If you’re organizing your craft room on a tight budget, then this post is for you. Here are 10 tips for getting things organized when you’re kinda broke.
Don’t forget to join us in the 52 Weeks Facebook group where you’ll find lots of insight + inspiration for getting your craft room organized and using your stash!
So you’re definitely a creative person and you’ve got this space, right? And this space just happens to be overflowing with paint and ribbon and paper and beads. If you’re organizing your craft room on a tight budget, I’ve got lots of tips for you!
I’m sure you’ve always dreamed of having the perfect studio, one where each and every piece of furniture matches and while we’re at it, all of your organization is awesome. Let’s not forget the $500 rug you fell head over heels for.
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On a related note, I was actually just looking at rugs and my jaw hit the floor as I noticed some of the absolutely ridiculous prices. Seriously? You know I just bought two $20 area rugs from Home Depot? They aren’t exactly the trendiest ones I’ve ever seen, but they get the job done.
And then you wake up and you find yourself back in reality and the unfortunate reality is that you can’t afford to shop at Pottery Barn and The Container Store. For that matter, you can’t afford to shop anywhere.
Some of the most amazing spaces I’ve ever seen were created for practically nothing. They were put together by DIY mamas like us who had a strong desire, but limited funds. How did they do it? Here are my 10 tips for organizing your creative space on a tight budget. Check them out on the next page.
Have you been struggling with the idea of organizing your craft room on a tight budget?
10 Tips for Organizing Your Craft Room on a Tight Budget
1. Give yourself a starting point. Make sure you have a plan and a budget. There’s no sense in wasting your time looking at things you can’t afford. You should have at least a general idea of what you’re looking to accomplish and how much you can spend. Sit down for a few minutes and brainstorm. Create an inspiration board on Pinterest. Keep in mind how you work as you’re planning your organization. Are you more inspired when you can see exactly what you have or are you paralyzed by too much stuff?
2. Have you ever heard the acronym SPACE – sort, purge, assign, containerize, equalize. Notice that containerizing your stuff isn’t anywhere near the top of the list? Yep, there’s a reason for that. You need to take a very hard look at exactly what you have and how much you have before you look for containers. It’s doesn’t matter how awesome the containers you buy are if the categories you’re putting things into make absolutely no sense to you based on the way you work.
3. Shop your kitchen – I can’t even tell you how many amazing containers I’ve found in my kitchen. serving trays
4. The dollar store – Not even kidding. Every time I go in there, I find any number of adorable little containers that would be absolutely perfect for my studio. Luckily, I’ve managed to have enough good sense not to bring anything else home with me lately, but if you’re looking for cheap storage, check out your local dollar store for ideas and inspiration.
5. Have you considered your local thrift store? The odds of you finding craft-specific storage is probably slim, but bonus points to you if you do. Look around and see what you can find, though. Maybe you’ll get super lucky and score a vintage card catalog. Wouldn’t that be awesome? I’ve seriously been looking for one for years now and if I ever find one at the right price, it’ll definitely be mine. Ditto with yard sales and flea markets.
6. When all else fails, ask your friends and family if they have any hand-me-downs. Remember the old wooden cassette holders from way back? A lot of people are using them to store inks these days. You could also use an old dresser to store fabric or paper packs in.
7. Have you checked your local hardware store? I’ll bet you could recreate a lot of awesome and incredibly expensive storage this way. We were at Harbor Freight one day and I found the cutest little revolving tiered rack for $20. Along those same lines, fishing tackle boxes
8. Keep an open mind as you’re looking around. Remember a coat or two of paint can go a long way in taking those $10 shelves from drab to fab. Keep a few gallons of paint around that match your space. All it takes is a little imagination. A table and hutch that was part of someone’s old dining room set would look amazing whitewashed. Google a tutorial and go for it. What do you have to lose?
9. Bust out a hammer and a saw and do it yourself. Looking for something, but can’t find it? Spend some time on Pinterest, make a few notes, and then start building. We have a lot of DIY organization in my creative space. Not handy, but want to be? Find a tutorial online. Into the end result, but not the process? Recruit your husband or your dad. My dad made me an awesome ribbon organizer. He’s also in the process of building me an organizer for my markers. If you or someone close to you is good with this kind of thing, the possibilities are endless.
