Craft and hobby things can take over a home. And Quatrefoil says she has only a small apartment, so what to do with hobby supplies?

Declutter

The first step is decluttering. I know crafty types like to keep everything because it may be used in a project at some point in time. But you are limiting time and space for current and loved projects.

And if you have partly finished projects, finish those before going on to another project or decide you are no longer interested in the project and give the material away. (Yes, it’s ok not to finish a project.)

Hiding Your Supplies

Find out what storage space you have. Separate the area, even if it is just with a screen to corral some of the mess.

There are art bags that can hold things like scrapbook and card supplies, quilting, sewing, knitting, etc. Keeping it in one or two bags will keep it from taking over your home. Then when you want to create you can wheel it over to the kitchen table.

A closet with doors that close can be good for keeping it out of sight.

You can also try an armoire or stand up cabinet and add shelves to it for your craft supplies.

Those four door plastic carts can hold things then wheel into a closet until you are ready to use it.

We use a long thin basket for our newspapers that goes under the couch. You can see if you can fit a current craft project in one. And some ottamans open up and you can put things like knitting projects in them. End tables and coffee tables often have places to store things as well.

Other storage ideas at Country Living

Craft Room

Norma Nack’s Sewing Room

For people with more space, they might want to convert a room or part of the basement into a craft center. The most important thing is to keep like with like and label everything. What groups of things do you need to organize for your craft room?

My daughter has an old table in the basement and corrals things with a cabinet and various shoe boxes, a plastic drawer system and a few big boxes under the table for material.

It’s not necessary to buy expensive organizers. Most people have boxes, baskets and containers around their house that can be used.

Try a pegboard for crafting tools.

Bookshelves lined with boxes for craft supplies work well.

Hang things on the walls like in Ali’s fantastic scrapbook room.

And see if you can find some tips at DIY Maven’s simple craft room.

Maintenance

Don’t browse hobby stores and pick up something cute you might want some day if space is an issue for you. Buy by the project.

How do you organize your craft space?

Organised for Christmas – Guest Post from Marcia Francois

[Guest post from a friend who is much more organized than I am]

There are less than 3 months to Christmas.

When you think about that, what do you feel? Do you feel overwhelmed and just a little bit stressed at everything you have to do? Or do you feel excited at the idea of spending time with friends and family?

My best Christmasses have always been when I’ve been organised, prepared and more importantly, when I didn’t leave everything right up until December.

Here are a couple of things to consider so that you have an organised Christmas this year:

1. Your vision for a great Christmas

Decide, together with your family, if you want to celebrate with many spiritual activities, spend time at home with just your immediate family, do lots of baking, etc.

2. Christmas cards

Will you be sending cards by themselves, or with a family newsletter? Or will you be sending cards at all? Do you have a list of recipients?

3. Christmas gifts

Will you be giving gifts this year? Are you making any gifts or are you buying them all? Do you have a gift-giving budget? Remember to budget for gift wrap, gift tags and, if necessary, postage to your loved ones who live in a different city.

4. Christmas Day

Where will you spend the day – with your parents or his? Or will the family gather at your house? Who will cook the food? Which recipes will you use? Do you know where to find them?

How far in advance should you plan?

Well, that depends on how much stress you can tolerate J

Personally, I like to have gifts done by the end of October and cards by mid-November. That’s because I really don’t enjoy the stress of having to get the perfect gift with no time to spare. Add to that the crowded malls and you can practically see my blood pressure rising!

I like to start planning at the beginning of October and I set myself mini-goals of compiling my card list first, then planning backwards so I write out a certain number of cards per week until they’re all done by my self-imposed due date.

And I do the same for gifts. I also wrap a few gender-neutral gifts just in case someone pops around with something for me. It’s relaxing for me to prepare a beautifully-wrapped gift with a gift tag because I believe that presentation is part of the gift.

Something I do that has saved me lots of money is I no longer buy Christmas gift wrap. Instead, I buy red and green coloured craft paper and matching ribbon. I can use the paper year-round with a different bow so that it doesn’t look Christmassy for birthday gifts.

***

This year, get organised for Christmas with the 13-page Christmas Planner so you can welcome the season instead of dreading it.

Marcia Francois is a professional organiser who teaches busy people how to have more time, less stress and a more organised and fulfilled life. Visit www.takechargesolutions.org for your free Organise your Life e-book and the rest of your organising success pack. Marcia also blogs at Organising Queen and Clutter Control Freak