Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 492 Comments

How To Organize A Craft Closet

So it turns out I’m Monica Geller. I get questions like those pretty regularly:

  • Q: “I was hoping you could tell us how you organize your crafty supplies…mine seem to be spread all over the house!” – Chris
  • Q: “Can you give us a peak at how/where you store your craft stuff? Is it obvious that I’m kind of hoping you have a secret Monica Geller closet?” – Katie

And my answers are usually all strained and sputtery like this:

  • “Our craft closet is a GIANT mess (and it’s in the guest room so they can peek in there and scream). Everything is piled into a few baskets, and there are even some paper grocery bags going on, so I should probably get on that. I’d love to organize it and share the details with you guys!”

But ladies and germs (oh my gosh, I just turned into my dad for a second there), I finally got annoyed enough to do something about it. So here’s how I tamed the previously untamable chaos that was “the craft closet” (*cue the spooky sound effects*). Here’s my shameful but kind of hilarious before shot of the guest room closet. I swear I didn’t mess this up to have a better after, it actually looked like this for months.

Craft Closet1

And here’s the “how you like me now” after. In the always applicable words of Jay Z… “GET YOUR DANG HANDS UP.” Ok, you might be at work, so I’ll just wave mine around for you.

Craft Closet9

Why are my craft things in the guest room closet anyway? That room has the prettiest view in the house, along with gorgeous afternoon light – so I’d love to creep in there and sew/paint on Sunday afternoons. I’d also love to eventually bring in a dresser or desk that can accommodate my sewing machine so the room can truly multi-task (we do host guests occasionally, but we love using rooms more often if we can).

Let’s get a little closer to the chaos first though, shall we? Does it not look like The Rolling Stones stayed here and trashed it like a truly fabulous hotel room? Except with more hello kitty.

Craft Closet 2

This is the view if you stepped into the closet and turned right (there’s a little alcove in there that got just as full of floor-covering junk).

Craft Closet 3

Not to mention all the craft supplies that had collected downstairs on the dining table (which actually looked a whole lot messier, so to see the true before shot of this in 3D you can check out this house tour video).

Craft Closet 4

The first step of any organizing project of mine involves chocolate. So I had a few Hershey’s Kisses (dark, don’t try to tell me that milk chocolate is as good as dark chocolate because we’ll get into it) and then I got down to business. First I dumped out the paper bag that had a ton of craft supplies in it since our move 7 months ago. Yeaaaahhh… it was time.

Craft Closet 5

Next, Clara helped me assemble one of my two secret weapons for this closet: a Raskog cart from Ikea. Initially I had planned to buy a bunch of those plastic bins and drawers at Target, but I realized that buying two larger and more substantial (not to mention cuter) items might help me keep things under control better for the long haul. Storage areas like garages and attics tend to spiral out of control for us – especially if we use a bunch of cheap plastic systems that can get overfilled, jammed, and broken, so… know thyself.

Building Raskog

Then I took a few days off the project (painting the nursery jumped to the top of the list) but eventually I turned my focus back to The Closet Of Doom and brought in this folding shelf that we’ve had for 8+ years (it’s originally from Bed Bath & Beyond I think) for that alcove on the right. I figured going vertical instead of spreading things out all over the floor made a lot more sense.

Craft Closet 6

The other Ikea item we bought was this white five-drawer cabinet, which I spotted in the as-is section for 25% off. I totally played it cool you guys. Just kidding, I sprinted over and grabbed it like the hamburglar making off with some tasty treats. The fact that it had five awesomely smooth (read: non-plastic) drawers of various heights made it perfect for supplies like paints, brushes, sprays and paint pens – and the already assembled thing was a total bonus. I actually think it’s cute enough to be out of the closet, along with the cart – so perhaps down the line if I get a little sewing desk going on the other wall of this room I can slip the cabinet under it with the cart next to it or something.

