My jewelry storage solution

I have managed to collect a lot of jewelry over the years and I was getting tired of never being able to find anything!  It was all tucked away in jewelry boxes and baskets in my hall closest, and it was a nightmare trying to get ready in a hurry.  Now I am very happy to have a stylish and functional solution!  Everything is now out where I can see it.

 I found this detailed wood frame at a thrift store for ~ $10.  Even though it had a hideous picture in it, I bought it because it was matted nicely and protected by glass.  Not bad for ten dollars!  I initially planned on painting and glazing it and replacing the terrible art with something awesome, but I came up with this necklace holder idea instead.  

The frame was the perfect size, but I needed a practical solution to hang the jewelry in it.  I decided to use square dowel rods with tiny nails.  I started out by placing the rods where I want them on the back of the frame (where the picture and glass are supposed to go), and gluing them with Professional Titebond Original Wood Glue.  

I then painted it, starting out with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Primer, and then spraying it with Painter's Touch "green apple" in a satin finish.  It's not exactly the green color I wanted, but the finish is great with no noticeable imperfections.  It was also really quick and easy, which is always a plus!  I initially planned on glazing it with a gold finish to highlight the wood details.  I wanted to wipe off the excess with a sponge so the gold would be left in the wood groves, but in the end I decided that wasn't the finish I was going for...although I'm still planning on doing that with other cool frames!

The final step was adding the nails (I ended up using carpet tacks because they were cheap and the perfect size).  I marked the nail locations two inches apart with a pencil, staggering the spacing between each each rod.  I then very carefully pressed/lightly hammered the nails into the wood.  I was worried I was going to split the rods and ruin the whole project, so I did not put them in very deep...only to where they were stable enough to not move around.  It worked perfectly and I'm very satisfied with the results!

 You might recognize my bracelet holder as a paper towel rack!  I was previously using wine bottles to hold my bracelets, but they were too easy to knock over since the jewelry made them top heavy.  I also had to use several of them since you can't fit that many bracelets on them.  I finally dug this paper towel holder out of storage, and now it is the perfect bracelet holder..sometimes it pays to be a pack rat! You never know when you might need something again :)  I found this awesome gold earring tree (or at least that's what I'm calling it) at a flea market for $3!  I also bought several pairs of vintage earrings with it for $2 each, which of course reaffirmed my dangerous love for flea markets and their fantastic treasures.