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by Shelly Morton

I’m a life-long crafter, hobbyist, and artist. I’m always willing to try a new craft or start a new project. My greatest joy, even as a child, was sketching, coloring or doing something creative with my heart and hands.

If, like me, you enjoy the creation process, then you know that the area dedicated to your hobbies, crafts and art can easily become cluttered and messy. I know many subscribe to the theory “a cluttered area is the sign of a creative mind,” to which I say “Baloney!!”

Clutter of any kind makes it hard to be imaginative. If mess and disorganization take over, you can find yourself tense, frustrated, without space to work, you have a lot of unfinished projects and your favorite tools become lost. You wind up wasting money buying more items to replace the ones you can’t find and/or stop being creative altogether.

Be green and spring clean and organize your craft area now. Here are helpful steps to getting your hobby, craft and art area in tip-top shape:

  1. Gather up all of your craft, hobby and art supplies around the room (or around your house). Place them on a table to begin the sorting process.
  2. Sort every item into piles based on the type of craft or hobby such as: scrapbooking, sewing, knitting, painting, etc.
  3. Refine these piles further, one at a time. Are there crafts you no longer enjoy? Are there items that are old, expired (paint has a limited storage time)? Donate craft supplies that you no longer enjoy but are still serviceable to others. Throw away any broken tools, expired items or other things that have accumulated and are not necessary.
  4. Look through what’s left and further refine, if necessary. Continue to donate and throw away anything unusable until you are left with what you actually need and will use.
  5. Take the trash out immediately.
  6. Make your next stop the charity of your choice and drop off the items to donate. Do this before proceeding further otherwise you will have a tendency to keep everything.
  7. Consider whether you have the right type of desk, table, etc. for your crafting, hobby and art projects. If not, check online and in stores near you for functional furniture. There’s no substitute for a good desk chair. Look for furniture items that have storage (drawers, cubbies, etc.) that suit your particular hobby, craft, art work. Purchase and assemble any new pieces.
  8. Clean the area. This is the best time to dust, vacuum and mop your area since everything is vacant. Clean windows — the natural light is better for your eyes and your work.
  9. Organize your supplies. Sort by color and type. Examples: Sort fabric by color and fold them neatly over pieces of cardboard for rigidity and stability. You can stack them in baskets or prop them up on bookshelves. Place scrapbooking supplies together — paper, stickers, scissors, etc. should be with like things and stored together. Sort paint by medium — oil, acrylic, etc. and put like colors together.
  10. Place your items in containers that are easily accessible and easy to see. Clear containers are great for smaller items. Photos, etc. can be sorted and placed in boxes that are labeled (birthdays, vacations, etc.).
  11. Label everything so that you can easily find them.
  12. Put items you use often nearest your work area. Store items you use less often above or below your work area.

You should be able to readily see and be able to find all your tools and supplies. You could even inventory the items you have on hand so you can shop more effectively and not purchase something you already own.

Now enjoy the fruits of all that hard work and go out there and create something wonderful!

About the author:
I am a professional organizer with over 30 years experience in both the legal field and corporate America.

Filed under: Knitting Tips

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