A clever (and cheap!) DIY hack to organize your jewelry

You throw on a pair of jeans that lay crumpled on the floor next to your bed and pull a shirt on over your head that is only mildly wrinkled. You take one last gulp of your coffee, which, like most days, has become tepid by the time you finally have a chance to drink it. As you rummage through the mess of jewelry that lays scattered on your dresser, you let out a frustrated grunt under your breath wondering where your favorite pair of earrings is in that jumbled pile.

I get it. You’d think as a jewelry designer I’d do a better job of organizing my jewelry, but the truth is after a long day sometimes I just end up tossing what I wore onto an ever-growing pile. Necklaces and earrings get tangled together, silver jewelry becomes gray and dull with tarnish from too much exposure to the air.

Lucky for us, there is a really simple (and fun!) solution to getting your jewelry situation from hot mess to beautifully organized, for under $10. 

Please note: this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase I will earn a small commission. 

To make your display you will need:

• A picture frame*
• Piece of foam board that is at least the size of the picture frame
• Piece of fabric bigger than the frame (in this case, I used an old pillowcase)*
• Glue (nothing fancy, can be your child’s glue)
• Ruler & Xacto knife OR scissors
• (Optional) spray paint

*I recommend purchasing the frame & piece of fabric from a thrift store to save on costs. In my case, I purchased them at Goodwill

Before you get started, make sure the fabric is free of wrinkles, so iron it out if need be. If your frame needs a little retouching, spray paint it and allow it to fully dry, following the directions on the can, before you proceed.

How to make the DIY jewelry organizer

Trace a piece of foam board so that it will fit snugly inside the frame.

You can either use scissors to cut along the lines, or use a ruler and guide an X-acto knife to cut it.

Lay the piece of foam board over the piece of fabric so that there is a bit of extra fabric around each edge of the foam board (1/2 inch on all edges should be sufficient). Glue two adjacent sides of the fabric to what will be the back side of the foam board. (I just used basic white Elmer’s glue.)

Once it has dried, pull the fabric taut and glue the two remaining edges.

Once it is dry, pop it into the frame with the fabric part facing forward. If there are tabs in the back of the frame, bend them down to keep the fabric-covered foam board secure. Otherwise, you can tape the back so it will stay in securely.

Hang it up, prop it against a wall, or stick it in a stand, and you’re set to go! I used jewelry u-pins to hang the jewelry from, but any decorative push pins will work. It looks great paired next to some painted bracelet bottles!

How do you keep your jewelry organized?

A version of this post first appeared on The Organized Mama