Organizing and January just seem to go hand in hand, don’t they? One of the most challenging areas is organizing craft supplies. Bottles and boxes; bits and bobs; tools, pieces, and parts…where’s a Maker to put it all?
Organizing and January just go hand in hand, don’t they?
Everything seems fresh and new, and we get that urge to tidy things up after the Christmas decor is put away and the house starts looking less cluttered again. Organizing is a natural part of the process.
Regardless of the time of year though, one of the most challenging areas to organize is the craft supply.
Bottles and boxes; bits and bobs; tools, pieces and parts…where’s a Maker to put it all?
The Craft Studio Dream
When we moved into our home almost two years ago, I was over-the-moon excited about the room above our garage that would give me more than enough space to store supplies and set up a crafting area.
Of course there was also plenty of room for our drummer to set up his studio in one corner – and the guitarist in his – and the extra set of bunk beds that our adult sons no longer needed – and Christmas decor – and all the stuff we really didn’t know where to put.
Then Tony’s job changed and he began working from home – and needed office space…
And when we made the decision last summer to wall off a section to create a room for our older kids when they come home to visit…that’s when I realized it just wasn’t going to work.
It was time to change my plan.
Organizing the Chaos
No matter where you craft, you’ve got stuff! And nothing is more frustrating that digging through boxes, baskets, or piles (yep!) to find what you need.
That’s how I’ve been operating for the past few months and it’s been driving this order-loving Maker nuts. I finally decided I’d had enough.
If you’ve got your own boxes, baskets, and piles, I’ve got a plan for you!
First – Organize that Stuff!
You have a good idea of what you have, right? I did, but finding the exact color of paint, container of beads, or bottle of glue was always a treasure-hunting chore. And scissors…they walk at my house.
Before you can store your stuff, it has to be organized.
Start by going through every supply you have and decide what you’ll keep and what you’ll get rid of. It’s easy to collect extra supplies that you don’t really use – or leftovers from a project you’re sure you’ll use again – but don’t. Dried bottles of glue, scissors that don’t cut well, and paint colors you hate – all need to go. This can make a dramatic difference in the amount of storage area you actually need.
Next, sort everything into groups so you can see exactly what you have that needs storage.
And the fun part is finding creative and workable ways to store everything.
Most craft and home stores have organizational containers on sale in January so it’s an even better time to get organized.
I found these sturdy photo boxes at Michael’s for just $2 each. Each box holds 40 bottles of craft paint, with just enough room to easily handle individual bottles, but not so much that they slide around – perfect!
And because these boxes are so nice and sturdy, they stack beautifully!
For scissors, adhesives, and paintbrushes, metal pails are perfect.
And a plastic drawer unit keeps larger items contained and organized. I used this technique to dress the front of the drawers up a bit.
You can also repurpose things around your house for craft storage. Sturdy egg cartons and small canning jars make great storage for organizing beads and charms.
Now that we’re Organized…
Having things tidy and organized makes all the difference between an enjoyable or frustrating crafting session.
You’ll be so glad you’re organized when you start your next project, and you may even find that with less clutter around you, your creativity will enjoy new freedom it hasn’t known before!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like: How to Save Money on Your Craft Supplies
Live Creatively,
Hey, organizing those craft supplies can be a daunting task! I’ve been there and I know how overwhelming it can be.
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Marie says
Thanks Karen!!! If you can organize your room, then so can I!!! Thanks for giving me the energy and tips!!
Karen says
Hi Marie,
I’m excited to hear that you’ve got the nudge you need! We all need that in lots of areas from time to time, don’t we? I’m so excited about the next part that pulls it all together and am looking forward to sharing that soon. Keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Patti says
Hi Karen,
LOL They say “great minds think alike” I’m doing the $100 room challenge on my office/craft room. I’m writing next week’s post and I wanted to link to your ribbon rack because Carole mentioned it to me. My idea was similar but not as pretty. So wen I came to your site home page I laughed because I also organized my craft paint in boxes. Mine boxes were leftover from our Christmas cards box from Target, but it just made me laugh. Hope you are doing well and had a joyful holiday.
Karen says
Hi Patti,
I think organization is on the minds of lots of people at the beginning of the year. It’s just time to make a fresh start and messy areas usually get plenty of attention – which is great. I love picture boxes for craft paints because they fit so well and the boxes are nice and sturdy, but as you have found, most any sturdy box that makes a great fit works nicely.
Thanks so much for linking to the ribbon racks! They’re still in my old storage area and I haven’t quite figured out yet how I’ll use them in this new arrangement. They may need to get a makeover themselves! 🙂
We did have a wonderful season, thank you. Hope you and your family did as well.
crafty.grandma.56 says
Seven years ago after being forced into early retirement, hubby and I decided to pack up our things and move to the country to a brand new house. My present living room, dining room and kitchen combined is the size of my old living room!!! Downsizing all the way!! However, I did manage to get my own little craft room. Your way of organizing your paints is the same as mine except I put mine in long wicker basket. I added a tag with a drop of every color for the outside and added a drop to the lid so I can see the color from the top.! Any duplicates, were placed in another picture box. I repainted my old wall unit (from the 80’s) and was able to fit into my craft room, I use it for my craft supplies. It has closed doors on the bottom with open shelves above. My 2 long wicker baskets of paints sit on the shelf along with other painting supplies. I made a lazy suzy to hold my glitters and beads..On the shelves below where there is a door to close it off are all my supplies. My most used supplies are seen, the rest are put away. However, I did take pictures and put them in an index binder so I know where to find these A bit extreme but at least it is easier to find!!! I think that taking a picture to remember where everything is one of my best organizing ideas!
Karen says
Your craft supply storage sounds like a total dream! I love your idea of color-coding the tags for your paint stash – simply brilliant!
I have a wall unit in one of the rooms of our house that sounds a lot like the one you describe. We use it for books and school supplies, but having all of that space available for craft supplies would be amazing. And I love your lazy susan idea for glitters and beads. You’ve given us lots of great ideas to work with and I’m sure you’ll spark some organizational ideas for lots of other readers. Thanks so much for sharing!
Carole says
Great organization solutions and wow that’s a lot of paint. Robert uses those types of paint for his hobby and made shelves inside a cupboard door. Works great for now then there is me who keeps downsizing my supplies and also uses shelves underneath my work bench. I also have two baskets with lids that store the rest of my stuff. I try not to keep a lot on hand. At one time we used shoe boxes to store those smaller paints. I also build little boxes for my go to items like scissors, wire cutters and such. January is a great month to organize!
Karen says
Thanks, Carole, for sharing your storage and organizational tips. I’ve been doing some downsizing too since I’m moving everything back into the house. Smaller spaces have a way of doing that, don’t they? 🙂
I’ll need to get some specific tips on your built boxes – I know they’re awesome.