You’ll love this collection of 20 genius crafting tips. These are the craft hacks your grandmother used – very useful for everyday life!
Crafting tips are one of my favorite things to collect because there’s always some weird little shortcut that makes life easier.
And honestly? The best ones usually come from people who’ve been crafting forever.
These are the kind of tricks your grandmother probably used long before there were fancy organizers, expensive tools, or entire aisles dedicated to craft storage solutions. Sometimes all you need is a binder clip, a cereal box, or a random thing sitting in your junk drawer.
That’s what makes these crafting hacks so satisfying.
Some save money. Some save time. Some simply prevent you from losing your mind while trying to clean glitter off literally every surface in your house.
We’ve got ideas for storing craft supplies, sharpening tools, organizing fabric, dealing with glue gun messes, and making everyday crafting way less frustrating.
And the best part? Most of these use inexpensive household items you probably already have around the house.
Bookmark this page because these are the kinds of crafting hacks you’ll actually come back and use later.
Crafting Hacks for Glue, Paint, and Messes
Pick Up Glitter with a Lint Roller
This is one of those crafting tips you’ll love, because we all know how hard glitter is to pick up! If you have a place with glitter that you can’t easily clean, use a lint roller to get it up.
Store Glue in a Glass
It takes several minutes for me to get to my craft glue each time I use it – so I started storing it upside down in a glass and the glue is right there in the bottle when I need it.
Freezer Prevents Stringy Glue Sticks
Want to know what helps glue sticks from stringing as much? Keeping them in the freezer before using! Take them out and put them right into your glue gun.
Eliminate Hot Glue Gun Strands with a Hair Dryer
Another option for getting rid of hot glue strands – use your hair dryer with the project is done. You’ll see them melt away.
Cardboard Box Spray Paint Booth
If you live in a small place, you might not have anywhere to spray paint out in the open.
If this is the case, use a cardboard box stood up on its long side as a makeshift booth. Great for the winter in your garage too!
Paint Chips from Popsicle Sticks
It’s hard to tell what color acrylic paint is by looking at it in bottle – so use popsicle sticks to make paint chips so you can always color match easily. Related: get my tips for how to use acrylic paint!
Cut Duct Tape Easily
To make it easier to cut duct tape, wipe your scissors with a baby wipe beforehand. This prevents the duct tape from sticking to the blades.
Craft Room Organization Hacks
Store Really Small Items in Ice Cube Trays
A plastic ice tray is a perfect place for holding teenie tiny items that have no other place to go – you also don’t have to buy multiple storage containers.
Mini Bolt Fabric Storage
To make small fabric pieces easier to store, wrap them around cut pieces of a cereal box. You can then sit them up in a drawer and sort through them easily.
Paper Towel Ribbon Storage
It’s very easy to store ribbon and still access it on a paper towel holder. Simply push the roll down onto the holder and layer them (works best for cardboard rolls).
Paint Brush Storage in a Chip Container
Use an old chip container (rinsed out) to store brushes and other long items, such as chenille stems. If you want to decorate the outside of the container, you definitely can!
Binder Clip to Yarn Guide
Use a binder clip on the edge of a glass jar to direct your yarn and keep your ball from going all over the place. Don’t forget to set this up before you start knitting!
Sewing, Knitting, and Tool Tips
Use a Magnet to Pick Up Pins
I’ll never forget when I dropped a ton of pins on the carpet during a late night sewing session. I was so tired and it was difficult to see them! Easily pick them up with a strong magnet.
Protect Your Knitting Needle Tips
Protect yourself from an accidental stabbing by putting wine corks at the end of your knitting needles.
My brother stepped on my knitting needles one Christmas and had to go to the hospital, so this is one of those crafting tips I use ALL the time!
Make Sewing Patterns from Newspaper
If you want a cheap way to make your own sewing patterns, look no further than the recycling bin – newspaper is perfect!
Sharpen Scissors with Sandpaper
Sandpaper will sharpen your scissors easily – just by cutting through it several times. Medium grit works the best for this application.
Sharpen Punches with Tin Foil
I love my huge collection of craft punches but it’s hard to keep them sharp. The easy way to do it is to punch aluminum foil. Punch several times and you’ll notice the punch cuts better than ever!
Randomly Genius Household Craft Hacks
Soften an Old Tape Roll
Do you have a tape roll that you haven’t used in awhile? If it’s hard to peel the end off, put it in the microwave for about 10 seconds and it will loosen up.
Put Nails in Straight with a Comb
It’s hard to make sure a nail goes in straight sometimes. Use a comb to help guide the nail as you hammer – and then simply slide off when the nail is secure.
Do you have any crafting hacks you swear by? I’d genuinely love to hear them because crafty people always know the best weird little tricks.
Want more craft tips? I have suggestions for DIY sticker remover! I’d also love for you to check out the following posts:
101 Mod Podge Uses • How to Decoupage • How to Paint Mason Jars • How to Remove Mod Podge • Learn How to Mod Podge • Painting Glass 101 • Painting Stripes
I cut a slit in one end of a piece of ‘hook and loop’ (aka Velcro) and slide it over the plug end of an appliance cord. This way it doesn’t get lost and it’s always there when you need to roll up it up. This is much neater and easier than the twist ties that usually come with appliances. I also use the (Velcro) in the garden to hold plants on stakes. It lasts several seasons and does no harm to the plants, whether flower or vegetable.
I do proof-reading and editing and hate these forms because I always discover some error after I hit GO.
But I am sure you prefer to hear FROM us and not DROM us….and also BY completing the form….?
I have not got my DIY segment going on my website yet…..but this is something I am a bit OCD about.
I hate when electric cords are wrapped around an appliance because the twist internally and eventually the outer cover splits. Also to prevent that internal twisting the cable should NEVER be wound up from the PLUG end – leave the cable and start gathering it in loops from the APPLIANCE end. then, when you have a neat loop slip them into a cord holder made from a recycled shampoo or similar plastic bottle with top and bottom cut off. I have a few photos that I can share to illustrate this – where to send them??
You can make lightweight cord gathers from old toilet roll centres reinforced with some packing tape or duct tape…
Hi Erik! You can send them to me at amy @modpodgerocksblog dot com. I think I’ve seen this before and it’s a great idea – would love to see your pictures!
Oh my gosh, some of these are so right on! I need to do a whole bunch of these, pass this on to friends and show my mom the knitting ones. Thank you for these! You have made one crafter very happy.
Yay Gail! Glad to hear it!
These are fantastic! I had no idea you could sharpen scissors with sandpaper! I just threw a pair in the trash last week cuz they wouldn’t cut anymore.
Thanks Kim! Glad you enjoyed them!
These tips are priceless! Love the comb to drive a nail use and I’m sure I have a roll of tape that I need to microwave 🙂 Thanks so much!
Pure genius!
Thank you Jennifer!
thank you! For me, the best are the ones for getting rid of hot glue strings. I don’t know if it is the fault of the glue I am using, but the strings are awful. Much worse than any glue I have used before. I only wish I knew where I got this particular bag of glue sticks…I would never buy them again.
Siobhan I have a problem with them too! These tricks really work – and yes, somehow certain glue sticks are worse than others :0
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing…
My pleasure Carolyn!
This is so helpful. Some things I already knew about and have forgotten. Looking forward to new tips.
Thank you Candyce!!