Showing posts with label storage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label storage. Show all posts
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Organizing the New Kitchen
Wow, I didn't remember us having this much crap. I've already organized the pantry and put away the plates, glasses & cups, but I keep finding more & more boxes of dishes (mostly pots & pans & plastic containers). Even though we have more cabinet space than we used to, I seem to be baffled about how to put away and organized all theses dishes.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
My Earring Cabinet
Being an earring junkie, it tends to be hard to find a place to store them all, or to locate the pair I want. I decided I needed a cabinet. I envisioned something similar to a CD cabinet that provides storage on the doors when they open.
I went to Lowes and bought some 1x3x2’ boards to build the boxes. Originally I had intended to also put necklaces in the box, hence I chose the 1x3’s, but 1x2’s probably would have worked fine and the box would have been a bit less deep. I decided widthwise to make each door out of a 1x6, and so I also bought some ¼”x6” craft boards to glue together to form the back. I decided to make the doors slightly larger than the box so that I could put a decorative curve on the top, something to match our wooden window valances in the bedroom. The extension on the bottom works as a door handle. I also wanted a shallow band across the bottom of each section to stop anything that fell from dropping out. I just went with some flat ¼” trim molding. I measured the pieces and marked my curved top and my husband cut them for me. He used his router to make a groove to recess the bands across the bottom. I just used a simple butt joint and screwed the boxes together and glued & nailed on the front & back. My original idea was to put in rows of wire and wrapped them around screws to hang my dangle earrings over. I tried getting the wire taught, but all the earrings kept sliding toward the middle. Then my husband had a great idea, remembering the pile of martigras beads we had. So we cut the strands, strung them across and around the screws, wedging a bead between the screw and the side of the box. They work great because the beads separate each pair of earrings. Originally I had left the sides off the middle of the doors (I thought they might bind together when opening and closing) but I ended up adding a strip of the ¼” molding to finish off the edge and cover the ends of the screws & beads.
I own a few pairs of post earrings, so I used some wire and formed a small hole and loop, so I could attach the earring thru the hole and hang them in the box too. It’s kind of a pain, so I end up not always putting them away properly. I’m considering adding a strip of needlepoint mesh in place of the beads, but haven’t tried it yet, or perhaps I’ll find another solution.
I finished it off by painting it white and modifying the stencil from the window valances up the front. The lovely vintage hinges I used on the sides came from our Aunt’s old house. Now I have plenty of room to make and store new earrings.
This idea can be adapted to any size and I have also included a picture of a similar but smaller earring holder I made for my sister using a wooden picture frame and strung beads. I just used some decorative paper across the back. A sheet of needlepoint mesh would also work well if making one from a picture frame.
I went to Lowes and bought some 1x3x2’ boards to build the boxes. Originally I had intended to also put necklaces in the box, hence I chose the 1x3’s, but 1x2’s probably would have worked fine and the box would have been a bit less deep. I decided widthwise to make each door out of a 1x6, and so I also bought some ¼”x6” craft boards to glue together to form the back. I decided to make the doors slightly larger than the box so that I could put a decorative curve on the top, something to match our wooden window valances in the bedroom. The extension on the bottom works as a door handle. I also wanted a shallow band across the bottom of each section to stop anything that fell from dropping out. I just went with some flat ¼” trim molding. I measured the pieces and marked my curved top and my husband cut them for me. He used his router to make a groove to recess the bands across the bottom. I just used a simple butt joint and screwed the boxes together and glued & nailed on the front & back. My original idea was to put in rows of wire and wrapped them around screws to hang my dangle earrings over. I tried getting the wire taught, but all the earrings kept sliding toward the middle. Then my husband had a great idea, remembering the pile of martigras beads we had. So we cut the strands, strung them across and around the screws, wedging a bead between the screw and the side of the box. They work great because the beads separate each pair of earrings. Originally I had left the sides off the middle of the doors (I thought they might bind together when opening and closing) but I ended up adding a strip of the ¼” molding to finish off the edge and cover the ends of the screws & beads.
I own a few pairs of post earrings, so I used some wire and formed a small hole and loop, so I could attach the earring thru the hole and hang them in the box too. It’s kind of a pain, so I end up not always putting them away properly. I’m considering adding a strip of needlepoint mesh in place of the beads, but haven’t tried it yet, or perhaps I’ll find another solution.
I finished it off by painting it white and modifying the stencil from the window valances up the front. The lovely vintage hinges I used on the sides came from our Aunt’s old house. Now I have plenty of room to make and store new earrings.
This idea can be adapted to any size and I have also included a picture of a similar but smaller earring holder I made for my sister using a wooden picture frame and strung beads. I just used some decorative paper across the back. A sheet of needlepoint mesh would also work well if making one from a picture frame.
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