Craft Room Organization Tips
Craft room organization tips don’t have to cost a fortune or involve buying a bunch of fancy storage containers. Sometimes, the best solutions are things you already have tucked away in a your home.
If you love crafting but find yourself spending more time looking for supplies than actually using them, a few simple changes can make a big difference.
Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite inexpensive ways to organize craft supplies using things you may already own, along with a few budget-friendly finds that have worked well for me.
And if you’re looking for more ways to make everyday life a little easier, you’ll find plenty of helpful ideas in my Living a Simple Life guide.
Quick Answer: How do you organize a craft room on a budget?
Start by gathering your craft supplies into groups, such as ribbons, paper, stickers, and painting supplies. Next, look around your home for things you can repurpose.
Mason jars are great for smaller supplies, hanging shoe organizers can hold all sorts of crafting goodies, and baskets or boxes work well for keeping larger items together. The trick is finding inexpensive storage solutions that make your supplies easy to see, grab, and put away.
Craft Room Organization Tips
If you’re lucky enough to have an entire room dedicated to crafting, you probably know how quickly it can fill up with supplies.
And if you’re anything like me, getting rid of those supplies isn’t always easy. After all, you just never know when you might need that random purple button shaped like a grape.
But here’s the good news. You don’t need to spend a fortune on fancy organizers to get your craft supplies under control.
I love finding simple and inexpensive ways to organize using what I already have in a unique and problem solving way. No, it might not always be pretty, but if it works and makes crafting easier, that is a win for me.
Before we get into the organizing ideas, if your craft room is a complete hot mess, you might want to start with my step-by-step guide on How to Declutter a Craft Room over on my sister site, Declutter in Minutes.
Organizing Small Craft Supplies
Small craft supplies can be some of the hardest things to keep organized. Buttons, brads, gift tags, and other little items have a way of getting mixed together, making it difficult to find what you need.
Here are a few inexpensive ways to keep those smaller supplies organized using things you may already have around your home.
1. Use Magnetic Containers for Small Supplies
Magnetic containers are a great way to organize small craft supplies such as brads, buttons, beads, and other tiny items.
To make your own organizer, attach a thin sheet of metal to a wall or the inside of a cabinet door. Fill small magnetic containers with your supplies, sorting them by color or type, and attach them to the metal.
This keeps everything visible and easy to grab without taking up valuable drawer or counter space.
2. Repurpose a Sugar Container for Twine
If you use twine or string for crafting, you know how easily it can become a tangled mess.
An old sugar container is a simple solution. Just place your roll of twine inside and feed the loose end through the opening.
This keeps the twine contained while allowing you to pull out just what you need without removing the entire roll.
3. Use Hanging Organizers for Craft Supplies
The back of a door is a great place to add extra storage, especially if you’re working with a smaller craft room.
Hanging jewelry organizers with clear pockets are perfect for smaller items such as gift tags, stickers, embellishments, and other crafting supplies. You can sort everything by type or size so it’s easy to find what you need.
For larger supplies, look for an over-the-door organizer with roomy pockets. These work well for gift bags, tissue paper, fabric scraps, yarn, and even sewing supplies.
The best part is that you’re using space you already have while keeping your supplies visible, organized, and easy to reach.
4. Repurpose Fishing Tackle Boxes for Buttons
Before buying another craft organizer, take a peek in the garage. Chances are, your husband has an old fishing tackle box or two that he’s no longer using.
These containers are perfect for organizing buttons because the small compartments keep different colors, shapes, and sizes separated.
They’re also great for beads, brads, and other tiny crafting supplies that tend to get mixed together.
5. Use Mason Jars to Organize Thread
Mason jars aren’t just for canning! They’re also a simple way to organize spools of thread without spending money on special storage containers.
Sort your thread by color or type and place the spools inside clean, dry mason jars. Since the jars are clear, you can easily see what you have and grab the color you need.
Keep the jars on a nearby shelf to make finding the right thread quick and easy.
Organizing Medium Craft Supplies
Organizing Ribbons
Ribbons can be tricky to organize, especially when you have different sizes, colors, and types for sewing, quilting, card making, and other crafts.
