How a Professional Organized My Craft Supplies

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How A Professional Organizer Made Sense of my Craft Supplies

Back in the spring, when I made over my office… I also partnered with a professional organizer to help me make sense of ALL my craft supplies.

Let’s back this train up and remind you what the office looked like when we moved into the rental. In our old house, I had the good fortune of having both my she shed AND my upstairs office (and, if I’m being honest hidden all throughout the house.) But when we moved into the rental, ALL of those craft supplies landed in my office. My one little ol’ office and it was overflowing.

This is where my amazingly talented friend Emily and her company Next Level Organizing comes in… I’ve never worked with an organizer, and frankly never considered the value of one given that I’m fundamentally somewhat organized myself. But folks… my mind has changed. There is NO way I could have accomplished what Emily and her team did and I’m a convert!

The first thing Emily and I did was talk a bit about how I was going to use the space. I explained that a LOT of my supplies were craft supplies that I wouldn’t need to access very often, but didn’t want to have hiding in deep storage. I had a general sense of the layout when she came but wasn’t entirely clear on which containers would work best for what. I wanted the containers and storage to be clean and simple given how busy the rest of the space was.

I was at ALT Summit in Palm Springs when Emily’s enchanted organization fairies worked their magic, but I know they started by creating categories. Emily and I had discussed some of these: current projects, specialty paper, tools, paint, washi tape, etc… Beyond that… they worked their magic.

Let’s start with the pretty pretty container wall. They sourced all of these from local craft stores. I’ve attached similar containers at the end of the post, but I love that the variety of  containers so perfectly suits the items they sorted from my stash: glitter, pom poms, ribbon, etc.

Underneath these shelves in the cupboard are bins for chargers, technology, my Instax film and camera gear. So perfect. Also, my stash of craft paper is tucked underneath.  I.e. all of this is super accessible, but not something I necessarily want ‘on display’.

The closet already had two useful large deep shelves. Emily and her team brought in smaller containers and risers to make best use of the vertical space in there. They also utilized the floor space for some larger floor bins. Tucked in the corner is a basket with upright rolls of decorative paper and photo backdrops. Genius.

I already had that white shelf, but if you recall from the room reveal… it used to be black and gray. I painted the bins and added those tassels to make it a little more colorful to match the rest of the office! Those bins are used for more podcasting gear, my professional scrap book items and then some are empty for some room to grow into!

Those two Ikea metal shelves and a few of those white Ikea bins were already there, but wasn’t sure where to go from there. Emily used the baskets for my yarn collection and then color coordinated my washi tape and ribbon. Turns out I had a lot of unused faux succulents so those went on the other side!

Inside the blue dresser is paint, paint and more paint. The two smaller drawers up top are perfect for tools and sewing supplies.

Another thing Emily thought up was using this vintage rattan drink cart for those items that I reach for more often: scissors, brushes, pens and basic tools. It sits next to my desk and I use it ALL the time. Because I film videos in there, I need to keep the table clear of debris, so the rattan cart is the perfect solution.

To say that I would never have cracked this nut without bringing in the professionals is an understatement. The categories and attention to detail they put into all my craft supplies (and I mean ALLLLLLLL) was far beyond anything I think I would have done myself. Best part? Because their system was so sensible and clear, the ENTIRE space is STILL organized! Truly! Each container had ROOM to expand into. None of their categories were so broad that it got vague… No “MISC.” which is my personal go-to favorite (note: NOT a helpful category).

If you’re local, I can’t recommend Emily enough. Not only is she the most fun to work with, but… folks… her system works! I mean, if she can organized glitter and pom poms and washi tape… she can organize anything. Contact her via her website: Next Level Organizing.