Jewelry boxes were so last year.

This project begins with a short story.

I was perusing Urban Outfitters.com, a common past time of mine, when I came across a picture frame with lace instead of a picture inside of it. Weird... but I started reading the description which read that it was "a jewelry hanger for earrings." I absolutely fell in love with the idea of it. until I glanced up at the price. Of course. Leave it to UO to charge $48.00 for a picture frame and lace. Seriously? So, naturally, my second thought was, "Well... it can't be that hard to make, right?" And I was exactly right, so I have outsmarted you UO! Oh yes, and thanks so much for the idea :)

My total spent: $4.50

Not only is it a cool piece of decor, it's also great for simply displaying your earrings. (Obviously, I know, but hear me out) I gaurantee that, if used properly, you will never be late to an event again due to looking for your earrings in that wadded mess of a jewelry box.

Steps:

1. Find a old picture frame. This can either be an old one lying around the house or a goodwill purchase. The size is up to you. Both mine and the UO one were 8'x10's. You will not need the glass or backing. I would not recommend buying a fancy frame or anything of that nature, we're going for cheap and diy here.

2. Pick out a color of paint that you like. I just used some left over paint my mom had from her bedroom. Again, we want cheap! If you don't have any left over paint you like, Lowes carries samples of paint now. You get to pick which ever color you would like and they mix up about an 8 ounce can for about $3.50.

3. Paint the frame. I just painted mine on the coffee table over some newspapers and it took about a half hour to dry. I recommend only putting one thick coat of paint over the whole frame.

4. Distress the frame with sandpaper. Now, some of these steps are completely optional. Maybe you like the frame unpainted, then no need painting it! Just skip down a few steps. Maybe you want the bold color and no distressing, then feel free skipping this step. I love the distressed look, so I grabbed some sandpaper I had lying around (also avaliable to purchase at any Ace Hardware, Home Depot and Lowes) and just gently sand down a few spots around the frame to make it look natural.

5.Collect a piece of lace. You may use some left over around the house, or Jo-Anns has a plethora. I suggest finding lace with larger holes and a lace that feels pretty strong for any of the heavier earrings you may own. I only purchase about a half yard.

6. Cut a piece of lace to fit the inside of the frame (make sure you cut it a little bit bigger than the inside of the frame just to be safe). You will super glue the lace to the inside of the frame on the small shelving that would normally hold the glass in the frame. I would suggest wearing rubber gloves, this way you can press the lace into the glue and spread the glue along the edge of the shelf to ensure that the lace will stay put. Let dry for a good hour.

7. Find a space to put it and add your earrings!

I really love my picture frame earring holder and I hope that you can love yours just as much! If you are confused about any of these instructions, please feel free to leave a comment and ask!