Organize Crafts

March is National Craft Month. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines craft as skill in planning, making and executing or the product derived from that activity. So you would think that all crafters were organized folks. In our experience, the crafters are organized but their space isn’t. Their creative minds see all kinds of possibilities for scraps of and discarded containers. And then there are the tools for accomplishing the craft. Whether the passion is scrapbooking, or sewing, woodworking or needlework, beading or collage, the challenge is where to keep all the stuff you need to get the job done?

Here are a few suggestions for organizing the crafting space:

Define a room, a closet, or a corner of a room as the crafting area. The whole house is not the craft workshop. (or so many spouses have told us)

Put like objects with like objects: tools together, ribbon together, pattern books together.

Work on one project at a time and put it away before you pull out another. If you switch up frequently ( for instance while glue is setting or paint is drying) have the drying station and work station side by side so tools and resources do not get scattered.

Create storage space in the craft area. This can be a cabinet, shelves or stackable boxes. Use discarded egg cartons or ice trays to organize beads, plastic margarine containers to store ribbon, a multi-tiered magazine rack for pattern books and scapbook paper. Clear plastic containers of varying sizes are available to store most items and they stack easily.

Take a look at innovative storage solutions. If you decide not to buy them, you can mimic their creative ideas through the use of materials you may have on hand. Two sites worth visiting are www.theoriginalscrapbox.com and www.twopweasinabasket.com

We hope you enjoy a month of organized crafting pleasure.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net