For instance, you might spend away the hours in your craft room-or buy a few sheets of scrapbooking paper at the craft store. You know that you should inventory your kitchen right now, but you don’t want to tear yourself away from what you love most.
With how much you love to craft it is very important for you to take the time to organize and pack your craft supplies before moving to ensure they arrive to your new home safely. If necessary, it is also important to prepare your craft room for downsizing prior to moving in your new home. Here are a few strategies for downsizing and organizing your craft supplies before moving day.
Toss or Repurpose
The hardest thing for crafters to admit is that they have too many crafting supplies. If one box of quilting fabric is great, then an entire wall is better. If this sounds like you, you may be a craft-supply hoarder.
If your new place has less room than your current one, you’ll need to downsize your supplies before you move. Not sure where to start? Try going digital, hosting a giveaway or simply trashing old items.
Consider digital scrapbooking
If you have stacks of unused scrapbooking paper but find yourself posting more photos on social media than in an actual scrapbook, then choose a digital scrapbooking method instead.
Meanwhile, donate those designer papers to a local school or to a community group. Keep only the paper you plan to use within the next year.
Host a craft-supply giveaway
Invite a few like-minded friends to your home for a crafting event. Provide supplies for everyone to make a handcrafted item. Then send participants home with boxes of supplies you don’t want to keep.
By thinking of others’ crafting tastes, you may find it easier to give things away, knowing they’ll go to a good home.
Toss old ink pads and other outdated supplies
Keep a trash or recycling bin handy when you go through each closet or paper stack. If you’ve run out of stamping ink bottles, toss the empties and the dried-out ink pads that go with them. Do the same for colored markers past their prime.
Broken supplies won’t do you or others any good, so throw them out or find a viable recycling option.
Organize and Pre-Pack
Once you’ve downsized your crafting supplies, you’ll can take the next step and organize leftover items prior to moving day with these techniques:
- Inventory everything you have left in your craft stash: fabric, yarn, painting supplies, papers, glue and adhesives, markers, rubber stamps, ink pads and refill bottles, and the like.
- Pre-pack loose, small items into plastic bins. If you can, use clear plastic bins that stack easily when the movers put them in larger boxes. This helps you-and your movers-see
what’s inside. - Remove wheels from wheeled supply bins. Put the wheels in a baggie and store them inside one of the bin’s drawers. Tape drawers closed so they won’t spill small contents during the move.
- Secure ink pads with rubber bands so lids don’t pop off during the move and drip ink over everything else. Do the same with marking pens, pencils, and coloring utensils.
- Put liquid items (paint, glue, ink bottles, etc.) in plastic, lock-top bags.
- Pack loose paper in filing bins or metal magazine boxes.
- Store rubber stamps in large, clear plastic bins with secure lids.
Finally, breathe a sigh of relief. Think about how organized your craft room looks, and how simple you’ve made things for your movers. A great moving day lies ahead, thanks to your efforts!
