How To Organize Your Craft Room

So, it sounds like maybe you’re having a hard time getting your craft room 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.

It might make the most sense for you to just start over or maybe you need to rework some things, but not everything. It’s also possible that a little tweaking here and there is really all you need.

By the way, this post may contain affiliate links. which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if an item is purchased through one of these links. For more information, please see my full disclosures. 

Regardless of where you are in your organizing journey, The 52 Weeks Challenge will help you find the inspiration you need to keep going.

Over the years, I’ve tried to get organized so many times. Each time, I’ve gotten to a certain point and I’ve given up. So many of the challenges out there left me with a lot of loose ends. I don’t just scrapbook. There’s so much more to my creative space than pretty paper.

I wanted to expand on the idea of an organizing challenge and put together something that would work for all of us. And that, my friends, is how 52 Weeks to an Organized Workspace was born.

Throughout the next 52 weeks, I’ll give you the resources you need to get to where you want to be. I can’t do the work for you, though. Right here and right now, you need to commit to seeing this thing through.

If your endgame is to be organized, then tell yourself that you can do it and actually do it. No excuses.

Do you remember when you started college and you no longer had someone forcing you to get up and go to class? Did you slack off or did you drag your exhausted 18-year-old self out of bed each morning and get the job done?

You see, I got smart. I signed up for all evening classes. Lol… I’m so not kidding.

Point is that one way or another, you did what you needed to do. Sometimes, you had better things to do (like sleep), and sometimes it outright sucked, but you did it anyhow.

You wanted your college degree and you made it happen. So, if that’s what you need to do, do it. Imagine this is a college class, I’m your instructor, and your finished creative space is your final grade.

Are you ready? Let’s do this thing.

Let’s take this process and break it down into manageable steps. We’re going to work through one thing each week for the next year. Why for a year? Because if you take your time, think through it, and do things intentionally, the end result is going to be a craft room that you can’t get enough of. And that’s exactly what you want.

The perfect creative space is one where you walk in, sit down, and you have absolutely no desire to get up. Well, it’s also a possibility that you might just be tired because a certain little someone wouldn’t let you sleep last night, but I digress.

Here’s what you just got yourself into.

52 Weeks to an Organized Workspace

Planning A Creative Space

• Week 1 – Take A Look Around
  Spend some time thinking about it. What do you have versus what do you want?
• Week 2 – Do Something Creative
  Make something. Pay attention to your process. What’s working and what’s not?
• Week 3 – Making A List
  Write down what you love and what you hate, what you need and what you want.
• Week 4 – Putting It All Together
  Take everything you’ve done thus far and put together a plan for your new space.

Making Things With Paper

Paper

• Week 5 – Scraps
  All those little bits & pieces of left-over paper
• Week 6 – Patterned Paper – By Color
  Color me crazy.
• Week 7 – Patterned Paper – By Collection
  Do you organize by collection?
• Week 8 – Solid Cardstock
  The collection that keeps growing.
• Week 9 – Projects In Progress & Kits
  What are you working on right now?

Embellishments

• Week 10 – Alphas & Numbers
  Say it and spell it.
• Week 11 – Stickers & Rub-ons
  Stick ’em up.
• Week 12 – Die Cuts
  Too little, too late.
• Week 13 – All The Small Things
  You love ’em. You hate ’em. You can’t live without ’em.

Tools

• Week 14 – Adhesives
  Stuck like glue.
• Week 15 – Punches
  How to store bulky tools
• Week 16 – Mini Albums
  How many is too many?
• Week 17 – Albums & Sheet Protectors
  Do you have a system?
• Week 18 – Photos, Negatives, Memorabilia, & Ephemera
  All those things you just had to keep.

Pockets & Planners

• Week 19 – Cards & Card-Making Supplies
  Greetings, my friend.
• Week 20 – Pocket Pages
  Document the everyday.
• Week 21 – Planners
  To plan or not to plan.
• Week 22 – Tools & Supplies
  Unto each their own.

Ready, Set, Get Messy

Paper & Ephemera

• Week 23 – Journals
  Are you a journaler?
• Week 24 – Paper
  It all has a purpose.
• Week 25 – Book Paper, Sheet Music, Etc.
  Makin’ a mess with mixed media.
• Week 26 – Bits & Pieces
  Little odds and ends that’ll end up in your books.

