Craft Supply Organization For Small Spaces

This is a guest post by blogger Jeriann Watkins...

If you’re a crafter, it’s very likely your craft supplies get out of hand once in a while. Or are always out of hand. Organizing craft supplies can be very difficult, especially with limited space.

If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated craft room, that can help, but it can also cause the mess to expand to fill the whole room.

Below I’ve included some tips for organizing craft supplies and making the most of your space.

1. Combine Functionality and Design

The best organizational tools are multi-functional. If you want to maximize your storage space and still have room to actually complete craft projects, consider the 7 most common design dilemmas and how to address them.  

Many design dilemmas come from small space, and can be addressed by picking units that multi-task.

For example, you can hang milk crates on your wall, open side out. This gives you storage both inside and on top of the milk crates. Be sure to get crates that are all the same size, and paint them alternating colors for a fun look.

To maximize this even more, you can hang a flat wood board underneath with hooks for your fabrics and other hang-able items.

Screw jar lids to the board and keep your glass stones, beads, and other small items that you want to be able to see easily.

In 4 feet of space, you now have 4 different types of storage. For more ways to combine functionality and design, check out these easy hidden storage ideas.

2. Pick Storage Methods That Match Your Supplies

I make lamps out of old wine and liquor bottles and sell them at my local farmer’s market.

I started this because my area doesn’t have glass recycling, and I didn’t like throwing out bottles. Now that people know I can use them, I get bottles from friends, coworkers, and even strangers at the market every week. This has led to quite the collection.

Luckily, I found these stackable wine racks. Since they’re meant to hold bottles, they’re the most space efficient way to do so. This also allows me to add to my wine rack unit as I go, and rearrange the configuration as necessary.

3. Compartmentalize

The reason craft supplies are so difficult to organize is that they tend to expand.

Fabrics and yarn flow out of designated drawers and baskets.

Once you get out all your beads and jewelry making supplies, putting them away seems silly if you’re picking the project up again tomorrow.

This is why it’s so important to establish specific areas for specific items.

Designate a workspace and keep it as clean as possible.

Only keep out supplies you plan on using for immediate projects. Everything else needs to go back in its designated space.

As far as your actual compartments, the sky’s the limit. You can refurbish an old desk or dresser for some drawer space. Make cubbies out of PVC pipe.

You can even find lockers for sale online, which are great for storing spray paint, goo-gone and other leaky supplies you don’t want getting all over your carpet.

These are just a few tips for making the most out of your space. Have more craft organization ideas? Share in the comments!

Jeriann Watkins is a crafter and blogger at dairyairhead.com. She currently sells recycled scrabble decor and wine bottle lamps at her local farmer's marker. You can check out her crafts on Facebook!