We’re back in Portland, hooray! Two more bouts of snow really mixed things up but we’re home, settled, and happy to be here. And for once (unlike the many, many years I have vowed to learn to crochet, ahem) I have excelled so far at my New Year’s resolution: keeping my craft room organized! Last year was a blur of move to a new house, new book, new baby, the usual freelance projects, moving the craft room upstairs, and the ensuing craft debris that I never had the time to clean up, plus the mountain of supplies that never really found a home.

Well, December’s snowstorm handed me a few unexpected can’t-leave-the-house days to really tackle my craft room, and with Andrew home to hang out with Pearl, I got so much done. If you are also contending with an unruly bead (or other small-craft-thing) collection, I wrote up a quick and simple how-to project over at CraftStylish: making colorful embellished labels for your bead boxes. Mine reflect the color or type of beads, charms and rhinestones inside, but of course you could adapt this basic idea to label your sewing, knitting, paper, or anything-else supplies too. I also started using a plain white paint palette to corral the loose beads that end up in every corner of my life, and having a place to stash them so I don’t have to put each and every one away as I find it has been a huge help too.

So, here is my newly redone bead shelf! If you ever wondered how a crafty nerd put her endless beading stuff into some sort of order, here’s my first round of organizing:

I put notes on the flickr photo to mention exactly what things were, but the basic idea is tools, seed beads and put-away palette on top, with labeled bead boxes stacked in fives on the shelves below (I still need to label about half my boxes, which aren’t in the photo). My findings, chain, wire, and other jewelry-making things are in my card catalog a few feet away, on top of my fabric shelves.

I made some simple hand-written pink paper labels for those drawers, too, which I’m hoping to fancy up when I have the time.

Anyway, you wouldn’t have wanted to see a picture until now, my workroom was terrible from top to bottom, but I am so happy to have my craft stuff under control at last! I have a big soft spot for January (my birthday month) but it doesn’t always feel like a new year, or anything new at all — and this time around getting things in order has been really nice. I’m excited to work on some fresh new projects without having to shove teetering piles of crafts past to the side.

Speaking of the new year, thanks so much to Shawn for using my black-eyed peas picture for her fantastic New Year’s post on boing boing, that was so cool! Hope 2009 has been good to you so far.