DIY Earring Display

Sometimes, when you're a maker of things, you tend to accumulate an abundance of said things. Sometimes, you run out of room to store these things. Sometimes, you have to make new things to organize your existing things. This weekend I made a new earring stand to accommodate my collection. I was pinspired by this, although I went about it a little differently.

First, the supplies:

• Mesh trash can - I found one for $5.99 at Tuesday Morning
• Lamp base at least a couple inches taller than the trash can - $5.99 from Goodwill
• Epoxy - I already had some on hand from a previous repair project
• Wire snips
• Paper plate and plastic knives - or something similar for mixing epoxy
• Drop cloth or paper bags to protect your work surface

Using the wire snips, I removed the lamp's cord.

The lamp I found had a plastic ring that would hold the shade or globe onto the base.

I mixed a small amount of epoxy with my two knives.

Then I smeared it on the flat side of the plastic ring, making sure not to get it on my skin, and stuck it in the center of the bottom of the trash can.

I let the epoxy set overnight. In the morning, I screwed the lamp base into the ring, and there we have it!

Finally, I loaded it up with all my earrings, in rainbow order naturally. I put the studs near the bottom rim, so I can reach up into the trash can to get the earring backs on and off. I had originally intended to use a lazy susan to make it spin-able, but since that plastic ring screws onto the base, I can spin it as is, as long as I don't spin it too far and unscrew it entirely.

Now don't you want to make your own? Have fun personalizing it! Painting the trash can and using a different style of lamp base (or maybe a paper towel holder or a large candle stick?) could give it a completely different look if the modern, minimalist style doesn't appeal to you. You may also have to get creative when it comes to attaching the two together. Not all lamps will have that unscrew-able ring. You could drill a hole in the bottom of the trash can and stick your lamp right through. Add a decorative finial on top to finish it off!

This is not the post you're looking for...

That's right, folks. There is no Thursday Thrift Score this week, for a couple reasons.
(a) Have you ever noticed how frustrating it can be when you go thrift shopping with a specific item in mind? Say, for instance, you're looking for something in a lovely cobalt blue that needs no alterations? Yeah, that's tricksy.
(b) I've been suffering from a minor case of The Plague this week. Okay, so maybe it's not The Plague, but there were certainly times I wished I were dead. Anywho, I'm on the mend now, but you still won't be seeing any pictures of my face today. I don't want to frighten anyone's children.

So what's your consolation prize? Why, it's a bonus refashion! Picture this: I'm all tuckered out from an evening of clothes swapping at the Fabulous Ladies Clothes Swap last month. I'm hanging with my theater friend back stage while her crew boxes up the leftovers for charity, when someone grabs this stringy bit of who-knows-what and aims for the trash bin.

"Wait!" I exclaim. "Is that suede?"

"Uh, maybe. I dunno. It's broken though."

"Gimme."

And with that, I saved this damaged braided leather belt-thingy from an unceremonious end. And I knew just what to do with it! I grabbed some jewelry pliers, a couple jump rings, some ribbon crimps, a clasp, and a safety pin, and I got started.