The Bones of a Craft Room

Alice Boll
Alice Boll

Just a few weeks ago, my craft room looked like this:

Stuff piled everywhere, random things thrown on top of other random things, and impossible to navigate.

Now, I have the big items in place. The tables, desks and cabinets are in a workable place. Since I had everything labelled in the old house, and I haven’t re-organized them yet, I can find what I need with a minimum of searching. I can create in here now, and have already made a few pages and cards. I haven’t completely unpacked, but since I can find my kits and my scrap paper folders, I can make do until I get my paper unpacked and sorted.

I am amazed at how much stuff I had, and how much I had crammed into my previous 7’x9′ craft space. My carefully thought out plan has undergone some serious revisions, and will definitely be adjusted as I figure out what works and what doesn’t work in the new space.

It’s still a high holy mess, but both the kids and I can get creative now, which is a much higher priority than making it look lovely.

I’ll walk you around: First off is the computer desk, which was important for me to move into the craft room so I could both watch how-tos while creating, and have company as well. Next are the two file cabinets, one with business and record keeping information, and the other with folders sorted by color for scraps, and memorabilia on the bottom. My wide format printer is on top of that, and next to it is my main work desk. (With works in progress on it!) I’ve got a narrow folding table in the corner where I’ve stashed all my most frequently used tools and accessories. In conjunction with the matching table in the opposite corner, it also acts as legs for the table top my son and I made with plywood and scrapbook paper.

Next to the second folding table, I have the breakfast bar that we used in the old house as counter space. That will be my stamping station. I tried to keep all my stamp related storage either under the table, or right next to it. The metal locker holds kids craft supplies. Then there’s the cart from the old kitchen that I’m going to keep my cricut and sizzix on, and finally a small kitchen table from my mother’s old apartment for my sewing machine. Although right now, I’m using it to sort paper.

I’m trying to keep storage either under the tables, or in the closets. One of my big goals is to have plenty of workspace. Hopefully I can arrange things so that they’re easy enough to put away, and every flat surface doesn’t become a place for another pile.

As you can see, this is still a work in progress. I haven’t got everything in the most logical place yet, because I’m not sure where the most logical place is right now. I’m working with the idea of having task stations, to see how effective that is. What I need to do now is see how I scrap in this space, and then I can make adjustments as needed.

That’s your next step if you’re following along. You’ve gathered inspiration pieces, created a space plan for your big pieces, and now you are going to pay attention to how you scrapbook. What do you reach for all the time? What do you use rarely? Do you look for your tools and materials based on color or topic or technique? Once you know how you use your stash, you can start organizing it.

Next week, I’ll show you my closet, and some fun storage ideas I adapted from things I found on pinterest.

If you want to share your craft space, you can upload pictures to the gallery. I’ll see if I can find a decent picture of the table top my son and I made, and post it there for you.

–Heather

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