DIY Jewelry Holder

Jen over at IHeart Organizing was my creative inspiration for this DIY project that I've been dying to try for months! It seemed like the perfect gift for my wonderful mother in-law, who recently moved to Alaska into an apartment with a typical lack of storage space!

Gorgeous, right?! I had looked at several similar ideas but they all seemed a little flimsy compared to this... especially if you love those big, chunky, fun earrings! I immediately set out looking for this particular screen at my Home Depot store and found that it cost $25 a sheet!! Youch! The supplies plus shipping set this project wayyyy outside of my crafting budget so it was at that point I had to retire my idea for the time being. It lay festering in the back of my brain until one lovely day a couple months later I came across another blogger's suggestion to use chicken wire! Of course! *face palm* Why didn't I think of that?!

The same week I saw the chicken wire suggestion we were headed up to visit my in-laws in Anchorage! It was  perfect! Shipping was no longer going to be an issue and I had found a new, more economical way of completing my gift! One of the days we were there, the family decided to go salmon fishing with a friend and, having had a full touristy few days already, I opted to stay back at the apartment so our son could have a normal day of playing and napping.....annnnd so I could be crafty without anyone knowing what I was up to.

I'm not going to lie, I was being sneaky and I reveled in it! Ever since I was a kid I loved surprising people whether by doing chores without being asked or by making things for them. My inner child was coming out in full force as I went to the thrift store, picked out a sturdy wooden frame, then hit Home Depot for the rest!

 I found the "chicken wire" which was in a huge roll for $7. It had wider gaps than I had hoped for so I decided to look around a bit. That's when I stumbled onto that section where the decorative metal screens were being sold and they had a new design in a smaller size for only $10!! Hallelujah! I snatched it up, grabbed some teacup hooks, found my way to the spray paint where I took about 15 minutes longer than necessary to pick out a color and then checked out with my goodies!

Unfortunately I didn't have the sense to take pictures of the process but here's the final product! My mother in-law was surprised when she got home and hung it up right away. She's so much fun to buy/make things for! I just love her to pieces!