Jaclyn Kennison is a freelance writer living and playing in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She owns and manages an art gallery and event venue between fits of shopping and redecorating.
A friend of mine makes the most beautiful earrings. Delicate, eclectic, colorful and equipped with those lovely little hooks for throwing on quickly as you walk out the door.
The trouble, of course, is the storage of these little baubles. I can’t seem to keep a pair together, or in a place where they don’t tangle up with everything else in my jewelry basket. I’ve employed silverware trays in the past, but it seems a waste of my valuable storage space to utilize an entire drawer for a few pieces of jewelry.
Another dear friend of mine came up with a brilliant solution that I felt must be shared. Screens!
Old window screens have perfect little holes for earring hooks and can easily keep pairs stored together, and without tangling issues. Of course, screens themselves are not very attractive, so I’ve got a few ideas for dressing them up.
Begin by selecting a nice old picture frame. If the glass has already been removed by an accidental dropping incident, even better. Wood frames are preferable, but you could probably work with just about anything. If there is still glass or a cardboard backing in your frame, remove it and use as a template to cut your screen to size. If not, simply measure, or place the frame on the screen and use a marker to draw out the interior edges of the frame, then cut to fit. If the screen is dirty, wash it. If you like the way it looks when it’s all cleaned up, feel free to use it as is. If not, consider painting it. My suggestion would be to thin oil-based paint a bit, lay the screen on a drop cloth and lightly coat the screen. I would probably use a scrunched up piece of cloth to apply the paint in random places on the screen for a bit more worn look. When dry, mount your screen to the back of the picture frame. Staples will work well for wood frames, glue is probably best for plastic or metal versions.
For a simple look, use your framed screen as is. However, if you’d like to dress it up a bit, add some flare with ribbon, dried grapevines, small twigs or dried (and probably lacquered) flowers. Adding a few small “s” hooks can easily turn the frame into storage for necklaces and bracelets as well.
Mount to the wall in your bedroom or bathroom and you have a lovely place to store those delicate jewelry pieces.
