Craftzine.com blog: Organizing Archives

Archive: Organizing

February 8, 2012

How-To: Thread Spool Holder

Chiiiiing at Interglactic! Galactic! Glactic! used to have the same thread organizing system as I do: a basket full of toppled-over spools, many of which are buried and obscured at the bottom of the heap. And then she came up with this simple spool holder that requires only 4 ingredients: a wooden chopping block, dowels, strong glue, and spray paint. Now she can actually see what colors of thread she has. Nice!

February 1, 2012

Project: Wall-Mounted Boxy Shelves

By Sonya Nimri

Living in cramped quarters, every inch of one's walls become precious real estate, where storage must be maximized and stylized to get the most for your space. These shelves are a great solution if you have wood from another project or random pieces lying around. I happened to find some oak table leaves in the alley that came in handy for this project.

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January 28, 2012

How-To: Embroidery Hoop Storage Bins

Proving once again that embroidery hoops are the most versatile craft supply ever, Rachel from Always a Project turned a stack of small hoops into a craft room storage solution in her embroidery hoop storage bin tutorial. What a cute, simple way to keep crafty clutter under control!

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January 23, 2012

Embroidery Hoop Wall Storage Pockets

Amy from During Quiet Time made this awesome embroidery hoop wall storage pocket for her partner using this free pattern from Sew Daily. I don't know about you, but I could certainly use a few of these in my studio!

[Via Pinterest]

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January 16, 2012

Project: Jewelry Organization Collage

By Jennifer Nieman

I have always had an eclectic vision for progressive fashion, and while I know it's hard keeping up with the latest trends, I find it imperative to organize one's accessories. A girl's greatest struggle is those winding seconds before she has to jet out the door on a hot date to only freak out because her favorite earrings and necklace are lost in a tangled pile of jewelry.

Thus I have created a vintage-chic way to keep "a girl's best friend" always on display and in reach. My favorite part of creating this project was hitting my local Goodwill, Salvation Army, and supermarkets to find inspiring pieces at affordable prices in order to showcase my jewelry. This project also brought me back to my childhood, when my mother used to hang our clothes out on the clothes line to dry on a hot summer day. I loved the look of it, so I've decided to tie these memories into my organizing project. Here's an easy, quick way to get started! Have fun and get inspired!

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January 12, 2012

How-To: Emergency Car Kit

I love giving handmade for birthdays and holidays, but I always seem to have a hard time coming up with good gift ideas for the guys on my list. I like my gifts to be both personalized and useful, so I'm really excited about this emergency car kit tutorial that Megan Reardon (of Not Martha fame) shared on Holidash. This is definitely my new go-to gift for the guy who has it all!

Project: Ribbons of Organization

By Paula Biggs

Hi, my name is Paula and I have a ribbon problem. A BIG one. Like six-boxes-of-ribbon-up-on-my-shelf kind of big. Every time I do a project, I run to the store for the colors needed and always buy more than I need. After I'm done, I dump them in a box and they disappear into the ribbon vortex. Now, if all those spools of ribbon were visible, I know I would buy less and use what I already have.

I did make an effort to organize my spools of 50-yard ribbon at one point:

But this system has many drawbacks (especially if you are lazy as I am): the dowel isn't strong enough to hold the kind of weight put on it; every time you use some ribbon, all the spools on the dowel unravel; and when one goes empty you have to unthread and rethread the entire dowel to take it off or replace it. Those are some pretty big issues that prove discouraging to keeping all those ribbons organized.

So I set to thinking how to solve these issues so that I might actually use the organizer, and came up with this ribbon organizer shelf. The spools can get dropped in and out at will, and the dowel is only there to keep the ribbon inside. I like to just pick up my ribbon and bring it with me, so this is a perfect solution for how I work. With the help of a can of spray paint, the organizer can even come in fashion colors!

This organizer is meant for standard 4" rolls of ribbon; of course, you could add an inch or two to the dimensions to handle larger spools.

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January 11, 2012

Project: Reverse Canvas Wall Pockets

By Cathe Holden

Upcycle new or used stretched canvases into wall pockets to organize mail, papers, stationery, notes, coupons and reminders, or just create funky wall art with flea market finds!

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January 10, 2012

How-To: Takeout Menu Organizer

Kim from Tales and Tips from a Real-Life Housewife shared her takeout menu organizer tutorial on Skip to My Lou, complete with printable pages to get you started! I don't know about you, but her quick reference guide, order spaces, and review pages certainly put my binder-ring-hanging-on-a-hook method to shame.

January 9, 2012

Project: Travel Jewelry Clutch

By Emilee Gettle

I travel a lot throughout the year, and since I'm living out of my suitcase, I like to keep things organized and at my fingertips at a moment's notice. After years of tangled necklaces, I decided it wasn't worth the time wrangling through them in the morning when I was late for an appointment. So, since the theme is organization this month, I decided it was high time to rethink my problem. After a quick sketch in my trusty notebook and a few seams later, this clutch became my solution. The rickrack works perfectly to attach necklaces and bracelets to, and the corresponding pocket below keeps them tucked safely away. Also, you can simply pin your brooches and earrings through the felt. The large pocket in the center works great for storing watches or a little extra spending money. With a few tweaks, this project could be used for a lot of other things besides jewelry - apply your own organizational woes and redesign according to your personal needs by adding more pockets, bigger ones, smaller ones, etc. The sky is the limit!

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January 8, 2012

Handmade Wall Mounted Pencil Holder

A New Year is a perfect time for organizing your creative space, and we're highlighting many ways to do just that this month on CRAFT. I love these simply but highly functional wall mounted pencil holders Tonya Staab has added to her studio. Her husband made them for her, and she describes the quick process over on her blog.

January 7, 2012

How-To: Recycled Container Craft Organizers

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood from CraftSanity shared some great ideas for turning household containers into craft organizers in a recent Take 5 segment for her local TV news. If you're looking for a weekend organization project, look no further—I already had most of the supplies on hand, and I bet you will too!

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