How to create a craft room

Instead of letting that spare bedroom pile up with junk why not turn it into a craft room? If you love crafting and you spend a lot of time on it you've probably started to accumulate quite a few odds and ends. It seems like no matter what the craft project there are always some leftovers that you don't want to toss in the trash.

Setting a craft room up can be done in a spare room, the basement or even the garage. Mostly what you need is a table, a comfy chair and lots of storage space. The ideal table is one that has the pre-fabricated drink holders built in to hold glasses of water for rinsing brushes. It's especially handy if the table can be wiped off with paint remover without damaging the table. Some tedious crafts might require a set of magnifying 'eyes' that are popular with craft makers. They are usually attached to the table with a vice. Vices for holding glued objects together can be attached to one side of the table. A table for spray painting and another for allowing items to dry can be installed along a wall or use one long table for both purposes.

A large caddy which can hold brushes, adhesives, knives and such can be placed on one end of the table for easy access. Place a small trash can beside the crafting table - it will get a lot of use. A shop-vac is needed to keep the room neat without ruining the home vacuum.

Depending upon the type of crafting done you might need to make room for a sewing machine, cutting table, rods for bolts of fabric, an air compressor, electric saws or drill press. Set up all the large items first, leaving one area that will be used for storing crafting supplies. Peg boards are good to hold electrical tools, spools of ribbon, cones of thread and many other crafting items.

See-through drawers and storage boxes make it easy to organize craft materials. Arrange them alphabetically, by craft or according to which materials are used most often. Wind yarn into balls then place them in a cardboard box. Feed one end of each color through the handle of the box. While knitting or doing other yarn crafts simply pull the desired yarn color from the opening. Organizers for beads, rhinestones and other small embellishments can be placed beside the work table. The drawers or compartments usually slide out so the crafter can grab the appropriate drawer rather than dragging the entire organizer around. Tool boxes on wheels are also useful for storing supplies that are needed at various places in the craft room.

If you sell your crafts you might want to section off an area to place a desk and paperwork. Each crafter is different and each requires a different set-up, depending upon the types of crafts that are done and the process involved. One crafter may want a small room where everything is handy whereas another might prefer a large sofa for contemplating. Set the room to your own convenience and store most supplies until needed to keep the room neat.