How to Organize your Crafts

When I was little, I fell in love with organizing. My mom had a book called “Confessions of an Organized Homemaker.” (Is that not the most 80’s title ever?!) I devoured that book and applied everything I learned to various closets in our house.

planters / house / Domino book / 100 years of Fashion book / gold tray / Florida print

One weekend, before a family trip (I was 10 or 11), I emptied my sock drawer and reorganized it- folding everything perfectly and placing like items together. Later, on our road trip, I was napping while my mom told our family how beautifully organized the drawer was. I heard every last word and “woke up” after she was done. She asked if I had heard and I lied and said no so she could tell me all over again what a nice job I had done- lol!

Pretty much, I love organizing. Sometimes though, with my hectic schedule things get to be a mess and I let my drawers and closets get chaotic #momlife. My DIY/craft closet was absolutely embarrassing so I decided this would be a good project to share with you. Here are my best tips for how to organize any closet or drawer in your life.

before

Here’s the issue, there wasn’t really space for my crafts in this closet. Then, as my supplies grew, it got scarier and scarier! It was a pain to find anything and I am so embarrassed of this mess. BUT let my clutter motivate you! The hardest part of this project is finding the time. So let’s get started:

how to organize your crafts

STEP ONE- MAKE A GOAL

I know this sounds silly, but in life, to be successful you need to set a goal so you know when you’ve hit it. Its the same with decluttering. So for me, my goal is to organize my crafts so that everything is easy to find and put away. I chose the three messy shelves that hold my crafts to tackle. So now, I have a clear intention and scope for what I am trying to accomplish.

STEP 2- PULL EVERYTHING OUT

Since I know what I am setting out to do, I pull everything out from the drawer or shelf or closet that I am organizing. This is the part where I always get overwhelmed as all of the stuff comes out and I start to wonder what the heck I am doing- lol! BUT getting everything out forces you to touch each item and deal with it once and for all!

STEP 3- GRAB 3 CONTAINERS

Before sorting begins, I grab three containers- one for trash, one for items that go in another room, and one for stuff I want to donate. What this does is allows you to sit at your pile and work it on and not get distracted when you go in other rooms to put things away. The power of focus is real and this step helps you hone in on your goal!

STEP 4- PUT LIKE ITEMS TOGETHER

My crafts are on the floor, I’m prepared with bins, now its time to start sorting! Place similar items together- fabric dyes, yarn, paint- make piles of like items. Start throwing away trash and putting items that don’t belong in the donate or put in another room bin. This is where the real work begins as you sort and start to see items that work together and those that don’t.

STEP 5- ASK YOURSELF THE HARD QUESTIONS

Sometimes, getting rid of things is hard. Above is a list of questions where the goal is to get to the heart of the reason why you own them. Some items you will sort through easily. These questions should help with the harder items- things you like but for whatever reason don’t want to part with even though you know you don’t need them anymore.

STEP 6- USE BINS AND LABELS TO HOLD YOUR ITEMS

My first real job out of college was as a visual merchandiser for a furniture store. I loved that job and my boss Jan taught me so many valuable things that I still use to this day! One of them is to use plastic bins that you can get for $1 at pretty much any store (Target, Lowes, The Dollar Store, etc.) to hold sorted items.

The idea is that you put your items in a bin, label it, and then you can see what is in there and it has a designated spot. They are easy to use- you just open the lid and throw items in. Plus, they are so inexpensive that its easy to stock up on them. If I run out of space in one, I just make a second bin and label it “yarn 2” (or whatever is in the bin).

Now that you have containers to use, put your craft supplies in bins with like items together and label what is in them. Put your bins in your closet (I moved my supplies to my new cabinet in my living room) and you are done!

after

I found new homes for a few things, got rid of items I didn’t need. Now I have the happiest little craft area! The best part is how easy it is to find things now. Why didn’t I do this sooner?!

Domino book / 100 years of Fashion book / pink vase / clam shell bowl

If you have a drawer or closet that needs organized, do it! It is such a bad feeling opening a closet and thinking each time: “I really need to do something about that mess!” Put it in your schedule and make it a priority! You’ll be so much happier when it is done! Promise!

Yes, it takes time, but having a house organized and running efficiently is worth it. This is your life, you might as well live it surrounded by items you love! You know, with things that work with you and not against you ;).

Mostly, I’m typing this out so that I remember that the one hour it took was worth it! While organizing, I took a few videos of the process if you want to see it come together in less than 2 minutes:

Organize video:

Thank you to Extra Space for working with me on this project! I am currently using one of their storage units while we live in Florida for a few months and I love knowing that my stuff is in good hands! Extra Space shares amazing resources for home organization and storage over on their blog. Hint, if you’re living in a small space, you’ll definitely want to check it out!

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