Craft Closet 7

The rest of the stuff in the closet are things we previously had – like that hanging fabric cubby thing (from Ikea years ago) and that ceramic planter where I shove all of our wrapping paper and tissue paper. And as for the rolling cart…

  • the top bin has various art notebooks and pads along with a few canvases and a rolled up placemat that I’d love to use as a stencil someday
  • the second bin has wood items (dowels, wood plaques, various pieces of scrap wood, and even a few wood slices for future projects)
  • the third bin has all of my heavier crafting artillery (staple gun, glue gun, various accessories for them like staples and glue sticks, nailheads, etc)

Craft Closet 10

The hanging cubbies are devoted to gift wrapping stuff, like:

Craft Closet 11

And the wooden shelf thing that I shoved in that corner alcove is now housing all of my fabric in old Ikea bins from a few years back (yes, I have TONS of fabric thanks to Clara’s photo project, even though I’ve made her a quilt, a birthday banner, a table runner, a beanbag, and all sorts of other random things… so… I smell more projects). Most of it used to be piled in the storage room but it feels so much more organized and accessible right here. There’s also room for the sewing machine to sit on the floor in front of it, but I thought I’d leave that in the guest room for a hot second because I’d love to set it up in there to encourage myself to actually sew with it. So we’ll see if I can figure something out soon. If not, it’s back in the closet for him.

Fabrics

But let’s get to my favorite part. The drawers of our slick little white cabinet. The top drawer is full of various acrylic paints (along with some small containers of varnish/sealant, and some ceramic paint).

Drawer1

The second drawer houses all of my brushes, stamping tools, paint pens, and colored sharpies.

Drawer2

The third drawer contains various test pots of paint (I use these guys surprisingly often for random projects like this, this, this and this) along with a few larger cans of spray sealers.

Drawer3

The fourth drawer has all of my art store supplies, like my oil paints, watercolors, watercolor pencils, charcoals, and a few random things like a small set of markers and clothespins.

Drawer4

And the fifth drawer is where I have stampers, ink pads, stickers, decals, washi tape, and other supplies like twine or string.

Drawer5

Oh and that top shelf of the closet has a wire bin (from Target about 3 years ago) full of fabric pouches. Apparently I have a hoarding problem with those, but I love them for keeping Clara’s toys contained (all of her plastic animals in one, all of her tiny legos in another, etc). They’re also sweet for “wrapping” various gifts for friends in two seconds flat (no tape or ribbon required). And the blue box up there has been my sewing box for years. It has thread, needles, extra bobbins, scissors, a seam ripper, etc.

Craft Closet9

I’m also planning to add a few hooks on the inside of the door so guests can hang things there since the bar is full (we rarely host anyone with things on hangers, so those should do the trick).

Yes I’m still waving my dang hands around. It’s pretty unbelievable that such a ridiculous mess of a closet is currently home to 0.00 chaos. But you might want to check back with me in a few months. These things can go one of two ways…

Craft Closet8

Does anyone else have tips for organizing craft supplies, gift wrapping paraphernalia, or tons of fabric? Who else is channeling Monica Geller with a closet full of insanity? Let’s commiserate.

Comments

  1. sarah says

    you guys, you must look into elfa from the container store. i have my entire laundry room plus my master closet done it and am getting ready to do a boy’s closet. i’m telling you…the amount of space their designers can find for you in a space you didn’t think you had. they would get you at least 3 more shelves in that closet. i just love the stuff, and it’s on sale right now for 30% off. an awesome deal.

    Reply

  2. Amy says

    Hi! On the subject of crafting, I saw a good one and thought of you. If you go to whatsurhomestory.com they have a tutorial about making clay barnacles. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. :)

    Reply

  3. Lori says

    Do you have another place where you keep your crafting papers and stickers, etc.? I’ve got so much for the kids (ages 5 and 2 1/2) and was curious how you’ve wrangled that for Clara. Thanks!

    Reply

  5. Sally says

    Nice. I use two of the IKEA Helmer drawer units for my office/craft supplies.

    And…one of them is labeled “Fabric Bags” for my stash of little fabric pouches with zipper closures and drawstring closures. I love those things! One of my favorite uses for them is wrangling chargers/cords when I travel.

