To Purge or Not to Purge...Organizing My Space

I'm cleaning out my craft room/office.  I really want it to be place I want to make things.  It hasn't been that way for a while.  It's more like a dumping ground for random things in the house.  I know that I have to really stay on top of it, and be really strict with the kids.  I've been going through my things, and I have a lot of stuff.  As I do that, I am thinking about what is important to me in my space.  So here is my advice when it comes to your craft space...whether it's a small space or an entire room.

• Organization Style:  What is your style?  I am a piler.  I make piles of papers, things, etc.  It is easier for me to pile like things together and sort through it when I need to.  So how does this apply to my craft room?  Well, I bought tons of glass jars a few years ago.  I put buttons in them sorted by color.  I put ribbon or chipboard embellishments in them.  That has worked really well for me.  Papers...I "pile" it together by color in Cropper Hopper Paper Holders.  I also keep my scrapbooking kits in them as well.  I use drawers.  I have a drawer for stamps, they are thrown in there, but I know where they are.  I have all my inks thrown in a drawer.  Again, this system has worked well for me.  It looks neat and tidy on the outside, while sort of a messy pile on the inside   It doesn't bother me in the least.  As long as I know where my things are and it looks neat to the outsider.
• Counter Space:  I am a space hog.  I always have been.  I am a tiny little person, but I take up so much space.  So, as I'm cleaning out my craft room right now, I had to think about this.  I have a craft table I bought years ago, that I love.  I use it for most of my crafting.  I also sold my Cricut Machine.  I loved it, but it took up a lot of space in my small area of counter space.  I am getting my Silhouette, which will go near my computer and free up space that I need for crafting.
• Purging Supplies:  I am getting rid of tons of stuff.  If I haven't used it in a few years, it's gone.  That means stickers, ribbons, eyelets, albums, etc.  It's gone.  It has to be.  That includes scrapbooking kits or remnants of them.  I also have a corner of my office where I have random stuff...such as baking pans I was going to use for a project.  It's obviously not going to happen after the three years I've had them, so bon voyage.
• Kid's Stuff:  On this issue I go back and forth all the time.  At this time, I've flat out made the decision that this space is mine.  Kids crafts are out.  I have a space in the kitchen near the table I can use for their supplies.  Right now, this space will be mine.  That may seem selfish, but that's just too bad.  My craft room is my space and my office.  I have things in here that I use for my business.  It is not a pleasure to come in and find toys, Cheez-its,  other food items, crayons and markers, and other kid junk, or my stamps ruined.  Sorry kids, you're out.
• Art:  I want to have a beautiful space where I feel inspired.  As much as I love Lance Armstrong and Dale Earnhardt Sr. I'm going to take their pictures out of my office and come up with something new.  
• Functionality:  My space consists of a craft room, office, and photography storage area.  That's a lot of purposes for a small room.  So I need to come up with a way to make all of this work for me.  Large plastic tubs are going to store my photography supplies in the garage.  I think that will free up a lot of space for my craft items.

Those are just a few things to think of.  As I go along, I will share my progress.  As I purge, I will also be boxing up items and maybe giving them away to a lucky blog reader.  There will be a lot of nice stuff, so lets see.