Image credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash

I'm a craftaholic on the road to recovery....Just kidding! I'm on the road to the craft store!!

Procraftinating definition: Doing craft projects when you should be walking the dog, making dinner or emptying the dishwasher!

I won't buy any more craft supplies until I use up what I already have at home...said no crafter ever!...bahahahahaha!!

All jokes aside, crafting is serious business, seriously addictive, and seriously good for your mental health (if not your bank balance)! We've all been in that situation where we're squeezed into a chaotic corner, strewn across the dining table, or having to clear everything away at the end of the day. How many of us dream of the perfect craft space; a space we can devote to all of those crafty projects and perhaps even a space that could mean the start of a new career or way of life? If that's you, read on for some ideas on how to create your dream craft space - it may just be a pipe dream but dreams have a habit of becoming a reality if we want them enough - and craft your new creative future.

Identify and claim your space!

Have you ever watched those TV shows where a team go into a cluttered space and hey presto!? A day or a few days of decluttering, tidying, cleaning, reorganising, and repurposing and suddenly, where previously a cat could not be swung, there's room to swing several.

Even if you don't have a handy spare room currently set aside for storage (aka junk), if you think outside the box (or inside the box room), it's amazing how a corner, alcove, or even a cupboard could be cleared and converted into a space for you and your craft habit. Once you've claimed your space, get organised! Think about how you can store everything in an orderly way so that your supplies are to hand and there might even be some room leftover for the spoils of your latest outing to Hobbycraft! Think stacking boxes, shelves, drawers, and labels.

Make it versatile

Keep it a moveable feast with adjustable shelving, modular units, and storage that is easily reconfigured. Put castors on large, heavy units for easy repositioning, and plastic cups on furniture legs for moving them across carpet, or felt pads for hard floors. Use velcro picture hanging strips so that you can move your pictures and other wall hung pieces easily when you want to switch things around.

Clever storage / mini storage

Raid your relative's homes for unwanted or under utilised furniture and be prepared to take a deep dive into a few second hand shops to find some hidden gems. An old chest of drawers upcycled with paint, jazzy wallpaper and new handles made from polymer clay, bent spoons, an old leather belt or even rope, and you have a completely unique piece of art that is thoroughly useful for all that crafty stuff. Take it one step further and fashion some DIY drawer dividers with a selection of gift boxes and you've got a lot of your bits & bobs covered.

Empty jars, empty tin cans, wooden wine boxes, baskets, biscuit tins; you name it, if it can hold stuff, you can probably utilise it to hold your stuff.

Make space for mood boards

Not just mood boards, leave some room for a pegboard (great for a variety of clips, pegs, containers, and hooks), a white board for jotting down ideas and a bit of mind mapping, a magnetic board for, well, magnets, and add a bit of your personality with paint effects, stickers and fabrics.

Create a reflection of you

If you and your crafts are colourful, then make your space a riot of colour. If you're less busy and more serene, choose a more muted colour palette, but above all, if your space is made to reflect you, it will be a space that you want to spend time in. Decide on your style and if that's eclectic then all power to you; if it's tidy and uniform, enjoy creating an ordered environment to match your mood.

Don't forget to make it personal though and include some family photos and pictures of your pets. After all, they too are often a reflection of you (if we do indeed resemble our dogs, I have long untidy ears, a scruffy hairdo and a serious tennis ball habit)!

Above all, utilise your artistic talent. You're fabulous and anything you create will be fabulous too! Just remember to use your outpourings of creativity to make your craft space a true reflection of you with perhaps a mural, a mosaic, or a montage of your own work in frames and displayed collage style. Give some old or plain picture frames an upcycle with paint, decoupage, polymer clay mouldings, gold or silver leaf, yarn or anything that your creative self can conjure up.

Image credit: Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash

Bring in the nature

Nothing makes your craft space seem more alive than some natural living things and natural materials so bring in the plants, the rattan, the willow and the wicker or introduce some calming greens into your colour palette. Mmmmm! Lovely!!

Image credit: Yevhen Liashchevskyi on Pixabay

Beat crafter's block

There's nothing more frustrating than sitting in your special crafting space only to be hit with crafter's block! Not such a problem if you're already established in one or perhaps several crafting genres, but if you're starting out or looking for a change of direction, you'll need to find your crafting inspiration:

Unplug! - Switch off your devices, relax, and take some time to just sit and think. You'll soon have some creative ideas tapping at your sub-conscious ready to come to fruition.
Take a break - remove yourself from your block and head outdoors to get inspired by what's around you in nature. If you're lucky enough to live near the coast, collect some shells or take photographs of any natural materials that appeal to you.

'Upcraft' something - dig out an old project and give it a revamp. Reworking past ideas can lead to new and inventive ones!
Get inspired by other crafter's inspiration - have a browse around craft fairs or make use of all those lovely crafty resources out there: watch some videos on YouTube, have a scroll through Pinterest, Etsy and Instagram for some fresh ideas.
Know what you have that you can utilise - getting your space organised means you'll have a good idea of all your crafty stuff and, more importantly, have it right there to dive into.

Make a mess! - just start something, anything, with no planned outcome. As many a practised writer will say, "just put pen to paper and write whatever spills out in a stream of consciousness." Don't pay any attention if it doesn't look like much at the start (or at the end), the important thing is you've taken a big ol' plunger to that block and your ideas will soon be flowing freely!
REMEMBER! - There are no rules here. Your imagination is a blank canvas that you can fill with anything you want.

Make it comfy

If there's one thing that's guaranteed to keep you gainfully employed in your crafting space, it's comfort. Make sure your chair is supportive and comfortable and try to include an option for standing while you work if budget and space allow. If not, take regular breaks from your seated position to move, stretch and take care of your spine.

Get some decent lighting and, if you can, position your workspace so that you are facing a view. Good lighting and looking into the distance regularly will help to support and rest your eyes as well as helping to feed that creative spark. If you're feeling really adventurous, make your own unique lamp shade.

Image credit: Bridget Arnold Sun Printed Lamp Shades on CraftCourses

Bring in some soft touches such as cushions, throws, beanbags and rugs to soften the space, soften your gaze, and instil a comfy look and feel. If you can make them yourself, even better! Home grown inspiration!!

Image credit: Awesome Sauce Creative on Unsplash

Enjoy spending time in your space

This is your space. There are no rules other than those you make for yourself. Just make it a space that will keep drawing you back; a space that you want to be in; a space that fuels your creative spirit and gives you the wings to really fly!

Create your dream craft space 🙌

by Editor