A neutral room full of empty shelves might appeal to some individuals. For us crafters, however, it serves as a blank canvas waiting to be filled with color, texture, and fun. In the absence of any practical storage solutions, though, this haven of creativity can quickly lead to some epic craft room chaos.
Don’t let storage issues hinder the expansion of your craft room arsenal. A few simple tweaks are all you need to have your creative spaces looking less “dumpster chic” and more “clean, crisp, and creative corner.” Revolutionize your creative space with our handy craft room organization tips below for organizing paper, stamps, ribbons, paint, tools, washi tape, odds and ends, and ephemera.
Organizing Your Paper Crafts
Paper. It’s flat and practically weightless. It’s easy to store, right?
If you frequent the world of crafts, you’ll know that’s not true at all. Coming up with practical paper storage solutions offers up a conundrum—do we save space by stacking it all on top of each other or save time by displaying it clearly for easy use? The good news is that you can have it both ways.
Here are our handy storage ideas to combine both space-saving and time-saving solutions:
Dowl-lightful Wrapping Station with Dowels and Hooks
Become the family’s most organized gift-giver at every occasion by turning spare wall space into a fun and functional wrapping station. It’s easy to build for a craft-minded individual.
Gather a few lengths of dowels and attach them to the wall using hooks at either end. Keep it level and equidistant, at an appropriate height. It couldn’t be simpler.
A wrapping station is a brilliant way to display your best wrapping paper. It is far more practical than the back-of-the coat-press fate that befalls many a sparkling wrapping paper. Devote the bottom dowel to your collection of ribbons and bows and allow the best complementary color combinations to jump out at you for stunning gift-wrapping ideas.
Fold it away at the end of the day
It really is organizational innovation at its finest. Save your floor space and your back by creating a folding wrapping station at the exact height required.
Customize the shelf space and build a spot for everything you need to create the perfect gift wrap. Store your wrap, ribbons, scissors, and everything else in one handy spot. Afterward, fold up the table and tuck away your gift wrap station discreetly until the next time you need it. Click here for instructions on how to get started.
Craft Room Stamp Organization
No craft room is complete without a growing collection of stamps. Detailing your own ideas from scratch can be a cathartic experience, but it’s also incredibly time-consuming. Building up a collection of ready-to-use stamps provides intricate details or solid themes to any design.
Stamps are small, so storage can come in whatever form you need, depending on your favorite themes and practical requirements. Here are a few more ideas for storing those stamp beauties for easy access and infinite inspiration.
Swap the Floor for a Drawer
A drawer cabinet can be a simple solution to stamp storage. Choose from rustic, classic, or modern designs to suit the theme of your room. The storage comes in 10-drawer units, giving ten square feet of storage, which is ideal for storing stamps and ink pads.
A convenient labeling system on the outside will also let you know where everything is (if you’ve remembered to put it back in the right drawer). The cabinets generally come in single-height drawers, which may leave taller-handled stamps out in the cold. Some models do allow you to add one or two custom double or triple-height drawers, though.
Shop at stampnstorage.com
Give Your Stamps a Front Row Seat
If your stamp collection is too diverse for any uniform storage cabinet, it may be more suited to a stadium-type display. The display unit allows for a multitude of different shapes, sizes, and designs of stamps and ink pads, which can be stored practically or displayed proudly.
Have fun trying to find a place for everything (kind of like a stamp-based jigsaw). The downside of this type of display is there’s no lid to tidy it all away or create a clean space when you don’t need it.
Shop at totally-tiffany.com
Put Your Stamp on a Vintage Sewing Box
Reclaiming a vintage sewing box is a novel idea that will bring beauty and nostalgia to any crafty space. It’s both a practical storage solution and an opportunity to give an old piece of memorabilia a new lease on life. There can be nothing more satisfying or therapeutic than a successful bit of upcycling.
A vintage sewing box is not purpose-built, so you may need to use a bit of innovation to get it fitted for the task. Consider the extra work a crafting bonus.
Thin sheets of ply or wood make excellent dividers. Cut the pieces to the lengths you need to suit your collection. Then, customize the interior with colors and textures for a personal touch
Image from @lovebijou.co
Embrace the Modern With an Acrylic Drawer Box
Modern, clean, and practical, an acrylic drawer box can be a cost-effective and widely available storage solution for stamps. The bonus of this method over other suggestions is that it’s transparent, so you can see what’s in the box at a glance. Acrylic boxes are available in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with a place for everything and everything in its place, no matter the eclectic nature of your stamp collection.
For some craft enthusiasts, the modern appearance of the drawer might seem less desirable than a more vintage design. You can’t beat it for practicality, though. Easy wipe means that any wayward ink can be cleaned up in seconds, keeping the container looking sharp and shiny for years.
Organizing Ribbons In Your Craft Room
The dream is hundreds of beautiful spools of ribbon lined up in a row. Textures, colors, jewels, sparkles, and satins side-by-side, waiting to be picked for the next perfect creation. The reality is often quite different, to the dismay of many enthusiastic crafters, like balls of ribbon thrown into a dark drawer somewhere and forgotten forever.
Aside from the clutter, poor storage can often mean buying duplicate ribbons that you don’t need. It can be a waste of money. (We will admit that no ribbon is ever a waste of money, but adequate storage will make your life easier). Display your ribbons proudly and make the most of the inspiration with these ribbon storage ideas.
Ribbon Organization In A Box With Holes
One of the simplest and cheapest ways to create ribbon storage is to recycle an old shoebox. It is an ideal size and shape for starting to organize the ribbon chaos that you’ve been avoiding for months. Place a spool or dowel inside the box and cut some holes in the side of the box to feed the end of the ribbon through for easy access.
You can also buy some cheap metal eyes to tidy up the edges of the holes. Soon, you will have yourself one professional looking storage unit.
You can opt for the new option and buy a box to create a storage unit. There are hundreds of beautiful boxes available in all sizes with vintage, classic, and other crazier designs. Most crafters would prefer to put their own personal touch on it, and your Grandma would be proud of you for making use of an old shoebox so effectively.
Learn more at leisurearts.com
Mason Jars to the Rescue
There’s no tidy way to organize twine. Somewhere, there’ll always be a loose end hanging about getting tangled in other crafty stuff. Luckily, there will also always be an empty mason jar hanging around waiting for a new purpose in life, too.
Combine the two and tie up all your loose ends. Mason jars are durable, and the ideal size for packing away annoying loose threads.
Image from PatchworkPottery
Craft Room Paint Organization Ideas
Paint is quite possibly the most awkward of all craft supply items to store. It’s bulky, heavy, and, if it’s not stored correctly, potentially messy. Whether its tiny 3 fl oz bottles or the full quart, the right paint storage can save you a world of chaos.
Grid Pattern Paint Storage
Grid storage is tidy and always pleasing for the aesthetics of the craft room. If you have a collection of bottles of the same size and shape, grid storage can be a perfect solution to keep your craft room looking sharp.
If you’ve managed to accumulate a slightly more diverse range of products over the years, however, grid storage might be awkward. Different sizes and shapes make it difficult to stack everything away tidily. Some of our other suggestions might be more suitable for this kind of set up.
Learn more at stampnstorage.com
Hidden Storage Behind the Door
It works in the restroom, so why not in your craft room? Net storage is flexible and suits plenty of different sizes and shapes of bottles. Behind the door is dead space anyway, so why not make the most of it?
The trick is to make sure that your bottles are clean, closed, and drip-free before you put them back into storage. Otherwise, that paint will drip straight down your door and onto the flooring.
Learn more at somethingturquoise.com
Frame Your Storage Ideas
We love this cheeky little idea. It brazenly combines art with practicality to provide a fascinating point of interest in your craft den. Unusual enough to stand as any modern piece in the Tate Gallery, the frame is a delightful way to store your paints and enjoy the colors, inside or outside the bottle.
Learn more at diyinspired.com
Cute Cubbies for Easy Access
If your collection of paint colors has grown into a monstrous mess, you may need something bigger than a wall net. Wall cubby storage offers easy access and cleaning for cluttered supplies. Choose from bright and white or rustic colors to match your favorite theme.
Enjoy seeing your sizeable collection displayed proudly and find the colors you want in seconds.
Learn more at somethingturquoise.com
Pens And Tools Organization Ideas
Pens and other useful tools are never where you thought you left them, even more elusive than the matching sock. These tools seem to grow legs and run away if they’re not stored properly. Aside from the irritation of having to replace yet another lost item, it’s no fun catching your finger on a craft knife while you’re looking for something in a drawer.
Keep your crafty hands safe and store your runaway tools where you can see them with these handy storage ideas.
Pots of Pens
Buy different sized pots for storing those little tiny items of awkward shapes and sizes. Paper clips and pencil sharpeners are no fun to retrieve from the bottom of a jar. You can also have some fun with textures.