Messy Stuff

• Week 27 – Gesso & Texture Mediums
  It’s all about the texture.
• Week 28 – Ink, Ink Pads, Mists, & Embossing
  Splattered and sprayed.
• Week 29 – Paint, Glitter, Stickles
  A few too many options.
• Week 30 – Pens, Pencils, Markers
  Write Now.

Tools

• Week 31 – Stamps
  Rubber and cling and acrylic, oh my!
• Week 32 – Templates & Masks
  Let’s get some designs on those pages.
• Week 33 – Paint Brushes
  Too many to choose from
• Week 34 – Texture Supplies
  Got bubble wrap?
• Week 35 –  Heat Tools
  It’s gettin’ hot in here.

Smile For The Camera

Digital

• Week 36 – Books – Print & Digital
  You can never have too many books.
• Week 37 – Ideas & Inspiration
  Tackle your to-do list once and for all.
• Week 38 – Fonts
  Do we really need so many?
• Week 39 – Dies & Die Cutting Machines
  What are these and where did they come from?
• Week 40 – Digital Photos
  Your hard drive must hate you.
• Week 41 – Hardware & Software
  Back up those precious pictures.
• Week 42 – Camera Equipment
  Keep on keepin’ on.
• Week 43 – Workshops
  Lifetime access is both a blessing and a curse.

Completely In Stitches

Jewelry Making & Metal Stamping

• Week 44 – Tools
  Where’s the toolbox?
• Week 45 – Beads
  Beads and baubles.
• Week 46 – Charms
  Isn’t this charming?
• Week 47 – Findings
  Clips and Clasps
• Week 48 – Wire, Chain, Etc.
  Here’s to being held together.

Sewing, Quilting, & Yarn

• Week 49 – Ribbon, Fiber, & Thread + Fabric
  A rainbow of possibilities.
• Week 50 – Scissors & Trimmers
  Cut the Crap.

Making Your Creative Space Awesome

• Week 51 – Wrappin’ It Up
  All the Pretty Things
• Week 52 – Making Organization A Habit
  How much is too much?

Take a deep breath. It isn’t as bad as it looks, I promise. Read through the list a little slower before you have a panic attack. Note that there are probably quite a few weeks you’ll be bored to tears because you’re either happy with how you have it organized or you don’t have anything that needs to be organized.

Either way, doesn’t that make you feel a little better already? And I’m willing to bet there are lots of easy weeks too. These are the weeks where you only have a few of whatever it happens to be that we’re organizing. Psst… I did that on purpose.

So exactly how is this thing going to work? Each Wednesday, the pinned post in our 52 Weeks Facebook group will tell you everything you need to know for the week. Why Wednesday? It gives you a few days to brainstorm and then the entire weekend to work on it. By Monday, you should be just about ready to get started with the next challenge.

If you’re not, no worries. Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s better to be behind than to give up. I’d rather you take your time and get it right than try to get ahead and end up hating it.

This is also where you’ll find a link to each week’s challenge as well as a to-do list to keep you on track. Some weeks, I’ll also post a list of resources.

You can play along as much or as little as you want. And if we need to make changes to accommodate the group as a whole, we can and we will. Just let me know what works for you.

Here’s your to-do list for this week.

• Introduce yourself.
• Share your creative space.
• Answer the question of the week.
• Tell us what you’re struggling with.
• Print the weekly checklist.
• Invite your friends to play along.

If you need anything, don’t hesitate to email me. Just please keep in mind that I work full-time, freelance part-time, and homeschool the little guy and baby girl. On that note though, I’m almost always online late at night after the kiddos go to bed, so that’s usually a great time if you want to chat.

Psst… If you haven’t already, you’re definitely going to want to come hang out with us in our 52 Weeks Facebook group. That’s where we’ll be chatting about the challenges and our creative spaces.

What’s the status of your creative space? It might make the most sense for you to just start over or maybe you need to rework some things, but not everything. It’s also possible that a little tweaking here and there is really all you need. Leave a comment and share.

Thanks so much for visiting and remember to keep an eye out for your first challenge in a few days. In the meantime, have an awesome weekend!