DIY Jewelry Board

I'm a big fan of jewelry.  It doesn't have to be expensive; it just needs to look good.  I love scouring thrift stores and antique shows to find vintage jewelry (I really started collecting old jewelry after I inherited my Gram's quirky collection).  I love nabbing things when they are on sale, especially when Dillard's puts their clearance stuff at an additional 50% off.  I like picking up cheap little pieces that don't look cheap, and I don't mind investing in pricier pieces every once in a while if I feel that the piece is really worth it.  I subscribe to the theory that the more often you wear something, the cheaper it becomes.  (I think I've mentioned that before.)  I wanted an easy way to  show off my jewelry so I would be able to take most of it in at a glance.  I have a lot of necklaces and bracelets, and I wanted a way to store them so that they wouldn't get easily tangled.  I had seen shadow boxes that display jewelry, which is functional and aesthetically pleasing.  So a couple of years ago when I was looking for a way to display my jewelry, I thought of going the shadow box route.  But I am lazy, and I didn't have any big shadow boxes, and I am cheap, and I didn't want to buy any.  I also didn't want to have to worry about hanging up said shadow boxes, because I am lame and I didn't want to deal with the whole issue of nails and hammers.

So I looked around my garage to see what I already had, and came up with a cork board that my old roommate and fellow teacher had left behind. 

Cork board

Perfect.  I dusted it off and brought it into my closet, where I was too lazy to hang it up.  I set it on top of a little table I have in the closet that also holds my Mom's old jewelry box that she gave me (the jewelry box actually came from my great grandparents' jewelry store that they owned when my grandfather was a kid).  I got some thumbtacks and started pinning my necklaces and bracelets to the board.

Jewelry Board

I ran out of room on the cork board, and needed a place to hold my chunkier bracelets that I couldn't pin to the board.  I searched my house and came up with a three tiered serving tray that I use occasionally for tea parties with my daughter and nieces and nephews.

 I unscrewed it and took two tiers off, and now I have a handy little bracelet tray to hold extra rings and bracelets, like my current favorite mixed metal piece from Hive and Honey.

Love- but it's no longer available
(similar style here)

I made a jewelry board for my daughter, too.  I had a framed cork board that I'd gotten from Marshalls eons ago.  The frame was originally green; I painted it black to go with her newly painted grey room. 

Now she wants it painted blue.  It'll need to match the bedroom that she just switched to, which Rebecca has graciously offered to help us decorate (hint hint!). This is a super easy, super functional do it yourself project that anyone can do.  Promise.

~Lori

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