display Archives - Try Handmade

Jewelry on Display

June 8, 2021 by Jesika Wolff

Please help me welcome Jesika Wolff to Try Handmade! She’s a writer, artist and web developer and here on the blog she’s going to be detailing tips for Small Space Living. I live in a small space so I’m looking forward to her tips, and if you have any special requests, please leave them in the comments.

This mosaic inlaid candy dish by Smith Mosaics would be perfect for holding those little hard candies our grandmas loved so much, but maybe you’re not a candy person. Let’s say you’re more carrots and celery sticks. Those won’t keep too well in an open dish on the counter. There have been plenty of little bowls and silver dishes I’ve found enticing, but couldn’t fathom a use for. There are only so many “change bowls” a person needs before you end up losing the bowls with the change. Still, I can’t help but be drawn to beautiful craftsmanship; particularly if I can conceive a purpose for it.

I like looking at things. I can’t help it. When I’m driving down the highway I read all of the signs. When I’m shopping every window display has my undivided attention for at least one minute. I’m an observer by nature. One weekend, while observing a vase full of bracelets at my favorite boutique I had an epiphany: I was looking at bracelets in a vase. A grand realization, I know, but stick with me. I promise you it’ll all make sense in the end.

Why did I grow up thinking Jewelry had to be kept in a box? Stores keep necklaces on hooks and rods. They put earrings on trays and bracelets in bowls. I’d been hunting for the perfect Jewelry box for over a month, to no avail, when the solution was sitting in my kitchen cupboard! Boutiques keep it cute and classy by putting jewelry in random containers. Why couldn’t I do the same? Now, for those that want a little more flair than the standard glass vase, I highly recommend Bottlehood in San Diego, California. Take a look at this gorgeous upcycled Absolut bottle:

Wouldn’t your bracelets look spectacular in there? You could even put a few tumbled rocks in the bottom for filler, if you don’t need the bottle to be that deep.

But the earrings! What shall we do with those? We can’t possibly put them in a jar or bowl, even a little one, without making quite a mess of things. There’s a cheap and easy solution to this dilemma. Remember when you bought a shirt with buttons? Did it come with an extra button in a little plastic bag? I’ve already lost track of the shirts those buttons belonged to, but I still had those button bags. I took all of the buttons and condensed them in a jar, then used the bags to hold my earrings. This way I could put them in a container without making a mess. I’m also a big fan of organza pouches:

Home2 makes these lovely jewelry pouches. You can usually get them in any size and color, and they look much nicer than little plastic bags.

Here’s what I ended up doing:

I don’t have much jewelry, so I put the bracelets in a vase, stacked the really thick bracelets, and put my earrings in pouches. That weird looking metal contraption in the middle is actually a candle holder. I found it in our new house’s basement and couldn’t bear to part with it. Took me a month, but I finally figured out where to put it! I put my earrings in the glass “candle holder” and dangle my necklaces from the hook at the top.

Now I know there are two necklace boxes that managed to sneak in there, but for good reason. Some jewelry is a bit too important to put in bags and hang on hooks. One box has my wedding necklace. A beautiful piece I purchased from Etsy seller Leela Bijou. The other box has an anniversary present from my hubby. It’s another wonderful handmade piece from Etsy, by seller Kivaford.

What I love the most about this arrangement is that everyday I wake up and feel like I’m shopping for a new piece of jewelry. It makes the ho-hum of morning ritual a bit more interesting. Go ahead, give it a try! I’m sure there a few wine bottles left over from last weekend, maybe a nice vase from that last flower arrangement you received, or my absolute favorite way to spend a weekend: garage sale discoveries!

So next time you’re thinking of buying a new jewelry box for all of those earrings, necklaces, and bracelets you’ve accumulated, why not take a stroll around your abode first? You might be surprised by the random containers you find.

Organize Your Pretties: Jewelry Displays

March 7, 2021 by Sarah Simpson

I find that one of the most difficult things to organize is my never-ending pile of jewelry. A jewelry box is functional, however, I have found that openly displaying your jewelry can be even more beautiful and can even serve as a piece of artwork within your home.

The handmade jewelry organizer pictured above is from a wonderful shop called BlueBirdHeaven based in Louisville, Kentucky. The artist, Jessica, is a sustainable architectural designer who is the original creator of these jewelry displays made from vintage printer’s drawers. She is passionate about finding ways to reuse the distinctive and beautiful things that surround us. Visit her shop to see all of the different colors and styles available to fit any decorating scheme.

