DIY Jewelry Organizer

This is one of the many things that has been distracting occupying my time this week. But it needed to be done, and I'm feeling good about life (meaning one paper and almost one test done), so I decided to treat myself to a little craft.

You see, I have a bit of a jewelry problem. In that I have a lot and no real organization system. I bought a cute organizer about two years ago, but it is too short for all my necklaces (you can almost see it underneath in this picture...). The result? This mess...

Embarrassing. But more importantly, it's a pain in the butt to find anything! You can see me attempting to use the jewelry stand, and then everything overflows from it. So I finally decided to do something about it.

Note: Instructions are for the necklace hanger in the back, not the wire stand in the front.

Instructions:
First gather your materials. All my materials came from Joann, mostly because I'm a one stop craft-shopper.

Materials:
-a 17x23in unframed cork board
-about 5/8 yard of fabric (I went with a color from our bedroom color scheme, but I chose a neutral so that the colors of my necklace didn't clash with it)
-push pins (I used about 20).
Optional: a staple/glue gun (though I didn't use one here).

I was very imprecise with the fabric since most of it was going to be hidden behind the board, so I just centered the board across the fabric and started pinning. If you are worried about not being able to secure it all, fold up all the edges and make sure you have enough to pin it to the back side of the board. I had about 2 inches of extra fabric on each side.

I started pinning with the middle of one side, then worked my way around (Note: If you are using a staple gun or hot glue gun, this is where you would staple/glue around the edges, omitting the pins, unless you wanted to use them initially to secure the fabric.) The corners are the only part of this project that might give you grief. I just used my gift wrapping techniques and folded the edge onto itself before folding over to the board. 

Next, start hanging up your necklaces. I started with my longest and then worked across from there so that they were somewhat straight. A perfect line won't really matter because the length/bulk of each necklace will be different (I obviously didn't work hard for a straight line, and you can't even tell when the necklaces are on).

Add all your desired jewelry, and voila! An organized collection. You could store bracelets and watches on here too, I just didn't have room, so I utilized the stand that I already had for those pieces. I kind of really love it. And the hubs enjoys the look of a clean dresser top. I'm looking forward to being able to see all of my jewelry as I get dressed. It's going to make my life a lot easier.

This was so fun, so practical, and best of all, cheaper than buying a jewelry stand/organizer! (I spent around $15 and that was without scheming for a good deal on pins and fabric. If you go to Joann or Hobby Lobby for a cork board, make sure you bring a 40% off coupon with you! They (almost) always have one out there!)

I'm the Worst.

I'm the worst texter. Doesn't matter who, doesn't matter what about, doesn't matter when, I am the worst at composing my thoughts and pressing "send." So don't take it personally. I do it to everyone. Including my mom. Sorry, Mom.

I'm the worst at self-pacing, self-motivating, etc. Last March (like March 2013) I signed up for an online, independent study, class to finish up my general classes. I had a year to finish it. I figured that I'd have plenty of time during the summer to work on it. But then summer came and I spent all my time planning a wedding and driving back and forth to Bountiful. Then August came and with it regular classes. Then almost two semesters went by, and in Feb/March I purchased an extension for the class so that the end date became June 13. Best $20 ever. Because it's now almost June and I still have 3 essays, the midterm, AND the final to take. Exhibit A, B, and C. I am the worst at self-pacing. 20 days, people. 20 days.

I'm the worst at prioritizing. You'd think with that ^ kind of pressure looming over me I would spend every waking moment working on the class. Instead, I find myself planning my classroom theme (and by "planning" I mean "looking over the vast possibilities and trying to narrow them down unsuccessfully"), watching Bones, cleaning the house (important, but my itch for Spring Cleaning can wait three weeks), planning a bachelorette party (I'm quite proud of the invitations that I've put together), and napping. That last one is a bit embarrassing, but this is a place of non-judgment, right?

I'm the worst at making dinner. Sure, we have a meal every night, and most often it comes from our own food supplies, but it isn't creative, exciting, or healthy. I don't think I've had any vegetables all week other than the vegetables on my pizza, but those shouldn't count. At least we're eating though.

I'm the worst at maintaining a good sleep schedule. During the summer as I grew up, I would stay up really late and sleep in really late. Well, that's what this summer is turning into. 3 out of the 7 days this week I have slept in past 9am and felt a strong urge to go back to sleep. The other 4 days? Probably woke up at about 8:30. Next year is going to kill me. 6 am (or earlier) wake up 5 days a week? ....why??



Okay, maybe I'm not the worst. All that this comes down to is that I am feeling extremely overwhelmed and it is all my procrastinating self's fault. My brain is buzzing with ideas and plans and things to do, and I just need a break! When's my next vacation? Seriously dreaming of the beach. Road trip, anyone?

Honey, We're Home!

Okay, so maybe we've been home for a week, but we're home!!

The cruise was fantastic (and don't worry there will be details to come), but it has been really good to be home. We've spent a lot of the past three weeks outside of our apartment, so it has been nice to just be Kristen and Spencer in our own space for a little bit. To end the week with a bang, we had a bit of a marathon date last night. We started by cooking dinner together. We bought some pesto a few weeks ago, and I have been dying to use it. So after some inspiration, we decided on chicken pesto paninis!

After dinner, we watched an episode of "Bones" (love that show, also not probably considered part of the date...) then we went to Pop'n'Sweets for some movie treats. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of this part of the date because the aforementioned treats were gone quite quickly upon our arrival at home.

When we got home, we rearranged the living room into a fort, then watched "Now You See Me," because I promised Spencer a magic show on the cruise, and that well, didn't happen. So he got his fill of magic with the movie.

We've had so much fun this week just spending time with each other. We've come to acknowledge each other as "the punk" (that's me) and "the liar" (that's him), lovingly of course. I've cried more in the last week than I have in a long time, and it's all from laughing too hard. It's times like this that I am so grateful to have this man in my life. He makes me so incredibly happy even when we just do normal, everyday things. Like building forts.