Sunday, April 28, 2013

Altered Jewelry Displays


I mentioned in a previous post that I was working on some altered jewelry displays.  Well I finally finished them last week and am sharing them with you now.

I started out with a pretty lavender glass vase, a plain white candle holder and two inexpensive plain white lampshades.


Next, I cut the covering from the shade leaving just the metal frame.


Using E-6000 glue, I attached the metal lampshade frame to the lavender glass vase.


The metal frame will be used to hang jewelry from.  But then I thought I could add something to the top of the vase to give more room for hanging more jewelry.  So I added a small clear glass vase using the same E-6000 glue.


This design will allow me to use the wire frame for longer items such as necklaces and the small clear glass for small items such as earrings.  Here it is displaying some of my necklaces:



But after looking at it for a couple of days, I decided it looked a bit plain.  So I decided to embellish it a bit.  I spray painted the lavender vase with Frosted Glass giving it a bit of an old look.  Then I used a cranberry acrylic paint for the clear glass piece ... for this I poured the paint into the glass, swirled it around, then turned it upside down on some newspaper and cardboard to let the excess drain.

Looking better, but still looked unfinished.  So I used twine to wrap around the metal frame giving it a less sterile look, then finished it with some pretty red ribbon bows.  Here's the finished design.


As for the plain white candle holder I showed at the beginning of the post, I sprayed it with a metallic paint in a soft silver color, then finished it much like the piece above with a small glass vase, lampshade frame, and twine.  Here are the two pieces together:


And here is the lavender design holding some of my necklaces:


I also photographed several more of my recently altered glass jewelry displays.  I found some clear glass vases at a local thrift store for $1.00 each and painted one with frosted glass for a vintage look, and the other with a mirror finish for a deco kind of look.  I did not take "before" pictures, but here they are after I painted them along with my other two designs from above.





These designs are now being used to display some of my jewelry at Ruby's Gift in Charlotte, NC.  Hope you will visit if you are in the area!

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Irene





















10 comments:

  1. Yeah, great job and so unique!! What a good way to display your earrings too, I love the frosted glass look.

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    1. Thank so much Betsy. They turned out quite differently than how I imagined them from the beginning, but that's the fun of doing a project like this - to let it evolve.
      Thanks for visiting!
      Irene

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  2. Hi Irene, What a wonderful way to display your pretty designer jewelry. So clever and the colors with the frosted glass is so striking.
    I would love to visit in Charlotte and come to your boutique.
    Happy Designing,
    Hugs, CM

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    1. Thanks so much Celestina Marie. If you ever travel to Charlotte, Ruby's Gift is definitely a place to visit!

      Irene

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  3. Irene, What a unique idea, it's a perfect way to display jewelry, I would have never thought to use a lamp shade...Very clever

    Carol

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    1. Thanks so much Carol. It truly has worked out well for displaying my jewelry ... am always looking for a unique and space saving way for displays as my "booth" is fairly small in the shop where this jewelry is being sold. This idea evolved out of a need to create a "vertical" type display.

      Thanks again for visiting!
      Irene

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  4. Great idea, Irene. I like how you gained height with the vase. Perfect for your necklaces.

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    1. Thanks Maggie. Yes I needed something vertical for my small booth in the Charlotte shop, and that is why I started making this display. I must say it "evolved" and ended up quite different from my original idea. But that's half the fun of doing a project like this.

      Thanks for visiting!
      Irene

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  5. I love using unusual glass pieces for jewellery display! I think it looks very romantic with a vintage twist, lovely photographs too!

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    1. Yes, I love using glass. Thank you for visiting and commenting!
      Irene

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