This post is for all those out there who have the perfect game plan, only to have it rewritten a time or two!
My eldest sister asked for a temporary jewelry holder to organize all of her jewelry. She provided a scrap 1″ x 2″ x 8″ furring strip. I was excited to get going on the design and couldn’t wait to get it cut and framed up!
Big Problems Arose Fast!
After getting the specs from her, I diligently measured, remeasured, and checked twice before sawing the board. Being the newbie that I am, I was pleasantly surprised the cuts were almost perfect. However, the furring strip itself was NOT perfect!
The width of the board varied from 1″ to 1 3/8″! I got frustrated with how the inner edges weren’t lining up, so I called my lifeline. I was informed by (you guessed it!) my father that the only way to even out the board was to sand it down to the 1″ width with my belt sander. That was the only option I had available.
Keep in mind here that I am just starting my business so I don’t have all the fancy, awesome-sauce tools like a table saw, miter saw or even a bandsaw. I do have sanders though!
Alas, due to my “newbie” status I didn’t quite feel skilled enough with my belt sander to guarantee I wouldn’t go over the line and cause more of an issue.
I currently sleep in small-town South Dakota and the only available craft shop thankfully carried some craft frames that were even on sale! In order to keep within my sister’s guidelines, I got two frames and nailed/glued them together. I cut the heads off the nails with my Dremel so that the frame remained smooth.
Bunnies, Kitties and Ms. Frizzle, Oh My!
Of course, the new dimensions threw my original frame design out the window, so I reworked it and came up with the bunnies! There are three of us sisters, so I thought it fitting that the bunny design was of three cute little fluff-balls sitting together.
At first, I kept the design only to the top Ms. Frizzle quote (her favorite children’s show), the bunnies in the middle (one of her favorite animals) and the twisted Celtic design in each corner (a personal style preference that fit with the design). After carving that all into the frame, I felt like it was a bit empty still!
That was when I added the cute little cat paw prints! She has three cats so I scattered twelve prints throughout the blank sides and bottom to portray her cats walking on the frame.
Metal and Wood – A Compromise
Part of her request was to have a place to hang her hook earrings in pairs without getting all tangled. She actually initially requested a piece of screen, but thankfully I was able to talk her down from the ledge 😉. I simply promised that I had something much better in mind that I knew she would love more than a cut of screen!
I used my Dremel to cut the metal aluminum sheet and then carved the line needed to insert the sheet into the frame to brace it for her earrings.
Next, I picked up two blue fabrics (her favorite color), cut according to size and began to measure the cork. I got the flat cork boards so that her post earrings could stick into it without damaging the posts.
Finally, I stained the frame, screwed in the hooks (which came out larger than I intended – she needed at least 50 hooks for her necklaces) and got to work on the backing.
Doing it Again to Achieve Desired Results
There was the smallest moment of frustration when it came to the backing. I had nails in place to keep the frames together and when I borrowed a brad gun from a friend to attach my cardboard backing, they went through the spots that I carved out for the metal aluminum sheet to keep in place.
Because of that, I had to go back in and recut the nails/brads that obstructed the slit. Simple fix, but it did make me sigh when I realized what happened!
In order to hang it, she wanted to be able to hook it over her bathroom door. Hopefully that will keep it out of reach of her cats. I attached two sawtooth hangers and braided/knotted three strands of hemp cord together. With the weight of 50+ necklaces and matching earrings, I figured the hanger would need to be reinforced.
Glowing Customer Service Anyone?!
My final step was to hand-deliver it over vacation for maximum, 5-star customer service review! 😉
A week later when she went home, she sent me a picture of the frame in use. I was unable to fit 50+ hooks on the top of the frame for all of her necklaces. Because of that, I included a dozen extra hooks so she could add her remaining pieces. I must admit, I love the look!
Stay In Touch with Schaedings!
Thank you for visiting Schaeding’s Blog! Below, you can sign up for our newsletter and if you like the content, be sure to follow Schaedings on your favorite social media platform found at the bottom of the page!
Like on Facebook​!
Follow on Twitter​!
Follow on Instagram!
Subscribe on YouTube!
Glowing, glittering, sparkling 5 stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟 for this outcome! As the Friz says, “take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!” This project embodied that sentiment. Thank you for the amazing work, imbued with all the personal symbolism!
I absolutely agree that this project embodied Ms. Frizzle’s sentiment! I’m thrilled that you love it just as much as I do, even with all the chances, mistakes and messes it took me through. I couldn’t have asked for better results!