HOW TO DECLUTTER CRAFT SUPPLIES FOR SPACE, CREATIVITY AND JOY
Here are some tips on how to declutter craft supplies for creativity and joy. Let’s make it easier for you to decide which craft supplies to keep and which to declutter.
WHY DECLUTTER CRAFT SUPPLIES?
Crafting is meant to be fun, creative and enjoyable. Maybe even relaxing and calming. However, if your craft supplies and craft space is cluttered and unorganised, it’s unlikely to be a place that fires your imagination and inspires creativity. It may just be a source of stress, frustration and put you off entirely!
Here are some reasons why it’s a great idea to declutter craft supplies and keep your crafting space organised and clutter-free:
- It’s easier to find things so less wasted time and frustration whilst you search
- It’s easier to stay organised when you have less stuff to keep organised
- You’ll save money because you won’t be buying things that you already have (but couldn’t find)
- You know what you’ve got and whether you need to replenish or replace supplies
- You’ll have more physical space to work in and have everything you need at your fingertips
- You’ll have space to try things out and be fully creative
- Crafting will be more enjoyable because of all the reasons listed above!
HOW TO DECLUTTER CRAFT SUPPLIES
Here are some tips on how to declutter craft supplies and help make it easier for you to decide which craft supplies to keep and which to declutter.
1. Relax and have fun
Decluttering is meant to be fun and liberating so let’s make decluttering your craft supplies as enjoyable as possible! Make a cup of tea or coffee, put on some music and get yourself into the right frame of mind to make decluttering fun!
2. Gather your craft supplies from around the home
When decluttering anything, it’s always helpful to make sure you’ve got everything together in one place. You don’t want to declutter your craft supplies carefully, only then to find you’ve missed an entire box of craft goodies because it was left in another room.
Get all your craft supplies together in one place so you can see exactly what you’ve got and how much.
3. Pull everything out so you can see what you’ve got
If possible, I’d encourage you to get all your craft supplies out and laid in front of you on the floor, bed or desk. Decluttering a space is often easier when you start with a blank canvas and only put back what you want to keep rather than sifting through what you’ve already got in situ and pulling out what you want to keep.
Don’t be afraid to make a mess initially when decluttering your home. Once you’ve pulled everything out, give the cupboards, surfaces, shelves, drawers etc a good clean. Now that the mess is in front of you, you’ll probably be more motivated to deal with and complete this decluttering project before you lose motivation!
Here are some other tips to help you stay motivated when decluttering.
4. Put back what you’re keeping
Now you’re only going to keep and put back the items that you use. Take a look at the following tips to help you decide, declutter and organise the craft supplies you’re keeping. Don’t forget to declutter before you organise, otherwise you’ll just be organising your clutter!
For the items you don’t want to keep, donate or recycle them depending on whether they can be used by someone else and the material that they’re created from.
TIPS TO HELP YOU DECLUTTER CRAFT SUPPLIES
Here are some tips to help you declutter craft supplies easily and more effectively.
1. What crafts and hobbies do you currently do?
Think back over the last few weeks and months. Which crafts and hobbies have you been enjoying? This isn’t about which crafts and hobbies you would LIKE to do, but which you do already. Which have you made time for rather than wished you had time for? Which crafts are you most interested in? Which do you enjoy the most?
I’m sure that many of us have crafts and hobbies that we’d like to do but in order to work out which craft supplies you definitely need to keep, it’s a good starting point to work out which crafts and hobbies you currently do and turn to often.
2. Make a list of craft supplies you need for the hobbies you currently do
Again, this isn’t a wish list of items you need for craft hobbies and interests that you’d like to explore in the future. This should be a list of craft supplies for hobbies that you already do and actively undertake regularly.
Keep the list updated and refer to it often. You can use it as a handy reference point when thinking about your current stocks of craft supplies and what space and storage you might need in the future.
3. Group craft items together by type and category
Gather together your craft supplies by type or category. For example, pull together your scrapbooking supplies, paints and brushes, fabrics, buttons and ribbons. Grouping items together will help you see how much you’ve got of each item and whether you need more or less.
4. Be honest with yourself
Decluttering craft supplies is best if you’re completely honest with yourself. Take a look at each item, pick it up and think about when you last used it. If you haven’t used it recently, do you really need it? Try not to keep things ‘just in case’ or because you’d like to use it in the future. If you really wanted to use or try it, maybe you’d have used it by now?
Here are some other decluttering questions to help you declutter more effectively.
5. Assess your current crafting space
Do you have a separate room for your crafts and hobbies or is it a corner of another room, desk or table? When thinking about the crafts you do currently and what supplies you use, you’ll need to consider the space available. If you find you have too many supplies or can’t decide what to keep and what to let go of then use the space available to define how much to keep.
