A little while back, I wrote a little post about us starting to declutter and generally get things organised at home. We have a lot to sort through, but one of the main things that I find frustrating is that my craft stuff is all over the house – some of it is downstairs, but most of it is upstairs and I waste so much time going up and down the stairs to get something else that I have forgotten to locate. Good for exercise, you might say, but it’s not good for my sanity! So we’ve been doing a few things to get organised. We’re getting some shelves built in the living room in a few weeks, and this will enable us to sort out all our music, books, CDs etc. (more on that another time). In terms of craft organisation, I’ll be moving all my craft stuff there when they’re done which will be brilliant! In the meantime, I wanted to begin to get some craft supplies sorted out to be able to have most of the things I use regularly to hand. And that’s where the IKEA trolley comes in…

 

I think I might have mentioned a while back that I had got this trolley from IKEA. It is the trolley of dreams. I said that to Tom and he thought I’d gone mad, but my crafty friends know what I’m talking about! 🙂 It is a bit pricey which is what put me off getting one for a long time, but it has made my life so much easier. Most of my crafting is done in the kitchen, so the trolley moves around a lot depending on where I am making things at the time. It took me a while to get it organised, but I have now got everything that I use regularly on my trolley. No more hunting for the seam ripper. No more wondering where I’ve put my bias tape maker. They’re on the trolley! So this is my little crafting set-up:

 

 

The trolley fits perfectly where I craft, and (handily) it is the same height as our kitchen table. I decided to keep sewing bits and bobs on the top so that I could reach them easily if I need them. I have my pin cushions on the top so that I can just grab a pin quickly if I need to, with my scissors, rotary cutter and other useful things in there too. There are also a few pens and pencils as well as my notebooks for writing things I need to remember (usually to include in a post about what I’m making!). You can never have too many notebooks, right?

 

 

 

And if I get a bit chilly, I’ve got the beautiful fingerless gloves that my friend Tiffany knitted for me! 🙂

 

 

The second shelf is also for sewing-related bits and bobs. I have quite a good collection of tins which store thread, sewing machine things (like feet) and other things that might be useful. I’ve also managed to squeeze my box of embroidery floss on there )although I probably need another one for the overflow now…) and a few patterns that I’m currently making.

 

 

 

 

The bottom shelf is for stationery (with an e for envelope). As a stationery fan I have quite a lot, so it took some time to really work out what I needed on there! The jars of washi tape were the first items to make the cut. I’ve managed to fit lots of pretty pens on there too 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

So my top tip for people who don’t have a craft room is – don’t worry, just get organised! I actually really love making things in our kitchen and have found that I have been longing for a craft room much less than before, if at all actually. Really! Find a space that works best for you, and then just be as organised as possible with your kit. My trolley hasn’t completely stopped me from having to make extra trips upstairs, but it has certainly reduced them and that makes me happy (what can I say? I’m easily pleased! 🙂 ).

 

What have you done to organise your craft kit? Do you have a lovely craft room? I’d love to know!