How to declutter your craft supplies – without losing your noodle
The universe is laughing at me. Or it’s just my phone listening to me again (you know it’s true). I sold my much loved but oversized elliptical on Kijiji, painted some old plywood for future shelves, and discussed future basement craft storage with my partner, so my You Tube is now filled with home organization and minimalism videos!
Fine universe! You win…I’ll play your game and watch the recommended videos.
Sigh.
Those were pretty good.
Minimalism is NOT my game or goal, and I have yet to find a crafter who does it well. But it does offer a nice challenge, and inspires me to get curious about my arts and crafts hobbies.
Why do I hold onto art and craft supplies that I don’t use anymore?
There are a few reasons–some that I think will resonate with you:
- It feels like a waste of money to get rid of
- I might use it “someday”
- I will likely never use it, but it’s really pretty and I’m attached
Clutter doesn’t just take up physical space, it takes up mental space as well. I know that if I can create a practical and nice-looking crafting space, that it will actually help me get more crafting done! And I will feel better about it. But it’s hard!
Here are my 5 strategies to declutter my craft supplies and create a more organized and relaxing space. Maybe some of these will help you!
FIVE STRATEGIES TO DECLUTTER YOUR CRAFT SUPPLIES
This is the worst tip in my opinion, and I honestly wish you could just skip it but of course it’s the most important as well. Pull out all of your supplies from their various hidey holes and put them all together. This is the best way to start for a two reasons:
- You must declutter before you organize. Ugh, I sooooo wanted to skip this step.
- We’re about to sort like items together, which means you need to figure out what that means by looking at all of your items together
- Check your emotions and be prepared for some big ones. I ride the struggle bus when faced with sorting and decluttering my craft supplies. These aren’t just “items” to me. They represent my identity, my lifestyle. They are memories, old friendships, nostalgia. I usually peter out before I finish because I have not prepared myself for the emotion side of the equation. Do what you need to do to take care of your heart.
- Group like items together. “Like” could mean the same craft, tool or purpose, colour–that’s ultimately your choice and depends a lot on how you work. This will ultimately help you choose your storage containers, and then put everything away in the best places.
- Ask yourself: “is that project unfinished or unfinishable?” Get real about your projects in varying states of completion. My wonky dopamine means I am unlikely to go back to an old project and make it more finished. And I don’t fight this reality any more.
- On a similar note, do you have supplies for a craft that no longer interests you or makes you happy? I kept collecting yarn until I realized that I like the concept of knitting more than I actually wanted to do it.
THE PILES
Once you’ve done the hard work of sorting, you should have a few piles!
- Supplies I’m keeping
- Projects to finish or display as-is
- Supplies that need new homes
Now you’re probably wondering what to do with pile number three, all those supplies you don’t want to keep. My top tip before anything else is don’t make someone else deal with your castoffs! In no particular order, here are some options:
- Social media neighbourhood groups. You know the ones. They used to be called “Freecycle”, but now have names like “Buy Nothing”. This takes a bit of effort to take photos of and list your items, but you know they are going to someone who actually wants or needs them.
- Reuse Centre. This is a service hosted by the City of Edmonton as part of their waste management strategy. They recognize that many items residents no longer have use for aren’t best suited for the garbage, and could be given a new life if they found a new owner. Drop off or pick up as many items as you want for free, but be mindful of what they won’t accept.
- Host a supplies swap with your crafty friends. If you are a crafter, chances are you have crafty friends or family. Buy a box of wine or a box of pop, some fun snacks, and send out an invite for everyone to bring one friend and a few items to swap.
4. Bring them to the next Crafternoon and make use of our Swap Table. This is my favourite option for you, if you’re in Edmonton! Crafternoon is an opportunity for crafters in Edmonton to hang out with each other and work on their projects. We host a Swap Table for attendees to help low income attendees get access to supplies they might not otherwise be able to afford, and because it aligns with our core values of environmental sustainability and community building. Check out the Crafternoon page and sign up for the next event!
Schools, daycares, seniors centres, and other non profits are appreciative of donations, but don’t just dump your stuff off without asking first. If they don’t want it, can’t use it, or don’t have space to store it, now you’ve just made your problem their problem. And that sucks.
I’ll be sure to check back in once I’ve finished the exciting (annoying) task of decluttering and cleaning up my craft space!
What’s your biggest obstable when it comes time to declutter your hobby spaces?
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