Monday, July 9, 2012

Home Made Jewelry Display

I am quite pleased with my collecting and crafty efforts on this new jewelry display I have created! I found the original pallet discarded in an alley, well adorned with dirt and cobwebs. Right away I observed its display and framing capabilities and decided this was a perfect "up-cycling" opportunity! After my amorous assistant wiped down and sanded the pallet, we stained it with Sedona Red Minwax, which just never seems to run out! Since its been so hot, I did have to keep wiping down the wood until the stain was fully absorbed. What a transformation a little bit of wood stain can induce! I had the idea for a "Neapolitan" design (yes, like the ice cream) when I was at Joanne's looking for fabric:one color for each frame opening. The burlap was inexpensive, only $3.99 per yard, so that was a nice fit for my budget. They showed me how to cut the burlap by making a small slit with the scissors at the edge. Within this cut, you grasp one of the jute strands and pull and cinch the entire strand out of the weave. This leaves an empty space line that you can then follow with the scissors along the entire length of burlap. This makes for a nice, neat cut. Let me tell you, if you do not do it this way, be prepared to clean up because burlap is a messy beast! Once cut to size, I glue gunned the heck out of the back of pallet frame, one section at a time. I still haven't mastered the glue gun; I kept burning my hands when pressing down the fabric because it such a loose knit! If you wait for the glue to set for 5-10 seconds first you can avoid this. It also depends on what strength your glue gun is-I was using industrial strength and it had been heated up for a long time so the glue was a flowin'! Finally, I secured the burlap with 1" slats of wood which were glue gunned and nailed on the back side, so that they overlapped the edge of the fabric. This is probably not necessary for a smaller scale displays, however I wanted the extra security since the display will be for craft shows, and will be enduring ample usage and transport. The final piece is approximately 30" x 54", and can be used as a vertical or horizontal display! I also created some smaller displays out of salvaged frames and the excess burlap. To give a nicer finish to the frame I spray painted it with Krylon Matte Black. I then stretched the burlap over a piece of chip board and glue gunned it to the back. To finish it off, I slapped on double sided tape and craft paper. Viola! Beautiful displays for jewelry or anything else you can think of!

No comments:

Post a Comment