Organization Outlaw

Ok, while I’m not quite finished cleaning my craft room, I really need to work on finding some organizing techniques that will work best for me in my craft closet. If you have been following this attempt at cleanliness and organization, you might recall it was the craft closet that stopped my progress dead in its tracks about 3 weeks ago. In case you need a reminder or if you haven’t seen my other blogs on cleaning the craft room, right now my craft room closet looks like this:

It’s not in the best shape. Stuff is hard to find, stuff falls on my head, and I dream of the day when my closet might look more like this:

It’s a Container Store dream for sure because I can think of a lot better things to spend $800 on than some shelves, and since that is the case, I am wondering where I should start!?!

For the last month, Craft Zine has been posting all sorts of info about how to get organized and they also have been showcasing some craft rooms of popular artists. Others, like Jennifer Perkins, have been working on cleaning their craft spaces, too, and that has also given me a fair amount of inspiration. I’ve been collecting some of these ideas and I wanted to share a few today. I plan to put some of these to use this month as I work through the mess that is my craft closet.

One thing I know full well is that I need more organizational bins and boxes. I need them to hold all the paint, the glue, the random fabrics remnants… Well, The Sassy Crafter is speaking my language as she writes about all the over priced storage bins available to buy (hello Container Store $800 closet). In her blog, The Sassy Crafter shows us how to take regular boxes and cover them with wrapping paper to make them all coordinate.

It’s a great idea for me especially because I would love to have things coordinate, but I can’t afford to drop a bunch of moolah just to get that look. And, if you want to take this project one step further, so you know what you are actually keeping in those boxes, Craft Zine has a How To Tuesday post covering how to add style to your storage.

I think if you’re going to take the time to cover your boxes in wrapping paper, you may as well take the time to tag what’s inside, right?

Another way to organize things which seems to be fairly popular lately is by using magnetic storage tins and hanging them on your wall, or inside a door, or where ever you want them. I have seen this type of idea in several magazines, but Craft Zine, in another great How To Tuesday, shows us how to make a magnetic organizer, and what I really like about this one are the little “cups” for holding glue bottles, buttons, etc.

I actually already own a couple of magnetic strips and tins from Ikea, so this little project is one I feel well on my way to tackling. I have one more idea I love from Craft Zine before I move along- mosaic fabric covered cork boards! I don’t have any cork boards anywhere at all in my craft room right now. My closet has one of those ribbon board memo holders, but it is so full of stuff. I really like this cork board idea.

All the little circles make me think I might use each one for a different thing and even make my cork circles organized! It is a fun idea for sure, and I can see my self putting these to work in my craft room.

Over at the Naughty Secretary Blog Jennifer Perkins has been working hard (much harder than me!) at getting her craft space cleaned up and organized. Yesterday she posted a great gallery of photos of reclaimed, revamped, and reinvented craft studio storage solutions. My favorite solution by far is her use of old kitchen canisters.

I have a pretty big collection of these myself, something like 8 full sets, and right now they just line the tops of my kitchen cabinets holding nothing at all. I’m going to pull a few of them down right away and put them back to use in my craft room. I know I have bottle caps and buttons and bezels galore that I can pour into these newly repurposed crafty containers!

So, there are, of course, lots of ideas floating around out on the internet about how to best organize a craft room. In my search I also came across several books that I think might help in my quest.

Organizing Plain and Simple is a book that really looks like it has ideas I might be able to put to action. In addition to having ideas about how to organize closets, it also has information about how to organize finances, and find balance between work and home life. I’m adding this to the top of my list of must read books.

Another book that looks to be really helpful is Organize Now! A week-by-week guide simplify your space and your life. Not only does this book look really helpful, there is also an accompanying website, Organize this Life, and blog by the author Jennifer Ford Berry.

Well, if nothing else, I have lots of ideas now to help get myself started towards organizing my craft closet. I hope to get my hands on a couple organizing books and I hope to get seriously started on the craft closet within the week. I may be and organizational outlaw now, but I plan to change this by the end of the month!