Cheap n' Chic: Tips for Setting up a Quick Craft Room

I just spent a few hours to start putting together my craft room, since i've picked up the new hobby of "stamping" and I need to put all that stuff somewhere! I did manage to step away from the Stampin' Up catalogue from Genevieve (I can hear my friends and family laughing here), and put up some shelving and did some re-organizing. I know a few of you have asked me advice on how to create your own craft space on a very limited budget, so here are some tips that I hope will help!

Organizing a craft room is all about keeping things you need in efficient reach, without having to see everything on your table.

TIP 1: Invest in inexpensive boxes (you can find them at Ikea or Homesense) to file away your papers and tools. You dont necessarily need a big working space if it's kept clean. Next to the desk I created a makeshift shelf to hold my ink pads and punches which I regularly use.
TIP 2: Bulletin boards covered with fabric are also inexpensive and add colour to the room (since I haven't gotten around to painting). I also stuck two cork sheets on the wall from the Dollar Store for extra space.

 Here's a standard shelf from Ikea that the previous owners left. I hold all my floral, craft, drawing/painting and rental supplies here.

 TIP 3: Here i've used old chocolate box dividers and tackle box trays as an inexpensive way to organize your little buttons, ribbons, and tags.

 TIP 4: Use picture rails to display things like paper, stamps, etc. I like to see what i've got on hand, so I can figure out what to create. I scored on two of these for $2, but you can find them at Ikea as well.

 TIP 5: Floating shelves add an extra dimension to your room as well as display space for your collections. Here are some (ahem... yes, I have more, i'm an addict) of my ribbons... I'm on the lookout for a better option here because it's clearly not big enough but it'll do for now! For my trimming collection, I use old cardboard and wrap it around.

 TIP 6: Use gift or chocolate boxes to store extra ribbon ends or papers

 TIP 7: Use every inch of space! I use this closet to house part of my floral stems (if you're into that, use large heavy bottomed vases). I also used the closet rails as a gift wrap/ tissue paper rack for now :)

TIP 8: My favourite tip of the day is to use your crafts as a part of your artwork! Have old scissors that are dull, or pencils that are too stubby? Try framing them in a shadow box and hang it in your craft room. Above, I stamped a simple image of a bunny and scribbled my initials. Instant art!

Need help putting together your craft room? Call Creative Design Therapy and we'll put together a plan for you or implement a design that will make your crafts and tools shine.