Jewelry Organizer: Vintage Wood Case

There are so many fun creative ways to display and organize jewelry using vintage finds.   Here's one perfect for those of you who do shows.  You can wrap your jewelry in tissue and bring it in the case, then just unwrap and display.

I have a soft spot for vintage suitcases....among many other things.   I bought this wonderful little wooden case a couple of years ago because I LOVED the lining.  I've never been able to part with it because it's been useful for so many things.  It has this funny sloped top so I imagine that maybe it was a briefcase in it's day...or an artist's case. 

With a simple little modification, it became even more useful.  

I added little brass cup hooks along one side of the lid and bottom of the case about an inch apart. Of course, I aged the cup hooks first with a little rust activator.  If you use this product on real brass and let it sit just a few minutes, it will verdigris the brass instantly; while other metals will rust.  

I always spray seal the cup hooks after I've aged them just in case my earrings might have a reaction to the chemical used to age the hooks....because you never know...

Tip:  Pre-drill the holes for the cup hooks just a little so that they will go in easily.  Otherwise, you risk the chance of them breaking off as you try to screw them in...like I haven't done that before!

On a scale from  1 to 10 this project is definitely a 1.  So, no excuses!  Go out there and find something you love and turn it into jewelry storage.

Jewelry Duty: Inspired by Jury Duty?

So, this last week or so I've been slow on posting....As you know, I've been cleaning my workshop.  While I was cleaning, I found a piece from the back of a broken chair that I had started painting awhile back.  I didn't know what I was going to do with it but I had an idea when I had jury duty this week.  Jury duty sort of sounds like jewelry duty....and since I like making jewelry displays; why not!

I always hang on to scraps that have an interesting shape, even if I have no idea what I'm going to do with them.

Then, when I'm painting on a project and have a little leftover paint in the pan, I'll pull out some of those scrap parts and throw some paint on them.  Sometimes, they get several layers of paint before I get an inspiration.  In this case, this old chair back had a layer of green.  Then, a little leftover wash from my  Chair-y Chair-y Quite Contrary post.

After a little sanding, it actually became the inspiration for a lesson on How To Fix A Bad Sanding Job.
Since I haven't written that post yet, here it is:

 Here's what happened:  I use a palm sander.  When you're sanding off paint, it gets clogged up on the sandpaper (at least this is my theory on why this happens).  Anyway, you start getting this unattractive skipping pattern; not good.

The fix is to take a little sandpaper and hand-sand those areas smooth.

You could always go back with more paint if you don't want that much exposed wood.  But, since I didn't know what this project would turn into, I decided to leave it as it was and this is what I was left with.


Then, I just finish it with a little Fiddes Supreme Wax in Rugger Brown.

So, now we're to my week of jury duty.  On day two, I was called to a trial and "excused for cause" so I got to go home early and work in my "sort of cleaned-up" workshop.  After all, I deserve to have a little fun before I have to get back to the cleaning....right?

I always thought this chair back reminded me of one of those framed silhouettes and it really needed to be mounted on something and framed.



I found an old frame that was the right size and a piece of old recycled backer board that was "almost the right size"....yeah!  an excuse to use the table saw:)

 I could paint the backer board but I liked the idea of a pattern so I found this leftover wallpaper from my mother-in-law that I had been holding onto.  The bit of green was just the right color for my chair back.



When I ran out of Cam Tack on my last project, I decided to try this 3M product called Super 77 I found on one of my many trips to OSH.
It worked similar to the Cam Tack and was perfect to adhere the vinyl wallpaper to the backer board.

The frame I found had been shuffled around the workshop for awhile so it was pretty banged up.














A little sanding with a medium grit sanding sponge gave the frame a nice even distressing.

 The rustic brown frame is going to balance the exposed wood on the chair back nicely so I decide to just use the same wax on the frame for a quick finish.

It's a quick brush on....

...and wipe off.

This is so easy;  all I have to do is give it a quick buff with a clean cloth and it's ready to go all shiny and new.

Now, it's time for assembly.

This is where clamps come in handy...what did I ever do without them?












Once I get the silhouette centered and clamped, I screw it on from the back side making sure to use a short enough screw that it won't pop through the front.

Now I need to mount the backer board into the frame.  This is when I wish I were a professional picture framer and knew all their tricks.

After taking the broken glass out of so many old windows, I decided glazing points would be a sturdy way to mount backer board for things like chalkboards and bulletin boards so I decide to use them here as well.

 I'm not even sure if this is how you're supposed to install glazing points because I've never worked in a glass shop either, but it seems to work okay.  I take a large screwdriver and just push the glazing point into the frame.  Then I use a tack hammer and just tap it the rest of the way in.

After that, I hammer the ends down flat.

I approach this like I do an upholstery project; start with one glazing point in the center of each of the four sides.  Then, I add one about an inch or so from each corner.  That's enough for the short ends but then I add more to the long sides between the center and the corner.  This should hold everything together just fine.


If I were a professional framer, I'd have some nice brown paper to glue to the back to make it look pretty, but I'm not, and I don't, so I'll just use a little masking tape to cover all the things that might scratch a wall.

