 years in the making. I’m not nearly as organized as you because everything is in the backroom but all over the place. Some on this shelf, some one another. Some over the washing machine.
Thank you 🙂 Yea, I was having neck pains from looking down at my laptop so much so I got that from IKEA and it’s been great! Oh man! We would go insane if we had to share a desk because my husband’s desk is always covered! Scrapbooking really is the messiest/long term project isn’t it? You CAN’T just clean all of it up after one session.
I love the “realness” of this look at your craft area. A lovely mix of gorgeous supplies, clever storage ideas and a big dollop of real life.
This was an awesome compliment Julie! Thank you! I drool over design blogs and think ‘I want my space to look like that’ and then I realize it’s not practical and so my space is ‘just me’ and it works out great!! 🙂
Wow, your craft supplies are so organized and look amazing! My problem is every time my crafts are cleaned up, I get inspired to make another mess, haha. Thanks for sharing at The Makers!
Thanks Katie! Yes, they’re organized but there is always some kind of project going on at my desk, the kitchen table or island (or all of them!) 😉