DIY Jewelry Frame Organizer

Post published:December 13, 2014
Post category:Organizing your home and life

This jewelry frame organizer project was originally a DIY workshop for Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, PA. If you decide to DIY it, please consider purchasing a Project Pak from the ReStore in Norristown, or visiting your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore to purchase the items needed. Your purchase will go directly toward the mission of ending substandard housing.

This DIY Jewelry Frame is an excellent gift for yourself or others because:

It can be customized to your own taste, or that of your recipient
It is an easy, one day project
It uses materials that might otherwise be tossed in a landfill
It can be dressed up with an article of jewelry for the total package
It provides not only a gift, but a way to organize the gift, so it really is the total package
It is affordable, at only $10-15 for supplies. You could easily pay double that or more in a retail store.

Gather your supplies:

A wood picture frame, the thicker the better. I recommend something approximately 16″ tall or taller. Choose a width that works for your space. Be sure to select a wood frame, and not a plastic frame.
Designer fabric remnant, large enough to cover the frame.
Paint and wax, if desired. Latex paint or chalky paint may be used. A brand like Annie Sloan will dry quickly and reduce your project time.
Optional finish wax (Annie Sloan dark wax was used here).
4-7 small decorative cabinet handles and hardware or cuphooks.
Scrap trim molding cut to the back of your frame.
Picture hanging hardware for the back. Check your frame. It might already be attached.
Small brad nails.

Tools needed:

Power drill
Staple gun
Paintbrush
Cotton rag for wax application
Miter box and saw
Hammer

DIY Jewelry Frame Organizer Project Steps:

Choose your frame. Be sure it is solid wood, because you’ll be drilling into it. Remove the backing, ugly picture inside, and glass. You won’t be using any of these.

Seriously, the less attractive it is, the more fun it is. Try to ignore the dated wood finish or details like cheap gold trim. Remember what kind of a transformation I got with just a quick coat of white paint on my Mirrored Memo Board? Paint can hide a lot of sins! Just look for thick wood and interesting details. Even though this one is a little on the thin side, I like the carved rope detail. Buy, oh, can you imagine where this was hanging before it came to rest at the ReStore?

Paint the frame with your choice of colors to coordinate with your fabric remnant, and let dry.

While the paint is drying, select your hardware. If your frame is thick enough, you may be able to use various hardware knobs. If the frame is thinner, stick with small cup hooks in your choice of colors.

Once the frame is dry, you may wax it for additional color variation and durability. Yes, we are waxing this frame to make the old yucky frame look vintage. But let’s not split hairs.

Flip over your frame and cut two or 4 trim pieces to frame the back. This will provide finishing for the fabric and possibly the hanging rail, depending on how your frame is made. Don’t attach the trim yet.

Sorry, no picture of this one, but this is where you cut your designer fabric remnant to an inch shorter than the overall size of your frame, and use a staple gun to attach it to the back of your frame. You can choose any fabric that fits your style, but I especially like ones that have a heavy weave, maybe even a nubby or burlap-style weave, in case you decide to use it to poke earrings through.

Once the fabric is stapled to the back on all four sides, inspect the back to see if you need to attach the molding either for stability for for a hanging rail. Depending on your frame, this might not be needed.

Drill holes in the top rail of the frame at even intervals and attach cabinet hardware by screwing in through the back. If you’ve chosen to use cup hooks instead, you can simply screw in from the front of the frame. If the frame is very chunky, you can chose to screw into the inside bottom of your frame, so the cup hooks hang straight down. As you can see, you’ll have choices based on the thickness of your frame and the hardware you choose. Generally use 3-5 hooks per frame.

That’s it. You can repeat this process over an over again with any number of styles of frames and fabrics to create the perfect gift. You can make multiples of this frame in coordinating colors and styles to outfit an entire wall of a closet or dressing room. The options are endless!