Friday, March 17, 2017

Quick Craft: Turn An Old Frame Into A Pin Display!

Peeps, I have a problem. A problem of shining, shimmering splendor.

I love cheap jewelry.

And by "cheap" I mean everything from the kids' section at Claire's to handmade Etsy finds to steampunk bits I put together myself. I love it all, and despite my occasional attempts at purging, I mostly hoard it all. I am the Smaug of sparklies.

Since you know I'm a huge fan of displaying what you love, I'm also the Gaston of glitter: I use sparklies in all of my DEEEC-OR-ATING!

Ahem.
 
Meaning I hang necklaces around lamps and candle stands:

 ... and I've even framed one of my statement necklaces on my night stand. (You can see another necklace looped around the candlestick there, too.)
  
Pins (or brooches, if you're feeling snooty) are trickier, though, and I've accumulated some really lovely ones over the years I want to display.

I went hunting for solutions, but most of them used cork - which only works for the smallest stick pins - or they were permanent displays using glue. I still want to wear mine sometimes!

So I found a pretty frame in my closet, discarded the glass, then grabbed a little unbleached burlap and some rolled cotton batting from JoAnn's:


It doesn't get much easier than this: just stick two layers of batting down to the frame's backer board, cover with the burlap, then glue the fabric edges to the back with hot glue (or I bet duct tape would work.)

 We used hot glue. Press it down with a spoon so you don't burn yourself.

 Put the frame back together, and you've got a pin display!

Really, the hardest part was figuring out what pin arrangement I liked best:

This is only an 8X10 frame, btw, and half of my pins are huge, so odds are you'll get better mileage out of yours.

The burlap's large weave makes it easier to attach the pins, but of course you *could* use any fabric. Just make sure you use enough batting to make it poofy, like a pillow. Too tight, and you'll never get the pin backs through. As it was, it was still tricky getting some of the smaller ones in place:

As rarely as I wear pins, though, I don't mind taking the extra minute to remove/replace them.

This would be a really pretty addition to your vanity, closet, or bedroom, and if you have LOTS of pins, you could even arrange them by color! I'm picturing a whole wall of frames - how gorgeous would that be?

Anyway, hope this sparks some ideas out there! John and I are hard at work on a new project this weekend, and it's too early to say if this will work (please work!) or be a total disaster. Ha! What are you guys up to?

37 comments:

  1. That would be awesome if I had pretty pins. I only have a bunch of random button pins though and they either go on my Walmart work vest or the fabric that is my window curtain.

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  2. What a great idea! I love the way the peacock feather is escaping the frame :-)

    As for what I am up to... today I will be looking after a ten year old who spent the entire night puking, and then wondering what the incubation period is before the other three kiddies get sick. Fun times!

    ~ Rachel CrazyMum ~

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  3. This is brilliant! I have similar problems, both in my vintage and handmade jewelry fetish and my inability to know what to do with pins.

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  4. Hello, my name is Jamie, and I'm addicted to costume jewelry. I'm also a Tribal Bellydancer so I have a LOT of huge, gaudy earrings that fill me with glee. And necklaces. And belts. And... = )

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    1. You could totally store/display some types of big dangly earrings the same way Jen did the brooches...just sayin' ;-).

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    2. You could also use screening (like for screen doors/windows) if the earrings have ear hooks instead of posts

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    3. Is it terrible of me to mention my Etsy shop in this context?
      https://www.etsy.com/listing/468158420

      Of course you could make such a thing yourself instead of buying one: there are lots of similar ideas out there!

      Kimstu

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    4. I've totally done this except with plastic needlepoint netting instead of burlap to hang earrings. I put pretty wrapping paper in the back to hide the wall and it works great for hook earrings. Doesn't work at all for posts.

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    5. Thanks for the awesome ideas! I have plans to install some hooks and racks for the bigger stuff and now I definitely need to make an earring display too. = )

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  5. I've been collecting souvenir pins since I was 10, and I do have almost a whole wall of frames with pins attached to ribbon on a fabric backing! I used to just have them on ribbons hanging from a rod, but the frames are much more stylish.

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    1. Oooh, I like that idea! If the ribbon is only attached at the top, then it must be easier to attach the pins. Smart!

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  6. I have brooches/pins pinned to the lampshade of a standard lamp in the living room: it's a crocheted hemp shade so the light comes through on all the sparkly bits!

    Kimstu

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  7. This is a fantastic idea. Thanks! I have some so large only a heavy coat will do for them and I never think to wear all my pretty pins anyway. I am so going to do this.

    I can't believe you have the apple pin! I have never seen another of those. My sister bought it for our Mom in the 70's. I actually came with a chain as well so you could wear it as a necklace. I have still have the chain too. :)

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    1. OOPs. Didn't notice there were 2 apple pins. I meant the red one. LOL

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    2. Over the years I've seen that exact apple pin 3 or 4 times at various antique stores, so I'm thinking they must have made a LOT of them. It's one of my absolute favorites, though; love the way the light shines through it!

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    3. I love it too! I would go everyday as a Snow White bounding.

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    4. I believe they were made by Sarah Conventry. At least that is what mine says. My sister bought a lot of stuff in the 70's from them.

