DIY jewelry holder for the eclectic, colorful person

I made this jewelry holder nearly a year ago when I realized I had a little wall space but no table space, and lots of jewelry. The nice thing about this is that you can customize it for your needs. I used handles for earrings, dowels for bracelets, and knobs for necklaces. So for instance, if you don't have bracelets, you can skip the dowels, etc You might also want to simplify things and either leave the board unpainted or just use one or two colors.

Supplies:
1. Two equally-sized pieces of wood from the hardware store (mine are 3/4" thick, 3.5" wide, and 24" long. Just random pieces of wood that I pointed to and the employee cut them for me).
2. Assorted drawer knobs and handles, and/or wall hooks (I started by looking at Home Depot and Hobby Lobby's selections, but they were expensive, so I stopped by the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and found a whole bunch of different sizes and varieties for a quarter or two apiece)
3. 1/4" wooden dowels (I found mine in the Walmart kid's craft section.)
4. Acrylic craft paint (Don't be afraid to get decent quality stuff. You want glossy, not chalky or matte, or you'll be doing coats and recoats all day. I used cheapo 69 cent stuff and wished I had spent a bit more on the glossy paints)
5. High-gloss acrylic spray/sealant

Equipment: Power drill with assorted drill bits up to 1/4" and screwdriver bit; Paint or sponge brushes; screws and fasteners for all knobs and handles; sturdy wood screws, two for each piece of wood; sandpaper.

Process:
Basically, I sanded down the boards and painted them. I actually used sample pints of house paint from the hardware store. They were about $4 each, but I probably would have been fine just using the tubes of craft paint, it didn't take much to paint the boards.

I then cut the wooden dowels in half (get a saw if you have it. It's just easier) and smoothed and rounded the edges with sandpaper

Then, I washed all of the knobs/handles and painted all of them, plus the dowels. If you're like me, you'll want everything to be a different color. I ended up alternating the colors of the knobs, handles, and dowels so I had about one for each color.



Because I used cheap paint and I didn't want it to chip off every time I removed a necklace, I sprayed all of the components with a high-gloss acrylic spray. If you have never used this type of spray, take a few days with it. Spray down one side and let it sit for a day before turning the knob/handle over to spray the other side. Even if it FEELS dry after an hour or two, it still takes a day to harden completely, and WILL meld itself right up against the surface you turned it over on if you did it too soon. Do not try to skip this time process or else you'll have a mess.

This was my first time using my new power drill, so I'll share a few tips. If you're experienced with with a drill, you can skip this section.
1. Don't just dive in with the biggest drill bit and try to drill a hole in the virgin wood. It's going to heat up the bit and the wood and basically destroy the bit if you run it too long.
2. For the wooden dowels: Make a small hole with a tiny drill bit, then gradually increase the size of the drill bit up to the 1/4" bit.
3. For the knobs and handles with screws: Again, make a hole with the tiny bit, but then you can usually use the screw with a screwdriver bit and drill it in from the back. If the screw is flat and not pointed, then use the same method as the wooden dowels, stopping when the hole is big enough for the screw to go through. Because you'll put the screw in through the back and then twist the knob on from the front, you don't need to worry if the screw hole is bigger than the screw itself.
4. Have an old cloth handy and wipe the wood off the drill bit every time it goes through the wood. This is vital to keep your bit from overheating. A bit of oil will usually come off the bit, so make sure it's an old rag or cloth, not your clothing or carpet.
5. Safety, safety, safety. Please read the instruction manual for your drill before using. Wear eye protection and always make sure your drill is in the locked position when not in use.

Once all of the holes have been drilled and the knobs/handles have been attached and the dowels have been shoved into their holes, it's time to install your jewelry holder! I used a level to make sure my boards were straight, then just drilled two screws through either side of the board and drilled them into the wall. Took about ten seconds.

When I moved, I just unscrewed the boards and laid them flat in a shallow box with all the jewelry still on. In the new place, I screwed them in their new location and except for a few pairs of earrings, everything stayed in place!

Let me know how your attempt turns out!