10+ Ways to Maximize Your Scrapbook Storage - My Favoriate Cheap and Efficient Crafting Storage Solutions

I love collecting crafting supplies but have only a tiny space to store them: thus my enduring interest in storage solutions that are efficient. (The fact that I'm a teacher explains the need to keep things inexpensive.) 

... Anytime I can move something off my desk and onto a wall or rod? Win! 

... Anytime I can replace one of those heavy wood craft storage units with something light and equally efficient? Win! 

... Anytime I can storage supplies in a way that keeps them visible, so I don’t forget what I have? Win!  

Here are 10 solutions I haven’t just looked up at random on the internet; they’re solutions I actually use in my own crafting space. Hope they work for you as well as they work for me!

1.      RIBBON/WASHI TAPE STORAGE for rolls.  I laugh at those heavy wood storage boxes that beautifully display maybe 6-8 spools of ribbon – who has only 6-8 spools of ribbon? I store my ribbon, washi tape, tulle (basically anything wrapped around a tube) on cheap metal curtain rods that hang from the ceiling (or between hooks on the wall) using wire. I've learned not to extend the bar all the way or else it bows under the weight of the ribbon; instead, I buy the longest ones they have. I love that this puts my ribbon & washi tape up out of the way but also leaves my collection exposed so that I can quickly see what I have.

2.      RIBBON/WASHI TAPE STORAGE for rolls (see photo).  Smaller rolls, or rolls I use most heavily, I store on those specialty hangers they make to hang multiple pairs of slacks.  Each bar lifts out of its own cradle so the rolls slide easily on/off the bars, and no roll is ever buried too deeply behind others.  Storing craft supplies on hangers frees up surface/drawer space by maximizing the use of vertical space; also, of course, it makes your ribbon & washi tape supplies easy to peruse and access.

3.     RIBBON STORAGE for remnants.  Pick up one of those specialty hangers that are made  in the shape of a bar, so that you can hang a single pair of slacks without having to "thread them" through a standard hanger.  Unscrew the "cap" that keeps the slacks from sliding off and thread your paperclips onto the bar.  Simple untie the remnant you want & leave the paperclip there to to reuse later. I store my remnants in rainbow order to make it even easier to find what I need. 

4.      YARN STORAGE.  Yarn has this way of taking up as much or as little space as you allow it! I tame mine my stuffing the skeins into faux plastic ball jars with lids – they’re light, they stack easily, and you can see the color of the wool through the transparent plastic – especially if you stack them lid-down.

5.      FABRIC REMNANT STORAGE. Buy a cooling rack with horizontal bars spaced about 1/4” apart.  Fold and drape your fabric scraps over the horizontal bars so that they hang down. You can hang the cooling rack from a hanger or hooks on the wall. 

6.      STORAGE FOR SMALL EMBELLISHMENTS. Use transparent jewelry/hardware storage boxes to store embellishments. I’ve got about 10 of them: one for wood embellishments, 3 for eyelets/brads, 2 for buttons/charms, etc.

7.     STORAGE FOR MEDIUM-SIZED EMBELLISHMENTS & STAMP-PADS (see photo).  Store larger embellishments (tags, paper flowers, etc.) in hanging jewelry organizers. Perfect for seeing everything you have in one place! 

8.     STORAGE FOR LARGE EMBELLISHMENTS (see photo). Every scrapbooker is familiar with the clear plastic 12" x 12" hole-punched page protectors that serve as the final destination for our completed scrapbook layouts.  It doesn't take too much looking to find 12" x 12" page protectors that have been divided by the manufacturer into pockets - sometimes four pockets per page, sometimes five, sometimes nine or even 25.  These make amazing storage for flat cards, embellishments, and papers.  Just slide your flat embellishments into the pockets and insert the pages into 3-hold binder for easy browsing. I have mine divided up into several binders by theme. (The photo at the top of this entry is from my Christmas binder, obviously!)   

9.     STICKER/STENCIL STORAGE. Buy inexpensive transparent top-loading 8” x 11” sheet protectors. Insert sticker sheets (or stencils, or basically anything flat) into the pockets and organize them in an inexpensive 3-ring binder, perhaps even using dividers to separate your stickers into categories.

10. MOBILE STORAGE. Forego those expensive craft supply storage carts, boxes and bags!  An ordinary tool box or tackle box from Walmart will provide much more flexible storage at a *much* more affordable price.  If you need mobility, places like Office Depot sell inexpensive rolling carts (mostly to teachers) that are wide enough to store multiple tackle boxes. I've customized my rolling cart with a combination of storage devices designed to match my actual needs - so much more convenient than