Over the years I've struggled to find the perfect organization method for my jewelry that really works for me. Being organized is all about "having a home for everything" and making sure that you routinely put your things back in their home after you use them. To me, I find that being organized saves me time - the time it would take me to find what I lost or the time it would take me to untangle all those necklaces that I just crammed together in a box. Sometimes... that's easier said than done. It has to work for you!
While I was in high school, my grandparents gave me a jewelry organizer that hung on the wall. It was a very nice piece that had jewelry hooks, earring hooks, a bar to hold bracelets, and the ring inserts also on the inside. Then there was a hinged door that closed, and I could have collage photos. As long as we hung it on a sturdy stud in the wall, it was fantastic! It looked very similar to the one pictured below, except mine was black to match my room's decor...
Well, over those few years, my jewelry collection grew, and it was time to go to college. I knew I wouldn't be able to hang this organizer on the wall of my dorm room, and it wasn't a piece that could really be put anywhere else. I took all of my jewelry and organized them into small tackle boxes that I stacked and kept in a drawer.
The problem was that I felt it was too much work to open the drawer, find the correct tackle box, open the tackle box, and put my jewelry back. The trend was for me to just leave the jewelry wherever... and it was very unorganized again, not to mention tangled or even lost.
Now, that I'm out of the dorm and in a spacious home, I've found a new solution that really works. It actually would be perfect for a dorm also (if I'd only thought of it sooner), because it's frugal, easy-to-make, and it can be hung in a dorm room using Command tape or Command hooks.
So, now you can see what I do now. I'll I've done is purchased a regular ole cork board from Wal-Mart for about $10. This was the largest one they had in the office supply section, but it works perfectly for me. You could also probably find a cheaper one at a Thrift Store, making this project even more frugal.
Then I bought some wooden tacks that were on sale for $2, making this entire project only $12 to make, which is extremely frugal compared to the jewelry armoires that I had been seeing everywhere for $60-$200!
Another nice thing about these cork boards is that you can decorate and style them however you like! They are easy to paint, either the border or the entire thing. You could paint patterns or make it an art piece. You could also hang it more beautifully, by adding a colorful ribbon to the top to hang it like a piece of art. I decided to leave mine natural for right now because it matched the natural decor of our bedroom,
but it's all up to you!
I also needed a way to organize my earrings, chunky bracelets and necklaces, watches, rings, pins, and charms. I bought this acrylic drawer organizer at Dirt Cheap for less that $2, and it sends on a shallow shelf in the larger armoire that we have in our bedroom.
So, now you've seen the frugal way that I organize my jewelry for under $14. I dreamed about those jewelry armoires for a while, because I was really in need of something that worked for me to keep me organized. This was a nice alternative, and I'm really glad that I thought of it.
Do you have any frugal tips?
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