This week in the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge, I’m taking on a marathon decluttering task that I have been putting off for a while. We’ll get into why I’ve been avoiding this task in a minute, but I admit this is an area where I have a bit of a problem. But I cannot avoid it any longer. It is time to take on the dreaded task of decluttering craft supplies.

This post was originally published in October 2021 and republished in November 2024.

I mentioned on Save Your Photos Day in week 38 of the challenge that I used to be an avid scrapbooker. Back in my scrapbooking heyday, trips to Michaels were a weekly event. And every time Creative Memories introduced a new product, it somehow ended up in my house. You might call it an obsession, but I used those items to capture memories and create beautiful albums that my daughters love to look through.

Combine my scrapbooking obsession with the fact that my daughter Colleen is an avid knitter and crafter, and you can imagine I started out with a bit of a mess.

Here’s an example of what I was up against! This is just one corner of my crafting table.

Are you ready for week 41? It’s going to be epic!

What is the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge?

In this year-long journey, we’re tackling one task at a time with the goal of cleaning up and organizing our homes. If you’ve just joined us, no worries. You can jump right in with this week’s challenge. Just check out the first two posts in the series to download your free checklists.

• 52-Week Decluttering Challenge
• Week 1 – Easy Decluttering Checklist

You can get easy access to all previous weekly posts on the main Decluttering page.

Week 41 – Decluttering craft supplies

I mentioned earlier that I had been putting this task off for a while. Part of that was because I knew it would be a massive job. The other part is because my husband took over my crafting area as his office while he has been working from home.

I did my scrapbooking on a long banquet table in the basement. I stored all my tools and supplies, and other craft supplies, in totes and drawers on or under the table. In January of 2021, my husband started to work from home “on a temporary basis” so we quickly piled everything in one corner of the table. Several months later, I decided decluttering craft supplies was a task I could not put off any longer.

This week’s decluttering and organizing tips

Before we get to what I got rid of, here are my tips and learnings from week 41.

• If you have supplies that relate to a hobby you no longer do, and you don’t see yourself starting up again in the future, it’s time to say goodbye to those supplies. I have the space, so I did keep quite a lot of my scrapbooking tools and supplies. I’d love to make albums of my daughters’ teenage years at some point. On the other hand, I had a ton of card-making stamps and supplies that I bought and never really used, so I happily thanked them for their service and passed them along to someone who would appreciate them.
• Crafting can be an expensive hobby. It’s an area where you need to let go of guilt related to money spent on supplies you no longer use. Decluttering experts will tell you the money is gone and keeping the stuff around is just a constant reminder of the money you spent.
• If you’re working on a specific project and want to keep all your supplies together, small project totes are a fantastic way to keep things neat and clean.
• Rolling plastic drawers tuck neatly under my table so they are out of the way. They’re an inexpensive way to stay organized.  
• Old take-out containers or yogurt tubs are great for organizing small crafting supplies. I had a drawer that was just a dumping ground for smaller items. I wish I had taken a picture to share with you before I started clearing it out, because it was a disaster. But I did take an “after picture” that you can see in the picture below.

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What I got rid of

Here’s what I got rid of this week. A total of 105 items.  

• 11 dried-up markers
• 2 dried-up glue pens
• 12 large ink pads
• 16 mini ink pads
• Rubber stamp cleaning pad
• Rubber stamp cleaner
• 7 sets of crafting stamps
• 6 individual craft stamps
• 10 pairs of decorative crafting scissors
• 10 kids craft kits
• 5 magnetic picture frames
• 18 dried-up paint tubes
• 1 pair broken craft scissors
• 1 balloon pump
• 2 paper crafting tools
• A huge pile of papers
• 1 box of paperwork and memorabilia that I need to take some time to sort through.

And, we had a couple of bonuses from this week’s decluttering:

• I found a big tote box full of puzzles hiding behind some crafting kits. My daughter was so happy to find some of her missing puzzles.
• I emptied 4 storage baskets for my husband to use when he gets around to organizing his tools and hardware.

So, this was a very productive week. And I learned that craft supplies are a HOT commodity on the Buy Nothing group on Facebook. I posted it and it was all claimed in 6 minutes. I think that’s a record.  

This one definitely calls for some before and after shots. Such a huge improvement!

2024 Update

It has been three years so I’m rebooting the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge to see how much I can get rid of in 2024.

I haven’t bought any new craft supplies since 2021, so this was an opportunity to revisit some of the things I kept last time around. I heeded my own advice and made the decision to say good-bye to the Sizzix die cut machine—and assorted accessories— that I spent way too much money on at a Stampin’ Up party a few years ago. I also got rid of a set of 40 coloured markers that I bought at the same party. Note to self: avoid multi-level marketing parties in future.

In total, I got rid of 62 items.

There is one remaining bookshelf full of my daughter’s craft supplies that we need to tackle at some point. Perhaps that will be a task for round three of the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge.

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So that’s week 41 done. I passed on some useful craft supplies to someone who will use them, organized what’s left, and made my husband’s workspace a whole lot more pleasant. Definitely a win-win-win!

If you have friends or family members who could benefit from a little less clutter in their lives, please share this post and spread the word!

Do you have tips to keep your craft supplies organized? Tell us your ideas below.