Welcome to the first Pinterest Challenge of 2020, hosted by Erlene from My Pinterventures! It’s time to take one of those organization pins and MAKE IT HAPPEN! My inspiration was a casual, yet artsy, cubby shelf by Itsy Bits and Pieces.
We are a family of 7 living in a cottage with less than 1600 square feet. My three older children go to college/move out; then come back (you know the drill). As a result, I don’t have a craft room where I can store everything, or work on my projects. If you live in a space-challenged home, maybe you can relate to my Craft Storage Shelf for Works in Progress. I have several places where I keep my long-term craft supplies. This shelf is only used for things I want to keep close at hand year-round.
My little shelf is a nine-cuber that began as very solid, ugly black shelf. My husband helped me repaint it and add bead-board backing last year. A backless shelf just won’t do! You can read Dreamy Turquoise Cubby Shelf Makeover to see the before and after photos.
At the top right of my shelf, I have an Upcycled Project Caddy that holds materials for upcoming posts. Since Valentine’s Day is looming, I have all my hearts and flowers ready to go. This nifty little basket was originally a French drain. I spray painted it white and upholstered the bottom. If I’m working on a project, this guy can come with me to the kitchen table, or my favorite recliner. The floral plate is a Fitz and Floyd beauty that I found at Goodwill last week. I don’t exactly know how I’m going to use it, but I know it will look great in a Valentine’s Day vignette.
On the left side, I have all the fabric I’ll be using in the very near future. I won’t have to dig through all my fabric bins to find the winter fat quarters I bought last Tuesday; if you know what I mean. I don’t want to put them away in my fabric bins, but I don’t want 3 paper bags full of recent Hobby Lobby purchases sitting in the bottom of my closet either. When I make a craft haul, I come home and “file” the items I bought on this shelf. Every few months, I put the leftover stuff into my long-term craft storage areas.
The bottom 3 craft shelves contain seasonal items. The 3 shelves are “Christmas,” “Fall,” and “Spring/Summer.” I keep these out because I want a place to quickly tuck items I might find at a thrift store or clearance sale. This is also where I keep small items that I recently bought for that season, but never got around to using. In the back of the Christmas shelf, you can see 2 lanterns that I began painting, but never finished. They will just have to be “works in progress” until next Christmas.
I also have a shelf for classic craft supplies I use all the time. I’m not going to put my stencils in a craft bin somewhere, because I will probably need them very soon. Yet, I don’t want things to lay all around my house, lookin’ messy. You can see that I haven’t bought fancy baskets or matching bins. Most of the containers used for this shelf are things I don’t want to get rid of, but don’t want to store. For example, the basket below has a hand-painted rooster on the side. It is a hold out from the “rooster kitchen” I had about 10 years (or maybe 15) ago. I don’t want to throw it away, yet I’m done with the rooster kitchen. Now it serves as a cute storage basket.
I have shelves for my spray paint, Mason Jars, and milk glass that I use frequently in displays. On one shelf, I have all the little easels I use to hold the plates and pictures for my mantle scape/piano decor posts. The shelf in the middle/far left contains Elmers, Modge Podge, and glittery gold ornaments-three things I use a lot.
In the top middle of my shelf, I have my very-loved 1” sponge and other paint brushes, along with a wire wreath I’ve yet to do anything with.
The mind of a crafter/ blogger is hard to fathom. I hope this post sheds a little light on the method behind the madness! The code word for my Craft Storage Shelf for Works in Progress is functionality. I hope that idea came through in this post!
Happy New Year!
Kristie
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TO JOIN NEXT MONTH’S #PINTERESTCHALLENGE, CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP ⇒ February Pinterest Challenge
For more Pinterest inspired projects from this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosts, check out the links below ↓
My Pinterventures • Domestic Deadline • Elle Marie Home
Cookies Coffee and Crafts • Across the Boulevard • Slices of Life
Teadoddles • Farm Girl Reformed • Purple Hues and Me
Decorate and More with Tip • Sew Crafty Crochet • Life Beyond Kitchen
Mom Home Guide • Intelligent Domestications • Lulu & Celeste
Love My Little Cottage • Eye Love Knots • K’s Olympic Nest • My Family Thyme
Create with Cynthia • DIY Vibes • Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After
Christine Faye Repurposed • Coastal Bohemian
Now, let’s see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓
I love the idea of using the divided shelf for craft project items. I’m about to undertake a closet makeover in my craft room with new shelving. I’m going to keep this in mind.
