Thursday, September 26, 2013

Quick Craft: Easy Art / Jewelry Display!

John and I are in the final stage of our bedroom redo: the dreaded "knick-knack" stage. Don't get me wrong, I love creating little table top vignettes -  they just take me forever and an ice age to do. I have to switch things out, stare for a few minutes, try a few different things, shift them all an inch to the right, go fetch that bowl from the closet I remember packing up last Christmas, stare a few more minutes, try another combination, and then go to ask John for his opinion -  only to find him passed out on the couch, snoring.

It's a process.

Anyway, I decided my nightstand needed a picture frame, and I found the perfect one stashed in my closet:

It still had the $2.99 price tag on it. Gotta love Old Time Pottery.

Trouble was, I couldn't find anything in my art stash that would work. I wanted something simple and dramatic, but with a minimum of color.

So instead, I did this:


That's one of the largest "statement" necklaces I own, and it's one of my new absolute favorites. (It's by Friston, the steampunk jewelry genius.) I'm always a fan of getting jewelry out where you can see it more, so this is perfect for me!

And the best part? It's ridiculously easy to do. RIDICULOUSLY, I say. You'll be finished in 20 minutes, tops, using stuff you probably already have at home.

You'll need a table top frame with a smaller inset on the back, like this:


You'll also need a pretty necklace - preferably on the larger side, a small piece of black velvet or felt, and a utility knife.

Open up your frame, remove the glass and backer board, and then center your necklace on the board:

(Are you distracted by my necklace's steamy goodness? ME, TOO.)
 
Put the chain where you like, and then mark those spots with pencil or a bit of chalk.

Now, using your utility knife, cut a tiny slit at each of your marks for the chain to rest in. (The slits will hold your necklace in place and keep it from slipping down.) If your chain is thicker, like mine, then you'll have to carve larger divots, like so:


Next cut out a square of fabric the same size as your backer board. Black velvet is ideal, but since I didn't have any I used black felt. You could use any fabric, though, so go nuts with it!

Now glue your fabric down (spray adhesive is perfect, if you have it), and you're ready to rock n' roll!

Pop that pretty necklace in place, and stand back to admire your new art!


Hang on - that one's a little blurry.

Better!

And there you get ANOTHER peek at our antiqued mirrors. Eh? EH? So sparkly, you guys. Spaaaaarkly. Oh, and those blue gems on the silver candle stick are another necklace. And the silver flower is a pin. Told ya I like getting my jewelry out!

Getting back to your frame: for the excess chain hanging out the back, just loop that around the frame's easel, so it doesn't drag. You could also tape it up, I suppose, but that would make it harder to remove when you want to wear it. So don't. :)

[Update: Amelia in the comments has an even better idea: tape a small plastic jewelry bag to the easel, and stick the excess chain in that! Think I'm going to do that, Amelia - thanks!]

Now, who wants to fill an entire wall with small fancy frames filled with all your favorite jewelry? Anyone? Or just me?

43 comments:

  1. This is a really good idea for the winged heart I have that I never wear...

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  2. Great idea - I have a bunch of sparkly things I don't wear as much any more - this is a perfect idea for displaying and decorating :)
    ~erin kristine

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  3. Can you just come decorate my house? I love this.

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  4. So neat! And I love that necklace - absolutely gorgeous!!

    You could attach a small jewelry ziplock bag to the back of the frame to put the chain in it so it isn't just hanging out on the table.

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    1. Ohh, good idea. :)

      -Just Andrea

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    2. Nooooo, Jen! Don't do this if you're going to leave the frame standing in front of the mirror. A plastic ziplock bag on the back of it will look even worse than that unsightly barcode sticker! Hot glue a little black velvet bag or a black felt pouch onto the back of the backer board if you want something to put the excess chain in. Or you can even staple the bag/pouch on if the frame is wood. Just make sure that you put the business end of the stapler slightly into the bag/pouch on each side so you're only stapling through the back of the bag/pouch and the staples will be hidden.

      KW

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  5. I can't help but notice the teal and orange theme here.... How to know you've been reading epbot for so long!

    Super awesome idea! Now, to own a home where I have flat surfaces enough to do this.

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    1. Ha! How well you know me. (That's the only spot of orange in the whole room, too - so of course it had to go on MY nightstand. :D)

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    2. Not gonna lie, I have totally decided this is going to be my sister's Christmas present. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  6. Has anyone ever told you that YOU ARE A FREAKING GENIUS?! Daily you say? Well then...

    I am so doing this. Thanks for the idea!

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  7. I have a sparkly-arkly frame and a severely under-worn and incredibly pretty necklace. I think I may need to test this idea out. (Only trouble is the frame is a satiny silver colour and the necklace is a darkish silver & lightish gold, I'll have to see how it works out!)