    Reply

  6. Ashley says

    I’d suggest having one or two dedicated ‘project baskets’ that you can easily transport your materials for a specific project from your closet to another room or downstairs. I’ve found this is a big time/sanity saver if you can’t finish a project in one sitting or have many little items to corral. This should help you with putting everything back in it’s place too because it’s easy to carry back upstairs at the end of the day.

    Reply

  7. Joan says

    Dark chocolate is the bomb! My advice – skip the Hershey’s and go for the Dove dark chocolate. A definite step up.

    Reply

  8. Jen says

    I love the Monica Gellar reference…but I thought you would have been all over Eminems ‘Cleanin out my closet’!!

    Reply

  9. Sally says

    A suggestion from my mom’s house in case you do have guests with hanging items…

    Her guest room closet is fully in use for storage and a guest might not want their clothes hung with the other items. So, she has one of those over the door hanger racks on the guest room closet door. She leaves a few empty wooden hangers on it when someone comes to visit, so there is a spot to hang up anything that would benefit from time to unwrinkle.

    Like this (but in metal): http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Over-Hanger-Holder-Color/dp/B008VIMZRY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_11

    She also has a wooden folding luggage rack so guests can have their suitcase off the floor.

    Reply

  10. Claudie says

    Sometimes I think I let my craft supplies get messy just so I can go through it all later and touch everything, ha!

    I house my craft supplies in a closet as well. I have one of the taller Alex drawer units (it’s soooo wonderful) and a hanging sweater organizer thing. It holds yarn though. The closet has recesses on both sides, so I stuck the drawer unit into one and then sweet talked my dad into driving down and installing some basic shelves in the other recess. It made a world of difference and I can actually find things when I need them instead of going through a ton of boxes every time I needed something. I need to get a few more things organized in there, but it was such an improvement with just those two.

    Definitely set your sewing machine up. I’ve been reworking things to find a space to be able to leave it out all of the time, but that’s not happened yet. I think I’d get a lot more use out of it if I had a table it sat on all of the time!

    Reply

  11. Erin says

    I have the bigger version of that white cabinet that I use as an end table in my LR; I live in a studio so I needed the extra storage space and it works great. I just added inexpensive bookplates (from the scrapbook aisle at Joanns I think) to the front of each drawer to break it up a bit. Honestly though, love the closet – so pretty and functional – can only wait to see what fun stuff you’ll up with now that you’ve got all your supplies in easy reach.

    Reply

  12. Ruth says

    Yay for organization!! It looks miles better. :)

    I second the person(s?) who recommended a sewing table with a little drop down for your machine. People also DIY those in case you don’t want to buy one. Makes it much easier to use the machine for big stuff.

    That fabric collection is getting pretty serious, yo! I fold all of my pieces of fabric the same way and then stand them on end so that they look pretty and uniform. Here’s an example of the technique, although I fold mine in 3rds at the end instead of in half: http://turningturning.com/tutorial-folding-fabric/

    Reply

  13. Amber says

    You have totally inspired me to organize my guest room closet! I have one of those white Ikea cabinets that I store my kid’s art supplies, paper and coloring books in. Any suggestions on organizing childrens art work? I’m not a hoarder…except when it comes to my children’s drawings. I have several bins filled, and my boys are only 2 and 6. Do you have a system that helps you decide what to keep and what not to keep?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I have a giant bulletin board in the office (maybe it’s 4′ long by 2.5′ high?) and I pin up all of my favorite Clara stuff. It’s PACKED with her art! Every once in a while it get so full I can’t get another thing on there and I call in Clara and she helps me pick what we should take down to make room for the new item, and if it’s something we don’t want to part with I have one file folder in our filing cabinet (also in the office) for it. Sometimes she says she doesn’t like it anymore and the new thing is better so she runs it over to the recycle bin herself!

      xo
      s

  14. Jennifer B says

    LOVE, that cart! I have a craft room that looks like that closet only it has enveloped a whole room. If I can make it an excuse to go buy that cart I might just start working on it!

