jewelry organization as art

I love me some jewelry! It doesn’t even have to be the expensive kind – although that’s nice too. But some of my most favorite pieces have come from consignment stores. I have collected a lot of jewelry over the years and it’s getting a little too much to handle. It always seems to end up in random piles or in the jewelry box black hole. And when I don’t see all the fun stuff I’ve collected, I forget about them. So I finally decided to ditch my extra large jewelry box and opt for a more visual and out-in-the open display for my jewelry.

I was pleasantly surprised at how it all looked when I displayed my jewelry and also how purposeful it was to put it all out there. Now I can see everything I have and it looks kinda pretty hanging on my wall! And I feel like I just went shopping and got all new jewelry.

I used a few different ways to display my jewelry:

1) free-standing jewelry holders – I found these at HomeGoods and Target. They don’t match but they go together well. And they hold a variety of pieces: necklaces, earings, bracelets. Perfect for my stuff. They look a little busy but I love that.

2) drawer pulls. I love using drawer pulls or knobs as hooks. You need to get the ones that have a screw on the back of them already. I got these at Marshalls but I’ve also found similar ones at Target, Etsy and Home Depot. They work perfectly for hanging jewelry. Just drill a hole in the wall, use a drywall anchor, then twist the knob into the anchor until it’s secure. You can also use any other kind of hooks – just hang as directed.

3) a ceramic egg crate – this was a great find from Anthropologie. It might not have been intended to hold jewelry but it was the perfect size for smaller pieces like earnings, pins and rings. It’s no longer available but check this one out, or this one.

4) ring dishes – I’ve seen all different kinds of ring dishes but I just fell in love with this DIY kit from Darby Smart where they give you all the supplies and instructions and you make your own. This kit costs $19 and you can make 2 animal figured ring dishes. So pretty and the gold animal trend is super hot right now. Perfect for a girls room, birthday party activity or wedding shower favor/treat. Check out the kit here.

5) small decorative boxes. My son decorated this wooden star shaped box for me in pre-school. These small boxes are great for a little collection of jewelry. I keep my grandmother’s broaches in mine – lots of sentimental value in that little box. I find small containers are ok – I just got overwhelmed when I went to the ginormous jewelry boxes.

Here are a few other ideas I’ve found for hanging your jewelry. Old drawers, fun hooks, frames – and I just love the antlers!!

I picked a spot on my dresser for the jewelry, along with some wall space nearby to hang the knobs. The only problem I had was that we have an old alarm unit on our wall that was super ugly and I needed to cover it up. HomeGoods to the rescue! I found this canvas art and just loved the saying. It was also the right color and size to fit over the old alarm.

Once everything was hung, I had fun arranging the jewelry so it looked pretty. And my daughter had fun going through all my “new” stuff. Just remember it’s good to think outside the {big jewelry} box! Enjoy!