She who dies with the most craft supplies wins, right?
Wrong.
She who has the most craft supplies probably has no time to craft because she can never find what she’s looking for and she is slowly going broke from buying the same thing she knows must be in the back of the cupboard somewhere. Can you relate?
Crafting should be fun. It should be something you enjoy doing to relax and unwind. But when you have a cluttered craft room it can actually inhibit your enjoyment of crafting. And we don’t want that!
It can feel like it’s all too much but I’m going to make it easy for you with my tips for how to declutter a craft room. It will be painless (provided you don’t step on any pins in the process – ouch) and you’ll be back to your favourite crafty things in no time.
Before I get onto the actual how to declutter a craft room and my craft room organization hacks, I want to talk a bit about the process. It is a process and it can have a lot of emotion attached to it which you need to address before you even think about decluttering.
Look at everything at once
If you love Marie Kondo as much as I do, you’ll know that she recommends you tackle a single category of items all in one go. Craft items would fall under the “komono” category.
By pulling everything out of the cupboards you will be able to see exactly what you have and can make sound decisions on what to keep – the things that bring you joy – and those to throw.
Start by pulling everything out of the cupboards and then group like items together. Craft amnesia is a thing – well, if it’s not, it should be – so you’ll probably be quite amazed at what you find.
Be honest with yourself
Ok. so maybe this is the part that will hurt a little. Being honest with yourself isn’t easy. But to declutter your craft room this is where you have to start.
Are you really ever going to find time for cross stitch, resin pouring, macramé AND crochet?
Is that scarf you have been knitting for the last five winters ever going to be finished?
Will you ever make anything with all that cute fabric you bought because it was on sale?
If the answer is yes, great!
If the answer is no, it’s time to start making some decisions about what to do with those supplies and materials.
I’m obsessed with Erin Condren stationery so I have A LOT of it. It’s ok to keep something if you love it, but in order to accommodate my Erin Condren obsession I need to look at what else I can declutter to make room for it.
Get organised
An organised craft room will look different for everyone because we all have different craft interests.
For those who have a Cricut or Silhouette machine you will likely have vinyl rolls and flat sheets of cardstock that need to be organised. The storage you require will be quite different than a seamstress who has a fabric for every occasion.
Once you know what you have, head to Target or Dollartree and find storage tubs and containers that will suit YOUR needs. Don’t forget to take measurements before you go so you know the space you are working with.
While you are organising your craft supplies, you could even go through a second culling process. You’ve got some momentum so ask yourself some more honest questions and perhaps you can make some more room for crafty pretties you will actually use.
Find a new home for your favourites
So, what do you do with all of the supplies you have culled from your craft room? You’ve spent a lot of money on them so you don’t want to throw them in the bin! But there are alternatives, like:
- Sell them on Marketplace, Gumtree or eBay and get some of your money back.
- Donate them to a local school or child care centre – they will often accept donations of quality arts and crafts materials.
- Pass them onto a friend. You obviously don’t want to contribute to someone else’s clutter but if you have a friend who will use them then why not?!
- Take them back to the store – if it’s something you have purchased recently, you haven’t used it and you have the receipt then you may be able to get your money back.
You also need to be honest with yourself here. If something genuinely is rubbish, you need to throw it out.
Make time for your hobby
The most important part of this process is what you do once you have decluttered your craft room. And that is to make time for your craft.
If a cluttered craft room where you can’t find anything has been holding you back from indulging in your passion then now is the time to change that. If you love knitting or paper craft or painting, make time for it.
Part of the decluttering process should also be about setting up space for you to craft. Whether that is a large desk or a small lap table, a clutter free craft room is one that you enjoy spending time in. It is your happy place.
How to declutter a craft room step by step
- Take everything out of the cupboards, drawers, shelves etc. If your craft supplies have spread to other rooms in the house, bring them all into the craft room.
- Decide which items to keep and which to throw, dividing the supplies into categories or like items as you go.
- Buy storage containers to fit your space and then organise the remaining supplies into the storage. If something doesn’t fit, you need to find a home for it or cull further.
- Discard of the craft supplies you are no longer keeping.
- Live a happy crafty life.
I hope my tips have helped you in your decluttering journey! For more organisation and planning tips you can sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook or Instagram.
What are your tips on how to organize craft supplies or how to organize a craft room?
Read next:
- 33 Super Fast Things to Declutter Right NOW!
- 13 Quick Things to Declutter Right Now + Free Decluttering Checklist
- 13 Quick Things to Declutter + Free Decluttering Checklist