    Reply

  17. Molly says

    Love the organized closet! I was actually looking at that drawer set at IKEA- I hate to ask, but could you tell me the size of the inside of the drawers? Scrapbooking uses 12×12 papers and I’m curious if those drawers are big enough to accommodate them.

    Reply

  18. Christine says

    I’ve seen that little blue cart given dozens of Ikea hacks, including bedside table-hacks. Very appropriate for the guest room! I’ve also seen Ikea’s round, plastic, plastic-shopping-bag-holder attached to the wall and used to store rolls of wrapping paper. Great idea.
    Also, Clara’s little cheeks are too cute and smoochable!

    Reply

  19. Jordan says

    If you put all your “gift bags” inside the largest bag (maybe 2 in your case ;) it would look a little cleaner. I also keep mine on hooks on the wall as opposed to hanging in the middle of my closet.

    Reply

  20. Lisa says

    Ikea = No Excuse Organization! My solution was a Pax and some Skubb (love love love the Skubbs – because who doesn’t love zippers!?) and some of those cardboard box thingies that go in the Expedit). Dang it all but it’s almost all full already!

    Reply

  21. Anu says

    Love this post! I am in the process of organizing various areas of my home too this winter. the
    alex unit with the 5 drawers can be made mobile by adding on casters which will make it like a rolling cart for the sewing machine if you keep it on top of the unit. This way you can take it wherever you plan to spread out your new sewing project.

    Reply

  22. Laura B. says

    I sew often and have lots of little things like snaps, D-rings, and heat-bond tape. I use two of those drawer thingies from the hardware store for screws. The one I like best has several different sized drawers. As for the fabric, how about an apron for each member of the family, maybe even as Christmas gifts for friends and extended family?

    Reply

  23. Elizabeth M says

    I am a self proclaimed Monica. I always seem to end up with one bin that has silly things that CANNOT be organized. Crazytown for this OCD gal. SO I shove that bin under my bed and try not to thing about it. Also, I am totally a fabric/zippered pouch hoarder.

    Reply

  25. Sarah @ House Made of Marital Glue says

    Redhead pajama/gallery wall girl here from when you released your book last year. I don’t know why I don’t comment more (I read every word you write)!

    I love the after photos and am glad that not all spaces look perfect in your house (did that sound mean – it’s nice to know that everyone is only human, right?). Last May, we bought our first house which is actually the EXACT same floor plan as your first house minus the den/second bathroom/laundry area/sunroom area(ours stops at the kitchen. The front door is on the far side across from the kitchen instead of on the opposite side of the living room like yours was. You can see the floorplan here if you are interested: http://maritalglue.com/home-tour/
    We spent seven months remodeling it to have a more open layout (turning the third bedroom into a formal dining room) by moving the basement stairs, opening up some walls, closing in some door ways, and adding in some functionality.

    ANYWAY, I digress, do you remember how little storage there was in the living areas and bedrooms of your first house? We have very little storage in our house! I’m on a mission to add some PAX closet systems to our bedroom (different than how you did them in your first house because our windows are in the corner) and I will use our current master closet as a craft/cleaning/storage closet. I’ve been dreaming of using the same blue cart for my craft supplies so I can pull them into our dining room which doubles as an office. Anyway, all that to say I’m inspired and it is crazy how we ended up buying such a similar house to your first house (pretty much every house in our neighborhood has the same layout).

    Have a great day!
    Sarah

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so funny Sarah! I totally remember your amazing redhead/gallery wall pic, and it’s hilarious that you’re our first-house house twin! I do remember how little storage space we had there (we shoved everything above the washer & dryer, so to think that you don’t have that nook makes me want to bow to you!). Good luck with everything!

      xo
      s

  26. lee ash says

    awesome job. i’m still smiling about the fact that you used a “friends” reference…my favorite show. ever.

