Did you ever notice how having kids multiplies the amount of stuff you own? Before I had kids I had one desk drawer dedicated to art supplies such as crayons, markers, paper and paint. Once I had kids and they were old enough to start crafting, we quickly outgrew the desk drawer. There were also supplies in the drawer that my kids weren’t quite ready for. I knew I needed to find a way to organize the kids’ craft supplies quickly.
This created two organizational problems for me that many moms encounter. The first problem was that I had to find a way to secure the supplies my children were not ready for. The second problem was that I needed to find a good place to store my kids’ craft supplies. I live in a modest three bedroom home and I do not have an extra room or a closet for craft supplies. We do all our crafting at the kitchen table, so I also wanted to find a place to store our craft supplies that was close to the table.
The perfect solution came to me a few days later. My kitchen is a good size and it is located right next to the kitchen table. I knew with some creative reorganization I could organize the kids’ craft supplies so that they fit in the cabinets closest to the kitchen table. Here is how I did it and how you can store your kids’ craft supplies even if your space is limited.
Step 1-Purge
First of all, I always start all my organizational projects with purging. So first I cleaned out the cabinets I wanted to use for the kids’ craft supplies. I got rid of items we didn’t use or had too many of. Secondly, I moved remaining items out of the cabinets to areas of the kitchen that made more sense.
My next step was to gather all our craft supplies and purge them. I threw away any unusable items such as dried up markers and empty paint bottles. I emptied all the boxes of crayons, pencils and markers out, threw away the boxes and then put each utensil type in its own bag. The craft supplies I did not want my kids to use were put neatly back in the desk drawer and secured.
Step 2-Organize Kids’ Craft Supplies
The next step in my process was to organize the craft supplies into containers that served two purposes. The containers had to fit the storage space and make it easy for my kids to find the supplies they want to use. Organization should not just make a space look neat, it should be practical as well.
The week before I started this project I had reorganized some other spaces in my home so I already had most of the storage containers for this project that I needed. Here is the list of bins that I used.
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Here is the list of bins that I used.
- 1 sturdy magazine file
- 3 new baby wipe boxes
- 2 Darice 17 compartment Bead Organizers
- 5 plastic shoeboxes
- 1 Rubbermaid All Access Xtra Small Storage Bin
Construction Paper
I put all construction paper, drawing paper and miscellaneous art books in the magazine file.
Paints, Markers, Stamps, Beads, and Miscellaneous Supplies
I used the baby wipe boxes for storage and organization. In one baby wipe box I placed paint brushes and sponges. In another baby wipe box I placed all stamps and stamp pads. I took the lid off the last wipes box and placed it inside a shoebox to hold our little bottles of tempura paint.
I used the Darice bead organizers for beads and foam craft stickers.
The first shoebox I used to store paint supplies including paint, a few brushes, black trash bags that we use as table covers, a paint shirt for each of my children, and paint palettes. You can use old shirts for paint shirts if you have them. I just buy t-shirts a few sizes bigger than my kids wear at our local craft stores since all my old shirts are way too big for my kids.
The second shoebox I used for all markers, pencils, crayons, scissors, glue and miscellaneous items.
The third shoebox I used for extra craft supplies such as extra utensils, extra paint, tissue papers, yarn, buttons and other materials we use less frequently.
The fourth shoebox I use to store my children’s kinetic sand. It is not technically a craft supply, but they create with it and it is messy. So it needs to be kept in one spot and near the table where I can contain the mess.
Playdoh
The fifth shoebox I used to store Playdoh cups. Again, Playdoh may not be a craft supply, but it is messy and they create with it so it has to be near the kitchen table.
The final container is where I store all the Playdoh sets we own. I took all the sets out of the boxes, cut out the pictures and placed each one in a storage bag. Then I put all them in the All Access storage box.
Step 3 Put it all away
Lower Cabinet
Here is how I put the materials away. In the lower cabinet I placed the magazine file on its side so my kids can pull out the paper they want to use. Next, I stacked the art supply box on top of the paint supply box. My kids can easily pull out the box they need for the materials they want.
In the same cabinet I have a rollout drawer. Here I placed the wipe boxes with the stamps and the paint brushes. I also put the Darice box with the foam stickers on top of the kinetic sand.
Upper Cabinet
In the upper cabinet, I placed the Playdoh supplies, beads, and the extra art supplies. These are materials I don’t want the kids taking out on their own, but I still want them nearby.
Here is the finished project. You can see that this is in my kitchen and the craft supplies are right next to regular kitchen utensils such as pots and pans.
All total I used two cabinets except for the drawer because that is our “junk” drawer. While I may not be able to dedicate a whole room or closet to our crafting supplies this arrangement has worked out well for us. This has been a great way to organize kids’ craft supplies. Do you have any craft storage tips to share? Are there any craft storage problems you need solutions to? Always remember that there is a storage solution to any organizational problem. The hardest part is finding it. Don’t give up!
Stay tuned! Next Tuesday I will share the secret of how I organized my hall closet and made it way more functional!
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