Happy 2016!  Mike and I have been a little bored with the lack of major house projects (in the best way possible #hellonetflixqueue), so I've started addressing some of the smaller projects around the house that I’ve wanted to create/improve.

One of those projects is our bedroom closet. As with most houses built in the 1920’s we don’t have an abundance of closet space, so every once in a while I like to assess the things in each closet to determine if they’re working efficiently. This means more than just donating clothes that we don’t wear, I’ve been known to rearrange the organizational system to better suit our needs.

Lately, I’ve been side-eyeing this jewelry display system I made 6-7 years ago.

I used a picture frame and offset some screening with small pieces of wood and used long screws for necklaces to hang from. Obviously, it wasn’t working.

I actually don’t wear jewelry all that much anymore, and one of the reasons is probably because I have no idea what I own, and never wanted to untangle anything! I saw this system from Etsy and thought it was clean and stylish.

Via

The price was a little steep for what I was willing to pay, and I knew I had all the materials, but the hooks, already in the garage. I bought a package of brass hooks at Home Depot and made my own.

I’m not going to give exact directions, but I think it’s pretty easy to interpret how it’s made. On the other hand, I did use some power tools and definitely see that there is a market out there for those that don’t feel like making it yourselves!

Now I can see all my necklaces and dangly earrings (my stud earrings sit in an ceramic egg crate in the guest room) and my necklaces aren’t at risk of becoming a tangled knot!

I liked that I was pretty much able to divide my necklaces between delecate and statement so that the delecate chains weren’t at risk of breakage. 

I used Command Velcro strips and the top two are perfect, while the weight of my statement necklaces on the bottom pulled it towards the wall. Nothing major, and it stayed on the wall, just something worth noting.

When I mentioned this project to my mom she loved the idea so much she made herself a couple as well!  You can check out her's here, as well as unique storage idea for her stud earrings.

I also cleaned out the closet by purging and relocating things like heavy coats to the appropriate closet downstairs. We only keep my dresses and Mike’s more formal wear, or things like his lederhosen, so this closet doesn’t get that much use, but it is nice to know behind the door is more organized!  Before my quick overhaul:

Now, the hangers actually have space to move so I can see what I own, and Mike got rid of some truly bad jackets that he hasn’t worn since his first round of interviews straight out of college!  A win all around!

This is a tiny closet, and the lighting is the worst, so Mike suggested we add some stick on lights that were motion activated.  We bought these from Amazon, and they’ve become my favorite “never knew I needed in my life” item in here.  They don’t stay on for more than 15 seconds if you aren’t moving, which can be annoying if you’re like me and sometimes get outfit paralisis and need to look at every dress you own before making a decision, but it’s pefect for for sticking your arm in and seeing the right dress you’re looking for.

The funny thing is, when I was taking these photos yesterday, the light wasn’t going off so I thought I’d pop it off the wall to see if I needed to replace the batteries. There was a magnectic strip taped to the wall and the light easily popped off, I thought Mike had added that and thought he was a genious.  But, when he came home he was seriously confused when he thought I had ripped the light+adhesive off. Turns out, he had no idea that there was a magnetic strip as well!

It means that if we need a flashlight to look inside the bins (we have one in our office closet as well) we can pop the light off and use it handheld. We’ve owned these for about 4 months and never knew this!

Who knew adding a new jewelry system, a light, and a quick cleanout could make me so happy?  There’s something about opening a closet and seeing an organized system that makes me feel like a real accomplished adult (because most of the time I definetly don’t feel that way!).  And, all for less than $20! I should probably take this triumphant feeling and start on another closet soon!