Craft Room Organization — Tips from the Joyful Organizer

Here are a few questions to consider: 

- Do you have adequate workspace? 

- Do you have adequate storage space? 

- If you can't finish your project today, do you have space to leave the project out? 

- How easy is it to access and put away your supplies? 

Start by assessing the amount of space you have to work with. If it's just a closet, consider installing a customizable closet system with a workspace so that you can craft and then simply close the doors to have it all out of sight. If you have a whole room, picking out storage products is a little easier. 

Browse design websites and craft magazines for inspiration. Consider purchasing some repurposed furniture such as library catalog card files to house your smaller tools. Visit yard sales, flea markets, and browse Craigslist for used furniture you can refinish and recycle. Consider browsing your home for furniture. A hutch from the dining room can be turned into a craft supply cabinet, an old kitchen table can be used as a work surface and even rolling tool carts can be used for portable supply storage. If at all possible, look for solutions that allow you to put uncompleted work away. But furniture pieces aren’t the only way to accomplish this task. Having the right storage pieces for similar items makes cleanup a cinch! 

Once you have your basic furniture structure in place, and then consider your organizational accessories. Again, these don’t have to be specialized or expensive items. These products will be the key to keeping your space organized. Visit your local dollar or superstore to find items that can be used to store craft supplies. 

Here are some ideas: 

- Hang small pails from the bottom of a shelf with a mug hook for marker/scissor/pen storage. 

- Use garbage pails to house rolled wrapping paper or rolls of fabric. 

- Tackle boxes are handy for holding beads, thread, buttons, etc. 

- Mason jars on a shelf give your visual access for anything small. 

- Food storage containers are great to for preventing paints from spilling and making a mess. 

Once you have all of your organizational pieces in place, make sure that you get rid of any supplies that you don't plan to use. You can donate your unwanted craft supplies to a local school. Then categorize, contain and label the remaining items. Purging the items that you are keeping “just because” gives you the space for new and better items. 

Safety is an important issue when designing and organizing craft spaces. Make sure you have adequate light to see what you are doing. Adhesive LED lights are an inexpensive option for adding light where there are no existing fixtures. Also, make sure that any sharp tools like scissors or craft knives are well out of reach of children. If you are using knives or needles in your craft make sure to have a first aid kit nearby.