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As an avid crafter and self-proclaimed DIY gal-around-town, my hugest obstacle to getting stuff done is staying organized. When you have feathers, crepe paper, foam core and paints always at the ready, it is really hard to find them a permanent home. And you’d think with the daily reminders from my husband to clean up the crafting supplies all over the living room floor (that I was totally too lazy to pick up after shooting a DIY for the blog) that I would have a grasp at how to make this work.
Well, I am getting there. I am learning. I have been working from home now for about eight months and I need to remember that our entire condo is not our office. I have a dedicated space and I need to stick to it – for the sake of our belongings, our design aesthetic and probably for the sake of my marriage! Like most other married crafters I know, their husband doesn’t appreciate leaving the house with random glitter in his hair or on his face. Haha! So, keeping organized in a dedicated small space is tricky but it also makes you reevaluate your furniture choices and what supplies you absolutely need to keep around. Like everything you need to make your own jewellery.
This past weekend I decided to move my replica tulip table out of the office and swap it with our larger kitchen table. The kitchen table is long and useful for photographing and working on bigger projects. I usually end up out in the kitchen to work on my DIYs so why waste good eating space with hot glue and glitter junk? Now, we have a smaller kitchen table but it actually opens up the space more and is more comfortable to sit at when it is just Byron and I. And now I have this lovely big table in my office that can hold my iMac, sewing machine, cutting mat and paper roll. I am loving it already.
One thing I definitely need more of is shelf space. I have four IKEA Billy bookcases and two small Expedits full of stuff and I am definitely taking a second look at what is on there. I have decided to pack up all of our paperbacks and novels for now. Not only are they taking up valuable supply space but they are really only there for sentimental value and also to make us look super smart. We aren’t going to be re-reading them anytime soon so into boxes and storage they go. I want to make back issues of my favourite magazines more readily available as well as art and photography books that I can grab for daily inspiration. The empty shelves I want to utilize with bins and boxes to organize the supplies I want on hand.
How do I organize within the boxes? Simple, I use my favourite organizational tool out there – ZIPLOC BAGS! These are especially great for loose crafting supplies like beads, paper scraps and past projects. I also like to keep similar tools and supplies in them. I just bagged up all of my glue into one bag so it is at the ready anytime I need them for a crafting event or big project. Seriously, you will thank me for this one.
All in all, the key to staying organized in a somewhat chaotic place is to determine how you work as a crafter and how to compliment your process in the best way possible. You might need to change around your furniture or invest in some new pieces but when you get the formula right, you will be so much more productive and creative than you have ever been!
image by kait kucy
