Let me ask you this: have you ever left The Container Store and felt a kind of high for how organized you are about to be? This happens to me about once a year after a big shop there and one time I asked the clerk if people are normally as giddy as I am as they check out? They said that actually there are studies done that there like serotonin released when one thinks that they are going to get organized. I’m sure I’m misquoting and it’s probably all propaganda, but I believe it because I’ve felt it.
But the problem is that once you leave the store and you have to not only organize your home with you new fancy (and probably expensive) products but you have to keep them organized. And this is where I fail, miserably. Which is why I’ve enlisted the help of Beth Ziegler, a local organizing expert (and all around awesome/cool chick) to help me with a bunch of organizing projects and posts.
So welcome to this ‘customize it’ post, where we get organized. Our goal was to do organizational projects that are not only functional, but visually appealing. You can read Real Simple or one million mommy blogs to find out how to properly organize your coupon station in your kitchen, but I think that organization can be kinda cool, nay even sexy.
We came up with fun challenge of how to organize your bountiful, incredible jewelry collection. These aren’t for your precious gems (or family heirlooms) for i believe those should probably be put in a jewelry box. But for those daily wears that you take off drunkenly and throw on your nightstand, we thought there could be an easier system that looks good and modern. Thus we invented these jewelry blocks.
Here’s what you need:
1. hammer | 2. lint-free cloth | 3. sawtooth hangers, $1.69 | 4.wood stain | 5. gorilla glue, $2.59 | 6. wood block $1.65, $5.48 | 7. brass dowels, $1.99/each
1. You can buy a 2×2 block of wood in any length at the hardware store. Just have them cut it into squares for you or use a handsaw as I did to easily cut them at home. I sanded any rough edges and then used a lint-free cloth to lightly stain each block. I used very little since I wanted the grain of the wood to peek through.
2. Hammer the sawtooth hanger onto the back of the wood block. Keyhole hooks also work in a pinch if that’s what you have on hand.
3. I chose gorilla glue instead of wood glue because I didn’t want to compromise the clean and minimal look I had going for me. It holds up really well which is surprising–but perfect since it dries clear! Hang each block on the wall and arrange your jewelry as you like.
And there you have it. I love how simple and modern they are which lets your baubles stand out. Or if your baubles are less bauble-y and more simple and modern then all the more reason why something like this is for you.
Thanks, Beth for helping with this post. I can’t wait til we show you what Beth has done with my daily hurricane that I refer to as my closet. This girl can work MAGIC in such a chic way. Contact her here: Bneato, and follow her here: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
What organizational posts would you guys want to see? What are your biggest problems or areas that are the most daunting? We’ll try to cover it …
Photos by Tessa Neaustadt
