Beads and Wires Everywhere...How to Keep Organized in a Small Space (or On The Go)

Like most crafters, my toolbox came to its completion slowly. It evolved from a disorganization of tools everywhere in our bedroom to a series small, organized boxes that I can move around at will. I do the vast majority of my bead work in the bedroom, which also serves as our office. This means that when bead time is over, the cleanup can be somewhat time consuming and annoying/frustrating. There are a couple things that I've done to reduce the stress (because this is supposed to be fun, darn it!), one of which has been to create boxes devoted solely to my beading tools and supplies. When it's time to clean up, I just put everything back in its box and move it to the closet.

Tool boxes or tackle boxes work GREAT for larger beads, hanks or tubes. The big section underneath the tray is great for tools and spools of wire. I also have a large plastic bin that I keep my tool boxes in, to keep everything centralized and organized. This also makes it easier to divide tool boxes up by projects! It makes it so very easy to take your work on the road, be it for craft shows or holiday traveling.



What I keep in my Tool Boxes:
I like to keep one small tool box to assign to specific projects, and then I have one for my wire tools, my wires and my beads. I have a small tupper-ware with a lid for my threads. I keep them all in a large clear storage bin, in my closet.
Wire tools - If you do any type of wire work, you should have flat nose pliers, needle nose pliers, round tip pliers, wire cutters, bent nose and chain nose pliers. Personally I have invested in high end tools This is not necessary, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE JUST STARTING OUT. If you're serious about your wire work, consider your options for tools. You can learn more about the different types of pliers available here.
Wire Cutters, Spools of wire, scissors and of course, beads.