This whimsical little butterfly jewelry display can be found at Hook and Line. The idea for the artist’s designs came from her daughter’s growing love for jewelry and the need for a place to store it all. You can display all sorts of earrings styles on this simple picture frame style organizer. What I love about pieces like this is that you can see all of your earrings at once, so it makes selecting a pair that matches your outfit incredibly simple. No more digging through jewelry boxes, no more searching for that missing earring.

This last jewelry display helps you to organize not only your earrings, but your necklaces as well! Frank and Marla of New Dimension Wood Design have a jewelry display line called Jewelry Holders For You where they specialize in their one of a kind, elegant displays suitable for home use or in a boutique setting. Frank is a professional wood craftsman with forty years of architectural woodworking experience and creates truly beautiful works of art.

Find these and many other jewelry display ideas online, or have fun coming up with your own unique designs! As always, feel free to share your ideas with us!

White Earth Studio

February 27, 2021 by Erika Jurney

Look who I found in the Gallery!

White Earth Studio: White Earth, a series of porcelain vessels, is a homage to my childhood in the Dakotas, its visual images and memories. It is a deep respect, a bowing down to the earth where I have experienced it.

Walking the freshly plowed fields as a child, I would find fossils, shells and arrowheads heads. I have renewed and extended my fascination with these shapes. I have discovered new connections between the prairie (once an inland sea) and the ocean. Like the prairie and the sea, my pieces display hues against large neutral backgrounds – a touch of pink or a glint of pearl – finding a prairie rose in a otherwise green meadow, or a single shell on a stretch of sand.

White Earth comes from some part of me that works unconsciously, a part that reaches down into my memories. White Earth comes from that private part of me, and I hope it will touch that part in others.

[Read more…]

Washington, DC, USA

November 5, 2020 by Tara Gentile

[hTara]

Megan Nolton, of Art Shark Designs, created this awesome print representing her hometown – but her shop also includes many prints representing other cities, including Philly, Venice, and Portland. Trained in graphic design, Megan also fancies printmaking and painting. Her “city love” prints are created using a Gocco printer and the red umbrellas are delicately added with watercolor. [Read more…]

For the Record

August 13, 2020 by Rebecca Hadfield

As a child of the 80s, my formative years were spent watching John Hughes movies, crimping my hair and hanging out at the record store. I had an unquenchable thirst for new music and, even with my tiny allowance, I managed to collect a couple hundred albums. Although I’m still hanging-on to a few favourites, I have since replaced most of my collection with compact discs and MP3s. And, judging by the overflowing bins of vintage records at the thrift-store, I’m not the only one. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (pun intended), when I think of the thousands and thousands of records languishing in such bargain bins, I can’t help but wonder how many thousands more went straight into the garbage.

Sharing my concern are Lorie and Tom of Rock and Roll Coasters. In their four years selling albums online, they’ve literally had to throw away hundreds of scratched and unplayable copies. Frustrated by all of the waste, they came up with a clever reuse for otherwise unusable 45s.

Each Rock and Roll Coaster is not just a nostalgic spot to rest your drink; it is a little piece of music history. Tom and Lorie take the actual record (not a copy) and, using their own perfected technique, embed it in 1/4″ of High Gloss Acrylic. They’ve even included the little yellow spindle adaptor for even more retro-cuteness. Love it!

One of the records that I have carefully tucked-away in the back of my storage room is The Go Go’s 1982 release, Vacation. I must have logged about a thousand hours in front of my dresser mirror, hairbrush in hand, singing along to “Our Lips are Sealed”. It’s no surprise, then, that I was instantly drawn to this purse by Brinda K Design. Making use of the album cover, inner sleeve and the record itself, these upcycled handbags are as durable as they are eye-catching. Hardboard backings, vinyl fabric and tubing, rivets, varnish and coordinating ribbons are all part of the construction of each unique piece, and evidence of Brinda’s impeccable attention to detail.

Another spin on album upcycling is this awesome tray, also by Brinda K Design. Made from an unplayable album and its cover, with leather-like riveted tabs at the corners, this catch all will make itself useful in the bedroom, hall or office. At just over 7” square, it is the perfect size to hold keys, personal electronics, stationary, jewelry, change, mail and more.

Finally, do you have an earring collection worthy of Cyndi Lauper herself? Here’s the perfect storage solution for “green” girls (that just wanna have fun):

Karen, of Retired Records creates her way-cool earring stands (above) from unwanted records and makes sure to include plenty of spots to attach your treasures. Each one-of-a-kind table-top display will hold up to 52 pairs of earrings or can be used to show off photos, artwork and more. Turn it around and you’ll see the support that Karen has smartly fashioned out of the album’s sleeve. Conveniently hinged, it holds the record upright when in use and allows it to fold flat for storage or travel. (Just in case you decide to get the band back together and head back out on tour.)