a girl who happens to love art, design and coffee
Billie Monster

A nifty framed jewelry display 07.02.2010

Posted 1 year ago in Repurpose, DIY, Jewelry, Home Decor, Tutorials

I needed a place to store and showcase the jewelry I've created before I put it up for sale on my Etsy shop, so I thought it would be a pretty nifty idea to repurpose an old picture frame I had lying around. After some Googling, I realized that I wasn't the only one who had thought of this idea. I guess creative minds think alike!

What you need:

  • picture frame
  • stretched canvas/canvas mounted on a wooden frame (you can make or buy one)
  • sturdy fabric (mine was from Ikea)
  • quilt batting
  • staple gun and staples
  • paint brush
  • paint
  • sandpaper
  • u-pins, or other type of pin
  • plastic sheet to protect your work surface

First thing you want to do is remove the glass from your picture frame - you won't need it. If you are going to paint your frame like I did, start by sanding it lightly to rough up the surface so the paint adheres better. Depending on the color of your frame and your paint, you may need to put on 2-3 coats until you are happy with the coverage and color. Set it aside to dry.

Now measure the length and width of the stretched canvas that you will be using as the insert for your picture frame. This is the piece you will hang your jewelry from once you are done putting everything together. Cut your fabric and quilt batting according to your measurements making sure to add a couple inches in each direction. If you don't have a stretched canvas, you could just use something firm like cardboard to wrap your fabric and batting around; just secure it with glue instead of staples. Once your fabric is cut, lay it on your work surface so the right side is facing down, then lay the batting on top. Next, center your canvas frame on top of the batting - the canvas frame should also be facing down.

Now you are ready to secure the fabric to the canvas frame. Start in the center of one side by pulling the fabric and batting over the back of the wooden frame and securing with one staple. Do the same on the opposite side of the frame, pulling the fabric taut and stapling in the center. Repeat for the remaining two sides. You should now have one staple in the center on each of the four sides of the canvas frame.

For the corners, I just pulled and folded the fabric around carefully until I was happy with how it looked and then secured with a few staples. When you have all the corners secure, you can finish stapling the rest of the fabric around the frame pulling the fabric taut and stapling every couple of inches.

At this point you are ready to put your fabric-covered canvas into the frame. It will be snug, but should fit as long as you didn't use a really thick batting or fabric. You can secure the insert to the picture frame on the back with staples or just use tape - like I did.

You're done - flip it over, and check it out! Now you can dig out all your jewelry and start hanging it to the front. Just grab a u-pin and stick it in the fabric where you want your jewelry to hang from. U-pins are small pins that are commonly used in jewelry displays; I found mine on eBay. Alternatively, you could use regular sewing pins with colored heads on them. Just arrange them whichever way you like depending on the size of the piece you want to display. 

Boom, done.

This project was featured (eep!) here: The Creative Crate, UcreateOne Pretty Thing, The DIY ShowOff, Adventures of One Crazy Lady, also on CraftGawker

About

Billie

freelance graphic + website designer
wirework + jewelry artist
art + craft lover
coffeeholic

I love to create. This blog is a collection of things.
Things I love. Things I've made. Things that inspire me.

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Flickr project gallery

Chic Pearl & Chain Necklace Tutorial Chic Pearl & Chain Necklace Tutorial Red Tassel Earring Tutorial Red Tassel Earring Tutorial Vintage White Ceramic Owl Potpourri Hanger Holder Vintage Seafoam Green Greist Buttonholer Stitch Attachment with box

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