DIY Jewelry Hanger

Leave it to me to start a project to hang on the wall two months before I move. In my defense it had been bugging me for two years, so the fact that I did something about it trumps the hassle of taking it down again. I think. 

How did I turn the top of a door frame into a jewelry hanger? Well, a little like this. 

I'm a big fan of using what's around the house to get my projects done- especially for decor. Last fall, when I realized we didn't have any Thanksgiving/Halloween decorations, I turned to Goodwill books and recycled glass bottles. No Easter decorations? I cut up paint chips (free) and tied them together with string. As much as I love decorating, I really don't have any budget to do so.

Last year we had to knock out some pieces from a door frame in order to move a couch into the inner room of our rental. This house is sort of circular, centered around a room with access to an outside garden room that has seen better days. We've christened it the "office" and only lately have we really come to love the potential here- we house the computer, the sewing machine, our two comfiest chairs and assorted geeky knick-knacks. For a while we thought the sofa would be perfect, but after we realized that gas smell we were inhaling came from the couch, we banished it outside. Where it is still super comfy.

Case in point: kid approved!

We were left with two pieces of processed wood from the door frame- I guess these were sliding doors at one time, so they hid the unsightly track that used to be there. I had them lying around for the better part of the year, absolutely convinced I could do something with them and I'm glad that I kept them (now).

I measured and marked how long I wanted them, then had my handy Mr. E saw them into pieces. I spent the better part of an evening making my last piece of sandpaper stretch enough to sand the flaking white paint off, round the corners and smooth the sides. Anything to not make another trip to the store.

I painted them white with craft paint (this will be in the bathroom at some point, so I'm not too worried about brush strokes) and measured out holes for all of the hooks- remembering at the last minute that the first and last hole is for the screw in the wall. Nice planning, Brie.

Mr. E charged the drill (an all day affair) and eye-balled how deep he wanted the hole for the hooks. Since the wood was pretty thin we didn't want to split it, or go all the way through. To help, Mr. E taped the drill bit so he knew how far down to drill. Worked like a charm! 

We twisted the hooks in (left over from a Christmas project I didn't get to this year) and screwed those bad boys in the wall!

I really like the way they look! I originally wanted to use a tie-rack, but the one we have is occupied and I didn't want to spend $10/each for three new ones. I think they could have been spaced a little better- leaving my long necklaces to hang- but this DIY Jewelry Hanger is exactly the simple solution I've been looking for. Now I can see (and use) my necklaces/bracelets more often. Right?