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I'm very fortunate in that my DH built me an amazing craft room. I have yet to even come close to filling it and it's been over 4 years now.
But I do know what you mean about your hobby taking over the house. I have bins and bins of kids clothes that I need to ebay and I just can't get motivated to do it. But I need to. They are everywhere and that just won't do.
So why not purge a bunch of stuff you don't use and see if that helps? Or you could just pack it away for now and if you don't use it in say, 6 months, then donated it or sell it.
Good luck! Oh and I have a 2 yo too and I live in fear of her getting my scissors or exacto knife and hurting herself. Which is another reason I'm grateful for my room. I lock the door. LOL!
I have a yo and my craft supplies live in locked cupboards!
We've been living in a trailer but just bought a house and DH has hired someone to build a craft room for me ~ I'm so excited!
As far as conserving space goes, I found my best 'organizing' tool is my Craft Rack. I've got tons of stuff in it but it still only takes up one shelf in my craft cupboard.
I use rods and bins attached the the doors of the cupboard for my punches and small tools. That really helps too.
Plus, I unmounted my stamps and have them in CD cases in a CD holder hanging on the back wall of my cupboard. My papers are in a plastic rolling cart underneath the bottom shelf.
__________________ 9kids Yes I really do have 9 kids ~ ages 4 through 28 ;)
Visit my blog, A Little Bit of Everything
I am "very" fortunate to have a great craft room but I still have to do a purge very so often because I run out of space for certain items. My DH and I have a rule for both of us, our hobbies can't be stored outside of our respective rooms. Otherwise, I am very sure that I'd start storing supplies where ever I could find a spare shelf.
Wow...never heard of that happening before...lol. I have a nice sized craft room and I too am bursting at the seams. Time to get rid of stuff I am not using because I refuse to stop buying. Blessings.
I hear you. I have a craft room and am going through the same thing right now - how do I store/organize all this stuff? And what should I give away?
It's tough, because of changes in the market, if you pitch something, you can't always replace it. And how much is too much? How much do you really need? (Everybody is laughing with us on this one!)
I think you almost have to work into this backwards - how much space, of the space that you have (, do you think is appropriate for your hobby stuff - then prioritize and reduce until it fits. I'm not saying this is easy, but it is a pragmatic approach.
Oh, I think most of us can relate. No matter how big or small our craft space is, we always seem to expand to fit or fill that space. Trust me, you will get a bigger space and fill it also. I think this hobby would take over most of our homes if we let it. I started with just a box of stuff and it has expanded to fill a room. And the key is to purge andwatch what you buy. For a long time I would buy all sorts of stuff to alter because I had a friend who had great ideas for everything you could find at the $1 spot. Finally realized I don't like to alter stuff, now I have a pile of stuff collecting dust. First step was I stopped buying the stuff, no matter how cheap it was, and second I am giving it away. Not saying I still don't buy stuff, but hopefully I am using what I am buying.
__________________ Martha
"When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life." Jean Shinoda Bolen
I started out the same way as you did. Earlier this year my husband blessed me to convert the closet in our guest room to use as my stamping space. I have pictures posted in my gallery if you want to take a peek.