6. Be ruthless
Craft supplies can build up. It’s easy to get swayed by what we see displayed in the shops. Marketing tactics persuade us that we must have the full range of tools, paints, ribbons etc or else we can’t complete our craft project properly. Think carefully about what items you actually use and which have been lying untouched and gathering dust since you purchased them. Be ruthless. If you haven’t used something in a certain timeframe, donate it. You won’t use it more by keeping it in a cupboard or drawer.
7. Pay attention to what you use
Pay attention to the tools and craft supplies you use. The brand, the design and so on. Do you have particular favourites that you choose in preference to others? If you only use certain supplies, brands or tools, do you really need to keep the others? This might be useful to consider when you go shopping for new items.
8. Check the condition of your craft supplies
If your paper is curling, your paintbrushes are hard and you can’t squeeze the glue or paint out of the tube or bottle, maybe it’s time invest in some new craft supplies. Look after the supplies you’ve got, they’ll last longer and you might even save some money!
9. What to do with decluttered craft supplies
As you go through each of your craft supplies deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, it’s a good idea to put your unwanted items in different piles or boxes as you go. Create some piles or boxes for items to be thrown away, to be donated, to be gifted, passed on or sold. As you pick up each item, decide to keep it or put it in the relevant box to get rid of. This way you’ll be less likely to second-guess yourself and sift through your unwanted items for a second time as you sort it into different piles to get rid of.
HOW TO ORGANISE YOUR CRAFT SUPPLIES AFTER YOU’VE DECLUTTERED
Here are some tips on how to maintain and organise your craft supplies after you’ve decluttered.
1. Maximise space
Whether you have a room, a corner of a room or a box, make the most of the space you have available. Don’t keep empty containers, boxes or reels. Use vertical space. Check out Pinterest for craft supply storage, space and design ideas.
2. Make use of storage solutions and containers
Keeping small items like brushes, buttons, sequins etc in labelled containers will again make it easier for you to find things. Using clear plastic containers so the contents are visible might help you work and craft more efficiently. Make use of labels and label machines for extra identification.
3. Keep items organised and tidy
Craft supplies often involve lots of individual and small items, boxes, bottles and containers, tools, accessories, paper, ribbons etc. Keeping everything neat and tidy on a regular basis will help you find what you’re looking for. This also helps to keep track of your inventory so you know where things are and can easily see when craft supplies are running low.
4. Put things away after you’ve used them
Like anything else in the home, get into the habit of putting things away when you’ve finished using them. Your space won’t get messy or cluttered and next time you come to craft you’ll be greeted by a creative, open space instead of the remains of the previous craft session. That means more time for being crafty instead of more time spent clearing away.
HOW TO STAY CLUTTER-FREE WITH YOUR CRAFT SUPPLIES
Here are some tips to help you maintain decluttered craft supplies and avoid clutter creeping back in to your crafting area.
1. Keep an eye on your craft supplies
Maintain a written, digital or mental list of your craft supplies. Make a note of when things run low or run out so you can replace them when you’re next shopping.
2. Don’t overstock
Try not to purchase or stock big supplies of everything. Only keep what you need for the time being and when things run low, remember to add them to your list of craft supplies above. Use things up before you consider buying more.
3. Craft projects that you’ve completed
What do you do with completed craft projects? Do you use them, frame them, store them in a cupboard? Do you give them away as gifts or take photos of them and then sell or donate them? If you make your own clothes then you may wear them and store them in your closet.
Completed craft projects need a place to be stored or displayed. How you do this will depend on the type of craft and what space you have available for both storing and displaying. Yet it’s helpful to know what you’re going to do with the items you’ve created. If you’re super crafty and very productive, it may not be long until you’ve created so many items that you don’t know what to do with them.
Decide where and what you’ll do with completed craft projects. Will you keep a certain number or to fit a certain space without overflowing?
4. Half-finished craft projects
If you’ve got half-way through completing a project and then given up or switched to something else, where do you keep your half-finished projects? Are they taking up valuable space on your worksurface, in a cupboard or on the floor? Be clear with yourself about how many half-finished projects you’ll have lying around at any one time. Give yourself a deadline by which you need to return to or complete them, otherwise get rid of them or dismantle/recycle/repurpose them where possible.
LEAVE A COMMENT!
I hope this article has given you some tips on how to declutter craft supplies! Do you enjoy arts and crafts? Do you find your craft supplies build up? How often do you declutter and organise your craft supplies? If you have any other tips to share, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
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