A clean craft room is a happy craft room! I had to take a step back from my nursery project list and from starting on the master bedroom. My craft room was a mess and I was unmotivated to do any projects. The disorganization became this giant hurdle to overcome and I put it off until I could not stand it anymore. Finally, I took the time to clean it up. I spent the last two Friday evenings restoring my craft haven.
Although my “craft room” is a 10 x 10 ft room, my craft space is limited to about 60″. The room serves three purposes; craft room, laundry room, and schoolroom for my boys. When we decided to keep the boys home with a nanny, I cleaned up this space and added the kids arts and crafts storage area for all their supplies. Because they are in here almost everyday, I have to keep the table clean and accessible. I can’t leave in progress craft projects laying out. With all the other functions of this room, I am only left with this 60″ stretch of counter space for my craft supplies. I never took the time to organize this space, so it quickly became a dumping ground for unfinished craft projects.
The first step to organizing this area was to add storage for my most used craft supplies and tools. I found two long wire baskets at HomeGoods that are perfect for storing small craft supplies. They took a brief detour to hold my holiday centerpiece, but now they have moved back into the craft room. At less than 5″ deep, they were the perfect size for wall storage above the laundry room sink. They help maximize the storage potential of this space, yet are out of reach of the children.
I mounted the wire storage baskets to the wall using Closetmaid hooks for mounting wire closet shelving. The best part is the baskets are removable. I can just lift them up out of the hooks for easier access to supplies or to take them to the table for a project.
Most of the two evenings worth of work was cleaning off the counter next to the sink. Now that it is clean the whole space feels more spacious. I am limiting what I keep on the countertop. My sleek dirt devil vacuum is handy on the counter for quick cleanups. The red and orange paper flowers are actually my boys handprints. The nanny cut out the shape of their little hands and then wrapped them around wood stems and pipe cleaners to make flowers. I am also allowing myself one small bin on the counter. This will be a spot to contain everything for a current craft project. Right now it is holding supplies for Valentines.
Above the counter there is a white wire shelf. It runs the entire length of the wall. On the other side of the room the shelf is consumed with laundry related storage. Above the craft counter I use the wire shelf to store my scrapbooking supplies in the blue paper boxes. The white magazine files hold magazines and books.
The teal wire mesh wastebasket is holding rolled up supplies like contact paper, magnet paper, chalkboard vinyl, and decorative wrapping paper. The two bamboo utensil holders store all my cutting tools and keep them easy to access.
Under the counter I still have some work to do. The white skirt is a new addition I whipped up this weekend to conceal the remaining mess. There is open space under the counter where I keep unpacked boxes of additional craft supplies. They are still in the original moving box. I actually go into them often looking for stuff. I need to add some shelving under the counter to store this stuff. Until then I have a little skirt to hide the mess. I will be back tomorrow to share the details for making the under counter box pleat skirt.
So what does this all mean for you? Well, with a clean craft room and lots of great supplies at my fingertips, you can look forward to more craft and sewing projects. Hopefully I will be churning out projects a little faster.
UPDATE: Check out the DIY shelving I added to the craft room made from stair treads!
Sharing this room here:
Todays Creative Blog
Home Stories A2Z
A Bowl Full of Lemons
I thought you little vacuum was a vase! LOL! I’m loving this room though! The hanging wire baskets and the wrapping paper storage are gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing!
Your craft room is beautiful! I especially love those long wire baskets. I need to make a trip to Homegoods!
Candice,
Thank you. I just made it over to HomeGoods today on my lunch break…they are getting in all the garden stuff which is a great time to find baskets, troughs, and all sorts of containers. Good luck.
You have made a beautiful, organized space to craft. Sometimes bigger just means messier – at least for me.
Love this post! What a cute idea! I’m having a linking party too, and would love for you to join, and share your ideas! Here is the link https://www.google.com/analytics/web/#realtime/rt-overview/a27278139w52461742p53234243/
I love this organization and the color is so serene!
Hi Jackie,
The whole thing is amazing, truly. You inspire me to organize. My question is a bit off topic – how do you like that dirt devil vacuum? I bought one for a Yankee Swap gift once, but didn’t buy one for myself. I remember Young House Love had raved about it a long while back. Do you find it useful? I’m wondering if the filter gets as backed up as my old-school DustBuster does …. which I find useless now because it just seems like I’m constantly cleaning off the filter…which is such a messy endeavor. What are your reviews on it? Thanks! Cathy
Cathy,
I love the dirt devil. Now I don’t use it for any sort of heavy duty vacuuming, but for quick clean ups it is awesome. Since it is gorgeous enough to sit out in plain site it gets used more often and it sits in a charging cradle so it is always ready to go. I use it for crumbs in the highchair, little scraps from sewing and crafting, and when I am really ambitious it works well for a quick car vacuum. It opens with one twist to empty the container. It has a small round filter that I just shake off when I empty the vacuum. I am not sure if this is a bad thing or a good thing, but I have never washed the filter. The vacuum still works like a charm!
Thanks for asking. I am always happy to share my experiences with a product.
Where did you get those aqua paper storage boxes?? I’ve been looking e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. for some like them!
Hi Anne. The aqua paper boxes were the Martha Stewart ones from Michaels. I am not sure if they carry them anymore. I loved them for the color and because they are actually fabric covered. They are the nicest paper boxes. I also think the Container Store carries great ones in a variety of sizes and colors, but they are not fabric covered. Good luck finding some you love.
Beautiful room! Do you mind sharing the color/brand of the walls? thanks!
Hi Jennifer. I don’t mind sharing at all. The color is Sunken Pool from the Martha Stewart collection at Home Depot.