DIY Jewelry Organization!

Happy Valentine's Day!  Or Happy Thursday to anyone who would rather not partake of the holiday and all of the chocolate that comes with it.  :)

Anyways, as you may remember, I shared my closet organization post and the DIY tool I use to make it even more organized, a couple of weeks back.  To follow up, I decided to share the DIY item that helps to keep my jewelry organized!  Hopefully this post comes in time to organize any new baubles or trinkets that you may have received (or gifted yourself) today!


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


First of all, I have a large dresser with a drawer that I set aside specifically for jewelry and fragrances.


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


I love having such a large dresser for my clothing, but it takes up most of the wall.  Therefore, I can't store my jewelry in a super cute hanging display.  Just check out my organization Pinterest board to see my love of hanging jewelry organization!



Also, the dresser can start to look cluttered, so I opted to skip a tabletop jewelry organizer.




So my last option was to use the inside of the drawer, which had absolutely no dividers and was super deep.


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


I thought about using stacking trays with dividers, but it was so expensive!  It was $12-25 per tray depending on the type (earrings, necklaces, etc.), so I could end up spending close to $200 just to store away my items!


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I put my thinking cap on and thought of all of the divided containers, which I could use from bead organizers to tackle boxes and everything between.  My only problem is that these were very small storage solutions to fill my giant drawer.  Then, I just decided to go to IKEA (after measuring my space) to see what I could find!

The best item I could find was the cutlery trays for $1.99, which had minimal dividers but were cheap and fit my space.




I bought three to stack and it fit my space perfectly!

(Please ignore my terrible jewelry crammed in the corner.  Some were presents and some from before high school, but I've kept them for sentimental reasons, which I know is a terrible reason when you're trying to organize!)


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


After time, I realized that my small earrings, rings, and necklaces kept shifting around because there were simply not enough dividers!  Luckily, the chunky necklaces and bracelets did well on the bottom layer.

After deciding that I needed a better solution, I realized that it was sitting right in front of me!


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


I bought a ceramic egg crate from World Market for $7.99 as a catch-all on top of my dresser for items that I had worn that day.  I could be lazy to put away my jewelry, and it would end up looking cute anyways.  :)

So, why didn't I buy a ton of the ceramic egg crates?  There would have been way too many stacked up in my drawer making it heavy, and it would have been expensive!  So what did I do?  Use the real thing!


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


I buy 60 eggs at a time from Costco, which come with one of the cartons above and two of the cartons below.  All I had to do was go through 120 eggs, and I was set!


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


I grabbed a leftover can of spray paint that we had in the garage, and sprayed to my heart's content!

Pun alert: This was my first time using massive amounts of spray paint, and the pavement outside my house is sad and blue that I didn't use enough newspaper.


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


I could have made the sections more even by cutting the cardboard down to match the divots all around the sides, but I like how it looked and I wanted to keep it sturdy.  Also, the blue color was actually pretty, when all I had wanted to accomplish was to cover the ugly brown.  :)


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


The small section was perfect for holding rings, small pendant necklaces, and small earrings (in the other crate).




The large section was good for larger earrings, necklaces, and brooches.


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


For storing the layers of egg crates, I decided to keep the chunky necklaces and bracelets (which i don't wear often) in the cutlery tray at the bottom.  Then, I stacked the large items on top, side by side.


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!
I need to refine my jewelry stash for sure!  Some of it could be old enough to vote!


Lastly, my smaller items, which I use more often, are stacked on top!


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!


As for my fragrances and sunglasses?  They fit perfectly on the side of the entire rigamarole.


DIY Jewelry Organization on Diane's Vintage Zest!
Can you spot my clothespin from The French Laundry?


It is really, really easy to maintain.  When I use an item of jewelry, I drop it back in its spot right after using it!  Because items are arranged by size and type and everything is visible, it is easy to find what I am looking for right away.

Until I have the wall space to hang a cute jewelry display, this will do just fine.


Has anyone out there had to deal with a less-than-ideal situation and still make it work for you?




30 comments:

  1. I love this egg crate idea for my craft supplies. i don't think I could eat that many eggs, but i do know Tractor Supply sells the cartons.

