We’d like to say thank you for all your support and kind wishes, as we’re sorry to say that You Can Craft magazine is no longer being published.

We hope you enjoyed reading the magazine and perhaps you’d like to try one of our sister titles,

PaperCraft inspirations:

ScrapBook inspirations:

CrossStitcher:

Simply Knitting:

The Knitter:

or Your Family Tree:

Many thanks again,

All at YouCanCraft

Spicy storage!

Got an old spice rack lurking somewhere that you just don’t use? Or maybe root one out at a car boot sale/ charity shop if you don’t fancy buying one new… The glass jars are great for keeping embellishments like brads, gems and buttons sorted, and depending on the type of rack you can have for a desk-top arrangement for easy access, a rotating tower or a tidy wall-mounted option…

Tower of treats

Cylindrical mini-tower storage ideas with secure compartments that screw closed one above the other are great for tiny items. Seed beads can be organized by colour and brads by size & shape… These stacks are readily available in craft and beading stores.

Storage of cards – part 2.

Don’t forget to keep another shoe box for cards you’ve finished making – maybe one that’s larger than for standard shoes eg for boots, or men’s shoes? This way it’s big enough to accommodate larger creations and all those embellishments and 3D items you’ll have added! Try making stiff card (cereal box?) dividers with tab labels so you can categorise cards you’ve made and have them easy to find when you need ‘that perfect greeting’ at short notice. Dividers for ‘birthday - female’, ‘birthday - male’, ‘birthday - kids’, ‘general/ no greeting’, ‘wedding/anniversary/love’, ‘thank yous’ etc etc will all make storing your cards a breeze!

Careful with card – part 1.

Cards will fit perfectly in an old shoe box. Keep a box (or two?!) for unused cards. If you line them up ready-folded with the spines facing upwards you can even organize them by colour so you can grab what you need quickly along with it’s envelope. You’ll even be able to keep stock of what shades you’re running low on ready to buy more!

Don’t be overwhelmed…

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin with your pledge to get organised. Start with small goals, purge as you go – donate supplies you no longer use or arrange a swap with crafty pals. Stay focused and reward yourself too. Not by buying more stuff to clutter the place up again though!

Re-use & re-cycle

Try to re-use packaging for your craft storage solutions – take a fresh look at that tin, jar, plastic container, biscuit tin, wallet or box before you through it away. Spending a moment like this to find a new use for that packaging will not only help the environment as you reduce waste going into landfill, but also you’ll be a step closer to craft-storage-paradise! And who doesn’t want that for their stash?!

Fade-free idea

If you have a large fabric collection, try and come up with a storage solution where it’s protected from dust and, mostly importantly, sunlight. Exposed fabrics will surely suffer from fading, so try and sort them in a cupboard or in storage boxes or crates rather than on show in baskets or on shelves.

Stick ‘em up!

This organisational idea has come from a crafting reader – thanks Juliet for your email! For little bottles of glitter glue and such, like Stickles and Liquid Pearls, try this… You apply a strip of self-adhesive Velcro to a wall area near your desk and then a small piece of the ‘opposite’ Velcro to each of your bottles. They’ll be handily Velcro-wall-mounted and you can stick them up in where you can see at a glance all the colours.

We think this could work for tubes of seed beads too, what do you think?

‘Clearly’ a good idea…

Empty, clean glass jars offer so many perfect storage solutions for crafters. The main benefit of course is that they’re see through so you can find what you’re looking for in no time, and remember they come in umpteen sizes too. From baby food, to jam jars, through pasta sauce to instant coffee. All kinds of sizes for storing gems, brads, buttons, ribbon scraps and more… Sort by colour and type for maximum usefulness!

Ink it up

Now that listening to music is all about going digital (even CD’s are going out of fashion for downloaders!!!), you can pick up old cassette tape storage solutions in charity shops and at car boot sales. They’re often the perfect size for ink pad storage, and you can get organized by colour as well as ink type!

Steal his storage!

Not all great storage is made purpose-built for crafters… A DIY toolbox is brilliant for your stash too. It’s roomy for tools or gadgets like punches or a heat gun, and then for keeping smaller items in the top tray.

Likewise with a fishing tackle box – those divided areas make for perfect ‘zones’ to sort embellishment bits and bobs.

Punch perfect storage

If your crafting desk has drawers, use them to store punches. Lay them out in themed areas so they’re all easy to see when you open the drawer (eg group the flower shapes together, what about the circles/ squares etc, any keep the seasonal ones together eg for Christmas, Halloween and Easter)

Organised and on the go?

If you’re a crafter on the move, consider a dedicated craft storage solution to keep everything in it’s place. Smaller craft totes are available with straps and carry handles to keep all your necessary stash sorted whilst traveling (and between trips!). Or you may find a larger one with wheels more helpful for carrying plenty of goodies if you go to lots of scrapping crops or clubs.

Cleanliness next to… craftiness?

When your crafting area is clean and tidy, it’s time to keep it that way for fuss-free crafting. Resolve to put things away after using them, and use toaster covers to keep those gadgets free of dust and smart into the bargain!