As any self proclaimed fashionista, you have probably amassed a whole collection of accessories throughout the years from travel, shopping, gifts etc. When you get something new, the old is usually forgotten.
Unless its jewels, precious stones, pearls, gold or diamonds (which requires special storage with specific TLC to the items), do NOT save it for special occasions. Trinkets/Jewelry today are very easily and widely available. So, wear it whenever it suits! Use it, don’t keep it.
A jewelry box is highly practical to store it all. And, if you are anything like me, the jewelry box will be stored with all these trinkets, tucked safely away and hardly opened. And sometimes, forgotten. Thing is, I am not one to rummage through a box for a pair of earrings (which most of the time I’ll find half of the pair) or a specific bracelet (which gets tangled up with something else) when I am rushing off to anywhere!
To maximize the wear of all of your trinkets, organize it where you can SEE IT ALL in one go. When its in a box, you don’t see it ALL. So, the chances are, you will just use whatever you see on the top of the box. And also, organize it. Either by size, colour (personal recommendation) or type. Whichever suits you. And if you have A LOT of it, then rotate it batch by batch every month or two.
Of course, today you can easily find the earring and bracelet hangers in the malls, in form of a doll, it’s a decorative item on its own. I find it to be more to be more for aesthetic purposes than practical. After all, how many bracelets can you hang on the doll hanger anyway before one of the arm breaks?
Personally, I hang my earrings on the rim of a martini glass. I find it easy to locate the pair I’m looking for with by just turning the glass. The wider the rim of the glass, the more you earrings you can hang. And it looks decorative by itself.
As for my bangles and bracelets, I use a coffee mug holder. I find it very sturdy that I can pile on it and not worry if it breaks or topples over. If you are good with paints, you can decorate the holder too.
As for necklaces, I have a jewelry tree (found in Ikea) given to me by a friend. Its high enough to neatly hang my necklaces without getting it twisted together.
So here are some alternatives on storing and organizing your trinkets, specifically for bracelet, anklets, earrings and necklaces. If you have any ideas, feel free to share.
- If you have the space and $$$ to burn, then I suggest building a customized accessory cupboard/drawer/table. The most inspiration that I got for this is from the Forever 21 outlet in Pavillion, KL.
- Ikea has a good range of compartmentalized storage solution. Shop around, to suit your needs.
- Tie hangers comes very handy to organize necklaces and bracelet. Alternative to tie hangers, try scarf hangers. You can sort it by colours, and hang in with your clothes in your wardrobe. Makes it easier and convenient to match ;) Another plus point is that it doesn’t tangle, makes storing really long necklaces easy.
- Get a photo frame, sturdy one, height and width of your choice. Nail down or glue cross stitch fabric and the back of the frame and hook your earrings to it. And hang the frame on your wall. Not only you get your trinket organized, it’s like art on your wall :) If you have some unique pieces that is outdated, get it hung on a thicker frame with a glass cover then hang it up. In ten years, it comes back to trend. Very practical for earrings or bracelets.
- Orgainze the smaller pieces in ice cube trays. Best part is that its stackable and takes up a small space on your dresser. Stud earrings are better organized in this. Again, if you are artsy, go wild to decorate the trays.
- Get a notice board, hang it up. Organize push pins on it. Hang earrings & bracelet on it. If you are worried of dust settling on your favorite pieces, organize it in zip lock bags and pin it onto the board (tho its not aesthetically pleasing). For earrings, you can hook it on name cards before sliding it onto the zip lock bags. As for hanging heavier bracelet/necklace, try getting the small hooks from your local hardware shop.
- If you have a drawer for all your jewelry you can try fitting in a compartmentalized canvas (that I remember seeing in Ikea). Or, you can cut out sturdy cardboard fitting your drawer dimensions to create compartments. If that is too tough, then I suggest arranging small clear containers (ie, the one you find from the local tau fu fah stall) into the drawers for instant compartments. Best part of the clear containers is that its removable by piece from the drawer. But use it for larger pieces such has chunky bangles or arm cuff, or chunky necklaces. Works with cocktail rings too. It’s a breeze storing your sets in this manner your bracelet won’t go MIA from the necklace. Be wary with the smaller items tho, you may create a messy compartment.
- For studs, organize it by pinning it through a ribbon. Its your choice to hang it ala a clothes line or just tying it up on a hook somewhere ;) It works for light brooches as well.
- Install hooks at the back of your cupboard door for necklaces or bracelets.
- If you have more mugs that you care to have, hook on your earrings around the rim then use the mug to hold all your makeup brushes.
Pick the ideas that suit your habits, space and your jewelry pieces. The bottom line is, as long its within your vision when you get dressed, you will tend to experiment with the trinkets better, use it more often and also rotate the pieces. You may be pleasantly surprised, on how well some pieces can look good with another when otherwise, it wouldn’t occur to you to match them together. One good thing about jewelry is that its not as trend centric as fashion. Even if the magazine dictates that chunky bangle is last season/decade/yesterday, but if it rocks your outfit, then by all means.
Try it.
Disclaimer: The author will not be held responsible when the tiny fingers of an inquisitive child finds its way to playing with well displayed and organized trinkets. Nor will she entertain any complaints of missing tie hangers from the male species. However, fair warning, do be prepared for the “oooohs” and “ahhhhs” from girlfriends.
No comments:
Post a Comment