Earring Holder/Frame

One problem that comes with making (or just buying) jewelry is where to put it all. It gets tangled, mis-matched, thrown into dozens of boxes.... just an over all mess.In my case I'm not just talking the stuff I have to sell either, I'm talking the "that's MINE" stuff. I ran across a couple different versions of the same storage idea that I really wanted to try out but didn't follow any specific instructions, I just sort of winged it. A few basic supplies from an art and hardware store and a few hours and you can have a super cool picture frame that serves as an earring hanger and display.

Materials

Empty, backless frame (plain wood if you want to paint it yourself, which is half the fun!)
Staple gun and upholstry staples (5/16")
Poultry wire/mesh
Paint (I used regular acrylic, but craft paint will do and it's a lot cheaper)
Gel medium, to make the paint go farther (Optional)
Fabric to line the back of the frame
Scissors
Wire Cutters


If using a plain, wooden frame, start with a coat of gesso before you start to paint (or collage, whichever you prefer) and let dry.

Paint/collage as desired. I chose colors to compliment my bedroom, which is where I planned to hang it. Painting straight lines can really try my patience on these kinds of projects, mostly because being hunched over and so still for periods of time really aggrevates my back and neck (which I have issues with already, since I'm as good as an old lady when it comes to that stuff). Still, I knew what I wanted it to look like and was determined to get it right.

Let dry. You can use an embossing gun to help speed along the drying process, but do NOT let it get too hot or the paint will peel/bubble. Be patient!

Roll out the wire (which isn't the most fun thing to do) and use your wire cutters to get enough mesh to fill the frame. Make sure to leave enough room to staple to the edges to the frame but pull it taut enough so it doesn't sag in the middle. Once your first couple of staples are in it's not as difficult.

Carefully staple the mesh onto the frame, making sure you are catching the wire so it won't slip out (see above). Depending on the thickess of your frame, you might need to staple at a slight angle. The picture is a little blurry, but you can see where the staples came through on the first side I did, before I'd made that discovery. I ended up picking out the tiny pieces of wood where the staples had come through and filling the small holes with paint. Luckily, it's barely noticeable. Still, lesson learned.

Once finished, measure out your fabric. Using the frame, I traced it with a fabric marker. There are probably better ways that will make it look nicer from behind (haha, that's what she said) such as sewing the edges neatly, but I didn't have the patience or skills for that. Besides, it's just sitting against a wall... no biggie.

Staple on the fabric, the way to did the mesh, so it completely covers the back of the frame (or at the very least, all the the wire edges).

Finally, (with your sore hands!) turn your masterpiece over and trim any stray fabric. Hang the frame and fill it with your favorite earrings! Not only is the storage aspect great, but it's a lot easier picking a pair of earrings when they're laid out in front of you.

This picture of the final piece was taken with my phone so it isn't as stellar as I would hope, but you get the idea. All the earrings shown are Val originals.

I hope you enjoyed reading and will make one of your own!

Until next time, (new recipe blog coming soon)!