Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Earring Display Made From a "Stucco Corner"


This project began a few months ago, and I ended up going in a different direction than when I started.  You see, I headed to the Home Depot to find some cool chicken wire... I had seen oodles of fun earring holders made from a photo frame and chicken wire, and planned on making one for myself.  I had already picked up a couple frames from the Goodwill and wanted to have some chicken wire on hand so I could throw the project together one day when I had some spare time.

Sadly, up until this point, my earring storage looked like this... a tangled pile to dig through.


At the Home Depot, I asked a sales person direct me to the chicken wire.  He laughed and said I was the second lady that morning to ask where the chicken wire was located... and he wanted to know what on earth I wanted it for.  The answer of "a craft project" just made him shake his head a little and probably roll his eyes as he turned his head and continued in the direction he was leading me.

To my dissapointment, not only was the chicken wire expensive (they sold it in big bulk rolls, imagine that!)... but even more unfortunate, the selection was UGLY.  I had a certain image in my mind of what I wanted, and it was most definitley not available there.  I scanned the entire ailse looking for an alternative screen or mesh or anything I could trim with wire cutters to give me the look I wanted.  Nope.  But then something caught my eye.  A long bent wire structure.  Hmmm.  The shelf label called it a Stucco Corner, and it was only $2.97.  The woven appearance of wire seemed perfect for dangling earings off of, so I tried to envision how I would hang it, and in which direction.  It seemed like it could work in an empty corner hung vertically... or horizantally cut to any length.  I decided a couple bucks was a price I could afford to experiment with.

This is where it sat for a few months just waiting for me to find spare time :)
Here is a close-up, and the red sharpie dots I used to cut the correct length to fit above my bathroom mirror.
When I got home and held it against the wall, I really liked the way it looked.  Simple and functional.  Next I had to figure out a way to attach it to the wall.  I had a piece of hardware in my mind, but had not been able to find what I wanted at the Home Depot.  I turned to my favorite online store, Amazon.com and searched and searched.  I figured there had to be some kind of hardware to attach wires or cables to a wall... but could only find stick-on ones.  Not really what I had in mind.  I continued my web search on a few more occasions, hoping to avoid the need for driving a million places.  Finally one day in Target, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the perfect solution... for $1.99 each I picked up two broom/tool holders pictured below.


I didn't have any use for the red hook part, but my search was over!  With the busy holidays and my son's birthday thrown in the mix... I finally found time yesterday to install my new earring display.

First I held the wire structure to the wall and made the sharpie marks pictured earlier, then cut it with tin snips at the desired length.

Then I held the structure up again with the bracket in place and made marks with a pen where the screws would go.

Next, I screwed in the bottom screws with an electric drill into the drywall.  I didn't use anchors and hopefully I wont regret that decision later, but I figure it won't be holding much weight at all.

With the bottom screws in place, I slipped the wire into the hardware and then securely fastened it by inserting the top screws.

Ta Dah!




Supplies You'll Need:

Stucco Corner $2.97
2 Broom/Tool holders hardware $1.99 each

Total cost $6.95.

I love that it is up high, which makes it difficult for my daughters to reach... but if you are short this might not be a good placement for you.  I am 5'7" and it is the perfect height for my reach.

Have a Happy New Year! 

SavvyNess

4 comments:

  1. I feel completely inspired- I'll be off for some chicken wire soon. Though I think i'll have to put it beside rather than above the mirror since I'm not as blessed vertically as you :)

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  2. Wait! Don't buy chicken wire... maybe I should word the post more carefully, I couldn't find chicken wire so this is what I ended up with. Buy a Stucco Corner for this look!

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  3. fabulous ides! I love it. I'll have to tuck that idea away when I am finally in my own home again.

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  4. oooh, interesting idea, I like it.

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