Oh how I miss having a craft room. As many of you know, we sold our home earlier this year and are renting while we build, so space is extremely limited. But, as we are starting our design process I am dreaming of ways to organize my craft room in our new home.
National Clean Up Your Craft Room Day
Clean Up Your Room Day is a day parents eagerly await……….. and kids dread!
If you’ve got kids, it is very possible that their rooms are a vast wasteland, completely filled with “good stuff”. “Messy” is too kind of an adjective to describe the conditions. Its impossible to walk through the room. Every dresser and shelf (and under the bed), is packed with everything imaginable. Dust has been piling up as long as your child has been around. Comfy, cozy, and quite livable to the child, its an everyday source of frustration for the “folks”.
To mom and dad’s delight, and every child’s chagrin, Clean Up Your Room Day arrives every May 10th. Get out the shovels. Call in an industrial sized dumpster. Its time for everyone to clean your rooms!http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/May/cleanuproomday.htm
Note to Kids: Clean Up Your Room Day also applies to your parents. You may want to inspect to assure that mom and dad practice what they preach!
So maybe it is not specific to craft room. But, now we have an excuse to give our children a job and we may have some time on our hands to organize our own space. Don’t take this time to do the dreaded bathroom, laundry, hall closet or such. Instead, let’s have some fun and dive into our craft space.
Tidy Up Our Craft Room
In my previous home I had a lovely designated space for my office/craft room. I even wrote a fun post about creating the display I made, it includes a tutorial on how I customized a wall hanging with crochet. Check out the entire post HERE.
But, What if I am not a tidy person?
I know many of you are the type that have tried over and over again to organize and clean your room and are at a point where you are going to give up. That is okay! My friend Debbie over at Madame Stitch has a great article just for you, “How working in a Messy Office Space Keeps me Productive & Happy”.
Tips & Storage ideas for your Craft Room
Since I don’t have a home office right now and can only dream, I wanted to share some ideas from other crocheters out there.
Yarn Labels
Check out how Jo to the World organizes her yarn labels after a project has been completed. This is a great way to see your yarn and reference it from past projects. I would recommend adding a note in the envelope on what project I used the yarn on.
What about if you are winding yarn into cakes or balls and want to keep the label with the yarn. This is something I would recommend so you have the correct info for future stash busting projects. Check out these great suggestions from Sweet Bee Crochet.
Yarn Stash Organization for your Craft Room
If you have so much yarn you are not sure what to do with it, read how to organize it in 4 easy steps. This tutorial by Ambassador Crochet helps break it down into a manageable process. You will feel like you have accomplished so much when you are done.
Here are 7 steps, from Desert Blossom Crafts, you can take to help you prepare to organize your stash. I love step 1 to access your current situation and then #2 to list out what your goals are with your re-organization. It is good to have a plan laid out.
I love the idea of storing yarn in a hutch, I actually had one about 4 years ago (but, when we moved I had to sell it). You are going to love this video from This Yellow Farmhouse, she did such a lovely job of storing her yarn and creating a beautiful display space.
Shopping your Stash
Now that your stash yarn is labeled and organized you have to feel amazing. Now when you find a new pattern to work up, life is going to be fun when you find a pattern to help you use up that yarn. I love this article by Dora Does, she gives lots of suggestions on shopping your stash for those new patterns.
Pattern Organization
Go ahead and admit it, you have so many patterns you loose track of them. Your not alone. If we are all honest we are all in the same boat. I usually keep mine saved digitally, but when I actual use the patterns I print them so I can make notes on them. What should I do with them when I am done?
Here is a great tutorial from Sweet Bee Crochet on organizing a binder. This isn’t just for crochet though, as I read her blog post I was thinking I need to do this for my recipes too.
I’m Ready Now
After reading all these great articles I am definitely inspired to organize my own craft room, or area, next year when we get to move into our new home. I hope you found some of these suggestions and tips helpful. Come join my Crochet & Conversations Facebook group to share your craft space, your tips and your ideas with me.
A few more fun reads about cleaning up your craft space
- How I keep my small space tidy – Creative Snugglies – click HERE
