All the help I can get.....

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This came to me at 2:00am

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Free standing earring/necklace display!

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Heres the ugly truth.... I hate setting up and breaking down my displays at shows. Back in the day you just needed a table and a tablecloth, nowadays....not so much. There are more and more artists and crafters signing up for shows and competition is getting fierce. And let's face it, the craft show world isn't hurting for jewelry vendors. So how do you get seen and not have lug a bunch of heavy, expensive, or elaborate displays? You go get yourself a pair(or two) of reclaimed slated bifold doors. Like these!

Tools and items required:

Drill or screw driver

Pliers

2 hinges with screws

Now I scored these wood beauties at a Habitat for Humanity salvage sale for $7 for the pair! I originally picked them up for the shop to use as a backdrop for my bigger window display but when I decided after a few months it wasn't working they sat in the hallway here in the store taunting me. I walk past them for months waiting for that "A-Ha!" moment. Finally yesterday I decided they were going to get demoted to the back storage room. As soon as a touched them "Jewelry Display!" screamed at me.... Well not really but you get the point.

Now sometimes the "obvious" eludes me. I know it and I can laugh at myself for it.  So as I stared at them again I thought "How am I going to put jewelry on this? The slats are in the wrong direction." And I gave in to defeat.

Now you have probably figured out the "obvious" solution. It took me picking them up and getting ready to move them into the back to "see" the "obvious".... The back side. 

So I removed the knobs and used stain I had on hand to cover the exposed wood under the knobs. 

 

Now I forgot to take a pic before I removed them but were 4 of these plastic thingies on the bottom. 

They were used to keep the doors in place....and also to torture me. First one popped right out.... The other 3 made me work for it. I pried 2 out using determination as my fuel. The last one broke just perfectly where I couldn't grip it with pliers, but it stuck out out enough to make it an issue.... I beat the crap out of it with a hammer and it sunk all the way in. A short temper works in my favor on occasion. 

I stood them up together and measured for hinges leaving a slight gap( less the 1/4 inch)for wiggle room for moving the hinges.

Since I am a collector(hoarder) I was lucky enough to find these in my stash. 

I've gotten old hinges from yard sales, salvage sales, thrift stores, I keep them off old projects, dumpsters outside of house renovations(with permission),.... But if all else fails check out Etsy and eBay.

I used a scrap piece of industrial strength Velcro to keep the gap consistent.... You can use whatever. FYI I thought I was sooooooo smart using that Velcro because it was sticky on both sides so it stuck in place. Industrial stuck. It was not fun to remove.

Both hinges on and stupid Velcro removed

Viola!!!

I am leaving it the color it is for now.... But imagine what you could do with it. White wash it, spray paint it, use fabric in the lower panels, paint designs on the panels......

I left the plastic bits on the top.... Because they are functional( that's a lie. There was no way I was fighting with them)

Now how to display your jewelry....

Hanging earring card-

S hook- I had a few spray painted S hooks left over from a previous project.

Or... Bent colored paper clip

Now as far as transporting it...

I played around and I found that with my earrings I can load the display up, sandwich a piece of thick fleece in between the panels for protection, and fold it up. Now it doesn't lie flat obviously, but it closed. I'm going to sew a sack to store it in for travel that way I don't loose any escaping earrings and it's easier to carry. But if couldn't sew one I'd wrap it in a sheet and secure it with ribbon. 

Just remember to not put anything on top of it while traveling or you'll bend or snap a hinge or break your jewelry. Also if you are going to keep your jewelry in there I'd store it standing up while not in use.

 

Dollar Store Hat Makeover

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With just $2 you can make this really cute hat!

Here's the YouTube video tutorial!

http://youtu.be/k3JO_0wx74U 

Another crafty Rottencard ecard

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Yup it's me today....

Making everything old new again...then old again?

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Seriously how crazy is this. 

You acquire something old and worn down

Clean it and restore it

Paint it and make it look like new

Then take a sander to it to age it again?

But man do I love the look.

Take this heavy wood display thingie I found

It appears to have been a display... I think. Maybe for knick-knacks? But I like it because it was a good solid piece. And then it sat in my studio...then my jeep....then my shop...then in my jeep...then back in my studio...then back to my shop. Why? Because I couldn't figure out what to do with it!

And then it hit me...

Technically I hit it...with a hammer! I knocked out the back, which was particle board. 

I sanded it, painted it brown again, and then sanded it down again.... 

Added legs and made a cushion from some foam and a old burlap coffee sack I had.

And what did I make?

Viola!

What do you think?

Why can't I keep my studio clean!

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It's bad enough that I'm hoarding furniture and supplies for my new shop....but I can't even see my desk anymore! I'm currently working in my living room. Ugh!
Einstein said “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”
I don't think that applies to me....