DIY Functional Small Space Craft Cart!

Looking for a DIY Functional Small Space Craft Cart? READ ON!!!

The issue: No usable craft area.

The Solution: DIY IKEA Kitchen cart turned into functional craft storage with a usable craft table!

We moved to a new house that is better suited for our family…but it has no extra space for a craft room. As a self proclaimed “serial hobbyist”, I NEED A CRAFT AREA!!! So I decided to make it happen….in a conveniently compact yet functional space using (mostly) things I already owned!!!!

Introducing the awesomely revamped Ikea Kitchen Cart (kind of like this one)….as the ultimate craft mobile! And it has wheels so I can craft and use my Cricut Joy ANYWHERE!

Looking to buy a Cricut machine from Canada? Check out this post.

Wondering if a Cricut Joy is worth it? Check out this post!

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What did I use?

I searched the house for something that could work well since I didn’t want to have to buy something. We already owned an Ikea Kitchen Cart which is a super sturdy, counter height wheeled cart with 2 shelves. It was painted an espresso colour, but I wanted a white cart with drawers and usable storage…so I repainted it!

Then I searched my crafting, office supplies, and even the garage for wooden items that I could paint to match it. If I didn’t have something that would work, I looked on Facebook Marketplace for good deals. $5 goes a long way there!

I found: a small wooden crate, a wooden box with two drawers, and some magazine holders with paper trays!

Step One:
Lay it all out!

I laid out everything I wanted to keep in the cart: My Joy, Easypress, tools, assorted vinyl rolls, cutting mats, cardstock, insert cards….things I would use regularly for my projects!

Then I laid out all of the things I was going to use to organize them all. After a game of Tetris I finally decided on what I would need to organize the cart without it overflowing and becoming dysfunctional!

Step Two: The remodel!

I wanted to put siding on two sides of each shelf, so that when I moved the cart, everything would remain in place.

I found pieces of shiplap in the garage, and old scrap of thin plywood. After measuring them to fit and I had my husband cut them to size. Then it was time to paint!

I used furniture paint that was left over from our kitchen cabinets! Since it had the espresso colour underneath, it required 3 coats for it to look even. I painted all of the attachments to match.

Step Three:
Attach the pieces together!

Once everything was painted, it was time to put it all together!

It was tricky getting the siding pieces to fit onto the shelves without taking away shelf space… after way too much trial and error, I ultimately used 3 nails to create a track for the siding to slide into.

Here are the customizations I made:

Removable plywood shelf on top of the slats on first shelf.
Letter box attached to the side. This is a great option because it already has HOOKS for tools!!!!!)
2 Drawer organizer (I would have loved this one) on the bottom shelf to house my Cricut Joy and EasyPress Mini.
Hook on the left side for my Mandala self healing cutting mat (from our May Mystery Box! Check out our post!) and rulers.
Slings in the “dead space” to hold various Vinyl Rolls.

Step Four:
Load the Cart!

What’s on the cart:

Letter trays x2: Insert Cards, Cardstock, decorative paper
Wooden Crate: Pen organizers with my Cricut tools + Joy pens, Brayer etc. (basically anything small)
Letterbox: Small cutting mats, paper cutter
2 Drawer organizer: Cricut Joy, EasyPress Mini, heat resistant mat.
Slings:Vinyl rolls and flat Iron-on.

The Final Result!

I’ve had the cart up and running for about 2 months now…and I LOVE IT. I can grab my Cricut, make a card, and have it all cleaned up within 15 minutes.

The working surface is at the perfect standing height and it’s large enough to cut, press, weed…you name it…. the size is so user friendly! After all, it was designed to be used as a kitchen utility cart!

I love that I can move it anywhere!

It lives in the corner of our Living Room/Dining Room area and is barely noticeable when it is not in use.

For me this cart has been a game changer. I now have a crafting place that I can use anytime I want to and it’s completely accessible.

The best part? I can craft ANYWHERE in the house…So if I don’t want to disturb a family member in a room…I can simply roll my creativity to another room!

What do you think?! Leave us a comment!

Happy DIYing,

Mandy