updated jewelry organizer.

While I'm working on painting the closet (a process that I'm convinced will be longer and a lot less fun than building the shelves), I thought I'd share another project I finished up recently.

I've been planning to redo my old jewelry organizer for a while, since I painted my bedroom (6 months ago!). Since then, my jewelry has been sitting in a big pile on my dresser, which, clearly, doesn't work too well.

I love using fencing mesh to store my jewelry, because its completely customizable to what I have, and I like having my stuff on display. The problem is, because this stuff comes in a roll, its really difficult to get it flattened out properly, unless its stapled to something.

I've made some of these for others using an empty frame, but for this one, I wanted to use an old window - thanks to Victor, I have tons of them in my garage (and boy do I have plans for them!). I busted out all of the glass (very carefully), then cleaned up the frame and primed and painted it. Painting took quite a while - its so cold in my garage that it took a while for each coat to dry.

I had originally hoped to use the mesh from my old organizer - unfortunately, it wasn't quite large enough. I bought more, then cut it down to size using wire cutters (I used one of my jewelry-making tools, but you could also use the inside part of a pair of needle-nosed pliers).

I stapled the mesh to the back using my staple gun, then realized the mesh wasn't straight. So, I took out all of the staples, lined it up properly this time, then stapled again.

One thing that's difficult about working with this stuff is that the edges are really sharp, particularly in places where you've just cut it (and I have the scratches on my hands to prove it). This also makes laying it out just right a bit tricky, especially because it just wants to roll right back up again. Once the first two staples are in place (each on an opposite side), it goes much more quickly.

I also bought knobs to attach at the bottom (then had to buy longer screws, too), just to add some more hanging space.

After I hung up it up and added all my jewelry, I discovered a couple more problems. I used a picture hanger on the center of the back, and while that would be sufficient for most things, the varying weight of the jewelry and the fact that I was constantly touching it meant that it never quite hung straight. Also, the mesh hung right up next to the wall, meaning it was difficult to hook the jewelry into it.

To fix both of these, I added a couple of small pieces of wood (leftover from the closet project) to each side of the back, then added picture hangers to those pieces. I also added a couple of pieces at the bottom so it would hang straight.

All told, the project cost me about $20:

mesh - $8 (with plenty leftover for other projects)
knobs - $10 (5 at $2 each)
longer screws - $2
old window - free
wood pieces for the back - free
picture hangers - I already had these on hand

And now my jewelry is organized, once again!