10. Take your time, buy things on sale, and use coupons. I’ve been collecting organization for my studio for years now. If I’m out and about and find something awesome, I get it. Your creative space will forever be a work in progress. You can’t rush perfection.
Do you have a favorite tip that I forgot to mention for organizing your craft room on a tight budget? Leave a comment and share.
Are you frustrated by how disorganized you are and how little you’re getting done? Join over 15K of us in the 52 Weeks group and let’s work together to get our creative spaces organized one challenge at a time.
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We all make mistakes when it comes to our creative spaces. Some of us just happen to make more than others. I’ve definitely made my fair share of them over the years. I love to shop and I love to organize, which always seems to get me into trouble. Coupons make for some pretty powerful persuasive tools, don’t you think? I mean, c’mon… 40% off? Sign me up! So, it sounds like maybe you’re having a hard time getting your workspace organized. Maybe, you’re frustrated because you have too much stuff and not enough space. You might even think your creative space is a lost cause altogether. Or you think you know what you want, but you’re really not sure. Either way, you’re overwhelmed. So you’re definitely a creative person and you’ve got this space, right? And this space just happens to be overflowing with paint and ribbon and paper and beads. I’m sure you’ve always dreamed of having the perfect studio, one where each and every piece of furniture matches and while we’re at it, all of your organization is awesome. Let’s not forget the $500 rug you fell head over heels for. I love having separate workspaces for each thing I do. That’s just how I think. My brain neatly compartmentalizes things into categories. For me, that looks a little something like this. Please keep in mind that this isn’t an all-inclusive list. I’m just trying to give to an idea of what my sorting process might look like. Make your own awesome DIY scrapbooking kits using supplies that you already have with free printable instructions! Save time and money! You’re definitely going to want to check it out! This week, I thought it would be fun to talk about how I organize all the small things in my creative space. So let’s take a tour inside all of the many baskets and bins I’ve collected over the years and see what’s where at the moment. This is by no means everything, but it at least gives you an idea. So many of y’all asked for a condensed summer version of the 52 Weeks to an Organized Workspace challenge. And let’s face it, sometimes getting in there and getting things done really is the way to go. After all, isn’t the whole point to make stuff and not spend all your time organizing it? When I was organizing my creative space a few years ago, I spent endless hours on Pinterest looking for ideas and inspiration. I created a half-dozen or so boards filled with all of the latest and greatest organizational finds. Anything and everything I thought I could ever possibly want got pinned. And you know what? I still love looking at all of those amazing creative spaces. Do you have too much stuff and too little space? Are you frustrated and overwhelmed with your creative space? It happens and I’m willing to bet there aren’t too many of us who haven’t been there and done that. A few years ago, I shared the 5 Biggest Mistakes I Made When Organizing My Creative Space. Needless to say, that post has quickly become number one. I’m talking hundreds of thousands of page views. Clearly, I’m not the only creative mama who needs a little bit of help with this.Craft Room Organization Hacks for Creative Mamas
The 5 Biggest Mistakes I Made When Organizing My Creative Space
The 52 Weeks Challenge
10 Tips For Organizing Your Creative Space On A Tight Budget
How To Create Craft Room Workspaces that Work For You
How To Make Your Own Awesome DIY Scrapbooking Kits Using Supplies That You Already Have + Free Printable Instructions
How I Organize All The Small Things In My Creative Space
Get Back to Basics with Creative Space Bootcamp
How I Organized My Entire Creative Space
12 Awesome Hacks For Organizing Your Craft Room + Free Printable
After all, that’s why we’re always rearranging and reorganizing. We’re constantly finding new and better ways of doing things… or in this case, organizing things. Check out these 12 awesome must-see hacks for organizing your craft room.
5 Mistakes To Avoid When Organizing Your Creative Space
Thanks so much for visiting and have a great week!
Janet McCormick says
Some great ideas here! I already have plans for a condiment carousel I have that has no lid, as well as a cutlery tray that is taking up space in my garage! Thanks for sharing!
Crisann says
So happy to hear that you found this post helpful, Janet! Thanks for visiting and have an awesome week!
lorraine Williamson says
love the tips thanks for sharing have a great week
Dee says
These are great tips — I really need to get my own space organized! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday! 🙂
Cristi says
Thanks Dee! And you can totally do it! I’d love to see pictures of your space! Thanks so much for visiting and have an awesome week!
Cristi says
Thanks Lorraine! And thanks so much for visiting! Have an awesome week!