Non-Consumer Home Decor Projects — Earring Rack and Skateboard Shelves

by Katy on February 16, 2012 · 28 comments

My enthusiasm for home decor projects continues on without any signs of abating. And it’s not like a minimal budget could slow me down, as the following two projects cost a grand total of $4.98. 

First was the creation of an rather delicious earring display rack, which not only looks cool, but is way more functional than keeping all my earrings tangled up in a bowl:

I transformed a recently purchased $2.99 Goodwill vintage tray into an earring holder. (And for those of you who are intimidated by craft projects, all this took was stringing a ribbon through the mesh.)

See? It’s a tray!

And now it’s an earring holder! Can’t you totally see this in a fancy boutique or on Pinterest?

My second project was to make a second skateboard shelf for my younger son’s room. I made the first one a few months ago, and was just waiting to come across another set of brackets. Luckily, Goodwill did not fail:

Free crappy skateboard decks from a Timbers soccer game? I say make shelves!

The shelves are perfect for a kid’s room. And since I designed them myself, the brackets are installed stud-width apart, and are extremely securely installed. Apes could hang off these things. Maybe even two apes.

The brackets are different from one another, but I highly doubt anyone will ever notice. And since I scored one set for free and the other set for $1.99 at Goodwill, the cost of the entire project was under two bucks! (Aren’t you loving the soccer playing shadows on the wall?)

Aren’t these fun? I love that the projects cost next to nothing, plus are actually functional! (I’m not the type to spend time making wreaths.) And because the shelves turned out so awesome, my son and I spent a couple hours completely cleaning and rearranging his room last night. And yes, it looks awesome!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }

Laura's Last Ditch--Adventures in Thrift Land February 16, 2012 at 11:51 am

I have to say, I love the ukelele and the shabby chic dresser, too!

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Dogs or Dollars February 16, 2012 at 12:00 pm

I’m loving the Moonbeam clock! I’ve been on the prowl for one for years…

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Katy February 16, 2012 at 3:55 pm

I bought mine from LL Bean years ago.

Katy

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Katy February 16, 2012 at 3:57 pm

Thanks! I bought the dresser at a thrift shop and stripped it many moons ago.

Katy

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Angela@MyYearWithoutSpending February 16, 2012 at 11:53 am

Katy, both of those projects are absolutely fantastic!

Unfortunately, with the dust quotient in So Cal, I could never have my jewelry out in the open like that. I wish I could, I think it looks beautiful.

Well done!

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Katy February 16, 2012 at 3:55 pm

Gross!

Katy

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Angela@MyYearWithoutSpending February 16, 2012 at 10:26 pm

Ha! I don’t know if I’d call it “gross,” but I just don’t leave out personal items. Especially ones that are going through my ears. 🙂

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Becky February 16, 2012 at 12:00 pm

I love them both! Your son’s room looks very cool.

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AP February 16, 2012 at 12:08 pm

I repurposed a metal mesh desk tray in a similar way to your earring tray. I never used it as a tray in college so one year I nailed it onto the wall and it’s been used as an earring holder for 6 or 7 years now. Your tray is much cuter than mine though.

I also found a custom-made jewelry rack with hooks in my building’s basement trash last year and that now holds all my necklaces and bracelets. Katy, you would go crazy with all the stuff that gets thrown out on the Upper West Side. My roommates are turning it into a side business.

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Katy February 16, 2012 at 3:56 pm

I’ll keep that in mind during my next trip to NYC!

Katy

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amber February 16, 2012 at 12:36 pm

Love them both. I made my daughters an earring holder out of an old picture frame and net material. Your tray holder reminds me of theirs.

Don’t you love Goodwill.

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Carolyn February 16, 2012 at 12:53 pm

Very nice! Love the little red guys (I have forgotten the Japanese word, is it “daruma”). Looks like one of your son’s wishes came true, seeing both eyes are painted in.

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Jinger February 16, 2012 at 1:10 pm

Lovely! I used a vintage frame and wire, attached horizontally and vertically. So easy and practical.

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Laura February 16, 2012 at 2:59 pm

Very clever!

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Pegasus February 16, 2012 at 3:49 pm

Wow, I love those skate board shelves, super cute!

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Jean February 16, 2012 at 6:53 pm

Love the earring holder–I’ve already got a lot of jewelry in a shadowbox case on the wall-I’ll be on the lookout for something for earrings next time I’m out “junking”. (Don’t know why the girlfriends and I call it that–it’s really treasure hunting!)

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Kristen@TheFrugalGirl February 16, 2012 at 7:28 pm

Look at you, Crafty Katy! Love the shelves.

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Katy February 16, 2012 at 8:48 pm

“Crafty Katy?” I love it!

Katy

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Jo February 16, 2012 at 7:33 pm

I actually like that the brackets for the shelves are different. I find it more interesting to the eye.

Love the earring storage. I need to think about something similar. I’ve been keeping them fastened by the pair in large, two-hole buttons in a dish – but it doesn’t work that well. It’s hard to get the backs on and off and I’m ready for something easier and more practical.

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Megyn @Minimalist Mommi February 16, 2012 at 9:05 pm

So jealous of the free decks! I’ve been scouring Goodwill since our son’s birth (almost 4 years now) for a skateboard. It looks amazing!

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Van February 16, 2012 at 10:58 pm

I LOVE the skateboard shelves and all the cute staged domo and Japanese bits 🙂 Clever earring display, too!

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Jo@simplybeingmum February 17, 2012 at 2:47 am

We’re just coming out of baby/toddler stage into proper boy stage with my nearly 4-year old son. Without a doubt these shelves will be making an appearance in his room at some point. They’re amazing! Love it!
How about making a breakfast bar out of a snowboard, or is that just taking it a tad too far? 😉

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Katy February 17, 2012 at 7:20 am

Not too far at all. I’ve seen some really cool items made from snowboards like benches and chairs.

Katy

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fiwa February 17, 2012 at 8:06 am

I love, love, love the earring tray. You are so smart! I am going to keep an eye out for one of my own now.

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Katy February 17, 2012 at 8:13 am

I’m a little in love, love, love with it myself!

Katy

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anexactinglife February 17, 2012 at 8:40 am

Great projects! I <3 Domo, too!

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Ruthie February 18, 2012 at 5:16 pm

I recently made an earring holder for myself, too.

I wear mostly studs, so i just mounted a splatter guard for the kitchen on my wall. 🙂

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SarahN June 24, 2013 at 2:02 pm

Awesome crafting and thrifting! 365lessthings.com just freecycled a stack of skateboards, hopefully they’ll go to uses like this!

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