Project by My Thrifty Life by Cassie Fairy, Photography by Andy Greenacre
If you’re a keen crafter, you’ll probably find that the supplies for your hobby creep into all areas of your home, and sometimes you might mislay a key piece needed to complete your creation. It’s therefore a great idea to create a handy storage unit for all your yarn, sewing kit, art supplies, craft books and equipment so that it’s all safely stored in one place.
That way, when you’re ready to get crafty, you’ll always know where your work-in-progress is and will be suitably stocked with supplies when inspiration for a project strikes. If your children are keen crafters, you can get them involved in upcycling a unit of their own to store colouring books, pencils, modelling clay and stickers, so this is a DIY project that all the family can get involved in.
We’ve created a knitting-themed craft organiser unit by upcycling a tatty old shelving unit that we found at a second-hand furniture reuse centre. Because you’re planning to give the piece a makeover with paint, it doesn’t matter how scuffed or messy an item is – it just needs to be the right size for your space.
We can make the narrow shelves work harder to hold more items with the clever use of elastic cords (more on that in the project guide below!) and you can add hooks or pots to stow smaller supplies. It’s not only a handy way to organise your crafting items – it looks lovely too!
If you would like to have a go at upcycling a shelving unit into a craft organiser for yourself, simply follow our step-by-step guide below.
You will need:
- Old shelving unit
- Duster and scrubbing brush
Old sheet, newspaper or cardboard to protect surfaces
- Paint brush
- Rust-Olueum Universal All-Surface Paint
- 4mm elastic cord
- Drill with a 5mm drill bit
- Scissors
- Clean metal can with a smooth lip
- Pipe strap clamps that will fit around the tin can
- Wood screws to fit the clamp’s holes
Step 1
If you’ve sourced an old shelving unit, start by giving it a good dust and wipe over to clean the surfaces you wish to paint. Remove any handles or hooks. Lay out an old sheet, newspaper or cardboard to protect surfaces before starting work.
Step 2
If you’re using an all-surface furniture paint with a primer included in the formula you can start painting the piece straight away. It’s better to do two thin coats rather than one thick coat to prevent dripping. Allow the paint to dry between coats.
Choose DIY supplies that come in metal cans, such as paint, stains, waxes and glues, for a more environmentally-friendly option when you’re DIYing. The metal packaging is fully recyclable once the paint or varnish has been used up, so it’s an easy way to make the process of upcycling your furniture more sustainable.
We opted for Rust-Oleum’s Universal All-Surface Paint, which is suitable for countless surfaces including wood, metal, tiles and plastic and is a paint-and-primer in one. It’s fade and chip-resistant, plus it prevents rust, so your freshly upcycled piece of furniture will stand the test of time.
Step 3
Paint the handles with the same paint or choose a contrasting colour. You could even choose a different bright hue for each handle to give the unit a fun pop of colour. Allow them to dry and then reattach to the unit.
Step 4
To make it possible for the shelves hold more of your craft supplies, you can add a retaining cord at the front of each shelf. We’ve used stretchy 4mm cord, so you would need to drill a slightly larger hole in each end of the unit – in this case, we used a 5mm drill bit to make the holes.
We used white elastic cord to match the painted handles but it’s possible to buy stretchy shoelace cords in a rainbow of colours so you can choose any pastel tone or vibrant hue that suits your style.
Thread the elastic cord through the holes and tie a knot to secure each end. Remember to stretch it as you pull it through so that it stays taut to hold your craft supplies in place.
Step 5
For taller items like knitting needles, you can add a washed-out metal can to the side of the unit as a holder; for example something like a clean, empty coffee can would be ideal.
Use a pipe strap clamp that will fit around the tin can and screw it in place at the side of the unit. You can add a second pipe strap clamp towards the top of the knitting needles to keep them neat and prevent them from splaying out.
Now that your storage unit is complete, you can load it with your favourite craft supplies. Squish wool and fabric behind the elastic cords to hold them in place, stack the shelves with pattern booklets or technique textbooks, and fill the drawers or upcycled cans with equipment needed for your hobby. It’s so lovely to have everything in one place and organised into sections so that it’s easy to find the supplies you need to start your next craft project. Enjoy!