    Reply

  27. Maddie says

    Things I love most about this post: 1) The reference to Monica’s crazy closet because we ALL have a closet/drawer/bookshelf like that and 2) You defending dark chocolate.

    Reply

  28. Michele A. says

    I knit, crochet and sew and find that IKEA is the answer to the majority of all my crafty storage issues…now I just have to knit up some of this yarn (to make room for more yarn)!!!

    Reply

  29. Heather @ What Does She Do All Day? says

    I have a wall system of Effectiv units from IKEA (which I don’t think they make any more) to store my fabric, sewing notions, scrapbooking stuff and other misc. craft supplies and I cannot keep it organized! Certainly I don’t have too much craft stuff. Maybe I just need more organizing units?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, one thing I think helps are shallow drawers and smaller zones within a bigger zone or cubby, just since so much crafting stuff is small (paint pens, little tubes of acrylic, etc).

      xo
      s

  30. Addie says

    I noticed you are storing your craft paints on their sides– have you had any leakage problems with that? I’ve hesitated to put mine in a shallow drawer for that reason, but if you haven’t had any issues then perhaps my fears were unfounded!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I worried about it for a second but I realized that for the last 7 months since our move they’ve been lying down in a paper bag in that closet and nothing leaked in there, so I figure they’re sealed pretty well.

      xo
      s

  31. Rachel K says

    Since we live in 800 sq ft. with a baby, I get two craft ‘baskets’ that live on top of our Ikea Billy bookshelves and if something doesn’t fit in a basket it gets thrown out.

    Reply

  32. Ashley says

    I have the same project in process! I also got the Raskog for it, I like that I can tuck it into the closet and roll it out when needed. Especially since our closet has deep sides that are hard to get at.

    We just moved our office/craft room into the Guest Room to make way for baby (Due April 20). We finished painting last weekend so now I need to move everything into the tiny closet and make it workable. I love that chest of drawers, I just might have to run over to IKEA for one. I must be nesting because Ithis is my third closet tackled this month and I won’t stop until I organize each and every one! Haha.

    Reply

  33. jenn aka the picky girl says

    I did something similar about six months ago, and I have to say, it’s worked like a dream. Having everything in its own special place makes it so much easier to clear up a mess after crafting. And I actually have kept it up. Hope you do too!

    Reply

  35. D'Ann says

    Great job on the organizing. One suggestion to add to your list- build a Murphy bed with a table extension for that room. Then you will have a ready work surface for sewing and crafting and when a guest arrives, simply fold up the table and fold down the bed and you are all set for guests.

    Reply

  36. Tasha says

    Love what you’ve done! This post definitely makes me want to organize my big, scary craft closet… Looks like my weekend just got booked! ;)

    Reply

  37. Rebecca W says

    I was just posting today (and starting a series) on organizing around my house. Today was taming the ribbon pile. And that’s craft ribbon not even everything for gift wrapping.

    Reply

  38. Tamara says

    My craft closet is a hot mess too. I probably reorganize it every few months, and within just a few days it is back to the way it was. I noticed your gift bags are hung up. I use one of the larger bags to put all the smaller ones inside along with the tissue paper. It makes it easier to pull the one I want to use out when I need to.

    Reply

  39. Allison says

    Man, I’m totally jealous of your craft closet.

    I think cleaning out closets is one of my favourite organizing adventures in our house. Our spare bedroom closet is so pretty to look at that I’ll go sit in there just to stare at it. I’m almost ashamed to admit this, but I think you would totally do this too, Sherry. :)

    Reply

  40. Lee Ann says

    My inner crafty dork persona is SO jealous right now! This is beautiful. I have been craving a snow day so horrid there’s no way I can leave the house, just so I can work on my own craft disaster area (oh, I meant craft closet). Don’t you just love knowing there’s a secret place you can go to pull out crafty stuff and make something great in a few easy steps? Well, maybe a few easy steps …

    Reply

  41. Stacy says

    I’m sadly with the ones who have an entire Monica room. We have a 3 bedroom home with a finished basement. Half of the basement is our family room and then the other half is our office area. that entire half of a room is a mess. The desks we have down there are too big, there isn’t enough space for all of the books we have and we haven’t bought book cases in forever so the whole area is just one big dumping ground. My only consolation is that you can see the floor and I got rid of an entire bag of papers that needed to be shredded. At some point I will get to that room but for now I’d rather work on the rooms that we actually use like the master bedroom and the guest room. Great job though with getting organized – I need to be more on top of that.

