Craft Room Organization Part 1

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and because of my craft room organization I am able to enjoy the Super Bowl while blogging. More on that in a minute.

It's been a lot of work, no doubt, getting my room into shape. I've worked on it for a solid week. And honestly I'm still not completely done, but I've made great progress and I'm ready to share.

Consider this post Part 1 of the process. Part 2 will include a video, so watch for that early next week. I've got a few hot projects to finish this week first, but I promise I'll be back with some organizing tips and tricks that work for me and will hopefully inspire you as well.

So here we go with Part 1…

BEFORE


AFTER

The family computer was also in my craft room, which included the scanner, printer, and various office supplies. All of this is now in the living room. I'll be sure to include that part in my video. I love having the computer in the living room where the family hangs out. I am able to work and still be with them. For the creative work, I head to the craft room where I have more peace and quiet. It was just too crowded in there before.



BEFORE

This corner was so awful. I couldn't get to stuff on the bookshelf without having to move this and climb over that.



AFTER

The bench seat had to go. It was just in the way. It serves as storage for things I don't need to get to very often, so I put it under my work table along the other wall. I love that I can now open my window without bending over stuff and wrenching my back.



BEFORE


AFTER

I don't mind stacking bins as long as they are alike and contain similar items. These two bins hold my Idea-ology findings. (yes, I have lots)



BEFORE


AFTER
Piles off the floor. Everything is organized into labeled bins.



BEFORE


AFTER
I couldn't even see the floor before. Some items went out to the garage, and others went into bins.



BEFORE



AFTER
I had been stuffing things behind the door of my room for so long, I forgot what was even back there. I found a frame I had been looking for! Now the door opens all the way. There's still stuff behind it, but less of it and much more neatly placed.



BEFORE


AFTER
This odd space in my closet isn't easy to get to, so I make sure to store only the large things back there that I don't need to get to very often. A large roll of fabric, large paper pads, mat board, and a big basket. The rest of it got reorganized into other places.



BEFORE


AFTER
There was no rhyme or reason to this shelf in my closet before, and I found that I really didn't need those plastic drawers anymore, so I went through some of my stamps from various other companies (besides Close To My Heart and Hampton Art which are stored in a different area) and now they are easy to find, see and reach. 



BEFORE


AFTER
There was just too much clutter on the top of this desk hutch, and therefore a constant need for dusting. Now I've displayed some of the pieces on another shelf across the room and left some here. The cubbies below are now neatly organized and the computer is gone and replaced with vertical paper storage. Labeled of course.



BEFORE

AFTER
Oh my goodness. This feels so much better when I walk into the room. Now that I've gotten the computer and printer out of here, I have more table top space so I don't have to spread things all over the floor. This will be my work-in-progress table where I can place project bins. I am constantly working on several projects at once, so this is going to help me tremendously.



BEFORE


AFTER
This is my tall work table where I stand to work. I like to stand more often than sit, so I am normally here most of the day. There's still a lot of stuff on this table, but these are tools and materials I use daily so this system works best for me. 



BEFORE


AFTER
Still a lot in this corner, but much more organized and less cluttered. My poor tote is crammed full, but it's always that way and it works for me.



BEFORE


AFTER
Probably my favorite thing about my organization plan is that the extra table is now gone. Normally I have my Cricut Expression on that little table, but when I got super busy I needed more table top space so I just put the Cricut on the floor and piled stuff on the table. It stuck out into the room and the room is just too small for that. The Cricut is now stored under my desk. Since I don't use it daily, I can easily pull it out and use it when I need to.


In my earlier post, I mentioned that I didn't want to spend a lot of money when organizing my space. In total, I spent about $115. No big furniture purchases, no major shelving. I simply purchased a bunch of Cropper Hopper vertical storage bins and several packs of their paper organizers (a good deal on Amazon), and a handful of 12 x 12 storage bins (on sale at Michaels last week). Everything else is stored in containers I already had.


My room is the way I like it and how I like to work. I like things open. If it's out of sight, then it's truly out of mind for me. You'll notice I use clear bins as much as possible. This really helps me. My room is not spotless and super neat like those rooms you see in magazines. I really work here, every single day all day long, so it's got to be comfortable for me and my style of working. And I really love it!


It takes a lot of time and effort, but it's so worth it in the end. The first day I started in one corner and set a timer for one hour. When the timer went off, I stopped. I was pretty overwhelmed at first, so this helped keep things in check. If you only have 15 minutes, then do it for 15 minutes. I knew that I had to finish by today because I set that goal for myself and for you, so after that first day I really dug in and spent more time each day getting it done.


I hope this has inspired you to get organized too. I'll be taking a few days off from blogging this week, but promise to share a video next week with more organizing tips and tricks.


Thanks for popping in and let me know if you're inspired to get organized.

Comments

  1. It looks great! Do you mind working on my space next? ;)
    Have a wonderful week!

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  2. Great job! All your hard work payed off. You have inspired me to tackle my room too. Looking toward to the video.

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  3. Yes, your room looks great and accessible. What/where do you take product that is dated, or that you do not use any longer? If I had place to take it, so much more room.

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  4. Looks fabulous!I need to get mine organized too.

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  5. I have that same desk at my work. I bet you feel re-energized and ready to get creative now. I know I always do after I get done with a major clean up.

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  6. Looks great but I have to know what do you do with all the projects you have made? I have all of the projects I made out so I have so little space to put my stash. I like to see the items I have made so I am always looking for a way to display them w/o taking up so much space.

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  7. Ahhh very nice! WEll Done! Ya do know we all end up w/that from time to time...its just creative human spirit! Say..noticed your Vagabond didn't have the travel stickers on it...Is it because they wont stick...I am having a problem w/stickers staying stuck on..they look ridiculous peeling away everyday..then I smooth them..then they curl up again overnight...Ugh!
    Great studio clean up...thanks for sharing! ;)

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  8. Thanks for inspiration to give my workroom some help! :)

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  9. looking good.... hard work paid off..... thanks for sharing.

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  10. Lots and lots of hard work - but it seems like you've achieved a huge amount - especially getting the space to really work for you - fantastic. Looking forward to the video!!
    Alison x

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  11. Congratulations! What a huge undertaking but like you said using the timer makes it do-able. Fun peeking in at your very organized space this morning!

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  12. Wow! You really have inspired me. My room looks so bad right now, it is embarrassing. :( Thank you for the tips - I have felt overwhelmed for a while now and I know I would accomplish so much more if I was better organized. I'm sure looking forward to your video.

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  13. Great job getting the stuff off the floor! As I work more and more gets piled on the floor or shoved here and there. I have to stop every few projects and tidy up. Sometimes, I stop after EVERY project! Thanks for a peek into your creative space!!

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