How to Organize Your Craft Room

If you're like me, you've had moments where your craft room was a complete disaster! When this occurs, it can really zap your creative energy making it difficult to start or complete a craft project. Plus, right brained, creative crafters aren't exactly known for their organizational skills! If you find it's taking you an eternity to sift through the stacks of craft materials you have piled high in every corner to find what you need, it's may be time to organize your craft room!

But, where do you start? If you craft room has been in chaos for awhile, it may be difficult to know how to start organizing. Here are some ideas:

1. Plan ahead!

A little planning goes a long way towards making organizing a craft room a pleasant task. Go through all of your boxes and sort craft items by category. Plan to buy a storage box for each category so all similar items can be conveniently stored together. I like plastic see-though boxes for craft storage since you can see exactly what you have without opening the box.

2. Separate your craft area from the rest of your home.

If your craft area should become messy, at least you're not exposing other members of your household to the chaos. Plus, psychologically it helps to be able have your craft room exist as a special place where you can retreat at day's end. If you can't move your crafts into a separate room, consider using a room divider to wall off your craft area.

3. Invest in a large, comfortable table to use as a workstation.

A large work space will allow you to spread your projects out so you can see what you have to work with. You'll waste less time fumbling around to find a particular item you need to complete a project. Make sure your table is sturdy and rugged and not so valuable that you're going to mind getting a little glue or paint on it. You may even want to consider getting a table at a secondhand store. Functionality is the key here!

4. Create an easily accessible tool rack.

It's important to have your tools accessible and in easy view. Take a long piece off wood from the craft store, add hooks to it, and mount it on the wall, You can now hang your tools from the hooks and keep them in easy view.

5. Consider installing shelving to organize your crafts.

Shelving that extends up the side of your walls is a great space saver. You can use the shelves to hold your clear, rubber storage containers containing your projects. It also helps to have your shelf space labeled so you
can see where everything is.

6. Clear away any items that aren't relevant to your craft projects.

Make your newly designed craft area strictly for craft supplies. Don't confuse the issue by bringing in extraneous items that aren't suitable for your craft projects.

7. Clear off your workstation every night.

Don't allow craft materials to accumulate on your work table. This is almost always the first step towards developing a disorganized craft room. Clean up every evening, no matter how tired you are. If you need to, give yourself a reward for doing it.

8. Donate items you don't use.

We all have craft materials we no longer use. Don't leave them lying around your workstation to cause confusion. Donate unused items to a charity such as your local Salvation Army so another crafter can get the opportunity to use them and you can free up the space!

9. When you use a tool, put it back in its proper place.

There's nothing more frustrating and time consuming than not being able to find a craft tool when you need it! Be diligent about returning items to their proper places right after you use it. Stop telling yourself you'll do it later.

Now that you know how to organize a craft room, you can get back to your creative projects and enjoy them all the more!