These 10 craft room storage tips helped me turn a small space into my dream craft room! But let’s rewind for a minute… Have a craft room, they said. It will be fun, they said! In reality, a room that was once a cozy bedroom became a dangerous mess, not to mention a fire hazard! Sick of swimming in a disarray of supplies that I couldn’t actually use, I started organizing. But since I couldn’t afford the famous $2,000 folding Deambox *drools*, I have to improvise.
1. IKEA Plastic Bag Dispenser
No, I don’t suggest you craft with plastic bags, although you can crochet with plarn (using plastic bags as yarn.) So whether you are storing plastic bags or, rolls of paper or in my case, Cricut vinyl sheets, you can use IKEA’s plastic bag dispenser. The holes in it are perfectly positioned to fit up to 14 rolls! I have seen various crafters do this so I wonder if a majority of the sales are for kitchen or craft room use. VARIERA is available in IKEA for just $2.99 and is super easy to assemble and hang.
Thank you House of Hepworths for the photo below. Also check out their article on 35 ways that you can use this amazing and versatile $2.99 IKEA product. Spoiler alert, they suggest using them to store yarn, gift wrapping paper, and even as a hay dispenser for bunnies.
2. Hooks and Dowels
Washi tape and ribbons are a lot of fun to work with. Washi tape is particularly addictive and you go from having a few rolls to having a giant box of them. It’s not wrong to store them in a big box but it can be hard to find the ones you are looking for. Plus there’s the whole out of sight, out of mind thing that had me neglecting this fun craft supply for months! It took a few minutes on Pinterest to get inspired.
All it takes is a few hooks and dowels to hang your Washi tape or ribbons in a way that’s pretty and practical! In my case I bought yellow hooks to stand out against my purple walls. I did use dowels at first but they sagged under the weight so I switched to metal bars from an unused shoe rack! If you have saggy wooden dowels I recommend adding a hook in the middle for support. Now my Washi tape is proudly on display and easy to use.
3. Magnetic Sheets
One of my newer obsessions are embossing dies for die-cutting. If you have any experience with them then you know that they can be finicky, dainty and contain tiny pieces. Magnetic sheets are a great way to store these in a way that looks great and is easy to access plus safe to store. I didn’t want to damage the wall too much since I love to change my mind a lot so I stuck them to a peg board. However, you can stick them to shelves and doors – scroll down for more ways to take full advantage of doors in your craft room.
4. Cardboard Storage for Paper
I don’t have a huge amount of paper for crafting. But even with a few paper projects, I wanted a cute way to store it. Turns out that paper storage organizers are pricey! I ended up buying one made of cardboard because it was the cheaper option. Part of me was skeptical that it would be sturdy enough but it held up! Plus I got a plain white one that I can decorate as I please. I am thinking stickers cause I have a bunch with no other use for. Speaking of which, I happen to store my many sticker books in the organizer too.
https://www.amazon.com/Classroom-Keepers-Construction-Storage-10-Slot/dp/B001I1J6VO
5. Plastic Parts Storage Hardware and Craft Cabinet
I have an Etsy store that I will shamelessly advertise at the end of this article. I mostly sell earrings and have over 300 listings. Some of these listings have various color options and since I’ve been doing well, I am working on upping my stock so that I have up to 50 pairs of every kind of earring. Sounds simple, but in reality it is daunting to keep it all in order.
Today I own eight Akro-Mils 10164 64 drawers. In a few months I may have twelve. I don’t only use these myself, but have recommended them to a few earring-obsessed customers who now store the hundreds of earrings they buy from me in these convenient storage containers! Here’s a picture of a long time ago when I only had six. By the way, you can easily hang them on the wall. Plus thy come with dividers in case you need some extra organization. They cost about $35 on Amazon and are super sturdy.
6. Book Shelf as Machine Storage
Many crafters dabble in multiple crafts. In all honestly, its like an addiction and it is two hobbies in one – doing the crafting and collecting the crafting supplies go hand in hand. I am not that bad and have an embossing machine, a Cricut Explore Air 2, a sewing machine and a photo printer. In my dreams I own an entire house for crafting with a separate area and table for each machine. In reality I have one small table and I keep all my machines on a shelf next to it to use when needed.
You can use a bookshelf that suits your needs. However, I recommend the $20 LAIVA bookcase from IKEA. As you can see, its the perfect size for all my machines. Since there is some extra space on some of the shelves, I use undershelf baskets typical for kitchens to make the most of my space. You can get these on Amazon or your local hardware/furniture store. I bought this particular one at Savers for a dollar.
7. Spice Rack
Spice racks are pretty and SO useful in a craft room. If you have a smaller space like me, you simply have to utilize every inch of wall space. I could have super high ceilings and I’d be sticking spice racks beyond reach and simply invest in a good ladder. These spice racks are great for many craft supplies as well as nail polish.
Since I’m mid-move my craft room is all packed up and this is the best photo I have. Just use your imagination and picture Washi tape, bottles of Mod Podge and a million other things that could be stored and displayed in these. Oh and you get get these on Amazon for $24, but there are cheaper ones out there that are less fancy.
8. Peg Board
Peg boards are pretty self explanatory. They are extremely versatile and once again, it’s a great way to utilize that wall space. I like to hang my tools on my pegboard as well as stickers, necklace chains and more! You can spend a pretty penny on a fancy little peg board, or go to Home Depot. Once again, you can always bedazzle a plain board to your liking for extra inspiration in your craft room.
9. Cube Shelf
Cube shelves are super cute but they can be hit and miss when it comes to practicality. I used the one I bought in Walmart to split up my room and to store boxes of supplies in. You can buy boxes that fit it perfectly but I don’t find them too practical for my needs. I prefer to fill them with clear boxes (thanks Marie Kondo) that I mostly buy at the Dollar Tree. Mine has gone through two moves and is a little rickety but it still works and it’s stylish to boot!
10. Utilize Doors
Doors are my secret weapon when it comes to organizing my craft room. They are like wall space, but BETTER because they are double sided! I’m probably moving to a place where my craft room will be even smaller so I plan on using my doors to the max. I plan on sticking my magnetic sheets to one door, hanging a shelf or a shoe organizer. I also put a few nails in for hanging things.
Currently, I use the inside of my closer door to hang my necklaces. There are many ways to use doors for organizing your craft room and other rooms of the house if you lack storage space. Just keep in mind that doors swing so you don’t want anything fragile to break if a draft creeps up and slams it.
Bonus: Dollar Tree Raid
I only moved to the USA recently but I was quite shocked by how much things cost here. Michael’s, for example, is great. I could probably spend an entire day exploring there. But their boxes, even when 50%, off are expensive! Especially when you need to buy dozens, like I do. Our local Dollar Tree knows us as the crazy Tupperware shoppers. We buy small containers for as little as 5 for $1 but they have larger ones too. Before you buy a bunch of boxes, test how tightly they close. Some of the ones I bought pop open so I keep them shut with rubber bands.
Summary
There are so many ways to maximize the storage in your craft room on a budget. There are so many every day items such as a plastic bag dispenser that is not only practical but helps beautify your creative space! I also recommend that you join this amazing Facebook group for tips. Beware, they will fuel your addiction! Also, some of these people have obnoxiously awesome craft rooms that will make you feel inadequate but inspired. A nice lady in group let me use her room as the feature image for this article and was modest enough to not want credit.
Shameless Promotion of Everyfelt
My craft room used to be just a hobby but it has slowly morphed into a business! Check out my store, Everyfelt, to see what I store in all my organizers. This article highlights some of my craziest listings!
