Craft space tour, short video here: https://youtu.be/TiDXU0zI0Rs
Small, multifunction room using low-cost storage
Download my labels here: https://papercraftcrystal.com/2023/04/30/your-craft-space-can-look-better-in-an-hour/
Room is about 11.5’ x 11.5’ and it serves as guest bedroom (hence the futon), work from home office, family records storage, and craft space. That’s 3.5 meters per side, or 12.3 square meters. It’s 132 square feet and is, to be best of my ability to determine, dead average size for a secondary bedroom in the US. This room was filled piecemeal, so no matching custom cabinetry here – it’s mostly low-cost storage.
The largest expense was the shelves. These are modular hanging system with solid shelves (wood covered with white laminate), readily available at big box home improvement stores although the solid shelves are not always an option. This is a modular hanging system with solid shelves, readily available at home improvement stores. Similar set-up today would cost about $1200. This is Elfa, but the prices are pretty similar to Closetmaid at Lowe’s. It’s eight vertical tracks, 32 brackets, and about 50’ of shelves.
The finished albums and journals are on the left side, since that’s hard to reach over the futon. The top shelf holds photo boxes. Every box on the shelves is labeled with a large, easily read, accurate tag. I can read these from across the room.
The cardboard magazine holders for 8 1/2 x 11 paper came from the office supply which is much cheaper than craft storage. The 12 x 12 magazine holders came from Scrapbook com. Each spine is labeled with the paper color, and I use crumpled paper or the air bags from shipping to fill in any loose spots so the paper stays vertical(-ish.)
White cardstock 8 1/2 x 11 is in office paper trays, separated by weight.
I analyzed my issues with cleaning and found that when I picked up the room I ran out of steam / interest with a pile of paper and a pile of stamps and dies left so I made a tidy-up bin for each of these categories. The bin on top of the white cardstock is the stamps and dies that need to be re-filed.
I buy card bases ready-made from The Paper Mill Store. The Desert Storm is available in envelopes, but I had the cardstock custom cut and scored and folded it myself. Their prices are very reasonable if you need bulk volume.
The next most expensive storage item is the carts. I’m using three Raskog carts from Ikea, currently $40 apiece. I like these for stamps and dies especially because I can roll them over and flip through all the items. I’ve got a significant number of punches and steel rule dies on these carts and they are sturdy enough to handle the weight. Those are not easy to flip through, so for those I rely on a swatch book.
The stamps and dies are grouped by clear stamps, rubber stamps, clear stamps with matching dies, standalone dies. The dies are grouped so that all of one word are together, all word dies are together, all cover dies are together, and so forth.
Under the futon I have a folding table. This is adjustable-height and the lowest height is about 20” which is perfect as an extra work surface or drying surface.
Work tables bought used from work, steel with laminate tops, 5.5’ long 2.5’ deep. These would be about $200 new if you opt for metal but used tables were $5 each. I bought four. I have some large silicone baking mats and smaller silicone placemats down for any crafty mess; since these are meant for the kitchen they were inexpensive.
One task chair was cast off from work when we moved offices, the other I bought when my crafty friend Denise complained that my 40 year old desk chair my mother bought me in college was too hard.
The small tables are a pair of old Ikea night stands (that they no longer sell) that are 14” square and 18” tall. The 18” height is perfect for die-cutting from my work chair. My tidy-up paper bin is on the shelf for this table.
The shelves on this side, over the tables, hold a variety of different boxes and bins. That’s 14 different styles of containers. I added consistent labels to bring some visual cohesiveness. I’ll link to my blog where you can download these labels if you want them. The vertical storage spot is from the kitchen section and holds my stamp platforms, embossing tray and similar items. The plastic bowl holds my stamp-cleaning chamois.
The mini-ink pads are labeled by color group. I consistently use punched shapes in color paper to indicate anything sorted by color.
The next highest cost storage is the ink pad storage. I’m using two units of Best Craft Organizer Porta Ink Dual Swivel Traveler (https://www.scrapbook.com/store/bss-300pi1002.html ). The “traveler” part is the optional strap which I have not attached. These are currently $90 apiece and each one holds 48 ink pads. I bought one and I was given one when Denise remodeled her whole craft room and no longer needed hers. Denise had her whole room re-made by a closet company – it’s a palace!
On the desktop I have a couple of lazy susans from the kitchen section. These have some mugs and bowls and empty tin cans holding brushes, frequently used tools, adhesive and so forth. The frame on the wall holds my crafty pins.
Under the tables I have my sewing machine, a travel bag (a Christmas gift from Denise), and a bunch of cardboard boxes. Some new, some cast off from work during the last move. Labeling is KEY for opaque boxes. If you don’t know what’s there, it’s lost. Might as well throw it away. My paper trimmer is on top of the boxes, easy to grab by the handle.
In the closet on the right side it’s mostly craft stuff. The plastic bins and drawers have the same labels as the bins on the shelves.
The faux Kallax four-cube shelf is from Target, but the prices at different retailers are pretty similar. The bottom shelf holds wood-mount stamps and magazines. The top shelf has some dormant projects, rolls of paper and Contac paper, and a crop bag of smaller tools. The vertical area is mostly chipboard, and the bookend is my long-reach crop-a-dile.
The top closet shelf and area to the right of the Kallax are not craft supplies. It’s mostly gift wrap, mending kit and stuff like that. The area to the far left is mostly old tax returns and similar records.
On the left side of the closet there is much less craft stuff. There are two boxes that hold miscellaneous craft kits and bits and empty small craft containers. On top of that are a group of plastic bins. some i bought new, some were cast off from work when we disposed of the microfiche. These are mostly paper scraps sorted by color, junky stuff for junk journals, and chipboard.
These plastic bins are about $11 each new, six tubs $66.79 https://amzn.to/467KSpG
Here’s a floor plan for an overview:
Some final thoughts:
Purge. Anything you are rejecting over and over, or moving out of the way to get to something you want, is something you should pass on to someone who would use it.
The best storage is the storage you already own or can find used. Use what you have and label well.
The larger the shopping audience the smaller the price. If you are shopping for storage, start in office supply or kitchen supply and only then turn to craft supply. Embrace cardboard and ziplock bags.
Prices are current as of the day I typed this out (obvs.) Amazon links (if any) are affiliate, others are not. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Or I would, theoretically, if anyone ever followed a link and bought something, which I guess might happen someday.
Papercraft Crystal 