    Reply

  42. Laurie says

    Oh, my closet is way worse. It would make anyone run screaming from it. It is very high on my project list but I’ll bet it takes me at LEAST an entire weekend!

    I like the cart because of its wheels. I’ll have to pick some up too for crafts that require more supplies so I can just take the whole cart to the project. Very nice.

    Reply

  43. Tania @ Run To Radiance says

    So fun!! I love it! I’m totally coveting that blue cart thing- I look at it every time we go to Ikea! I just blogged about our craft room organization too…a different Ikea solution, but definitely drawers involved. :) I love what you did with yours!!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s another fun idea! Thanks to everyone for sharing their organizing secrets today! I love reading these comments. Almost makes me want to tackle another closet. Almost…

      xo
      s

  45. Minnie says

    Having an organized craft supply encourages me to make stuff more, so that might be the push you needed to sew more! I suggest adding wheels to the white cabinet so you can just wheel out all your paint whenever you need it.

    Reply

  46. Lauren L says

    I’m sorry if this has already been asked, but reading this post made me realize that Clara might get into your art stuff and make a huge mess of it. Is this a concern? Will you keep the closet door locked so she won’t start painting the guest room wall with your nice art paint? I’m not even a mom yet and I’m already such a worrier! ;D

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      A few others have wondered the same thing, so you’re not alone! We fully went into parenthood expecting to put those locks on every lower kitchen cabinet door and drawer – only to have a child who never (I mean never) even tried to open them. Seriously, just like Burger is only interested in human food scraps (he doesn’t eat plants or walk through our paint, etc), Clara seems drawn to her own toys and play-things (she could care less about our boring grown up stuff). But every kid is different, so putting one of those kid-proof door locks on the closet knob could solve any issues if she decides she’s suddenly interested in poking around (or if Barnacle comes along and is extra curious once he’s mobile – which definitely could be the case!).

      xo
      s

  47. Tiffany F. says

    This post stole my heart as I have a passion for organizing (geek). I used the white 5 drawer thing from Ikea and built a desk with it! One side is a cupboard (stores files, magazines etc) that is a match and the other side is the 5 drawers. I used wood planks that I stained in a dark color. Easy, cheap and very large work space… perfect for me!!

    Reply

  48. msumissa says

    Not sure if it has been mentioned but for fabric especially when I have around a yard, I use comic book cardboard thingies. (Comic book collectors use these to make the comic stiff when they put it in plastic) I got a 100 of them for way cheep at a comic book store. Then I folded all the fabric so it looked like it was on a mini fabric bolt. Then I could organize by color and type of fabric. Your current shelf would be perfect for it. Then you can see everything you have. It really helps me for quilt making too because I can see what might look good together. Yes, it was a time investment when I first did it, but once done, so easy to maintain. I read it somewhere on line and OMG what a change in my life!

    Reply

  49. Connie S. says

    Here’s one of my favorite storage ideas. If you get too many bottles of paint for your drawer, you might have to try it. I used a photo box (that’s kinda like a shoe box, but sturdier), turned it on its side and stacked all the paint in, lid first. I grouped similar colors together, of course :) Now when I open the closet, I see the bottoms of all my paint. It helps me find the color I’m looking for quickly. How’s that for “Monica-ish?”

    Reply

  50. Lindsay says

    Ahh….I love your organized closet! All of my craft supplies are in our office, which will someday become a nursery. I have no idea what I will do with all the crafts when that day comes! Question: Do you have a go to brand of craft paint? I’m new to craft paint and was wondering how the different brands compare.

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *