Since I was a young girl, I have always dreamed of having a crafting space of my very own! In my dreams of my future creative space, I would map out where I would put my crafting desk, my supplies, my sewing machine…I had it all laid out perfectly…in my imagination!
When my husband and I renovated our attic into a new master bedroom space, I finally had the chance to create my own crafting space! I pulled up the Pinterest board I had created years before and began designing this new space. I quickly began to think that to create the perfect Pinterest-worthy crafting space, I would need to invest a decent amount of money into this project.
I didn’t want to invest a ton of money into the decor, furniture, and organization of this new space. The money that I would spend on these things could be used on the supplies that I would actually use for crafting. That’s when I decided to challenge myself to create a crafting space made up of thrifted items! Furniture, decor, organization…ALL THRIFTED! With time, patience, and a plan, I was able to thrift almost everything in my craft room! In today’s blog post, I would like to share with you tips and tricks that I have learned along the way in the process of thrifting my crafting space!
1. Think outside of the box!
Have you ever been at the thrift store or a garage sale and see a piece that you absolutely need to buy? You have NO IDEA what you are going to do with it, but it has to come home with you? I will often find myself at the thrift store staring at a piece saying, ‘What can I do with this? How can this piece work in my home?’ During this process, I have found that when my gut is telling me to get something, it’s probably because it will find the perfect purpose in my home! Some pieces that you can find at the thrift store have many untapped uses, waiting for you to discover! Take this K-Cup organizer for example. When I first brought this piece home, my husband and I used it for K-Cups for several years. I one day decided to look at this piece through a different lens. I thought to myself, ‘How can I use this in my craft room?’ As soon as I changed my lens, the thought of paint organization popped into my head. Don’t limit yourself to the original use of a piece.
2. Have an idea of what you will need to organize!
Before I began the process of thrifting my crafting space, I sat down and thought about the different type of projects that I would want to do in my craft room. I knew that I would want a space for sewing supplies, yarn, paint, paper…(Just to name a few materials that I knew I would be working with) Since I had created a list of materials in my mind, I was able to thrift and focus on what I could use to organize these items. When I was at the thrift store, I would often find myself saying, ‘Oh! That piece would be great for my paper!’ or ‘That piece would nicely display my yarn!’ Having a clear idea of the type of crafting that I wanted to do in this space helped me to focus my thrifting efforts!
After you have created a list of the materials that you need to organize, head over to Pinterest and look for inspiration! Pinterest is often where I begin my search. I will search things like, paper organization or yarn organization and see what pops up. I will sometimes find a pin that instantly catches my attention! If I do, I will save it to a Pinterest board that I can access on my phone while I am thrifting. Just so that I can refresh my memory of exactly what I am looking for. Other times, I will search Pinterest and not really find the exact solution that I am looking for. In those situations, I will often take bits and pieces from the pins that I see to help me gain inspiration for the piece that I feel will complete my space. The great thing about Pinterest is that it is a place to be inspired by multiple pins at the same time. Take the parts of each pin that you like and put them together to create your perfect piece!
Thrifted Paper Organizer!
3. Have patience and enjoy the process!
One of the drawbacks of thrifting your crafting space is that it will most likely be a long process. Unlike a retail store, you can’t always go to the thrift store and find exactly what you want in the color and quantity that you need. You will probably need to be thrifting and going to garage sales for a bit of time before you find everything that you need! Don’t get frustrated! Don’t give up and run to a retail store! (Unless you need something super specific that you will NEVER find at a thrift store!) I can’t tell you how many times I thought to myself, ‘Oh! I hope I can find a __________ to put in my craft room!’ and then I would find one in a week or two! I believe that there is a bit of fate that comes into play with thrifting. Have patience and enjoy the process of designing your thrifted space! It will all be worth it in the end!
I hope these tips help you! I can’t wait to see what thrifted spaces you design! Please share any pictures of your new crafting space with me on my Instagram-@thriftedliving
I also shared a video about my favorite thrifted organizers on my YouTube channel! Check it out! See you next time!
XOXO,
Kieren
thriftedlivingblog.com 