One of the things that makes my skin crawl is opening a jewellery box and having to untangle my necklaces or bracelets from the rest of the jewellery.

Often times, instead of going through the long process of untangling them, I end up not wearing them at all.

We hang up coats and jackets for a reason: grab and go, no messing around. In my opinion, our necklaces and bracelets deserve the same treatment.

After having bought my fair share of jewellery organisers and boxes, I decided to make my own. A jewellery display that you can customise to your liking and need absolutely no tools such as hammers or pliers to make it? Yes please!

What you will need

  • Wooden painting board (I got mine form the Range, but www.artmaterials.ie and Cork Art Supplies sell them as well).
  • Small screw hooks.
  • Paint (I used acrylics) and brushes.
  • Decorations of your choosing (I used sea shells and white Polaroid frames).
  • Clear PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue.
  • How to do it

    Step 1: Choose a theme

    I went for a nautical theme. I love the ocean and I miss it when I am not close to it, so it was the obvious choice for me.

    What are you interested in? Do you love plants? Animals? A city skyline at night?

    Have a think about what you would like as your backdrop for the jewellery display. Looking on Pinterest or Googling for inspiration is always a good idea.

    You can always choose to play around with solid colours as well, if you don’t really want small pictures on your display.

    Step 2: Attach your decorations

    Using the clear PVA glue, paste any decorations you might want to add on to the wooden painting board. In my case, I glued the sea shells and Polaroid frames onto the wooden painting board.

    Step 3: Start painting

    If you are opting to do so, paint small pictures on to your jewellery display. If you are going for a solid colour as your background, note that this step needs to be done before attaching your decorations.

    Have some fun with this step and let your creativity flow. I painted a lighthouse, whale, seagull and the ocean.

    Because I was using the Polaroid frames as decorations, it was fun to play around with painting the images in the frames or outside of the frames, as if they were photographs.

    Step 4: Screw in the hooks

    As with any project, there is always one not-so-enjoyable part. With the jewellery display, it was definitely screwing in the hooks.

    Using your hands, twist the screws into the wooden painting board. It takes a bit of time, but there is no way to avoid it.

    Just put your head down and get it done; the reward is in reaching distance.

    Step 5: Hang your jewellery

    You’ve made it! The background is painted, the hooks are screwed in and now you can hang all your jewellery.

    Next time when you are choosing accessories to go with your outfit, you will not only be able to grab your necklaces and bracelets tangle-free, but also find a small moment of joy from the works of art you have created on your jewellery display.

    Read more

    DIY: budget-friendly home interiors, without getting overwhelmed

    Cork-based designer wants us to stop throwing older furnishings away