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    1. Actually, I bet the contrast would be super pretty! Make the necklace stand out more.

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  8. Great job!
    I have several of my favorite pieces in wee frames clustered together by my vanity. You should totally do it.

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  9. Jen, you are an absolute tease! I can't wait to see your antiqued mirror process.

    I did a 'spooky' mirror for our Harry Potter party whereby I removed some of the reflective backing using a micro-fiber cloth and oven cleaner so an image could be seen through the back. Here is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad picture from instagram: http://instagram.com/p/dKHoEMzPYT

    Your mirror turned out sooo beautiful, though. I might have to go back and rework the spooky one...

    Oh, and I absolutely loooooove your necklace.

    This was a craft post? Are you sure? I got distrac...oh shiny!

    Just Andrea

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    1. You are also a FREAKING GENIUS! You should write this up as a tutorial someplace.

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    2. Oooh, spoooky!! I love it! I remember seeing one craft blogger who did a similar one posting a warning, because it really can freak people right the heck out. Ha!

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    3. Gah! I totally can NOT take credit for the idea! I will quickly post a note about whom I 'borrowed' the idea from as soon as I run look it up right now...*searching*...

      http://mitziscollectibles.typepad.com/mitzis_collectibles_blog/2010/10/ghost-mirror.html

      I don't know how I found Mitzi's site...I might have been wandering around on Pinterest.

      I totally did not mean to take credit for the idea. The only thing I did differently is I sprayed a micro-fiber cloth with the oven cleaner and put that on the mirror back. I let that soak a good 15 min or more, wiped the mirror backing with a damp cloth, and re-applied as needed and/or in a different area. The micro-fiber cloth gave it the faded edges, so you can see the image but also see a reflection. If you look, you can see my arm through some of the edges of the spooky image. FYI, if you want to try this, please make sure you are in a well ventilated area and/or wear a mask. Oven cleaner fumes are not your friends.

      Oops! I hope no one freaks out. I thought the notice that it was 'spooky' was enough warning.

      Er, REGARDING THE INSTAGRAM LINK, WAAAY UP THERE IN THE OP: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. Better? Yeah, didn't think so. Sorry! I was excited to have something to share... : - /

      -Just Andrea

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    4. You rock, thanks for posting the source. Credit where credit is due and all that. Thanks for introducing me to this nifty idea!

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  10. I love this. I'm amazed you get to have such cool things standing around though, don't your cats ever jump up and knock them over?

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    1. They really don't, no! - and I get asked why a lot. I think I've started taking it for granted that our two girls are so well behaved. Maybe I should talk about how we "train" them in a mailbag post sometime, since it always comes up a lot more once I start posting my Christmas decorations, especially. (Not sure how much credit I can take, though, since our two learn things pretty fast!)

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  11. This is beautiful! I'm insanely jealous. The only decorating I've done in my bedroom is dirty laundry.

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  12. Jen, do you think your pieces will tarnish more quickly on display like this? I know CO doesn't have FL's humidity, but I'm still curious (because I have about a bazillion extra frames around and LOTS of jewelry I'd love to show off!).

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    1. Since I usually keep my jewelry in a shallow wall cabinet - which is anything BUT air-tight - or hanging on the wall, I don't expect I'll see much difference. Like you said, tho, I live in a swamp, so I can't imagine the tarnish rate getting much *worse*. Ha! Not sure how it would be with other climates, of course, but if you usually store things in sealed cases, this will probably(?) tarnish faster.

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  13. That is beautiful, and would look fabulous in my room. I have some really beautiful old pieces that I don't wear because I'm mostly in jeans and t-shirts (add a hoodie in October--April). Also a motivation to dust more often so I can actually see the prettiness. And I think I'll have to send you a picture of the trays I made to keep my glass bottle collection on (supposedly perfume bottles, but all empty because I'm allergic to perfume but not to pretty things).

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  14. This is so nice! I love the muted teal with the silver/antique gold/metallic awesome colors!

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  15. Oh I LOVE this!! I can even see using something like this at craft fairs for selling jewelry - with option to sell the frame if someone else loves the idea. My jewelry mostly hangs from a cup holder thing on the wall and two of those doll jewelry stand tree things (what ARE they really called??), but it gets crowded on those. Always looking for new ideas =)

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  16. This is perfect. I love statement jewelry and necklaces like this but juts don't get enough chances to wear them. I am totally gonna have a wall covered with these.

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  17. Love this idea! I may have to use it for an upcoming show.

