SFC Blog: Families Matter: Organizing Kid Craft Supplies

If you constantly find yourself buying duplicates of craft supplies
because you can?t seem to find what you need when you need it, then it
sounds like you may need some organization tips to help you out.? Anyone
who loves to craft can attest to the fact that there are so many new
and different craft supplies on the market now that it?s hard not to
just buy them all, but knowing what to do with them once you bring them
home is the trick.? Try some of these tips to organize your kids? craft
supplies.

1. See through boxes- One of the most important things to remember when storing kids? crafts is that you want to make sure that you can see what is in each box.? The last thing you want to do is go through every box that you have just to find the glitter.? Try to keep like items in the boxes so that when you go to a box you will know that the glitter, glitter glue, and sequins are in the same box.? This will save you a lot of time in the long run.
2. Tackle box- The great thing about tackle boxes is that they hold a lot of stuff in a relatively small space.? The small compartments are perfect for neatly storing beads, brads, paper clips, sequins, etc., and the bigger items can go in the bottom of the box.? Spools of ribbon will fit in the compartments meant for fishing line and so on.
3. Clear, over-the-door shoe organizer- The clear, over-the-door organizers are useful space savers, especially for craft supplies. It?s important to buy the one with clear pockets so that you will be able to see everything that you?ve stored and find your craft supplies at a glance.? And since the pockets are made of plastic, if one of your supplies happens to leak, you will be able to easily wipe the pocket clean.
4. Recycled cans- Various sized cans work well for organizing colored pencils, markers, pens, glue sticks, crayons and other similar items.? You?ll want to wrap the edge with tape so there are no sharp edges that the kids can cut themselves on.? You can also tape or glue some cute paper over the can label, and then you?ll be ready to store it on a desk or table.? These cans can also be kept in an open box that will allow you to sort smaller things into the cans, while still keeping them all together in the box to be carried to the crafting area.
5. Bookcase or shelves- Once you have all of the boxes, cans and bins to store your crafts items in, you?ll want to find a way to get them off the floor and out of the way.? You can use a bookcase or a low shelf to keep the storage boxes together and organized.
6. Labeled bins- Another way to keep everything organized is with collapsible cubes. These come in various colors that you can coordinate with your room, and you can also find storage units that house the cubes.? Many of the cubes also have a slot in the front that can hold a label noting what contents are inside.? This will allow you to hide away some of the clutter that you might not want visible to everyone, while still allowing you to know what each cube contains.
7. File box- Many craft items, such as paper, stickers, letters, and craft foam, are flat and should be stored upright to prevent them from warping.? A file box will hold about a dozen hanging files that will allow you to store a lot of flat items in a way that is easily accessible.? If you stack all of your paper in one giant stack it will be difficult to get that purple glitter paper that?s at the bottom of the stack.? In a folder, however, you can organize paper by color or by type of craft item.? For instance, all of the stickers can go in one folder while all of the cardstock can go in another one.
8. Baby food jars- Small jars are a convenient way to organize a bunch of little items at no cost.? Thoroughly wash the jars and remove the labels so that you can see what?s in the jar and then you?ll be ready to fill them with whatever you need to store.?
9. Magnet strip- If you mount a magnet strip on the wall over the desk area then you can use magnet hooks to hang crafting tools like fancy scissors, normal scissors, and a paper punch.? These magnet strips have other accessories for organization that might also come in handy for pens, pencils and more.
10. Rolling drawers- These drawers are typically clear and work well for storing craft supplies because you can see what?s in the drawers and you can roll the cart to where you are crafting and then roll it back when you are done.

Now that you are armed with a few strategies to organize your kids? crafts supplies, hopefully you can find the supplies that you already own and stop buying duplicate craft supplies.? Have fun and use those supplies to make wonderful craft projects with the kids.

First published on http://www.becomeananny.com/blog/10-tips-for-organizing-kids-craft-supplies/

Source: http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com/2013/01/organizing-kid-craft-supplies.html

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