1. Look for Creative Ways to Store Ribbon Spools
Before buying a ribbon organizer, take a look around your home for something you can use in a different way.
For example, I had a wooden kitchen tray that wasn’t being used, and I realized it was just the right size to hold my ribbon spools. Even though it was made for the kitchen, that didn’t mean it had to stay there!
The trick is to look at what you need to organize and then find something that will work, even if that wasn’t its original purpose.
And if you’d rather have a quick fix, an inexpensive divided desk organizer from Walmart works just as well.
The compartments help keep your ribbons separated, and you can easily move the entire organizer to your worktable when you’re ready to craft.
2. Organizing Paper Punches
Paper punches can be tricky to organize because they’re bulky, heavy, and come in so many different shapes and sizes.
A sturdy metal tray or divided organizer is a great way to keep them together while making it easy to see what you have.
I actually found my solution in the attic! It was a metal organizer I had originally purchased for my kitchen but never liked. Rather than let it sit unused, I brought it into my craft room, and it turned out to be perfect for holding my paper punches.
Since the tray is sturdy, I can pull out the entire collection when I’m working on a project and easily find the punch I need.
Before buying something new, take a look at any organizers you have tucked away around your home. Something that didn’t work in your kitchen, bathroom, or office might be exactly what you need in your craft room.
3. Organizing Stickers and Cutouts
Stickers and paper cutouts can be difficult to keep organized, especially when you have different sizes, shapes, and designs.
A stadium-style organizer is a great solution because the raised compartments allow you to see what you have without sorting through everything.
You can separate your stickers and cutouts by theme, size, or occasion, making it easier to find what you need for your next project.
I use this type of organizer for my most frequently used stickers because it keeps them within reach, and I can easily move the entire organizer to my worktable when I’m crafting.
4. Organizing Themed Paper
Crafting paper can be difficult to organize, especially when you have different colors, patterns, and themes for your projects.
One of the easiest ways to keep your paper organized is to use clear plastic envelopes. These are great for keeping coordinating papers together without mixing up your supplies.
Sort your paper by theme, such as Christmas, birthdays, holidays, or seasons, and give each group its own envelope. You can also organize by color if that works better for the projects you enjoy making.
Look for envelopes that are large enough to hold your paper without bending the corners. Once filled, store them upright in a basket, bin, or on a shelf where you can easily flip through them.
I use this method for my own crafting paper, and it makes finding just the right pattern for a project so much easier.
5. Organizing Scissors, Paintbrushes, and Markers
Scissors, paintbrushes, markers, and other crafting tools are much easier to use when they’re stored upright and within reach.
Before buying special organizers, take a look in your kitchen cupboards for extra coffee mugs, drinking glasses, or small containers you no longer use.
Choose taller containers for paintbrushes and markers and wider, sturdier mugs for scissors. You can even group several containers together on a tray to create a simple organizing station that moves easily from a shelf to your worktable.
This is an inexpensive way to keep your favorite crafting tools organized while giving those extra mugs and glasses a useful new purpose.
6. Use Wall-Mounted Baskets for Craft Supplies
If you’re running out of shelf or drawer space, look at your walls for a little extra storage.
Plastic baskets designed for holding pens, utensils, or silverware can work surprisingly well for craft supplies. Look for lightweight baskets with openings along the sides that you can hang using sturdy hooks or fasteners suitable for your wall.
Use them to hold small containers filled with buttons, brads, beads, or other embellishments. You can also use them for stickers, scissors, or other supplies you want to keep close by.
I actually made my own wall organizers using plastic baskets I already had around the house and a few push pins. It cost me absolutely nothing, and I was able to turn unused wall space into a handy storage area.
Organizing Large Craft Supplies
Larger craft supplies can be a little trickier to organize because they take up more room and don’t always fit into standard storage containers. The good news is that you can often repurpose things you already have to keep these supplies organized and easy to reach.
1. Use a File Holder to Organize Cutting Mats
Here’s a great idea! If you have an old desktop file holder you’re no longer using, try repurposing it to hold your cutting mats.
