Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Great Jewelry Organization of 2010

It all started when I saw this post on Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle.  I realized that though my closet might not need an overhaul, my jewelry certainly did.  Maybe if I had a fabulous walk-in closet like Ms. Jackie, I would have needed to clean it up : )  But since my closet is only this big <-------->, it doesn't really allow for clutter. That, and I'm a little OCD about my closet (seriously, everything is very meticulously put away in there.)  I was really inspired when I saw the pictures of her jewelry section in her closet and it got me thinking.  Here's what I had going on:


A piece of lace tacked to the underside of my mirror was my earring "storage."  It served its purpose but I'm a grown-up now : ) I loved the idea of using a french memo board for my earrings.  But then I got stuck.  What to do with the rest?


Yes, that is a tin full of necklaces.  And a can full of other various jewelry.


My jewelry box wasn't too bad, but definitely needed some cleaning out.

So, first things first:  letting go.  I have a hard time sometimes parting with my jewelry.  For instance, I really don't wear yellow gold jewelry all that much.  But I have a few pieces that were giving as gifts from special family members that even though I never wear them, I can't bring myself to get rid of them.  So they just clutter up my jewelry box, taking up space that could be used for things I actually wear.  Part of my thinking is that I'd like to pass them on to my children.  So, I went through everything, set aside the pieces that have sentimental value but that I don't wear and packed them up.  They're in a safe place, I can still pass them on, but they're no longer taking up space in my jewelry box.  The rest I offered to my sister-in-law.  What she didn't want, I sold to a consignment shop and some I'm repurposing for other projects.

With what I don't wear gone, I moved onto the next step: where to put what I DO wear.  My biggest road block was my necklaces.  



I love long necklaces.  And I have quite a few.  I wanted something that I could hang them on, where they wouldn't get tangled ('cause the tin just wasn't cutting it) but that wasn't tacky.  Here's my solution:


I found this wooden plaque in the craft section of Wal-mart for $1.96.  I painted it this lovely peacock teal, let it dry, then spray painted the whole thing black.  Sorry there are no pictures for this step-I got so carried away in my excitement that I forgot to take some!  



After the paint had dried, I sanded it all over so that the teal could peak through, especially around the edges. 



Then I screwed in 11 tea cup hooks-this was actually a little harder than I expected because the wood was so hard!  My poor fingers were red for a good day afterwards.  I did them in two rows, 6 on top, 5 on bottom, alternating them so that when I hung my necklaces, they wouldn't overlap.  Then I hot glued some ribbon onto the back to hang it with.


Volia!  There's the memo board that was originally in my letter organizer-I covered the rough edges in a matching ribbon and attached two pieces to hang it.  It holds my earrings perfectly.


And it also gave me a place for my peacock feathers : )


I love being able to see all of my necklaces.  And no more tangles!


Remember this ugly necklace stand?  I gave it a nice coat of red paint and now it's the perfect home for some of my shorter necklaces and bracelets.

Now I have a nice, neat home for my jewels and since I can see them, I can better accessorize!  Which, as silly as it sounds, is one of my goals for the year.

What "spring" cleaning have you done or have plans for?

10 comments:

  1. i did the same thing with my earrings after seeing her closet re-do!

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  2. AW man! This is SUCH a great idea! I love it! I just bought the hardware fabric to make the earring picture frame but I LOVE your necklace idea!! It turned out great! I wish I had that many necklaces!

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  3. I am jealous of your jewelry organization - it looks great and how fun to be able to see all of your fabulous jewelry. I have so much - mostly costume jewelry - and have a hard time parting with any of it. Beautiful inspiration!

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  4. Hi I'm Barb.Love your jewelry ideas!!I'm now a follower of yours.. I hope you will go to santasgiftshoppe.blogspot.com
    & find some ideas that might inspire you & your family/Home. I hope you will follow me too. I just finished 4 Kitchen Chairs for $1.25 ea. with black & white polka dots fabric..then 4 stools..a hutch..a table runner..& napkin holder..I couldn't stop! Ha!Ha!Anyway I have aprons,bows,vinyl lettering,one-painting,jewelry & Lots of recipes..so leave me a comment if you would & tell me what you think..Have a great day! Barb

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  5. Beautiful! You have motivated me! I might have to FINALLY re-do my jewelery ...
    It looks so fun and organized! :) great job!

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  6. Great job! I have so much jewelry too. This turned out great!

    I am featuring a necklace tutorial and giveaway. I'd love it if you stopped by my blog!

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  7. Yipee! So glad to have inspired your jewelry organization. And boy do you have a TON of jewelry! It looks great and I love your necklace holder idea.

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  8. wow that is really great! Thanks for sharing over at check me out saturdays www.iamonly1woman.blogspot.com

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  9. I LOVE THIS!!! I need better organization! Thanks for the great tips and tutorial!

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