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  8. Oooh, I have some brooches that are just sitting in a drawer that I need to try this with. Great idea!
    I'll be having a Guinness tonight and maybe watching "Waking Ned Devine" (lovely movie about two older gents in a tiny Irish town) and tomorrow I'm going to see "Beauty and the Beast" with my cousin and her 6 year old daughter so that should be fun :)

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    1. I love "Waking Ned Devine!" I'm always happy to see someone else likes it too.

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  9. I love this! I have a similar love of sparkly brooches, going back to taking over some of my mom's old Sarah Coventry ones to attempt a Molly Ringwaldesque denim jacket back in the day. Then I grew up (chronologically, at least) and joined the Sweet Potato Queens, which spurred a collection of rhinestone crown pins. I finally decided to display these when I saw coverage of Miranda Lambert's wedding bouquet, which was made of costume jewelry. I went to WalMart and found a small brown cotton throw pillow, and started pinning. I mostly stuck with blues and turquoises, because that went with my bedroom colors. I have gotten so many compliments on that thing it's ridiculous. Good to see another way to display some of my favorites. Thanks!

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  10. This is a great idea! I love pins as well and have a nice collection myself. I also inherited some great pins from my Mom from the 50's & 60's I will never be able to wear all of them so this is a great way to appreciate them. Thanks for the great idea! p.s. I hope John's arm is mending well. :)

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  11. My mum has a lovely cross-stitched "pin" pillow. It's maybe 10-12 inches long and 6 tall, kinda like a little mini bolster. Cross-stitched with her initials and flowers, delightfully simple and old fashioned, it sits on her dresser. Anyway, cross stitch material is quite sturdy, and it has the holes ready-made for pins to go through!

    (PS: love the wings.)

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  12. My favorite Christmas decoration is a green velvet covered pyramid decorated with pins as a Christmas tree. What makes me love it to infinity and beyond is the fact that the green velvet came from my Hubby's Great Grandmother's wedding dress!! The pins are beyond awesome and old.

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    1. I have one of these too, but made with bits and bobs that have broken (unfortunately, repairing silver costume jewelry is almost impossible, sad). But the trees are beautiful!

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    2. Also--another tutorial for vintage ones on velvet: http://retrorenovation.com/2017/02/27/making-art-broken-vintage-costume-jewelry/

      (not affiliated, just enjoy their site--they have some cool ones on wreaths using vintage Christmas bits and bobs that are great, too!)

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  13. Fun idea! Much nicer than keeping all one's pins in one of those clear plastic multi-pocket hanging bags. Need to scavenge through the frame stash for ideas.

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  14. Hey, girl, hey!

    I just found out last week that there's such a thing as a silicone thimble for use with hot glue guns; tap or press down and the glue doesn't stick to it, and it's heat resistant so you don't burn your finger! Haven't scored one yet, but it's on my shopping list.

    WERK!

    Storm the Klingon

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    1. Is there a chance that you live in San Diego, Storm?

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    2. Why, yes, yes I do... and you seem vaguely familiar, though I won't try to guess, as my years of youthful hedonism prevent me from from anything resembling accuracy. ;)

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  15. Hey! I recognize those wings on the bottom row! Glad you found a use for them!

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  16. I bought a printers tray from an antique store to display my jewelry pieces and some porcelain thimbles. Screwed a chain into the back and hung it on the wall. I didn't want to glue my pieces in either, so I use removable mounting putty. It's bright blue, so you have to be careful that the jewelry hides it, but if I ever want a piece I just pull it out and clean off the putty to wear. I have a bad habit of buying those jars of mixed jewelry.

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  17. I collect brooches. I got started when a woman brought her collection to the Antiques Roadshow pinned to a dress form she had covered in black velvet. At first I kept them on a scarf that was draped across a shelf. Then the collection got too big for that. Now my over 500 brooches hang out in hanging bags with zippered pockets. They are 2 sided bags, so I can stare at some of them until I get bored, then turn them around so I can look at some different ones. I do wear mine a lot, and it was just a pain unpinning them from the scarf and pinning them back on.

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  18. I pulled out the ugly medicine cabinet in my bathroom and couldn't find a replacement I like so I turned the hole in the wall into a shelf and backed it with fabric covered insulation board. I can rotate out my pins, I also stick earrings in there. I have old Avon bottles and my antique lipstick holder on the shelves. I love it!!

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  19. Now I want to do a nerdy version to display all of my LootCrate pins!!

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  20. I bet you wouldn't have to glue it down and that would be (somewhat) easy to arrange the pins on just the burlap and then stick it in the frame sort of like an embroidery hoop. Oh! or cut the backing of the frame out (if you plan on hanging and not using the frame stand) so there's just a rim to catch on the back. Essentially, turn the frame into a pretty embroidery hoop. That would be cool. You'd just need to add some extra little pieces of cardboard or something to stick under the thingys in the back to hold them in place. Oh! and then maybe hot glue a little "curtain" of extra fabric just across the top of the back of the frame to drape behind and hide the wall if your burlap is too see through. Like, making a faux, mini, shallow window box so it's easy to stick your pins in. This seems like a lot of work. haha. But these ideas just kept popping into my head because just thinking about fidgeting forever to stick pins on to a pillow board already irks me. haha. :)

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  21. Smart! I used a picture frame and some cork for my Disney pin display, but I love this for brooches.

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  22. Oh my gosh, this is a GREAT idea! I have TONS of brooches, that I'd love to display! Thanks for the idea, Jen!

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