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My craft room has been in need of a cleaning overhaul for a while now, but it was so overwhelming that I kept putting it off. If you find that you now have a little extra time to work on projects around the house, it might be a good time to add it to your list! This craft room tour hosted by Country Chic Cottage will give you some great ideas on how to organize a craft room.
Supplies for organizing a craft room
Trash bag
Pen
Paper
Notes on a sticky note
Measuring tape
Step by Step Craft Organizer
Clean the floor
Whether you have an entire room dedicated to crafting or a desk in the corner of another space, the floor is the best place to start. The floor should be clean so you have room to walk and move around. Here’s a look at what I was up to!
Clean flat surfaces
This will include the desk or table and the seat of the chair. These should all be clean and clear of all crafting supplies and tools so there is work space for the next step
Now is a good time to give the desktop a quick wipe to remove dust.
Identify categories
Fold some paper tents and label the categories with the categories you mentioned in the previous step. Place them on any desk or table space you have.
Group items according to the category tags you created. Do more if needed. If you come across something that’s broken or that you know you really don’t want, go ahead and throw it away. But don’t think too much at this step about what to keep or not. Just focus on grouping.
Evaluate each pile
One bunch at a time, see what you want to keep. Have you stored away things that you really won’t use again? Has your taste in colors changed? Have any of the colors dried?
Do some “Marie-Kondo-ing” if necessary. Thank it for bringing you joy, even if you just bought it, and let it move on.
If supplies are still good, consider if you know anyone with kids who might like them while they’re home in the coming weeks. (You can even leave them on the doorstep so you don’t have to breathe into each other!)
Decide the space you need
Now that all the items you like are grouped together and you’ve gotten rid of some of them, it’s easy to see how big each collection is.
Do you really need that giant box to store some felt sheets? Need to find an extra basket to hold all your markers and pens? Is there a better solution for all the cardboard?
Put things away
Match your current boxes, baskets and shelf space with the items that will fill them. Use the tape measure to determine the most efficient way to make things fit. At first I labeled all the boxes with Post-it Notes so I could visualize and remember where things were at first.
Shop your home for extra storage or order a few things online if it’s in your budget. Again, don’t forget to count!
Also, take advantage of spaces you might not have thought of. Store fake flowers and greenery in a flat box under your bed. See if there is closet space where rarely used supplies or props could go.
Labels
This step is somewhat optional. Some people find it very helpful to have the contents of each box or basket clearly marked on the front. Others like a much cleaner look. Options include self-adhesive vinyl, iron-on vinyl, and hang tags.
You can also create a kind of map, especially if you have a large shelf, like the Ikea Kallax. Draw squares to represent each shelf. Write to supplies stored in this area.
If you’re feeling extra technical, you could even create a searchable spreadsheet or other type of where to find all your supplies!
What should I leave out?
There will be some things you want to leave out because you use them almost all the time. For each person this will probably be different, but for me it includes my Cricut, the Cricut tool stand, the small trash can, and some pens and glues. And I have my big board on the wall.
Cricut in the craft room
If you have any suggestions to add to this list about organizing a craft room, please let me know!
In case this helps you get started, I’ll let you know what I store in some of these specific places.
Kallax bins hold things like fabric, felt, resin supplies, duck tape, rolls of vinyl and iron and ribbon.
Magazine holders have self-adhesive sheets and lamination holders.
Photo boxes contain leather tools, buttons and folders.
Chalkboard boxes store Cricut materials such as chipboard and metal, as well as card blanks and thread.
The metal cart holds all my EasyPresses.
Now, you can go to each of these blogs to check out their craft rooms and get even more great ideas.