Storage Tips for Crafters | How to Pack Up Christmas
If you’re a crafter like me, you have accumulated lots of stuff. I mean LOTS of stuff. So how do you pack up and store Christmas? Here are some storage tips for crafters, from a crafter!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase after clicking a link I may earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more!
Read my Privacy Policy.
If you read my previous post on organization tips, you’ll know that I do not have a designated craft room or space. So not only do I have to limit myself in what I have, but I also have to be very creative in where I put things.
Most crafters have a lot of Christmas blanks – items that they personalize and hope to sell during the Christmas season. Just like everyone else, I have lots of Christmas blanks – ornaments, stockings, Santa Sacks, stuffies, etc. Since I have only been doing this for a couple of years now, I don’t have a lot of inventory – but enough to have to figure out where and how to store them.
For the last couple of months, my home has been filled with Christmas items everywhere. Everywhere you walked in my home, there were Christmas items. When you craft a lot, you need everything out and accessible, so stuff was everywhere – and I mean, everywhere. But now it’s time to pack it all up – for at least 9 months.
Since it’s going to be a while, I don’t really need to have these items in my home. So seasonal items are stored in my garage. This includes the few little Halloween blanks that I have. I’m paranoid about flooding and mice, so I have to be very careful with how things are stored.
Storage Tips for Crafters – What Do I Put All My Stuff In?
Whether you are storing your items in the garage, in the basement, in a crawl space or what have you – you’re going to need some sort of bin with a lid.
Your bins should have a well-fitting lid and made out of good plastic (or even waterproof) so that if it is an area that could be flooded (basement, garage, storage area by your hot water tank), your items will be safe.
A well-fitting lid ensures that no insects or mice will get into your bin. I would also recommend strong, heavy-duty bins that can be stacked. Not all bins are strong enough to withstand another one or two on top of it.
Get a size that is big enough to hold a lot, but not too big. If it’s too big, you’ll fill it and then it’ll be too heavy to carry and move.
The most common brand of bin for us here on the West Coast are the Rubbermaid bins – you know, those blue bins. They are perfect for this kind of storage but on the pricey side.
There are plenty of Rubbermaid alternatives. The favourite that I use is the Ikea equivalent – the Ikea Klamtare. This dark grey bin comes in 2 sizes – but I only use the large ones which measure 22 ¾x17 ¾x11 ¾. It’s a good size – not too small and not too big. They are waterproof and have a snap-on lid. They are also a good price so that when you have multiples, it doesn’t break the bank.
Storage Tips for Crafters – How Do I Organize Everything?
For me, the best way to organize everything is to keep like with like. What I mean by that – is to keep all the ornaments together in a bin or two. Keep all the stockings and Santa sacks together in a bin or two. Keep all your stuffies together. Get it?
Then label everything. I label each item on the side of the bin with my trusty PTouch labeller.
I label each item with a separate label. That way, if it changes next year I can easily peel it off. The labels stick to the pins, but you can also peel them off if need be. Odds are that the quantities of items may change and so next year’s organization may be slightly different than this year, so you need flexible labelling.
On the West Coast, we get a lot of rain and so for many months of the year, it is quite damp. Now typically, things in my garage are okay, but I’m still paranoid. I literally have nightmares about opening these items months from now and finding mould. So what is my solution? Silica packs.
You know when you purchase something, depending on the item, there are those little silica packs included? Well, I keep all of them. Every single one.
Silica packs help absorb moisture and keep everything dry. This is important when you live in a damp climate. Everything that I store in my garage has silica packs in them. I literally put 6 in each of my bins of Christmas items.
So start collecting those silica packs with all your purchases. In the meantime, you can also purchase them on Amazon.
So now that Christmas is all safely packed away with these simple and easy storage tips for crafters, we can all move on to spring crafts! Now all I have to do is organize the garage…
These tips work not only for crafters but for anyone! I store a lot of my Christmas decorations in the garage and use the same strategies.
