Whether you are just starting to collect craft items or you affectionately call your craft room the "room of doom", hopefully one of the following craft organization tips will get your organization skills going.
It’s time to have FUN while getting the most out of your craft supplies!
Tip #1: Don’t be afraid to spend a little in order to get a lot!
Being organized will bring a peace to your life. Sometimes it can be overwhelming but is always worth it in the end. If you are willing to spend a little bit of time and invest some money, you will be less likely to buy duplicate items that will only clutter up your craft space.
Tip #2: Browse current trends in magazines.
Crafting magazines are a perfect example of how to save time and space with organization. I have often torn out pages and kept them in my purse. That way, the next time I cruise down the clearance aisle I can look on discount or clearance tables for similar items.
Tip #3: Try to control your spending habits in regards to products.
If you’re like me, when you see something new or exciting you feel like you need it. Take control of that little voice that tells you "Oh, Oh, Oh, I need that!" Chances are, you don’t. I know that by practicing this habit I have substantially cut down on the craft products that I have. I tend to use pretty much everything in my craft space. It is always a good thing to practice self control.
Tip #4: Reuse old baby wipe boxes and baby food jars.
Everything is going green these days, so why not recycle old baby wipes boxes and baby food jars and use them to store buttons or glue sticks? Take the lid off the wipe box and store your markers in it. You can even cover the box in scrapbook paper to give it a non-baby appearance. Baby food jars make great button holders. When lined up and color coded, they can really add life to your craft space!
Tip #5 Repurpose an old bookcase or dresser.
Give it a new coat of paint and then use dollar store bins or beautiful glass jars to showcase it in a new and organized way. By using bins you can quickly stash items away when guests are coming over and still appear as organized as ever. (Just be sure and declutter your bins every now and then!)
Here’s a fun way to repurpose just the drawers from an old dresser.
And some interesting ways to repurpose old suitcases in fun ways that would work in craft rooms.
Tip #6: Use a digital camera to take pictures of what is in your bins.
Arrange the items in a neat little set up, so you have an interesting picture. Then, create a tag to showcase the picture on. Use some pretty ribbon and tie the tag with the picture onto each bin so that you know at a glance what’s in there. No more pulling everything out only to not have the correct bin!
Tip #7: Consider a craft supplies swap.
We scrapbookers and crafters have a lot of stuff. Some items we have the best intentions to use, but somehow they seem to never even make it out of the package. Once a month, invite your girlfriends over and have a swap night! Everyone brings over the items they haven’t used in the last 6 months or 1 year and trade. (Bonus fun: pop some popcorn and watch a chick flick too!)
Here’s a similar idea: Have a box swap!
Tip #8: Buy an embellishment box.
I got this one at Michael’s and love it. It has a flip open top that will hold several different craft embellishments. I can color code them or not, it doesn’t matter. It also has 2 pull-out drawers with different sized areas for other large embellishments or craft supplies. This saves me so much room. Not to mention, when it is closed, it looks pretty showing off the pictures of my kids!
Tip #9: Most of all, it is important to have FUN when you’re organizing all your stuff!
We are scrapbookers or crafters because we LOVE it! We are artistic and unique, and we each have our own style and plenty of strengths to go with it. Pick one of your strengths and expand on it. For example; if you are an avid photographer, then taking pictures of everything in your bins can be a very fun way to get organized. You could also catalog by picture all of the rubber stamp sets you have from a specific company. You could then keep them in a 3-ring binder as a reference, and all the while it will look pretty sitting on your repurposed bookshelf right next to your jars of buttons!
I've been an avid scrapbooker for years. I've experimented with many different scrapbooking companies and have found my love with Close To My Heart. I'm a consultant and supervisor with CTMH. I've been cardmaking for a few years now, and I really enjoy saving money by making my own greeting cards!
