7 guidelines for organizing a craft room

Love to craft but have trouble finding what you need when searching through your supplies? Follow these simple guidelines on organizing a craft room so making projects will become a breeze.

Set aside a day when the kids are in school, the hubby’s at work and the coffee pot’s going.

You’ll love the results so let’s get to work!

organizing a craft room

1. location, location, location

Decide how much real estate you can devote to your passion—a closet or an entire room!
Consider a space for kiddos to play and do crafts while you keep a watchful eye out.
Have a counter or table nearby on which to work.
Good lighting is a must!

2. make an assessment

Just looking through drawers and boxes isn’t going to cut it—you’ve got stuff everywhere! Access what you have in order to know what supplies you’ll need to replenish.
Gather all of your supplies from their hiding places and spread them out before you—that means actually removing them from drawers, containers and closets.

3. sort trash from treasures

Decide what’s worth keeping and what isn’t—do you really need that itsy bitsy scrap of material?
Don’t just toss them! Recycle or donate what you don’t want—teachers always welcome items for school arts and crafts.
Designate zones for like materials such as sewing, paints, and embellishments then keep them together in that zone.

4. everything should have a home

Use clear, versatile containers and resealable plastic bags to store like items.
Repurpose what you already have—jars, baskets, utensil organizers or unused pizza boxes for those scrapbook or quilt works still in progress.
Take advantage of sales to purchase assorted sizes of containers.

5. love labels

The label maker is your new best friend—love it, use it, enjoy it!
Make sure to label shelves and drawers too, so items can be returned to their correct home.

6. accessibility

Vertical storage rules! Store items used less frequently up high.
Keep a step stool handy for those items just out of reach.
Keep everyday tools front and center.
Create and install a pegboard organizer for instant access to items used most often.

7. unique storage ideas

Hang clear shoe bag organizers over the door to keep miscellaneous items visible.
Place a towel bar on the wall to hold ribbon spools or giftwrap or create a giftwrap organizer.
Use desktop file holders to keep scrapbook paper from getting damaged.
Store resource books and magazines in vertical organizers (make our upcycled cereal box holders).