DIY Picture Frame Jewelry Organizer

One of the gifts my daughter had on her Christmas gift idea list for me last year was some kind of jewelry organizer she could hang on her bedroom wall.  And because she knows me well she added, “I bet you could just make one.”

And she was right!

With a little bit of crafty resourcefulness, and a little bit of help from Hubby, I was able to make her a DIY jewelry organizer from a picture frame that was just what she had in mind.

How to make a picture frame jewelry organizer

If you’ve been looking for some way to organize all your necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other assorted doo-dads, this DIY project might be just the thing to get everything together in one place – AND – you may be able to save a little space too because it hangs on the wall.  It’s pretty easy on the budget as well and you may have some of the supplies in your craft stash already.

Here’s the method and some of the supplies I used, some of which I’m sharing in rather general terms. This is partly because I made this project in the midst of the pre-Christmas rush and took only sketchy notes 🙂 and partly because these types of projects are so often looked at first for inspiration and then adapted to each person’s style or needs.

The Supplies We Used

Here’s a closer look at the supplies we used to make our DIY picture frame jewelry organizer:

The Frame:  I used an unfinished square 12×12 frame.  I found mine at Hobby Lobby in the unfinished wood area (rather than the frame area).  If you can find a frame already finished that suits what you’re looking for, that’s great.  However, I wanted a flat frame in white, which I couldn’t find in the finished frames in the size I wanted.

picture frame used for a jewelry organizer

 

The Chicken Wire:  Chicken wire is used in this project, cut to the inner size of the frame, so that you can hang earrings on the organizer.  I bought my chicken wire at Home Depot (after wandering around and looking for a loooong time, finally asking somebody, and then learning it was off in the remotest corner of the store!)  I also learned that even though I only wanted a 12×12 piece, I could only buy it in rolls of several feet.  Oh well.  It was still pretty cheap and I needed to remind myself that this is a product made for fencing in chickens so of course I wasn’t going to find it in a little tiny square size 🙂  We just cut out what we needed from the roll.

chicken wire for a jewelry organizer

The Fabric:  I just used some leftover fabric I had on hand to make my organizer.  You only need a piece slightly larger than your frame.  I also used two pieces of white felt bought at Hobby Lobby which I pieced together to cover the back.

Hooks:   We screwed cup hooks into the side and bottom of the frame for holding the jewelry.  This is another product I found at Home Depot (again after wandering around, finally asking somebody, and then walking to the OTHER corner of the store from the chicken wire – good exercise!)  I bought the 7/8″ size and found them to be the cheapest in a 40 pc box. One thing to keep in mind is that your frame needs to be thick enough if you are going to be screwing in this type of hook so that the sharp ends of the hooks don’t poke out on the back side.  For the hooks I bought, I needed at least a 1/2″ thick frame.

supplies for a picture frame jewelry organizer

 

Other Items:   I also decided to buy an unfinished piece of flat wood (12″ x 1-1/2″ x 1/4″) that I painted and then glued to the frame so it could be used as a small shelf.  I also bought a 1/4″ dowel which we cut down to size and painted, which could then be placed in a couple of the hooks to hold bracelets, rings, or hairbands.  You may also need a hanger for your picture frame if it didn’t already come with one included.

Supplies for a picture frame jewelry organizer

Tools:  A few of the other supplies you may need are craft paint and brushes if you’re using an unfinished frame, wire snippers or heavy scissors for cutting the chicken wire, some way to saw or cut the dowel down to size if using, and glue for holding the fabric and the shelf in place.

 

Putting It All Together

Once we had all our supplies together, here’s the basic process we used to create a picture frame jewelry organizer.

Step 1 – Paint:    If you’re using an unfinished frame and/or any other unfinished wood pieces, begin by painting them in the color of your choice.  I used white.  It took a couple coats before I was satisfied.

Step 2 – Cut The Chicken Wire:   This is the step that Hubby helpfully did for me.  Cut the chicken wire using a wire snippers or heavy scissors so it fits in the opening for the frame.  You may want to use the cardboard backing piece that came with the frame as a guide.  It may also need to be bent a little bit to flatten it.  { A few #@!~% words are allowed – chicken wire is not that cooperative to work with }

Step 3 – Fabric Backing:    Now you will cover the cardboard backing that comes with your frame and fits in the opening.  Lay the piece of cardboard on your fabric and cut a piece that is about 1/2″ larger all the way around.  Fold and glue down the extra 1/2″ allowance all around the edges of the cardboard piece, trimming any excess on the corners as needed.  Be sure the right side of your fabric is facing out.

Step 4 – Assembly and Final Backing:   Lay the chicken wire piece in the frame, and then lay your fabric covered cardboard piece behind it.  The right side of your fabric should be showing through the chicken wire.  Glue or tack anything down in place as needed.  I then did a final backing of felt, cutting and piecing it, and then gluing it down in place.  Add a picture frame hanger too if needed.

How to make a picture frame jewelry organizer

Step 5 – Cup Hooks.  Next we screwed in the cup hooks.  We did three along each side, and seven screwed into the bottom of the frame so that necklaces or other items could hang from the bottom of the frame too.   You may want to take measurements first and make small pencil marks where you want the hooks to be to come up with an arrangement where they are evenly spaced.

How to make a picture frame jewelry organizer

 

Step 6 – Glue on Shelf.    Finally, I glued on the small piece of wood that could be used as a shelf.  I used wood glue for this step.  The bottom cup hooks on each side are intended for holding the dowel once the organizer is hanging on the wall.

How to make a picture frame jewelry organizer
And now your jewelry organizer is complete – Add your jewelry and enjoy!

How to make a picture frame jewelry organizer

 

The hooks on the bottom and sides work great for necklaces, the chicken wire makes a good place to hang large earrings, the dowel is handy for bracelets, watches, or hairbands, and the shelf makes a quick place to set rings or other smaller jewelry pieces.

How to make a picture frame jewelry organizer

This project is pretty easy to do, even if you don’t think of yourself as crafty.  And now that I have plenty of leftover cup hooks and plenty of leftover chicken wire – I should probably make a second jewelry organizer for myself too!

 

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3 Comments

  1. Love it ~~~ I think I’ll give this jewelry organizer a try and the bracelets too !!
    I’d love some ideas for making necklaces too !!
    Thanks !!

  2. I like the idea, but the wire product you used is “hardware cloth,” not chicken wire. It usually comes with 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch square holes. Chicken wire has larger hexagonal holes.