 Next, I want to add the hanging hardware to the back.  While this is normally a last step, for this project I need to do everything that goes on the back first because I'm going to use cup hooks on the front that stick out so I don't want to have to work on the back after I have all those attached.

When I'm making something that's going to hang on the wall and needs to be sturdy, I like to use two D rings.  You buy them according to the weight of whatever you're hanging.  The small one would probably be fine for this project but I only had one small ring so I'm using two large ones instead.

I usually mount the D rings 4-6 inches from the top of the frame.  For a frame this thin, I decide to use only the bottom screw hole so that the D ring can be turned into the frame so that when it's hung on the wall it won't show from the side of the frame.

I need something to hang the jewelry on, so  I use brass cup hooks.  You used to be able to find real brass cup hooks that would age to a nice patina.  The new ones are really shiny and a cheap metal that may or may not really be brass.  You can leave them that way if you like, but I like a more rustic look so I use a little rust activator and get the aging process going.  This could take a couple of days so don't wait until the last minute.

After they've rusted, be sure to spray several coats of sealer on the hooks since you are going to be hanging your jewelry on them.  Although I've never had any problem, if you feel you may have any metal sensitivities, please use your own discretion.

 I'm going to do two rows of hooks offset by half an inch.  I used a ruler lined up along the bottom edge of the top of the chair silhouette and made a mark with an awl an inch apart.


 Then, I lined the ruler along my awl marks and made a new mark a half inch to each side of my bottom mark.

 It's important to pre drill all your holes before trying to screw in the cup hooks.  Choose the right size drill bit and make a mark with blue tape to the depth you want to drill your hole.  If you drill it too deep, it won't be strong enough and if you don't drill it deep enough, you make risk breaking off the cup hook as you're trying to screw it down tight.

The two rows at the top can hold lots of necklaces and I added a row at the bottom that would work well for earrings, rings or bracelets.

And there you have it...ready for jewelry duty!

P.S.  For those people who have said they wish they could spend a day in my head....this one's for you....

So, as I was playing with the title Jewelry Duty/Jury Duty, I had a lightbulb moment...the chair back silhouette looked like the scales of justice without the scales.  I had just the thing!  I've been hanging onto this cut glass dish that I had broken...almost in half.  What perfect scale dishes!  A couple of eye hooks and some old rusty chain and I think it looks like the scales of justice?!?

Okay, so I had to stop myself....although the dishes would be great for rings and bracelets, I wasn't sure I would be able to attach the bowls to the backer board that was already covered in wallpaper and have it be solid enough to hold any weight.  I didn't want to risk messing up my finished project. :(

I've been invited to speak at a ladies luncheon in Salinas tomorrow and I'll be taking this project with me for show and tell.  If it makes it back with me, I will post it for sale on Sunday.

Overall dimension:  17 1/2" x 21 1/2"

$42

I just checked out Funky Junk Interior's Friday Night Link Party.  This weekend it's all about table runners.  I linked this Jewelry Duty post under the Home Decor category but hope to think up some clever table runner to add to the Themed Party before time runs out!  You should check it out for some great ideas.  She has the best blog!....something to aspire to....

A Day In The Life Of A Junker...with bonus track...How To Make a Jewelry Tree

.....I had a hard time sleeping last night...feeling a little anxious about all the projects I'm in the middle of...sound familiar?  Well, this is serious...the guys are almost finished installing a new buried propane tank...which means my workshop upgrade can happen soon....
BUT I'M NOT READY!!!!  I'm in the middle of projects!  So, what's a junker to do?

Start by spending the morning cleaning out my storage unit.  I'll get rid of a few things, and make room to store some of the junk in my workshop.  This could be a post all it's own....

Lunch break...

Next, the biggest project going on in my workshop is a gear desk I'm building for my son.  After a couple hours, I have the bridge section done!  Yeah!!!!  This is definitely a future post.  It's my first attempt at building fine furniture from 4x8 sheets of wood.  Scary :)  But, so far so good; knock on wood!

Enough of that...now it's time to play!    

I promised to make some jewelry trees and organizers to put in my new Etsy Shop so here's one with a "How To".


First step,  find a lampshade to deconstruct.  I found this one at a thrift store for $1.  SCORE!

Next, remove the shade material.  I'm saving mine...big surprise, because it's mylar covered in a natural fiber paper...I have an idea...(is there a light bulb I can put here instead of a smilie face?  I'm new to this...)  Here's where I encourage you to send me a comment....really, there's gotta be a lightbulb icon I can put here...

For this project, we are only using the top part of the shade frame.  I have a very large collection of the bottom ring of this type of shade in a variety of sizes...I'm going to have to come up with something good for those....

There's usually a bit of glue and paper stuck to the metal ring.  Using a utility knife, scrape all the unwanted bits away.  SAFETY TIP:  Always cut away from your body.

