Organising your craft room

Since a child I have loved messing around with crafts and materials and have always had a special place to store everything. Buttons in jars, paper in drawers and decorations in used boxes.

In my early days it was a plastic bucket that had been used for toys, Which I could easily rummage through when a good episode of Blue Peter came on

When I bought my first home I made great use of my under stairs cupboard and soon filled it with paints, ribbons and papers. Space was tight so papers were neatly folded and stored in crates. Ribbons and embellishments were popped into baskets which were hung from the beamed ceiling.

Over the years I have grown a business based on craft and gift wrapping. Through my work and extensive travelling, I have carried much of my craft materials away with me by the use of a rigid suitcase and gentle packing.  When I have flown to the US on holidays, every inch of my suitcase has been carefully packed so I can bring back lots of new craft materials.

If you are lucky enough to designate a space in the home as a craft room, Here are some great storage ideas. Alternatively your craft room could be a garden shed or a designated corner of the garage or potting shed.

Rolls of wrapping paper can easily be stored in umbrella stands and planters. Sheets of paper and tissue can also be rolled in to scrolls and tied with string or ribbon. They look great in a pretty waste paper basket.

Sheets of paper can be stored on a collapsible washing line and small pieces can easily be stored and decorate a vintage wooden ladder.  You can even make your own collapsible gift wrapping ladder using wooden poles and metal chains.

When I buy prepacked tissue I always remove it from the packaging and roll it into scrolls. This is a great way to iron out the creases.

Rolls of ribbon can be kept in shoeboxes or baskets. For larger collections of ribbon buy an inexpensive bookcase and glue on some wooden edging to stop the ribbons from falling out (B&Q Offer a free wood cutting service and sell wood glue too). I have several of these which I take to courses around the UK and have painted them with a cream egg shell paint from Laura Ashley.

I love to keep all remnants of ribbon and recycle wherever possible. Longer lengths can be wound around pretty wooden spools, or placed loose in a large storage jar.

Smaller ribbons can be wound around card or rigid gift tags and secured with a pin. I also love to use dollypegs, Which look very effective too.

If you have string, raffia and twine in your collection, store the ball in a jar or used metal can (They make a tidy dispenser). Always keep bundles of loose raffia in a plastic carrier bag to avoid any mess.

Gift boxes are great for storing any embellishments, Loose decorations and gift tags. You then have some spares incase of a last minute gift.

Utilise every space around you ensuring you don’t clutter your craft table. Boxes can be stored underneath and utilise your walls with plenty of shelves and hooks

A product that I have just designed, is our brand new Ribbon storage dispenser set which holds 5 rolls of Jane Means ribbons. You simply thread through the ribbon and the dispenser box neatly stores them.

To celebrate the launch, we are giving away a set to a lucky follower which includes 50 metres of ribbon and is worth £25.  Just leave a comment below and the winner will be picked at random next week.  Good luck everyone x