Use tin pots, timber, or brightly colored plastic pots for a modern look. Keep everything accessible in size-appropriate containers and make your entire crafting experience easier.
Learn more at michaels.com
Avoiding a Washi Tape Wash-Out in Your Craft Room
Every crafting enthusiast will tell you that they can’t get enough of the washi tape phenomena. Cheap as chips, the decorative paper tape can introduce an infinite selection of color and design combinations to any craft room. Go washi-wild with these clever storage ideas.
Reel it in with Rolodex Storage
Rolodex is a delightfully useful and compact storage solution. It’s particularly handy if you have larger quantities of washi tape that need dedicated sorting. Keep the tape right there in front of you when you need it, and rotate the holder to find your perfect color or texture.
The small size of the Rolodex means you can tuck it away in a cupboard if you need extra worktop space.
Learn more at allreadymemories.bigcartel.com
Repurposed Acrylic Cosmetics Stand
Do you remember that ancient make-up stand you bought as a teenager? It’s time to pull it out of the garage. Acrylic cosmetic stands are designed to store small things for easy access.
It makes an ideal solution to all your washi worries. Get your hands on a new one or show an old stand some TLC with a bit of washing up liquid for an almost-new finish.
Image from @lovebijou.co
Endless Storage Ideas For Your Odds & Ends
There’s a fine line between odds and ends and plain old junk. If you’re not careful, some useful bits of craft supplies can be swept away into oblivion, never to be seen again. Save yourself the heartache and start organizing the miscellany by turning it into art.
Wooden Trays for Wonderful Storage
Wooden trays can be new or from craft fairs and antique stores. We love the thought of upcycling and can’t think of anything better than breathing some fresh life into a retired timber box. Shapes and sizes vary considerably, so assess your collection before you buy something.
Make sure there’s enough space in there for everything. For stamps and wax seals, we recommend wood over cardboard as they tend to be heavier.
Image from @lovebijou.co
Assistance From Acrylic
Acrylic trays are useful for odds and ends with multiple compartments. It lets you divide all your bits and pieces for easier searching. The transparency of acrylic also means you can see what’s in there without opening the container—no more forgotten odds and ends picking up dust.
Make full use of everything and keep your craft supplies fresh.
Image from @lovebijou.co
When Everything Else Won’t Cut it, Try Using a Cutlery Tray
By now, you’ll have guessed that we love any concept that involves upcycling or repurposing. Make use of an old cutlery tray for storage. If you think about it, it’s perfectly designed as a mini shelving unit.
Tip it on its side and attach it to the wall. You will have created a perfect tiny shelving unit ready for the crafting business ahead. Jazz it up by placing some wallpaper at the base for a bit of added color and texture.
Image from @lovebijou.co
Sort It With a Sorting Tray
Similar to the up-ended cutlery tray, a sorting tray can also be a vintage-themed idea for storing odd-shaped pieces. While a cutlery tray leaves you limited with sizes, a sorting tray tends to have larger and wider compartments. Make space for anything from the smallest buttons and needles to the bulkiest ink pad or card stock.
Image from @lovebijou.co
Ephemera Craft Room Organization Tips
If you like ephemera, you’re probably a fan of vintage elements. Ephemera rarely comes in uniform shapes, sizes, and designs, though. It can make finding the perfect storage solution a headache, so read on for a few time-saving tips.
Ephemera Photo Albums
Every crafter knows that photo albums aren’t for photos. Memorabilia fits beautifully between the cellophane leaves of a photo album for some handy flip storage, for example. Keep your ephemera safe from wrinkles and spills while maintaining access to it for those moments of inspiration.
The waterproof coatings on photo albums offers an extra degree of protection from damp or mildew for more long-term storage.
Image from @lovebijou.co
Stash it in a Cash Box
Cute, quaint, and practical, a vintage cash box offers compact storage for smaller collectibles. Tuck it away safe and sound, and keep the key hidden for a bit of added mystery.
Image from @lovebijou.co
The Culmination of the Craft Room Quest
We hope you found some of these craft room organization ideas useful and inspiring. Whether your craft collection is starting to blossom, or it is in the prime of its life, keep on top of the chaos and don’t let clutter take over your creation station.
Staying organized can have a massive impact on your creativity. Boost your motivation and liberate your creative flow in a well-organized and pleasant workspace that will adapt to your style and keep you interested.