Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Organizing Craft Supplies

Use a SPINNING SPICE RACK to hold small items such as brads, eyelets, rhinestones and more.

TACKLE BOXES: At Walmart you can find really cheap tackle boxes. These are great and open up to where it is easy to find anything.


SHOE CADDY: An over the door shoe caddy. These are nice because you can get clear ones and see everything you have. You can also find these at the dollar store.


PENS AND PENCILS: With pens and pencils, you're going to want to keep these close. Old mugs, planters and such things work great.


CLEAR STAMPS: I buy baseball card sheets. The kind that are 8 x 11 and go into the binder and have 9 pockets. I use these to keep my clear acrylic stamps on. The studio G stamps fit perfectly. If you have larger sheets (which I do) you simply cut them down to fit. Keep the acrylic stamps on the clear sheets that they were on when they were bought. This is what makes them slide easily in and out of the pockets.


STENCILS: I keep all my stencils in binders. If they don't have holes punched in them already, take your hole puncher and make them. If you can't, then slip them in a page protector and add that to your album.


BEADS: I put all my beads in three-drawer desktop organizers. I separate by shape and then by color. I do the same with findings, cords, hardware and plastic bags and business cards, etc. It makes designing a new piece so easy and needed supplies quickly accessed.


BABY FOOD JARS: Use baby food jars to store small items.


STICKERS: Use a file system for your stickers. Sort by Alpha, Girl, Boy, Colors, Shapes..... ANY way that you feel comfortable with finding your items. Keeping Alpha's together is a main recomendation though :)


Use PHOTO ALBUMS to store stickers. It makes it easy to flip through and look for a sticker that you may need.


YARN: Store your skeins of yarn in 2 liter soda bottles. Cut the bottom off, thread the yarn through the top, and tape the bottle back together. No more tangled yarn!


BABY WIPE CONTAINER: Use Baby Wipe Containers and small containers like crystal light, etc. to hold things


START A BUTTON JAR: New garments often have an extra button and is often in a tiny plastic bag attached somewhere to the garment. Instead of discarding the extra button, place it in a jar with a lid and start your own button jar.


FABRIC: Use the inner cardboard liners from bolts of fabrics to store your fabric. Stores will give them to you if you ask. Cut them in half and use them to wrap individual yardages around and store, upright, in those legal-sized cardboard boxes you get from office supply stores. You have only to glance at the top of the box to see what fabric you have in storage and each piece of fabric is the same size and standing straight up in the box.


Revamp a BAKER'S RACK for organizing your supplies 



I will be updating the list frequently on my facebook page too! 

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