If your craft room or area is such a mess that you cringe when company comes (or if you keep the door shut and avoid entering the room), it is definitely time to get organized! Getting organized allows you to enjoy your workspace--and if you enjoy your workspace, you will want to spend more time there.
Organization (or the lack thereof!) can be a big problem for creative people. Aside from our natural tendency to get excited about several projects at once, there is the fear that if we put things away they will end up forgotten. This leads to a build up of clutter, with everything from supplies and tools to works-in-progress and finished projects taking up our workspace. Finding these items a home, and keeping them there until they are needed, is the key to organizing your craft room.
Why Organize?
Getting organized will save you time and money, and allow you to enjoy your workspace. Getting organized will save you time by allowing you to find your items easily, so you spend less time looking for supplies and lost items, and more time crafting. You will also spend less time moving piles of objects from one workspace to another so you can work.
Getting organized will save you money, as you will not need to replace missing or "lost" items. It is terribly frustrating to know you have a supply or tool for a project, but are unable to locate it. When this happens, you purchase a replacement item, and the original object invariably shows up once your project is complete. Once you are organized, you will be able to quickly locate suitable items on hand, instead of buying new ones for projects.
Before You Begin: Any craft space, whether it is a whole room, a part of a room, or a closet, needs places to store items and places to work. The more crafting areas you work in the more supplies you will have to store. In the simplest form, being organized requires you to have a home for all of your objects, and requires you to put them there! Before you begin, review the following basics:
Storage: Find or purchase a variety of storage items. Be creative--you will enjoy the organizing process more if you have attractive storage pieces.
Recycle: Decide which school, church, or charitable organization will receive your unwanted items. Most schools and children's groups are thrilled to receive your leftover paints, glues, and other supplies. Keep only the items you use, without feeling guilty for throwing things away.
UFOs: As you work, you will come across works-in-progress, supplies you purchased for specific projects but never got around to working on, and other inspirational items. Do not get sidetracked and start working on your UFOs! Set aside a shelf for works in progress, and store them there. Make quick sketches of proposed projects and ideas, then put the supplies for them away--you will be able to find them later.
Plan: Choose a day to start. The first day you will need to spend an hour or two working, so plan accordingly. If you have a camera handy, take a "before" photo of your room. Set aside some time each day for the next week to organize your space. 30 minutes is ideal--it is long enough to make significant progress, but not so long that you can't fit it into your schedule. If 15 or 45 minute sessions work better for you, that's fine. The important thing is to spend a block of time each day. Once your craft room is clean and organized, you will be used to spending 30 minutes a day in the room. Keep that 30 minutes in your schedule as crafting time.
Get Organized! Follow the plan of attack below, regardless of the size of your room. For our purposes here, I will assume you have a dedicated craft room--and that it is a mess! If your area is smaller, and/or in better condition, the process is the same, but it will take you less time. Your craft space did not get messy in one day, and it will not get organized in one day either. Put aside a few hours to get started, then work in small blocks of time each day, You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in just 10, 15, or 30 minutes. You will succeed if you follow these directions--and you will love your "new" workspace!
Day One: Plan to spend 1-3 hours today, depending on the size of your room, and how much of a mess it is.
1. Gather your supplies. You will need the following items:
- Trash bags
- 1 large box for giveaway items
- 1 large box for returning items that do not belong in your craft space to their true homes
- 1 large box for temporarily storing items that will remain in your craft space
- 1 marker
- Basic cleaning supplies
- A kitchen timer
- Assorted storage items Leave these items in the room until the room is complete. This way you will not have to hunt them down when you work, and you can spend your time organizing your craft supplies