Instead of stacking your mats on top of one another, a sturdy file holder allows you to store them upright, making it easier to see what you have and grab the one you need.
Just be sure the holder is wide enough to support your mats so they don’t bend or warp.
2. Use a Bookshelf to Organize Fabric
If you enjoy sewing or quilting, you probably have quite a collection of fabric in different colors, patterns, and sizes.
An old bookshelf or cubby organizer is a great way to keep your fabric organized without buying special storage containers.
Simply fold your fabric into similar-sized stacks and arrange them by color, pattern, or type. This makes it easier to see what you have and find the material you need for your next project.
For smaller fabric scraps, try using baskets or bins on the lower shelves to keep those little pieces from getting mixed up with your larger cuts.
3. Use an Old Trash Can to Organize Rolls of Fabric and Paper
Rolls of fabric and craft paper can be awkward to store, especially when they’re too tall or bulky to fit on a shelf.
An old trash can is a great solution for keeping these supplies organized without spending any money. Just make sure it’s clean and dry, then stand your rolls upright inside.
This works especially well for larger rolls of craft paper, wrapping paper, and fabric that you want to keep from getting crushed or lost behind other supplies.
Choose a container that’s tall and sturdy enough to support your rolls, and keep it in a corner or closet where you can easily reach what you need.
How to Organize Unfinished Craft Projects
If you enjoy working on several crafts at once, keeping unfinished projects organized can be a challenge. Before long, you may have supplies scattered across your worktable, making it difficult to pick up where you left off.
One easy solution is to use clear plastic totes to keep each project and its supplies together.
Choose a container large enough to hold everything you need for that project, including tools, materials, patterns, and instructions. This way, when you’re ready to work on it again, everything is in one place.
Clear containers work especially well because you can see what’s inside without opening every tote. And if you’re working on several projects, adding a simple label can make finding the right one even easier.
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More Inexpensive Craft Room Organization Ideas
Sometimes the best craft room organizers are things you already have around your home. Before buying anything new, take a look through your cupboards, closets, and storage areas for containers you could use in a different way.
Here are a few more ideas worth trying:
- Cardboard boxes: Use sturdy boxes to organize bottles of craft paint. Add labels so you can quickly find what you need.
- Laundry baskets: Extra laundry baskets are great for holding larger supplies such as yarn or fabric.
- Shoe boxes: Repurpose sturdy shoe boxes to hold smaller sheets of cardstock, paper scraps, or other supplies.
- Silverware trays: The divided sections work well for organizing markers, colored pencils, and other drawing supplies.
- Coffee containers: Clean, empty coffee containers are useful for holding miscellaneous craft supplies. Add a label to make finding things easier.
- Old baking tins: Muffin tins and other divided baking pans are great for sorting beads, buttons, and small embellishments while you’re working on a project.
You might be surprised by how many useful organizers you already own!
Frequently Asked Questions About Craft Room Organization
Start by using the space you have available, including the backs of doors, empty wall space, and the inside of cabinets. Hanging organizers, wall-mounted baskets, and stackable containers can help you store supplies without taking up valuable floor space. Keep the tools you use most often close to your work area and store less frequently used supplies on higher shelves or in a closet.
Group supplies by type or project and store them in labeled containers. Clear bins work especially well because you can see what’s inside without opening each one. Keep these supplies on higher shelves or in a closet so your everyday crafting tools have the easiest-to-reach spots.
The easiest way to keep a craft room organized is to put supplies back where they belong after each project. Keep a small basket nearby for items that need to be put away, and take a few minutes to clear your worktable when you’re finished. This will make it much easier to start your next project without having to clean up from the last one.
Organizing your craft room doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money on special storage containers. Sometimes, all it takes is looking at what you already own and finding a new way to use it.
Start with one area that’s giving you trouble, whether it’s your ribbons, paper, or those little supplies that always seem to disappear. Find a solution that works for you, and then move on to the next.
Remember, the goal isn’t to have a picture-perfect craft room. It’s to have a space where you can spend less time looking for supplies and more time enjoying the crafts you love.
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