Tutorial: DIY Hanging Necklace Organizer

Maybe you're not like me and you're ahead of the game, but winter makes me not want to do a thing. I am definitely on the new-year-lets-get-organized-bandwagon, but I suck. So, it takes me forever to get anything done. I'm working through stuff slowly. First the clothes, then the jewelry, and finally the craft supplies. I've gotten as far as the jewelry! We can call that progress, right?

Anyway, I wanted to share a tutorial with you guys today on how I got all my necklaces organized for under $15. Organization on the cheap is my middle name (you have no idea how many glass jars I have saved just for this reason). When I realized my old method of displaying my necklaces was falling apart and totally ineffective, I figured it was time to make something new. Ta-da! The Hanging Necklace Organizer Tutorial was born. (Apologies in advance for the lack of photos. I need to get better at taking pictures at night)

Without further ado..

Materials:
Two 1/2 inch dowels
Saw and sand paper (optional)
1 roll of jute twine (or yarn or hemp or anything you'd like, as long as it's sturdy)
Craft paint and paint brush (optional)
1 package of screw-in hooks
Measuring tape
Pencil
Reliable glue (I used fabric glue)

Instructions:
1. Measure out the space you have available on your wall and mark your dowels if they are too long. Cut off the extra with the saw and then sand down the ends to smooth them.

1a. I wanted by necklace organizer to be staggered because I thought it would look cuter so after I measured out how much space I had on my wall, I but one dowel to fit that (the bottom dowel) and the other I cut about an inch and half shorter (the top dowel). If you like them even, skip this step!

2. You can paint your dowels in your favorite color and let them dry completely. If you like the wood look, skip this step.

3. Get out your measuring tape and mark out how far apart you'd like your hooks. I did an inch and a half between each one. It's easier to mark your if you tape the measuring tape to the table and hold down the dowel. You'll want to make your mark a "t" instead of just a line to help screw in your hooks evenly.

4. Time to start screwing in all the hooks! There are two ways to do this. I did it the hard way.
Hard way (but still totally do-able!): hold the dowel in one hand and screw in each screw until it's straight with the other hand. Finish screwing it in with a pair of pliers. This will take a while, but it is worth it!
Easy way (if you own a Dremel tool): drill a tiny hole on each of your marks, not too deep. Screw in the hooks the rest of the way.

The wood will splinter and crack a little bit, but as long as you can pull on the hook and it feels sturdy, it'll sit fine.

5. Once you're done screwing in all the hooks, you're ready to connect them! Measure out how far apart you'd like your dowel's to hang (mine hang about 9 inches apart) and add about 6 inches to that length to have enough jute twince to wrap around each end (I cut two pieces about 15 inches long).

6. I wanted to reinforce by twine because I wasn't sure how heavy the necklaces would be so I tripled each side. In total, I cut 6 pieces, 15 inches long, to use 3 for one side and 3 for the other.

7. Put a little glue at the end of your top dowel, leave about an inch or so tail, and start wrapping the twine to cover the glue. Once your end is covered, tie the tail to the remaining long end. Repeat on the other side.

8. Put a little glue on the end of the bottom dowel and start wrapping the twin around from about three inches from the end. Wrap until the glue is covered and leave about an inch to tie to the long end. Repeat on the other side, but make sure you start wrapping the twine at the same length or your hanger will be crooked.

9. Repeat the same process as above for measuring and tripling the twine to create the piece to hang the organizer from. Mine was probably about 2 feet and I cut 3 pieces to strengthen the twine.

10. Put a little glue down and wrap the last piece of twine around the two ends of the top dowel. Secure with a knot and let the glue dry over night.

11. Hang it up and get organized!

I'm glad I reinforced the twine on mine because (as you can see) I have quite a few necklaces, but if your collection isn't as...er..extensive as mine, you should be fine with just one length of twine!

I also have an earring organizer tutorial coming up for those of us with extensive collections!

What do you need help organizing most?