Whether you have a craft room, or maybe just a closet where you keep your stash, organization is a must if you want to keep your items handy at your fingertips. Sometimes I find myself avoiding my craft room when I know that it is messy inside. I just love making crafts and it is great to have a designated space to work, but when it is disorganized it makes it hard to even think inside that room! When it comes to "free time," I am at the mercy of a one-year-old and limited to the duration of the li'l guy's nap, so I must be able to find things quickly and easily when I need them. Here I've compiled a list of 10 tips and products I've found handy in keeping organized - and as a craft packrat (borderline hoarder?) - trust me...organizing my space is no easy task! :)
1. Utensil dividers/organizers like the ones you use in your kitchen drawers are great for your DESK drawers to keep all your stuff separated and neat.
2. I have no shortage of baby food jars in my house and I've found they are great for storing little odds and ends like buttons, little spools of thread, beads, etc.
3. Over-the-door shoe organizers are my favorite thing for organizing my ribbon stash. I can quickly see what I have when it is organized by color! I use ribbon often, so this has been a great storage solution.
4. Hanging shoe/purse organizers keep my [enormous] stash of yarn nice and neat. I used to have it in huge garbage bags organized by color. With this method, I still couldn't find anything and much to my husband's dismay, I would (accidentally) buy more of the same color when what I needed was right under my nose. Now, I can easily see what I have, how many skeins, etc.
5. Those clear zipper bags that your comforters and sheets come in are great for storing projects that are in the works, scrapbook findings, cuts of fabric...
6. A rotating desk caddy makes finding your scissors, glue, markers, pens, and paper clips easy!
7. Clear plastic storage boxes keep things tidy and let you actually SEE what is inside! (Not that you would ever forget... right? ;) )
8. I am a huge fan of baskets and decorative bins to keep my office looking tidy and pretty! (You can make your own -- see Steph's post on the fabric covered box!)
9. Photo boxes with dividers make organizing photos by month/year easy....you know, the ones you actually PRINT!
10. Scrapbook paper containers (12 x 12") keep your loose sheets and scrap-pads protected and looking fresh!
Hope these ideas help YOU get organized! If you have any ideas to share with us, we would love to hear them!!! :)
Happy Crafting!
-D
Happy Crafting!
-D
