Craft Room DIY for $120 or less!

That’s it I need a craft room!  This is finally the year I give in!  I’ve been toying with the idea of converting one of my guest rooms into a craft room for the couple of years, mostly the last couple of months when my craft stuff was everywhere.  It’s a long overdue project I’ve been putting off for various reasons, the biggest ones are time and cost.

Finding room wasn’t the problem, I certainly have enough room.  Now that the children are grown with families of their own my husband, Steve and I find ourselves rambling around our 4 bedroom home. The reality is we only “live” in 3 rooms, the master, downstairs family room, and kitchen.  The other 3 bedrooms have become guest rooms only used when the kids and grandchildren come to visit, and that’s at most twice a year, except of course my son’s twins who I babysit several days a week.

They are really the reason I need a craft room.  Now that the twins are walking and getting into everything I need a place to store yarn, sewing things, and other crafting supplies.  Like kittens they love pulling out yarn and rummaging thru my bins and boxes.  For their safety and the sake of my sanity I needed to organize!  It will also save time, precious time spent looking for needles, hooks, scissors, etc. when I could be crafting!

My biggest obstacle was money, I didn’t want to spend a lot decking out a craft room.  I checked out craft rooms online, some were fantastic, and looked expensive.  I didn’t need anything fancy, just something functional and inexpensive.  When I told Steve I would be converting a room into my craft room he didn’t really care about the cost, he was mostly concerned about possibly loosing a guest room.

I toyed with the idea of converting the upstairs family room, it’s fairly spacious and only used by the older grandkids to play video games when they’re in town.  But as my son and daughter pointed out it gets pretty hot up there,  it’s the only room in the house without air conditioning.  The kids suggested I convert my son’s old room because it was air conditioned and contained only a single bed and a couple of small shelves.  I figured if I moved the shelves out I could free up more space, getting rid of the bed was out of the question, my husband wouldn’t agree.

Once I decided to convert my son’s old room it was time for action.  As with every project I undertake I start out with a list and set a budget of $500.

I listed all the things I wanted in a craft room in order of importance:

1.  Storage for all my different materials, tools, and supplies

2.  Work table for the printer, Cricut die cutting machine, and laminating machine

3.   Sewing table if I could fit one

4.   Space to set up ironing board and work tables when needed

5.    Comfy chair.

I also had to keep the bed so the room had to convert easily to a guest room when needed and I had to match the existing decor and color scheme as well.

To accomplish this I would need shelves, caddies, tables, and more.  This could get costly! Craft tables can cost more than $500 depending on size and finishes.   To save a few bucks I looked around the house for furniture I could re-purpose.

The old unused computer desk in the upstairs family room turned into my work table.  Ever since we each got laptops and tablets we never use the desk top, so I moved it to the store room until I figure out what to do with it.  The printer and laminating machine fit perfectly on the upper shelf. The desk surface has enough room for the Cricut Explore that needs about a foot of clearance behind it, and still had plenty of room for the laptop I use to operate the machine.

If you don’t have an old computer desk any old desk or table will do. If you don’t have either check out thrift shops, flea markets, and garage sales, you may just find a bargain!  If you absolutely can’t find a bargain you can use a folding table, they’re sold at most of the big box stores and come in various sizes.  They cost $50 or less depending on the size.  To dress it up cover it with a floor length tablecloth or better yet sew a skirt.  This will make it look pretty and you can hide bins and boxes underneath.

The plastic rolling drawers I found in one of the closets works great for storing card stock, paper, and other supplies I need for my Cricut.  The best part is I can roll it into the closet when I have guests.

If you don’t already have one of these drawers you can pick one up at Walmart, Target, or other discount store.  They come in several sizes and cost about $20.

The plastic bins on top of the drawers hold pens, stamps, and ink pads.  I had these already, but if you need to buy some they cost about $1 each at any discount store.

The large plastic bin tucked under the desk holds large finished projects that I want to save for later use.  I love these bins, they hold just about anything!  I have tons of them so I didn’t have to buy another one.  You can pick them up at any discount store for about $5 each.

The bins can easily be stored in the closet when we have company.

I made this crochet caddy with a plastic hanger and some yarn.  It keeps my Cricut tools handy.  I made it to match the black, white, and red color scheme.  If you want to make your own caddy click here for my free pattern!

 Every crafter I know has ribbons, lots of ribbons!  Here’s an inexpensive way to keep rolls of ribbon organized and ready to use.  I picked up this metal multi pant hanger at Target for $6.99.  Like the plastic bins and drawers this can be hidden in the closet when we have guests.  Perfect!

For my chair I rolled in the padded office chair we used at the computer desk.  Since no one used the desk top any more no one sits in the chair.

Now that my work station was set it was time to turn my attention to more storage.  The book shelves along the opposite wall had to go, they just wouldn’t work.  So I dragged them out and moved them to the family room, they were perfect for the space created when I moved the computer desk into my new craft room.  I needed something pretty, functional, and cheap.  So I took myself to Target, luckily I caught a sale and came home with a 9 unit storage cube  for $39.99 and a 3-2-1 storage cube shelf for $34.99.  I also picked up 5 fabric cubes in red and black for $5.99 each.

I assembled them and placed them side by side along the wall, they should be anchored to the wall using the bracket they come with.  The cubes are perfect for storing yarn and rolls of tulle, you can see the colors and they look pretty too!  The fabric totes keep sewing notions, candle wax and wicks, soap flakes, and other supplies neat, organized, and out of sight.  The other cubes hold gift bags, cards, glue, and more.  The top of the shelf holds the sewing machine, basket of yarn scraps, and more.

While at Target I also picked up a set of 3 woven baskets for fabric paint, pipe cleaners, and other small supplies, and a flat plastic box divided in compartments, perfect for storing buttons and loose gem stones.  The baskets and box cost $3 each.  I used empty pickle and pasta sauce jars from the kitchen to hold paint brushes, scissors, and other small items.  Baby food jars are great for holding buttons, beads, and other tiny things.  Those are free!  To dress them up I crochet jar covers for them.

Mason jars work good too!  For my free lid cover pattern click here!

In the corner I placed an old wire dress form mostly for decor, but I can hang things on it if I need to.

I also have an old woven basket that serves as a catch all for things I need to sort at a later time.  A small storage ottoman doubles as extra storage.

I don’t have enough room for a sewing table, the desk will have to double as one when I need it.  But I do have room for a small folding table, and ironing board when I need them.  They store neatly in the closet when not in use.

I’m very happy with my new craft room, it has just about everything I had on my wish list.  It didn’t cost much to furnish and moving furniture around created space in the upstairs family room.  It’s now turned into a TV, game, and reading room with lots of book shelves for our books and photo albums.

I created my craft room and came in way below budget!  It’s amazing how much you can do and how much money you can save when you re-purpose and up-cycle items you already have at home.

Thinking outside the box really pays off!

I hope this inspires you to create your own craft room.  I’d love to see it when you’re done!