Craft room organization is an upward battle for most crafters and makers. Paints, brushes, beads, notions- all these supplies (and so much more) get easily out of hand in a disorganized mess. Organizing and storing them is key to a crafter’s sanity and saves them from having to re-purchase supplies they already have (but got lost in the mess). These upcycled projects are a great way to get your craft supplies organized in a thrifty AND crafty way.
Craft Paint Storage
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
All those little bottles of craft paint can really add up. To keep them tidy and organized, some wooden drawers from a salvage thrift shop (like Habitat ReStore) are easy to upcycle into these paint storage holders. You can see all your colors easily and the handles on the drawers make them easy to tote around from project to project.
Paint Brush Caddy
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
A utensil caddy from the thrift store (or one you no longer use) has a lot of organizing potential. My favorite way is to use it for holding my collection of small paint and stencil brushes. It makes it easy to see all the brush sizes to pick the right one for a project, and the caddy is portable when I need to take it from room to room.
Craft Organizer for Scrap Fabric
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Fabric organization is a constant battle for sewists and makers, but let’s focus specifically on scrap fabric. Or other small fabric bits, like napkins, handkerchiefs, and tea towels. Here’s a fun way to display your fabric pieces in your craft room AND keep them tidy using an upcycled gun rack, of all things. And if you aren’t a sewist, the same organizer could be used for other craft supplies, as well.
Craft Room Organization with a Spice Rack
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Thrift stores are a great place to score a spice rack cheaply- and it’s usually empty and ready to be refilled. But save the thyme and sage for your kitchen, because spice racks like this are ideal for craft storage. The spice bottles hold all sorts of tiny things- beads, buttons, jewelry findings, glitter, etc.- and keep them neat and tidy in your craft room.
Scrap Ribbon Storage
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Some ribbon, especially of the vintage variety, doesn’t come on a cardboard spool, making it difficult to store. But this upcycle idea uses a wooden candelabra in a fresh new way. Perfect for holding your prettiest ribbon scraps in place- and it’s almost lovely enough to leave out as decor, too.
Craft Organizer for Paper Ephemera
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Paper ephemera- those little pieces of paper, such as labels and stickers- are easily lost in a chaotic craft space. But this upcycle idea uses an “old-fashioned” (and I use that term begrudgingly) photo album from a thrift store to store all those little paper bits. It’s a great way to repurpose something that isn’t very popular anymore and keep your paper supplies safe and sound in their new storage place.
Craft Room Organization in Soup Cans
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Soup cans or cans from beans/vegetables have all sorts of reuse potential after you’ve cooked in the kitchen. They’re easy to paint and decorate so that you can repurpose them to hold any number of ways. For those of us with kids or lots of craft supplies, they are perfect for keeping things like markers, pens/pencils, and paint brushes tidy.
From Wine Rack to Ribbon Storage
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A countertop wine rack only holds a couple of bottles of wine. But as far as craft room organization is concerned, it cradles spools of ribbon quite nicely. Plus, with a minor tweak, you can ensure that you can pull out some ribbon for a project without even removing the spool from the holder. Talk about handy!
Stencil Storage
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Today’s upcyclers and crafters often end up buying and needing to store stencils of various shapes and sizes. Which makes stencil storage more important than ever. To keep them safe and flat, I use an upcycled magazine rack from the thrift store as a stencil file, of sorts. It’s seriously one of the handiest storage cases in my entire craft space, too.
Craft Room Storage with a Vent Register
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
New greeting cards aren’t often associated with craft supplies, but used ones certainly could be. And old seed packets…and paint sample cards…and any number of cardstock pieces. Which puts this storage and organizing upcycle in perfect focus for your craft room.
A vent register from Habitat ReStore is not something you may normally shop for on a thrift run, but maybe pick one up next time you’re out and about. Because they can be surprisingly handy when it comes to storing things of the cardstock variety.
A “Set” of Craft Organizers
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If you like things that match, then upcycling items from the thrift store or yard sale into craft storage is perfect for that. Because with a coordinating paint job and some complementary stenciling, you can take any number of misfit separates and turn them into a matching set of organizers. Perfect for paints, paper scraps, brushes, and so much more.
Craft Room Organization that Spins
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Inspired by an old hardware bin from general stores and hardware stores of days gone by, this craft room organizer is cute AND handy. A Tupperware® tray is the star of the show and keeps all sorts of arts & crafts supplies organized and tidy. And you ALWAYS see those trays on thrift store shelves- or perhaps unused in one of your own cupboards, as well.
Paint Brush “Roll”
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Knife rolls used by chefs are the inspiration behind this upcycling idea that puts an old nail (or hardware store) apron to crafty reuse. A few simple modifications turn the apron into a paint brush (or stencil brush) holder that can be rolled up for portability. Or, as the one in back shows, it can be displayed in your craft room for handy access whenever inspiration strikes.
Paper Towel Holder
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
You can always count on thrift stores to have a few paper towel holders available. And if they happen to be of the wall mounted variety, think of it as a handy ribbon holder like this. You can hang it as intended or keep it on a shelf or table. Either way, your ribbon will stay cool and spooled with this handy upcycle.
Upcycle Your Way to Craft Room Organization
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
So many items from thrift stores and yard sales can become “holders” and organizers with very little effort. Which means you can get your craft room under control easily and under budget with a few good upcycles. And hopefully these ideas were the inspiration you’ve been looking for to get started.
Craft on!
S
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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
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