Come see how I made a beautiful DIY jewelry organizer from a $5 thrift store vintage spoon rack!

When I was cleaning & organizing our master bedroom the other day, I realized I was in desperate need of a new way to store my jewelry. It was getting out of hand and I was losing things left and right! I thought it would be fun to upcycle something into an easy DIY jewelry organizer. When I found this vintage spoon rack at Value Village I knew it was the perfect piece to start with! Not many people use spoon racks anymore, so you can often find them at the thrift store. Instead of a useless piece of wood, I wanted to turn one into something truly useful!

How I made my upcycled jewelry hanger

I began the upcycle by removing one of the brackets (shelves? spoon grippers? I have no idea what they're called!). Then, I gave the spoon rack a coat of white chalk paint. After that dried, I applied a second coat of paint. Next, I distressed the spoon rack with 220 grit sandpaper. I ran the sandpaper over the edges and top detail of the piece to give it a vintage, worn look.

I also drilled some small holes on the top shelf with my drill so that I could hang a row of earrings:

Finally, I added a rustic rope hanger to the top of the jewelry organizer in place of the original hardware. Using a drywall anchor and a screw, I mounted the jewelry holder to my bedroom wall. (You can also put a screw right into studs to hang this.) I was able to transform this $5 thrift find into a beautiful and functional piece for my jewelry!

The second shelf serves as a spot for my mid-length necklaces and bracelets. My long necklaces hang off the bottom shelf. This is a fantastic alternative to a jewelry box because it keeps my accessories up and off my surfaces and out of my dresser drawers. It also looks beautiful on my wall! I love that it's not only a necklace holder, but an earring holder as well.

I adore how this piece turned out, and don't you think all its pretty carved details were MEANT for chalk style paint and distressing?! The French Country, rustic glam look is stunning and suits my bedroom decor perfectly.

And now that my daughters have seen my DIY wall jewelry organizer hanging in my room, they all want one too. So I'm on the lookout for more vintage spoon racks!

Watch my YouTube video below to see how I made this jewelry organizer from start to finish:

Floral Jewelry Organizer Variation

Update!

I DID find more spoon racks, and I've made a few more of these DIY jewelry holders! Making these has turned into one of my favourite crafts and upcycles of all time. Here's one that I made with chalk style paint and floral embellishments:

To make this one, I cut out some floral motifs from some napkins I had on hand. After I painted and distressed this spoon rack, I applied some matte Mod Podge and smoothed the floral motifs over top. Then, I applied a second coat of mod podge over the napkins and let that dry.

More DIY Jewelry Storage Ideas:

• Staple some chicken wire to the back of a thrifted picture frame to hang hook earrings on your wall. This also makes a pretty earring display on the top of your dresser or nightstand. If you want to display stud earrings, use a finer mesh or lace fabric in place of the chicken wire.
• Use some tacks and fabric to upcycle an old bulletin board into a unique jewelry display. Check out my instructions for that right here!
• Mount some wooden knobs onto a piece of scrap wood (driftwood would be pretty!). Spray paint it if you want a pop of colour. Hang this on the wall, and hang necklaces or bracelets on the knobs.
• Turn dollar store cutlery trays into jewelry organizers using paint and crystal knobs. I've shared how to do this in this blog post.
• These DIY jewelry organizers can be hung in your bedroom, but also consider hanging them in your bathroom or a walk-in closet.

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DIY Jewelry Organizer Tutorial

Yield: 1 Jewelry Organizer

Active Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours

Difficulty: Intermediate

Estimated Cost: $15

Learn how to make a beautiful DIY jewelry organizer from a thrift store vintage spoon rack.

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Materials

• thrifted wooden spoon rack
• chalk style paint
• Mod Podge (optional)
• floral napkins (optional)
• dollar store twine (optional)
• small cup hooks (optional)

Tools

• pliers
• paint brush
• 220 grit sandpaper
• drill

Instructions

1. Begin by removing one or two of the spoon rack brackets if desired to create room for longer necklaces. Use pliers and sand the rack afterwards if needed.
2. Paint the spoon rack with some chalk style paint. Once the first coat is dry, paint another coat over top and so on as needed.
3. Once the paint is completely dry, gently sand any edges and carving areas of the spoon rack for a distressed look.
4. Optional: cut out a couple of floral motifs from a napkin. Apply Mod Podge onto portions of the spoon rack and gently smooth the napkin motifs over the Mod Podge. Apply a second layer of Mod Podge over the napkins and let it dry.
5. Using a drill, drill small holes into the top of the top bracket on the rack. Create multiples of two to store hook earrings. I drilled 16 holes on mine, but your spoon rack may be a different size. (Alternatively, you could screw some small cup hooks into the bottom of one of the brackets to hang earrings.)
6. Replace the original rack hanger with twine if desired for a rustic look.
7. Hang the jewelry organizer on your wall, and hang earrings, necklaces and bracelets on the brackets. Enjoy!