Last week I finally completed some of the organizational projects that I started earlier this year.  Of course, the coronavirus health crisis and the need to homeschool the kids kicked this particular project into high gear.  Since we’re all quarantined at home, I thought this would be the perfect time for me to get the craft and homeschool supply cabinets in order.  In this blog post, I will provide details and tools on how to organize your craft and homeschool supply cabinets.  This approach can also be used for a craft closet or room if you’re lucky enough to have one. 

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Organizing My Family Planning Desk and Craft Cabinets

I always say that organizing takes time, patience and a lot of planning.  Of course, this project can be completed in a day or weekend if you adequately plan ahead.  In my experience, planning entails measuring your space, deciding on the types of storage containers to use and sorting all of your items into groups/types.  In addition, I like to place my empty containers on the floor and double-check my measurements.  I’ve learned to do this through a lot of trial and error…and a lot of unnecessary trips to The Container Store.

As I stated earlier, the need to keep the kids busy learning and craft jump-started this organizing project.  My kids love creating art projects, and I wanted to place all of their craft and homeschool supplies into one space.  I stocked up on the learning and craft items recently, and I ordered a lot of these items from Amazon.  If you would like to check out my recommended list of learning and art must-haves, please see my list on Amazon here.

Now, let’s get started with my home planning desk area.  This was an add-on after I built the home, and it was well worth the money.  I love the extra storage that this area provides.  I knew I wanted to create an area to store the kids’ craft, art and learning supplies, and this space is perfect.  The cabinets are not very deep, so I had to keep that in mind as I sourced the clear plastic bins and containers.  To check out a tour of my mudroom and planning desk, click here.

Craft and Homeschool Supply Cabinets

Let’s start from the right and walk through all of these craft cabinets and drawers filled with school supplies.  I maximized all of the space available and utilized all of the shelves.  Of course, I always store the most used items within arm’s reach.  The items that are not used frequently, such as paint and glue, are stored on the higher shelves. 

Tip:  It’s always a good idea to store items used less frequently on the top shelves or out of reach.

Because we have a lot of small items, it was imperative that we use these Target Dollar Spot glass jars to store them.  Not only are these a great solution, but you can also use regular Ball jars with lids. I re-purposed a lazy susan, and I stored these jars in it to further contain the various supplies.  This is helpful when the kids want to pull out a lot of jars at the same time to create their masterpieces.  The tall jars are great for storing all of the Perla beads.  I just want to share with parents that this project is a great way to keep the kids busy for an extended period of time.  They get lost in creating amazing art.

The containers with a lid are also helpful when storing small items or grouping similar items like these Perla pegboards and Rainbow Looms that my kids convinced me to purchase recently.

Learning Tools and School Supplies

Now, let’s move down to the school supplies and learning drawers.  I stocked up on additional pencils, crayons, markers, and pens to take us through the summer.  I picked up these small plastic drawers from the Target Dollar Spot in both clear and smoke colors.  The large acrylic drawer was repurposed from my former makeup storage setup.  If you’ve noticed, I prefer storage inside storage as one of my go-to organizing tricks.

The second drawer is filled with learning books and a few additional craft supplies.  The white bins are the Tall Smart Tote inserts and are perfect for holding colored pencils, markers, flashcards and craft supplies.  The books are stored in three of the narrow bins from The Container Store.  Additionally, these bins are great for storing construction paper and notebooks.

Tip:  Check out Target Dollar Spot for inexpensive organizing bins and containers.

The third drawer is very similar to the second drawer.  I love flashcards for the kids’ distance learning, so I have stored all of them in these white inserts from The Container Store.  I also have some additional learning aids, additional notebooks, and the Osmo coding game which are great for homeschooling. If you’re interested in the School Zone flashcards, please click here to location them.

This middle drawer contains a couple of drawer inserts that I repurposed from my office.  They hold some cards and standard office supplies.

Board Games and Gift Wrapping Supplies

Now, let’s move up to the cabinets above the middle drawer.  This section is for items that I do not use on a regular basis.  In addition, I like to keep the majority of our board games in this space.  We typically have a game night about two times a month, so this hiding space is perfect for preventing pieces from disappearing. 

Since I don’t have a craft room or a gift wrapping space, I decided to purchase folded wrapping paper as oppose to rolls of wrapping paper.  This is great for storing wrapping paper and tissue paper in such a small space.  Additionally, I also decided to pick up this plastic ribbon holder for all of the colored ribbon. 

The top shelf is for gift bags and boxes.  I won’t access these items on a regular basis, so the top shelf is the best place for storing seasonal gifting items.

Household Items

The far left cabinet is additional storage for my extra household items.  The bins are all from Bed Bath and Beyond, and they are the perfect size for these cabinets.  These days you can’t get enough hand soap and dish detergent, so I stocked up on some Bath and Body Works favorites once the quarantine began.  I also stocked up on some additional candles since I’m spending an inordinate amount of time in my home.

You can’t get enough batteries and tape, right?  Throw in some paper cutting tools in your craft cabinets, and you all set to create some amazing DIYs! To sum it up, the clear bins shown are the iDesign 10×8″ and 10×16″ cabinet bins.

The lower cabinets on the left side of the planning desk, are just some items that I use on a regular basis.  They are not as exciting as the other items in the craft cabinets or the school supply drawer.  More than likely, I will move these items to my home office to free up space for some additional craft supplies. These gray bins are from Target, and they are very inexpensive and great to use throughout your home.

I still have to organize one final drawer that contains a lot of personal paperwork and files.  I struggle with organizing paper, so that’s a future project to take on when all of the exciting things are complete.

I hope you found some clever ways to organize your craft and homeschool supply cabinets.  Organizing is especially important now that we’re quarantined in our homes, so please take a look at some additional posts on how I’ve organized my home.

• Pantry Organization
• Pantry Organization Using Only IKEA Products
• Owner’s Bath Linen Closet Organization

Thank you so much for stopping by to check out craft and homeschool supply cabinets today, friends. Happy organizing!