The Fine Art of Organizing Your Accessories
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photos: dana for we heart this
With every new year I try to clean up and organize my life a little bit more than it was the previous year. I blame part of this on the fact that I’m a Virgo (we’re notorious picky neat freaks) and the fact that my husband is a bit of a mess when it comes to organization. If you walked into our bedroom you’d see one side of the room with everything in its place, and the other side of the room looking as through a Tasmanian devil ran through.
I like for every item to have a home; a place to rest so I know where to find it when I want it. And I want it to look good. Recently my accessories collection, specifically my jewelry, was getting a bit chaotic, so I created a few storage solutions that artistically display my jewels.
Artful Wall Necklace Storage (above)
I already own a lovely jewelry box that’s like a miniature armoire but it isn’t big enough to house all of my bangles and bracelets, nor long enough to carry some of my statement necklaces – and I have quite a few of those. Since I love many of these bold statement pieces that I have, I wanted to figure out a way to incorporate my necklaces – like a piece of artwork – in my bedroom. We have art in every room of our house (even the tiny bathrooms) and I like to intentionally display things that I love. So why not add my great jewelry collection to the walls too?
I decided to use a piece of fabric that matched the dark navy blue color scheme of our master bedroom and cover a small cork board (at left from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft for $6.99).
I just stapled the fabric to the back of the cork board and hung it on the wall. A DIY you can do in 5 minutes is my kind of project.
For a finishing touch, I bought decorative pushpins instead of the standard ones, so they’d look a bit prettier against the board. I even staggered the pieces to add more interest and make them easier to access.
Boutique Style Bracelet Display
To house my bracelets I picked up an acrylic bracelet stand that I found at JoAnn’s when I popped in to pick up the cork board (here’s a black velvet jewelry stand that’s $6.99, but now on sale for $4.19).
I knew I needed something simple, clean and easy to see all of my bracelets and pull them off. I couldn’t take the tangled mess they had become in the drawer of my jewelry box and that left room for my big bangles to all sit in a neat row where I could see them.
And in just a few minutes, I now have an organized jewelry collection and it looks pretty on the walls too. My kind of organizing.
we heartsters – do you artfully store your accessories? Share simple and stylish ways to store purse, jewelry, scarves and more in comments!
@dwj1 –Great article. I could so relate when you said you are the neat one in the house and your husband is more cluttered. It is the opposite at my house, I am more clutter oriented and my significant other is super neat!
My jewerly is put away in an antique sewing cabinet. I do not see the items in there so I do not wear them—out of sight –out of mind. This is especially true when I leave the house at o’dark thirty. I need to relocated items so I can see them.
I recently reorganized my jewelry–b/c it was taking over my bedroom. I bought a hanging jewelry organizer by Umbra from the Container Store, called “Little Black Dress”. It hangs on the inside of my closet, holds alot of jewelry (earrings, necklaces, bangles, the whole nine) and is super cute. I do however, love both of your ideas above. Having things you love as part of art around the house, is just the way to go. Might have to do something similar for some of my fav pieces.
I’ve seen that Little Black Dress jewelry organizer, it’s very cute!
Thanks for your comment, welcome to we heart this!
Great piece @dwj1! I need your help sooooo bad.. Mainly because it would be nice to know what I actually have! I’m inspired to do something now! Thanks!
This is great! I don’t have much jewelry, but I’m already scheming on how I can use this as storage for items! (I’m the cluttered one int eh house. :-/ ) Thanks, @dwj1!
Fabulous idea! My earrings are always scattered all over, and I recently bought an elk head jewelry holder from Urban Outfitters. It was kind of spendy (about $30) but my boyfriend really loved how manly it was while still being vintagey and girly too. So I hang my favorite pairs of earrings on the antlers.
I’m always curious about the jewelry display items I see in places like Jo-Ann’s. They’re always right by the beading section (where I stand and repeatedly tell myself that no- I should NOT start another creative hobby!) and it’s super tempting to grab a few to organize my baubles. Does it hold up well? Is it strong enough for heavy pieces? How’s the balance?
Sorry for the late reply Amanda, but yes it is very sturdy and holds up beautifully!
I made jewelry pin boards and hung them on my wall. I can see all my jewelry at once and I find that I wear it more often now. The boards were easy to make, just fabric covered styrofoam and some old frames that I painted. Pictures/instructions are here: http://craftanarchy.blogspot.com/2010/04/jewelry-thief-framed.html
super cute – thanks for sharing!
@dwj1 this is awesome! Thanks so much for this. I have a jewelry box for rings and bangles but my necklaces are always in a tangle :(
First I learned we shared a love of tights, then it was animal prints, then it was a “no fear” approach to color in our wardrobes…now I find that your bedroom is the same color as mine! BTW, I hang my statement necklaces on hooks attached to a small IKEA shelf in my powder room (the kind meant for keys or maybe hats). Here I thought we shared a brain…
My favourite way of storing all my bangles and bracelets is in an old tea box – each of the 12 sections houses a different colour/style. Super easy to find things, plus it looks so pretty and still smells like tea!
Ahh – I just posted about my new found love for vintage tea tins – love this idea @LJ – and thanks for stopping by we heart this!
I took my 1st trip to The Container Store..wow! I have been in an organizing frenzy ever since!
Thanks for all the great tips!
Love the idea. I have made cork pin boards before but I love the idea of using fabric for a jewelry holder. I wouldn’t want cork in my bedroom… I find that if I put too much jewelry away I forget what I have. I have my necklaces all hanging in rows on nails in a small second walk-in closet in my bedroom that I so luckily refer to as the “accessories closet”. For cocktail rings, I use vintage glass sugar bowls or candy dishes with lids. It’s like getting a piece of candy each time I pick a ring for the day. I do the same for my lipsticks…
Love the blog. I’ll keep following for more great inspiration! xo
This is great! I love that it has tons of pockets for earrings, bracelets and rings. I hung it on the back of my bedroom door so I always remember to put on some wonderful jewelry before I leave the house!