How to Organize Your Jewelry-Making Supplies – 4 Helpful Tips

Whether you make jewelry as a hobby or you have a business as a full-time jewelry designer, keeping all of your supplies organized can be tricky. It’s easy to mix up your beads, misplace tools or simply end up with a mish-mash of supplies that seems impossible to sort through when you are in need of something in particular.

The New Year is a perfect time to get all of your craft clutter under control once and for all. If you feel like keeping your supplies neat and tidy is a losing battle, keep reading to discover how to organize your jewelry-making supplies!

Purge the Excess

Chances are, you have jewelry-making supplies that you will never use. We are all guilty of picking up a strand of impractical beads because it was on clearance or hanging on to our old tools even after upgrading to much nicer ones. Gemstone beads are a must-have, of course, but do you really need all of those random plastic pony beads you bought eons ago? Or the gimmicky tool you purchased but never used? Getting rid of all of the excess stuff that you will never use is a great first step when you want to get your collection of supplies organized and under control.

If you can’t bear the thought of throwing your excess supplies away, consider donating them to a local nursing home. Beading offers all sorts of therapeutic benefits for seniors, and your generous donation will be greatly appreciated.

Consider How You Work

If you want your supplies to actually stay organized, you need to organize them in a way that works for you. Think about the things that you use most frequently, and make sure they are stored in an area that’s easily accessible. If you sell your creations, the supplies needed for your business should also be kept close at hand. If your crafting space is well organized, you shouldn’t have to dig through several things that you rarely use in order to find something that you use nearly every time you work on a project.

Label Everything

When you have a large collection of beads and other jewelry-making supplies, labeling everything is a time-consuming project. It is one that can save you a lot of time and money later, though. Create labels for every container in which you have stored a particular type of jewelry-making supply. For things like beads, be specific. Use the name of the specific gemstone the bead is made of or the exact color name. This will help ensure that you know exactly what’s in your collection and can prevent you from buying something you already have.

Label the bins that you keep larger supplies in, too. You might have one bin for bench tools, one for hand tools, one for soldering tools, etc. Once everything is neatly labeled, you’ll be able to find what you need with a quick glance instead of having to waste time searching.

Find Unique Ways to Maximize Your Space

No matter how large your crafting area is, it seems like there is never enough room for everything. In fairness, a collection of jewelry-making supplies can take up a considerable amount of room, especially if you have boxes and boxes of beads and other materials. If you are feeling like you are running out of room and have no idea where to store your materials, it’s time to get creative!

Taking advantage of vertical space is one of the best ways to make more room for your supplies. Consider hanging shelves or even using something like a repurposed medicine cabinet to store some of your supplies. Putting up pegboard is a good option, too, and will enable you to keep the tools you use frequently right where you can see and access them easily.

Other unique storage ideas for craft supplies include using pantry storage containers, hanging shower caddies or over-the-door shoe holders to hold your supplies. You may even be able to repurpose things you have lying around your house.

Conclusion