We love to invest our money in fantastic new craft supplies. 

Seriously, we jump at the chance to try out new products and improve our homemade crafts. 

But to be able to spend money on the products we love, we have to cut costs in other areas. 
For that reason, we have personally tried out all sorts of different DIY storage solutions. 

In fact, we have probably attempted every sort of cardboard creation on the internet. Do you know what we found out? Cardboard is not a great idea for organizing our craft supplies on a budget. 

Sure, it is usually free. 

But it takes a lot of time to make any kind of cardboard storage that is actually functional and nice looking. We would rather spend that time finishing this year’s December Daily or making birthday cards for our friends. 

Time is the most precious resource that a person has. We need to invest that time wisely. Trying to save a few dollars by spending hours crafting DIY cardboard storage is not the best way to use our time. We made the decision to invest in more productive activities, and you can too. 

• Clear Stamp Storage: Find Your Stamps Quickly

First, you need to put your clear stamps into binders. You can organize your stamps in anyway you like, by brand, occasion, type, etc. Take a few minutes to think about how you use your stamps and then design a system that helps you access those stamps more efficiently. When you are looking for a stamp binder, you want to find one that is sturdy and relatively thin. While it may be tempting to put your stamps into the biggest binder you can find, that is actually not a good idea.

Those giant binders are too heavy and cumbersome. Instead, try one of these Wilson Jones 1.5 inch Round Ring Binders. They are durable enough to hold your stamps and dies, plus you can easily insert your own covers to make them more personalized.

We chose to review these Wilson Jones binders because the brand is notoriously durable. In the past, we have tried out cheap binder from big name retailers. They just cannot hold up to the weight of the stamps and frequent use. We say, invest your money wisely in the Wilson Jones binders and you will never have to buy new ones.

• Washi Tape Storage: Get Your Rolls Under Control

Collectively, we own about 400 rolls of Washi tape. Only one of us has a reasonable Washi storage system. The rest of us have piles and bags of tape laying in every room of our homes. So basically, we only use the rolls which are the most visible and easiest to find. A few of us have stationary displays for Washi in our craft room, but that is not really an effective solution either. We want to be able to organize our craft rooms in such a way that everything is portable if necessary. Otherwise, we just end up with piles everywhere. Here is the best ideas we have among us.

Our favorite way to store Washi tape is in this Queen & Co. Washi Storage Trunk:

It holds up to 50 rolls of tape AND locks securely. That makes it so easy to travel with this storage box.

Unfortunately, the Queen & Co. storage trunk has been discontinued so it is hard to find one. However, at the time of this article, there were still a few left on Amazon.

If you cannot find one of these, we also recommend trying the We R Memory Keepers Washi Tape Dispenser:

It only holds about 30 rolls, but you can purchase this inexpensive adapter and stack two on top of each other.

Plus, the WRMK tape dispenser is on a lazy susan. So much fun.

• Markers, 6×6 Paper, Project Life, Scrap Paper Storage: Similar Size, Similar Storage

We cannot recommend this ArtBin Marker Storage Satchel enough. It comes with 1 tray for up to 60 markers, but you can also remove the tray and use the storage bin in other ways. Since it is over 6 inches tall and more than 7 inches wide, you can also use it for storing 6×6 paper pads.

We also really like this ArtBin Super Satchel Double Deep.

It holds twice as much as the Marker Satchel, but it is also twice as heavy when filled. If you plan to leave your supplies in one place though, it is a fantastic option. 

• 12x12in Scrapbook Paper Storage: Make it Accessible & Keep it Straight

Finally, we wanted to address the elephant in the room. What is an inexpensive way to store your 12×12 paper? Most people choose to build a shelf with dividers for storing their scrapbook paper. Of course, that is an excellent idea. But it is not practical for everyone, particularly people who are not in their permanent homes. Therefore, we wanted to include a 12x12in paper storage idea that was easily moveable – but still useful at the same time.

Because the Storage Studios Expanding Paper Folio is lightweight, cheap, and portable, we think it is the way to go if you cannot build customized scrapbook paper storage. Each container holds up to 3 inches of 12×12 paper, plus they are freestanding. You can take this guy anywhere and easily access your paper.

Also of people also use this IRIS 12″ x 12″ Portable Project Case, but honestly, we don’t think it is practical for storing scrapbook paper. Since you cannot store these bins vertically, you have to open them up and dig through them each time you are looking for a particular paper. Instead, we like them better for traveling or storing unfinished projects.

There are many great ideas on how to organize your scrapbook supplies on a budget, but these are a few of our favorite ways.

Many of these options are not the cheapest products on the market. That was on purpose.

Saving money is a long term game.It is better to pay a little more now and get to keep a product forever, instead of purchasing a cheap storage solution that you need to replace in a year.

We wanted to pick products that were inexpensive, but would also last a long time.

Even as crafting trends change, these organization products can be re-purposed over and over again.