If you love crafts, you understand the need for more space. There never seems to be enough room in the house for your growing collection of materials, tools, finished products, and packaging. The problem is, if you live in a home with your partner or other members of your family and have kids, extra space is hard to come by. There isn’t enough room for all of your crafting things to be spread out, yet still protected from children running around, pets getting into things, and your partner staying calm and collected. If this sounds all too familiar, it’s time to consider investing in a self storage unit for all of your crafting needs. Even if you’ve just started out, serious crafting leads to accumulation of a lot of materials—especially if you enjoy doing different types of crafts. Rather than waiting to haul things to a new location after they’ve overtaken your home, starting out with a storage unit gives you unsurpassed opportunity for growth. For this reason, we’ve put together a guide to everything you need to know about crafting storage using a self storage unit.
Take Inventory
The first step to setting up your new crafting storage is to take inventory. Include
everything that you own as well as things that you know you’re going to buy in the future, just make sure to differentiate them. This way, you’ll have an organized list of everything in your possession, which makes the entire process much easier. Take your time on this step. The more detailed your inventory, the easier it will be down the line.
You can use an excel spreadsheet, a Microsoft Word document, or a simple notebook with pen and paper. Do whatever works best for you. Once you create your list or even after you’ve taken inventory, create categories and group things accordingly. Create a category for painting, sewing, scrapbooking, jewelry making, etc. This will come in handy when you start planning out your workspace.
Organizing Your Supplies
The next step is our favorite: organization. Either after or during your inventory process, making your life easier is always recommended through good organization. The more organized you are, the easier it will be to plan your layout and get the most out of your storage unit. The best way to begin is to do some brainstorming. How do you want to display your crafting supplies and materials in your self storage unit? Do you want to create a crafting table so you can also work there or would you prefer to only create an oasis for supplies? Again, this part is up to you.
If you’d like to have a crafting table in your storage unit, find one that meets your needs or make it a craft and build one yourself! There are a ton of inspirational ideas online and DIY tutorials. If you’d prefer to keep your storage unit simply for crafting and supply storage, consider investing in a number of clear plastic storage bins. The benefit of clear plastic is transparency, which will make your life a lot easier once you’ve relocated. You can also use non-transparent plastic and purchase a label maker for the same effect. Either way, make sure you can easily tell what’s inside your storage containers. Transfer your inventory to an easily accessible document so that you can make changes to it whenever you use supplies and keep an updated list of what you have and what you need.
Plan Your Layout
Once you’ve organized your supplies and had a chance to see what you’re working with, start planning your layout. Dedicate certain areas to certain crafting supplies or projects so that you can easily access everything at once. If you’re going to be working in your self storage unit, see if there are available outlets and make sure you plan your layout around what you’ll need to use on a daily basis. Set up your space so that it’s efficient for any job at hand and have some fun with it! This is your crafting area, so do whatever will make you happy.
If you want to get creative, talk to your self storage unit company about their rules and regulations for installing things that will leave holes: hooks, nails, etc. If they’re okay with making amendments, think about adding some pegboards and vertically storing supplies that you can hang. Make the space yours. If they have strict rules against leaving any holes, invest in a number of command strips and plastic hooks to better take advantage of the available space.
Finding the Best Self Storage Unit for Your Crafting Storage Needs
Crafting is a great hobby to have. Not only does it fuel a number of people’s differing passions, it can provide additional financial benefits if you decide to take it to the next level. Unfortunately, crafting may as well be synonymous with clutter. It takes a lot of materials to produce finished results, regardless if it’s for business or pleasure. While you may contemplate organizing your craft room at home, a lot of people aren’t afforded the luxury of extra working space. That’s why it’s important to find the best self storage unit for all of your crafting needs.
Self storage units can provide you with an alternative craft room that also adds a layer of protection and security. However, keep in mind that your self storage unit needs to meet a few standards if you want to protect your things. At the forefront of these standards is a secure location with alarms, gated perimeters, and access codes. It’s even better if there is video monitoring available. The second thing that you absolutely need for a crafting self storage unit is climate control. Supplies, tools, finished products, and miscellaneous materials need to be protected from the elements. If not, they’ll wither away, turn into mush, mold, lose their shape, stick to the wrong things… you get the idea. A lack of climate control in your crafting storage will ruin the things you need to do your hobbies.
Once you find a self storage unit that meets those needs, you need to start thinking about space. Take your inventory list what you imagined your area would look like so you can realistically find a good amount of space. A smaller unit should suffice, unless you’re opening up your own Etsy shop or are planning to run a brick-and-mortar store.
Now it’s time to find the perfect location. Luckily, we’ll make it easy for you! At The Lock Up Self Storage all of our available units are secure, climate controlled, and affordable. We have everything you need to take your crafting to the next level. Our units provide ample space for everything you want in your crafting dream inventory, with room to grow. You can start small and amend your lease as you get bigger, or opt for a larger space at the beginning. Regardless of your needs, we’re here to help. We have 24/7 video monitoring to keep you, and your crafting supplies, safe and secure in addition to perimeter alarms, gated access with outdoor lighting and personalized access codes, and flexible contracts.
Setting Up Your Self Storage Unit
Once you’ve found your perfect location, it’s time to set up your crafting self storage space. If you have large items, or just a large number of things, The Lock Up Self Storage provides a free moving truck for all new leases that will help make your transition easy and hassle free. Head to your unit and spend a day or two setting things up to meet your needs. When you start to build your space and you find that you need to make some changes to your plans, don’t worry. Oftentimes this will happen as mentally planning then physically setting up will make you more aware of your needs. Create a flow that works for you and don’t be afraid to change it down the road. Put your larger items in place first such as your workspace and any large tools you’ll be using then fill in the space around them. If you have an area for overflow that won’t be accessed as often, place it towards the back of your unit so that you don’t have to walk around it frequently. Stick to filling up the wall space and surrounding area so that you have an open center with plenty of room to move around.
Call us at The Lock Up Self Storage today or visit our website today at www.thelockup.com to browse our available selections. You’re also welcome to come by any of our locations to see what your future crafting self storage room can turn into.
