Hello everyone! So since subscribing to Black Box Subscriptions I've greatly increased my jewelry collection both because of the box and because the box has inspired me to make my own jewelry as well. As a result my little jewelry pouch was just not cutting it anymore. things were getting tangled and lost and thrown around and it was just a mess. Therefore I began researching DIY jewelry displays as I did not want to pay a ton of money for one if I could make one. Eventually I found one that used a lot of items that I already had, and those that I didn't were fairly cheap to purchase.
After browsing I decided to use this display from Duct Tape and Demin as my inspiration and guide.
This post is to show you how I made my own jewelry display, so beware this is very very picture heavy as I hope anyone reading this could make their own afterwards.
This is a pictorial overview of every item you will need. To begin with I already had the black picture frame, as my mom had it left laying around, the chicken wire as I had bought it to try and unsucessfully patch up my old rat cage, the acrylic paint and brushes, and finally the staple gun, glue, and drill were all items my dad had on hand in his toolbox. Therefore the only things I had to spend money on were the little wooden nobs, the dowel pins, and the felt, making this frame put me back less than $10!
So the first thing I did was cut down the felt and chicken wire to be just a bit smaller than the frame. I also forgot to list some sort of device to cut the wire with in my initial needed items, sorry! These scissors were also something I found in my parents house. I also painted the wooden nobs a light purple. The frame was already black but if it wasn't I definitely would have painted it myself.
Here is a close up of my painted pegs. I gave them only a single coat, and then once they dried patched up any sparce bits.
These pins may not be necessary depending on the kind of nob or hook you buy, but mine needed these 1/4 inch dowel pins to go with them.
I didn't want to make my dad feel awkward by taking pictures of him while he worked so there aren't any in action shots, but here is what the back looked like after stapling. First we placed the chicken wire down against the frame and stapled 2-3 per side. Then we placed the cloth over top and stapled around the frame, being careful not to staple over the chicken wire staples. You can absolutely stop here but I wanted nobs to hang necklaces and rings from so I went a step further.
So next I had to insert and glue all the dowel pins into the nobs, which was harder than it sounds because not all the pins fit into the nobs so it was a lot of trial and error to dig through and try to find ones that fit.
So this is after the very first drill hole was made. My dad used a drill bit slightly larger than 1/4' so that they fit in a little easier. After drilling we then glued the nobs into the holes. This bit was also pretty tricky as my frame has a curved rim, so it was hard to drill straight down, therefore some of my nobs are a little off. Also the pin ends were so long that we had to drill the whole way through the frame to get them to fit, which is why I'm thankful my dad was there as the drill kicked quite a bit if it went through and hit a wire or staple. It probably would have been better to make these holes before stapling on the felt, but hindsight is 20/20....
The drill wasn't always kind, so there was some chipping, so I took some black acrylic paint and painted over all chipped areas as well as any other areas on the frame that were showing any brown at all, such at the intersections.
And here is the frame right after getting everything glued and stapled on! I am very happy with how it turned out!
Here is a close up of some of my dangle earrings hanging from the chicken wire.
I used the top nobs to hang bracelets, rings, and some earrings.
And the bottom nobs for my necklaces.
Overall I am very happy with it, and I think it looks very lovely hanging in my room. Plus it makes picking out my accessories so much easier in the morning. I'm also hoping my lesser worn jewelry will get a bit more use now. To hang it I just punched a hole through the felt, hammered a nail into my wall and put the nail through the hole and under the frame itself. It came with a hanging notch on the back but I'd have had to hang it vertically, which I didn't want to do, so I improvised. I am considering adding some more hooks to the side, as I am already running out of room for necklaces!
I hope you enjoyed my process, and if you decide to make your own display, I wish you luck! :D