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  2. Clever!!!

    Thank you
    for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  3. Love the way you dealt with a less-than-ideal situation: true creativity! See you again on Sunday's Creative Home Acre blog hop at Mumtopia.

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  4. Great idea! I definitely need this!

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  5. That's using your noggin. Visiting from Lines Across blog hop.

    Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer

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  6. Great ideas...love your creativity! Thank you for sharing this on Wildcrafting Wednesday! Hope to see you again today at:

    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/05/wildcrafting-wednesday-21.html

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  7. Creative idea. Oh my, you have much more jewelry than I do though. Thanks for sharing!

    Please join us again Thursday at:
    The HomeAcre Hop

    ~Ann

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  8. I like these ideas. I love the hanging one with the thread spools.

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  9. This totally made me laugh! I haven't heard the word noggin in ages. :) Thanks!

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  10. Hello there,

    I am popping over from the sew many ways link party. I seen this project and had to let you know how much I love it!! I am looking for ideas to store my jewellery all the time and this is so clever and good for the environment, love upcycling where I can.

    Would love it of you could check out my blog. I am just starting out and hopefully with more time when I finish my uni assignments I can blog some more and improve my blogging,

    Have a great weekend :)

    http://make-it-yourselfmumma.blogspot.com.au/

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  11. I have seen the egg carton idea before, I just didn't see it turned over. It looks so much better! I love the other ideas too!

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  12. I love that you were able to use recycled material in this project...and I love how organized it keeps everything! I'm trying to figure out a system for my necklaces...so thanks for the round-up, too!

    Warmly,
    Lauren
    The Thinking Closet

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  13. Sure! I'm a huge fan of the system, and I'm happy how perfectly it fits in the drawer and shows everything off. :)

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  14. Love all your posts, but as a reminder, we ask you only share 3 links at each Give Me The Goods Party! Thanks!

    Dimples & Pig Tales

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  15. Yes, I had actually saved egg cartons from before, without knowing what project they would become. Then, I happen to think of this project right after we were finished with our next batch. Kismet!

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  16. What a great idea with the egg cartons!

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  17. Wow...I love organizing and you have shared some wonderful tips...I especially liked the egg cartons...way to save...thanks for sharing. New follower via Bloglovin from the hop. http://lilibudsgardent.blogspot.com

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  18. What a creative solution! I love how you turned one of them upside-down.

    If anyone would like to see more details of my hanging display with the wooden spools, here's the link to the post: http://www.atimeforeverything.net/2010/02/hanging-jewelry-storage-made-from-trays.html

    :) Melissa

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  19. I have been going to the poor house buying plastic divider boxes for beads and findings. What a great idea.

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  20. Thanks! I think even frugal gals would like this storage solution. :)

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  21. Love these ideas! Visiting from the Let's be friends link-up :)



    Rachael from www.lifeoutsidetheshell.com

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  22. I totally love this post!! Love these new ideas. Visiting from Friendship Friday.

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  23. Love the idea! Simple and genius:)

    I hope you'll find the time to link up with us this week:

    http://milaslittlethings.com/2015/04/idea-box-thursday-link-party-5.html

    xx

    Mila

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  24. Of all my organizing frustrations, jewelry has been top of the list. I hate losing an earring in the drawer. You KNOW it is there but finding it is another thing. I haven't been motivated to pay for an organizer but making one from egg cartons? What an awesome idea! I've pinned this so that I remember to do it. This summer, after school is out (I teach) I have a lot of organizing to do. This will finally get done! Thank you. Hey, stop by my blog tomorrow night to share this post? Our party starts at 7pm EDT Tuesdays.

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  25. Oh my gosh...such a good idea!!

    Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!

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  26. Aw, thanks so much for the compliment! I hope this can be of some help to remedy all those lost earrings. :)

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  27. You can't get much cheaper than egg cartons. Thanks for posting. Hello from Anti-procrastination Tuesday.

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  28. So many great ideas! I've always loved having a slot for each piece! Thanks for linking up with me. I'm featuring you this week.

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  29. Thanks so much for the feature! :)

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