It is nice to have cubbies.
I am on the hunt for something like your shelving unit. I love the color you have it.
If you find one, I hope you blog about it, so we can all read it.
Love the color and the new purpose for an older shelf.
Thanks, Joanne. It is surely a solid piece of furniture.
Thanks so much for sharing with us at Encouraging Hearts and Home. Pinned.
You’re welcome!
What a cute color and a great way to recycle an old piece!
Thanks, Christina! The cubby holes make it even more functional.
I really love this idea. I’m always in the middle of projects or hesitant to start a new one because I don’t like having my craft stuff all over the place. This would keep everything in one place and easy to grab. I also like the idea of keeping seasonal stuff in an easy to reach area, because I’m always finding stuff on clearance and never knowing where to put it. My craft area is a mess right now – I really need to work on it!
Hey Megan! Yes, it is a struggle to choose what to leave out, and what to put up.
Cubbies make the best storage. Function is always important and it’s great to be able to see your supplies.
Yes! Seeing means not forgetting!
I have a cubby shelf, too, and I use it for similar purposes! I have baskets in every other cubby that I store my projects in, and then use the open shelves for stacking my fabric. It’s so much easier finding what I’m looking for!
It is nice to have something separate for things that need to be close at hand.
Wow! This is truly an useful idea, I shall check the links. Thanks for joining us in Blogger Pit Stop – Pit Stop Crew
Thanks, Menaka.
Functionality – love the philosophy. We live in a small house, so I’ll will keep that word fresh in my mind every time I tackle a storage area – closet, shelf, cabinet, attic or basement.
I read your post about the linen closet. I need to fix both of mine. Ugh. Was that a four square in It’s A Wonderful Life? I tried to comment, but didn’t see a place to do that.
I have converted a closet into my craft room but really need to dedicate a shelf just for unfinished projects so I have a better chance of actually getting them done. I like that idea of yours. Thanks for sharing it with us at #HomeMattersParty I will be sure to check out next month’s challenge as well.
Thanks for dropping by, Donna!
Such a good idea. Can you show us a better photo of the antique glass sugar ? dish in the Christmas cubby hole ?
You can see close-up pictures of that pink Depression glass Floral Poinsettia open sugar bowl here: https://lovemycottage.wpengine.com/my-snowy-valentine-tablescape/
I like how it keeps your crafts supplies organized in a manner that makes sense to you and you do not have to have everything out.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Yes. Sometimes we get caught up in having matching baskets, or something else that looks good, but doesn’t really fit our needs.
I love how you used vintage and thrifted containers to jazz up what could just be a workaday space! I have been known to buy another bottle of acrylic paint caz I can’t find the one I need! I am slowly accumulating “stuff” to organize what I want to be a craft room; this week it was a $3 under-the-counter flourescent light at GW! Last month, it was a craft cart at Michael’s bought with a gift card; it’s still in the box. I seldom throw out a large coffee jar caz I fill them with treasures, too!
Yes, Kathy! As long as your system works for you, it’s a keeper!
I love the new color! Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned.
Thanks, Teresa!
What a great way to get organized. Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJ’s!
Thanks for hosting, Ann!
Oh you are good getting organised like this.
I know exactly what you mean about kids that go and then come back! I’m not complaining but it does mean I craft in our dinning room and have to clear it all away when people come round for dinner!
Julie, I do like to set at the dining room table, even though I have a sewing cubby. It’s weird because I will use my embroidery machine in my sewing cubby, but I always carry my actual sewing machine to the dining room.
I signed up for the challenge.I hope I am able to keep up.#Bloggerspitstop
You can always sign up some months, and not other months, because you have to fill out a new sign up form each time. I’m so glad you’re joining us!
I like your seasonal system for organizing. I have mine sorted by materials but I think your system might work well for me, too.
I like to have the stuff I use the most close at hand. I also like having a place to put the clearance/thrift that I buy.
Yes, a mind of a crafter is hard to fathom. We all have different ways to organzie our craft stash and I like that you used your cubbies for upcoming projects and supplies
Yes, Erlene, the seasonal cubbies came in handy yesterday when I needed to convert a snowman top hat into the Mad Hatter version!
This is great, I always have work in progress baskets going, I like that you can keep them all together.
Thanks, Emily