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  18. Gorgeous and creative, as usual. But you've shifted my OCD into overdrive by failing to remove the barcode from the back of the frame. Twitch...twitch...grimace...wince...twitch. It's ruining the whole tableau. If the frame was in front of something less reflective than a MIRROR, then the barcode might go unnoticed...but HOLY FLURKING SCHNITT, take it off! Please, Jen, I beg you! Take. the. barcode. off! (And then let me know that you've done it so I can sleep tonight.)

    Only slightly joking,
    KW

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    1. LOL - You have my word of honor that I'll take the sticker off before I go to sleep tonight, KW. And good catch. ;)

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  19. I have a big Native American themed necklace that was my Grandmother's that I've been saving for something special, but I've never been sure what. I think this is it! About time since I've had it for 16 years lol thanks so much for sharing!
    Nikki T

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  20. I love it. It's gorgeous and so you. But how do you keep the cats from playing with the jewelry? Mine do not leave anything alone. They'd have that necklace out of the frame in ten seconds.

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    1. Our cats are really well-behaved, as I mentioned above, so the only danger is if there are any strings or ribbons dangling. Everything else they leave alone - er, knock on wood!

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  21. I love this idea Jen! I am picking out a necklace right now to display. I tend more to clean lines, so I have a pretty, simple silver frame I am going to use. Now to find the right piece of fabric. On the cat front, we had luck by putting empty disposable pie plates on the edges of the shelves, so when the cats would jump up, the pie tins would fall on the floor with a lot on noise and cats would go flying. They usually only try this once or twice. I've done this with a least four cats over the years. Worked on the counters too. I'm interested on what you did with your cats. (I first thought I read that you put your cats in a mailbag! Wow, long day at work.)

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  22. I have four necklaces tacked onto a bare wall in our living room and your project is going to mean a DISTINCT upgrade in that situation, soon. THANKS, Susan in Sunnyvale
    PS. I think you could have a lovely third blog or random theme day at CakeWrecks by featuring HOMEMADE wrecks and sweets. I've always respected this idea that you focus on professionals, yet I CRAVE awful cakes or confounding cakes or cute cakes from 70s settings (my childhood) or even farther back. If you were worried about hurt feelings, you could request that the BAKER submit the cake, or submit one's own cake with permission of baker/mother/family member. For instance, when I was little I asked my mom to decorate my birthday cake with "a terradactyl flying over a fence with morning glories growing on it." And at 41, I would love her loving attempt to get the recognition (and giggles) it richly deserves. You could call it Wrecked With Love or similar.

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  23. Oooohh, I like! I'm gonna have to do this with an Okami charm that I have, which will work like a necklace for this purpose. Thanks for the idea!

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  24. This is such a great idea! So, weird question, Jen. Is that a Lemon Mint Leaf candle from Bath & Body Works with one of your neato-bandito label covers? Don't judge me, I just am really familiar with the BBW candles. Haha. ;) Can't wait to see photos of the finished room!

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  25. My grandmother had an heirloom necklace on her wall in a frame like that. It had a blue glass square stone and a silver chain so old and tarnished that it was entirely black. It was very intricate, with little triangles along the chain with tiny blue stones in them.

    When she died, my family sold it in an estate sale. I've been trying to track it down ever since. It doesn't help that I don't have a photo or anything, so I can't really post a 'have you seen this necklace' thing anywhere. :(

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  26. That frame is beautiful. Well done.
    But I love anything shimmery and teal, so I'm distracted by that lovely perfume bottle next to your frame. Did you purchase it like that or did you do some doctoring?

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  27. I am going to use this idea for a couple of pieces at a craft show! Thanks, Jen! And that necklace is drool worthy. Sooo pretty!

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  28. Dear Jen, I know it's been a few months since you posted this, but I was wondering if you had any suggestions for framing a brooch. I have two brooches that were my grandmothers (one a large diamond-shaped, the other a delicate dragonfly). Seeing your beautiful work with the necklace has inspired me to frame and display these instead of letting them hide inside my dresser. Any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated. And thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talents!!

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    1. Sure, Grace, there are a couple of ways you could modify this for a brooch. You could slide the brooch pin through the links of a chain and hang it like a necklace, or glue ribbon loops to the center of the backer board, and slide the brooch pin through those. Or glue an extra square of fabric to the top of the backer board, letting it hang loose on the sides & bottom, and just pin the brooch to that bit of fabric. Or use a fat ribbon instead of fabric, so it's a colorful stripe down the middle of the frame. Really, lots of different options!

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    2. Thanks so much, Jen! The ribbon idea sounds like a wonderful choice, and I can see the dragonfly pin working beautifully! Again, thanks so much for even taking the time to answer. I truly appreciate your time (and am a tiny bit envious of your talent!!) Grace

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