If you do enough crafting that you've accumulated a closet full of tools and materials, it's time to get organized. The good news is that you don't need fancy, expensive organizers to keep your craft closet tidy. You can recycle everyday objects found in your home and save your money for more craft materials. Organizing your space will allow you to craft with less stress and more creativity.
Preparation
Analyze your materials and work habits so you can prioritize your organizational needs. Make a list of materials in descending order of how often you use them, from every-time items (scissors, pencil, glue) to once-a-year (seasonal) items. As you begin to organize, place the things you use every time you craft in easy-to-reach places, and store the ones you use less often out of the way. Assess your materials as you organize, throwing empty and damaged goods away.
Organization
Before you buy new boxes, baskets or storage containers, find creative ways to use the things that you already have around the house. (You could probably find some of these things cheap at yard sales and thrift stores.)
Turn kitchen towels into wall-mounted tool holders by stitching vertical pockets and attaching metal grommets. Keep scissors, rulers, needle-nosed pliers and other tools stored side-by-side in the pockets.
Hang metal cookie-cooling racks on the wall to organize your blank note cards, wrapping paper and notes. Metal cans can hold pens, pencils and markers at an easy reach, while spools of ribbon can be placed on a piece of cord hung vertically in your closet. Tie off the bottom of the cord so the spools will stay on.
A decorative plate holder can support file folders for storage of papers and receipts, and luggage tags can find new life as plastic bin labels.
Create dividers for your bins and boxes with foam board or cardboard. Store smaller items such as beads and buttons in small stackable plastic drawers. Larger items can go into boxes, baskets and other storage containers.
See that everything has its own place, grouping items by function. Use shelves, putting your least-used items on the highest shelf and working your way down. Make easy-to-read labels for every box, and label the places for each box on the shelves so you will always know where they go.
Tags: boxes baskets, storage containers, your materials
