Before we get started, I think I should say that this is a judgement free zone. I won't judge you...you won't judge me! Unless it's to tell me how awesome I am!!!
Here is how it started -
Perhaps you can identify? In my jewelry armoire I had 1 drawer that was a massive pile of bracelets that I rummaged through based on what I thought I had. There were side doors with necklaces piled on top of each other, because there were only 3 hooks on each side. I mean, really? If I was running late, which doesn't happen often because that too is a pet peeve, a necklace was out of the question! Then there were those tiny compartments packed with earrings. I tried to keep them in groups of some sort of "theme" but I was always scrambling to find the mate for the earring that was perfect for today's outfit. I can't tell you how many years it has been since I last wore some of my entwined necklaces, or those bracelets at the bottom of the drawer that I forgot I had, or the earrings that were "lost" in the mass of tiny earrings in a cramped space. Are ya with me?
I have continued to be faced with a jumble of jewelry for many years now! No matter where I was living; whether it be in a tint dorm room, a cramped studio apartment, a spacious house just miles from the beach (where you would think all troubles would disappear), or a cross country move to our very own home. I have tried tackle boxes, plastic jewelery boxes from craft stores, a nice tall jewelry armoire...and nothing made a difference! Until now! (drum roll please...)
My very own DIY Jewelry Organizer
Thank goodness for March Madness! My husband would be in awe if he read that! I am simply grateful for the time it gave me to search for ideas! What did I find, you might ask? Keep reading....
There are a lot of smart people out there (mostly women I might point out) with ideas for organizing jewelry! Whether it's for hanging necklaces using knobs (Etsy site), curtain rings (blog), and upholstery tacks (blogspot). Or ways to organize watches and bracelets (check out this blog). Every idea I came across was great! But they were usually too small for my jewelry or too big for my space in the closet. And as you know, I can be a "Penny Pincher," so I didn't want to go crazy with the PayPal account, if ya know what I mean!
After all those hours searching Etsy, Pinterest, and countless blogs, I got creative and combined a whole lot of ideas (with some tricks of my own). Here are some ideas in case you need them!
Oh...by the way... I will be posting my Jewelry Organizing Ideas in several posts as to not overwhelm you! There is a lot going on here!
Let's start with EARRINGS and RINGS!
Being an artist myself, I loved the idea of using an old Painter's Drawer. I saw it on Etsy (Etsy site) and Pinterest! But I decided it was too expensive for me! That meant I was on a search for a local old painter's drawer that I could use for my own DIY display. Yep...it was still a little pricey and I realized that it was also a little too large for my space.
Then I stumbled on this bamboo silverware holder on clearance at TJMaxx. AWESOME!
I spray painted it black since I already had the paint at home and wanted a black, white, and hot pink theme (which a pretty girly for those of you who don't know me very well).
After the paint dried, I measured all 6 compartments and cut foam to fit in each little section. I decided to cut 2 pieces for every section so it was double padded!
Originally I was going to use foam board (the kind kids use for school projects), but I found the Foam Sheet was easier to cut plus the posts of my earrings pushed into it quite easily! This is where you picture me in the craft store pushing my earrings through all kinds of "foam." Shhhh.....The holes were small! And I made a purchase!
Ta Da...All my earrings are together in pairs and are easy to grab in the morning and put back at the end of the day!
Wondering why the long section on the left is empty? This is where I envisioned my rings. I had seen a pin on Pinterest for a DIY Cigar Box Ring Organizer on (by Found In The Ali). What a fabulous idea! I had plenty of old fabric laying around. Too bad none of
it matched my color scheme; except for the black felt I had! Can I get a "woot woot!"
So I cut
it into squares (after measuring the width of 1 section in the bamboo
box), sewed it into a tube using fishing line (which I also already
had), and stuffed it with batting (yes...I already had that too!).
I made quite a few and squeezed them into the area I wanted to be the
"ring section," only to find out I need to make a few more! So I
continued making tubes until my ring organizing was complete!
Some of you may still be thinking about the earrings and wondering what to do if you have those fabulous dangling earrings. Not to worry! I too had that issue and could not figure out what to do until I remember seeing how other people hang them (lots of ideas here). Out of all the ideas out there, I found that I usually "liked" or "pinned" the ones using screen. That would mean buying screen, finding the right frame to hold the screen, possibly painting the frame, etc. I saw one thing leading to another, and another, and another....
Instead, I used a canvas that I already had!
I simply lined it with the pink & white ribbon and pushed upholstery tacks in the corners (which they did not carry in black, but a good ol' permanent marker fixed that). While watching TV one night I punched a whole bunch of "Double Point Staples" through the canvas. The staples have a little ridge on one end so it was was challenging to push them through, but the ridge keeps them from falling back out too! I think I bought a pack of 60 for ~ $1.
Ok. So I push all the post earrings into the foam in the bamboo box and all the other earrings hang on the U shaped nails in the canvas.
What about all the backs to these earrings?
I solved that too!
No more earrings with missing backs! They are now contained and easy to find! The craft store sold a very lightweight "tray" and small boxes in their paper mache section. I spray painted them black and hot glued them to the bottom of my canvas. I guess I should have glued them to the bottom of the bamboo box, but I was trying to tie in the black from the bamboo box into the white canvas piece. I was thinking with my artsy brain not my logical brain when I had the hot glue gun in my hand. I'm sure someone can identify!
Hopefully you found some helpful tips, ideas, trick, etc. Please feel free to Pin the photos and direct others to my blog!
And remember...ideas for WATCHES, NECKLACES, and BRACELETS will be coming soon!
-Kacy
