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| image created with ChatGPT (OpenAI) for BellaArt Creates |
For 11 years, I lived in an apartment, and I was fortunate enough to have an entire room dedicated to my crafting. And it was nice.
I had room for all my cardmaking machines and tools. My die-cutting machines, hot foil machines, laminators, paper trimmers, large scoreboard and all the other crafty gadgets had a home where they could stay out and ready to use.
I had different areas of the room zoned for different things, and some of my machines could stay on their own dedicated tables 24/7. If I wanted to use one, I simply walked over and used them.
I also had a very large craft table where I could do my paper crafting, crocheting and knitting. I had a smaller desk for my office (and still have this desk), and I arranged the room in an L-shaped design so my craft table and office desk would sit together. And, because apparently a crafter needs a little place to cuddle up under a blanket, I even had room for a recliner where I could sit back and hibernate.
Then We Bought Our Home
When my husband and I bought our home, we knew we'd have to share the second bedroom. Half of the room would become his office, and the other half, my craft space. This meant my new crafting area would be about half the size of the room I had.
And that was… hard. Really hard.
I suddenly had to determine what supplies could realistically be out, where my machines would go, where my supplies would live, and how I would make room for something else I knew I wanted in my future: a sewing machine.
Thank the Lord Jesus we have a lot of electrical outlets in this room because I went through several rounds of re-wiring while I was trying to figure out what should go where.
- I would move something.
- Plug something in.
- Move something else.
- Unplug something.
- Move it again.
And then stand there looking at the room thinking, "Okay… maybe THIS will work". Then I'd change it again. It took me about a year to get my side of the room to the point where it actually worked for me—and where I genuinely enjoyed being in there.
But getting there required more than moving furniture around. It required a mindshift.
I Couldn't Keep Everything Out Anymore
In my old craftroom, I could have dedicated tables for my machines. That wasn't possible anymore. My large fabric die-cutting machine couldn't sit out on its own dedicated table. My laminator couldn't have a permanent home on a tabletop. My paper trimmer couldn't stay out and neither could my scoreboards.
They all had to find homes inside drawers. I have four large die-cutting machines, and those now live on a built-in shelf right outside our office. I also have a tiny die-cutting machine that shares space with my dresser-turned pressing and fabric-cutting station.
And that was one of the biggest adjustments for me. I had to stop thinking about my supplies in terms of where they used to live and start thinking about where they needed to live now.
I Had to Craft More Intentionally
My little craft space eventually became a lesson in becoming intentional. Some of my tools and supplies simply don't serve me in this phase of my life anymore. So I'm downsizing them—selling some and donating others. If you're interested in seeing some of the craft supplies I'm passing along, you can find them in my BellaArt Creates eBay shop.
Other supplies that I still need had to find homes in different places around my space. I use drawers and bins for many of my stamps and dies, pattern papers, scoreboards, stickers and card kits.
I keep fabrics in two other drawers, while scraps go into baskets and bins. I have two rolling carts that hold things such as my ink pads, batting, interfacing, embroidery floss and fabrics by the yard for sewing.
I also have a bookcase on my office desk with a drawer for small sewing notions, pens, markers, gel pens and other little extras. My craft table is about half the size of the table I had before—the one I eventually donated. But it's still large enough for my Brother XR3774 sewing machine to live on it. My laptop sits on the corner of the table, while my larger external monitor sits in front of me on my office desk. It doubles as my TV!
Underneath my craft table are two drawers that holds more of my cardmaking supplies like: heat guns, hot glue guns, card bases and panels, embellishments such as sequins and gems, embossing folders and small die sets.
And then there is that wonderful bottom drawer. That's where my laminator, BetterPress, Gel Press, hot foiling machine and my Mini Minc foil machine live. They may not have their own tables anymore, but at least they have a home and they're within arms reach!
And Then There's the eBay Shop
One of the unexpected benefits of downsizing my craft space has been having another place to store the supplies I'm keeping but don't necessarily need sitting beside me. Our little eBay shop— it’s a walk-in closet turned into a Shop! I've talked about this room some of my other posts.
Besides storing primarily my hubby's eBay business inventory, office and shipping supplies, it also houses many of my extra craft supplies:
- Cardstock
- Larger die sets
- Foils
- 50 ounce bag of Poly-fil
- Paintbrushes
- My Cinch machine
- Wood pieces for making home decor
- Ribbons
- My wax seals kit
- And plenty of other crafty goodies.
I love going into that little room and shopping! On the racks is where I keep my felt and some of my fabric in hanging folders, organized by color. It's a fun little room! And honestly, having my supplies organized this way has made a bigger difference than I expected.
Learning to Live With Less Space
The way I craft had to change significantly too. I only have two tables available for crafting now, so I can't simply walk over to the dedicated table where the machine I need is already sitting.
If I want to use a particular machine, I have to pull it out. At first, that was frustrating. I was used to having everything ready. But eventually, I made peace with it, because I realized something important. Having a space where I can leave my projects and come back to it is really nice than having to put everything away every single time I want to create something. Because, not every crafter is able to do that.
That changed my perspective. My craft space doesn't have to look like my old craftroom. It doesn't have to hold every machine I've ever purchased. It doesn't have to have a dedicated table for every type of crafting I enjoy. It just needs to work for the way I craft now. And that's what took me a while to understand.
This Little Space Is My Happy Place
I'm really thankful for my little half of this room. It's not huge. It's not the full-size craftroom I once had. I have to pull some things out and put things away. But I can walk in and out of this room, close the door behind me, and come back the next day. I can leave something sitting on my craft table. I can pick up a crochet project and work on it. I can sew or make a card.
I can dig through a drawer looking for the perfect embellishment and get completely lost in creating. And that's what matters.
I think sometimes we can get so caught up in looking at beautiful craftrooms online that we start believing we need a huge room, endless storage and every crafty gadget imaginable before we can truly enjoy our hobby. But I've learned that's not true.
Whether you have a huge craftroom, a small craft space, a basement, a corner of a bedroom, the kitchen table—or a little box where you keep your supplies—you have a place to create.
And if you don't have a permanent space at all and have to put everything away between creative sessions, that's okay too. Don't ever let the size of your crafting space stop you from creating. Because there is room for every Crafter at the table.
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2 comments
Great article! I too have a small space with limited room so I am working on removing items that I don’t use anymore.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris!! Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully, it won't be too hard for you to let go of items you're not using cause that's been a little bit of a struggle for me :)
DeleteI'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment and thanks for stopping by!