When I'm repurposing materials for a project, I'm in the mindset that they are old and dingy and that's why I'm repurposing them.  Truth is, sometimes things are tossed out because they're shiny, possibly tacky, were just cheap to begin with and, plain and simple, no one wanted them anymore.  I'm finding that all the shabby, rusty stuff is currently "cool" and I have sort of a soft spot for all the stuff that even a junk connoisseur might overlook. 


Well, just like you can paint anything that's properly prepped, you can age even the shiniest, tackiest cheap-looking metal!  After you've done this for awhile, you'll develop an eye for what metal will age easily and what you need to prep.  In my experience, any metal that has a coating over it needs to be prepped so if it's shiny, it's probably coated.  Just rough it up with a little sandpaper, any grade will do, and cross your fingers.

 The secret ingredient....drumroll, please....Modern Master's Rust Activator.  I've heard of things like using toilet bowl cleaner to age galvanized metal.....so one of these days, I'm going to do a documented science experiment on everyday products we can use to age different metals....just waiting for the propane tank to be moved...a little to close to my workshop for my comfort and my nickname is "Grace" for a reason...

Because this is a "rust activator" you need to use a plastic vessel.  I'm using the plastic tray from a birdcage that I purchased at a garage sale...I used the birdcage for a chandelier or something...but this large shallow tray is perfect for rusting larger items.  As you can see in the photo, some metals age instantly while others can take awhile so just be patient.  I've learned that letting them rest in the shade is better.  If you're anxious and put them in the sun to dry faster, they actually have less time to age...hey, sort of like people (I need another lightbulb here!)  Just remember, shade ages better than sun.

Once you've aged both sides, let it rest and dry.  Here's another SAFETY TIP:  Don't touch the chemical.  Wear gloves or use tongs.  I've never had anything bad happen, but you never know.  It's a chemical.   After the metal has rusted to your desired specification, go over it with a little 0000 steel wool to remove extra bits and give the whole piece a good coat or two of sealer....remember you will be hanging earrings on this and then putting them in your ears...you want to keep things hygienic.

Next step is to find the perfect turned leg or spindle for your jewelry tree.  This is the fun part, I keep my parts sorted in 5 gallon buckets.  They're easier to move around when I want to sweep or rearrange the shop.  (I know what you're thinking; this photo and paragraph should be totally edited...but it's for the person who has said they would like to spend a day in my shop or just drop in...it's a glimpse behind the scenes.)  Glamorous, isn't it!

....I see the perfect leg back there hiding...So, I've got my leg, my new "aged" lampshade part and a couple of other lampshade parts I've previously aged.  Notice how the center hole is larger on those parts?  I don't have a photo because these have been around awhile but you know the shades that go on before the light bulb...I've taken that part apart and stuck the opposite end in the metal ring...I know, that's another post. 

I'm going to use the top end of the leg as the base for my tree.   I use my compound miter saw to make the cut but it's difficult to trim a straight cut on a turned leg.  I usually shim the leg to where I need it with a scrap of wood before making the cut to as even as I can eyeball it.  Then, I just put some sticky back sandpaper on a block of scrap wood to get the base flat and level.  I know this sounds redundant if you've read my previous posts, but my standard m.o. is to sand and wax an aged leg to further enhance it's natural patina.

Next, I need a base proportioned to the height I've chosen for my post.  I like this round metal black base from a deconstructed lamp.  It's lightweight, but large enough around to balance the height of the  leg.  I like the black but want it to blend with my other materials so I rough it up a bit and give it a coat of rust activator.  I took this photo to illustrate a specific TIP:  the rust activator is the liquid you see.  Therefore, if you see brush strokes, your rust pattern will also show the brush strokes.  Likewise, if you splashed the activator on with a brush your rust pattern would be droplets.  I'll save a more detailed rust lesson for a future post.

Once your base reaches the desired patina, give it a coat of spray sealer to finish it off and stop further deterioration.

Now that all the parts are prepared, it's time to assemble!  Yeah!  

I find a dowel screw appropriate for the size of my leg and drill a pilot hole in the leg the length of the wood screw end (the pointy end with the wider thread).  I like using a dowel screw because it gives a nice sturdy attachment that you can tighten as needed.   

Fast forward...it's getting late... now that the leg is attached to the base, I chose one of the large-holed lampshade parts first and just push it onto the leg as far down as it will go.  I don't use any permanent attachment here.  Then, add the top lampshade part.  I like to use a large decorative drawer pull to hold the top metal ring on.  This is where you can get creative and make it your own...pre-drill your hole gently; you want the knob to have a good fit.  If you drill too far it will be loosey-goosey.  

Sometimes I'll use two of the lower lampshade parts so you'd have six arms. In this case, since my leg was so long, I opted to add three rusted cup hooks 5" down for more necklaces or bracelets.

...and there you have it...a jewelry tree that's one of a kind.  So next time you're at a vintage sale and you see one really cool leg but don't know why you're drawn to it...now you know what to do with it.

And for those of you who thought it would be fun to follow me around for a day....

I think I'm tired, have accomplished something, and will sleep tonight...

Until next time.  :)  ....now about that lightbulb icon?????