i know many of you are likely thinking about the holiday season (i hope it’s a realllly good one for everyone!).  i know i used to bring in more jewelry items – because men love to buy jewelry for the ladies (and the ladies like to buy it for each other and themselves).  no one has to worry about sizes and fit – and it’s romantic besides.

so if your cases are full and you’re looking for creative ways to display additional merchandise – here are a few tips:

1.  cocktail glasses.  use them from home, flea markets, goodwill or home stores.  they’re lovely for draping a necklace, hanging earrings or filling with pretty beaded things.  light shines through – so everything sparkles!  plus- the right sort of glass adds a festive touch to your displays.

(by the way – these earrings are from J. Balducci - i don’t know if she still makes these – but they’re fab.  check out the rest of her pretties!)

2.  picture frames.  i’m visiting my sister-in-laws in St. Louis as i type and of course i’m checking out the local shops.  i went in one yesterday that had a boat-load of jewelry and they had hot pink baroque frames filled with jewels by each designer laying flat on a table.  i thought this is great if you have the space.  also cute hanging from a wall.  you can use any style of frame that suits your look, paint it any color you like and use cork or canvas or mesh screen to hang your jewels.  cover in a paper for an original look (but try not to make it too busy – you don’t want the jewelry to compete with the paper).

here’s one from a cool site i discovered called Cut Out + Keep:

3.  plastic shapes:  i used to go to Tap Plastics and have them cut blocks of clear lucite into different sized squares.  Carlo – my window wonder man – taught me this trick.  Once you have your blocks, you can cut out paper to fit and tape on the bottom – you’ll see a hint of color through the top and lots of light will shine through.  then you can place one item or small groupings on top – depending on the size and shape.  i love a tiny square with one ring.  very chic, classy and modern.

 4.  beans and bowls.  if you go to your local grocery store, you’ll find a treasure trove of great jewelry display items:  dried peas, white beans, black beans, lentils – you get the idea.  simply fill up a bowl or tray and lay out your lovelies.

that’s all i have for now.  please share your great ideas for jewelry display!

i love being me.  i have a great business acumen, i think i’m a pretty stylish and fun gal, and i’m thrilled that being a mom seems to come pretty naturally.  but oh how i wish i was a craftier person!  i get giddy when i see what other folks create and yet – i seemed to have missed the boat when those skills were passed out.  thank goodness for gals like Mallory aka MissMalaprop.  not only does she report on wonderful indie designers – but she has amazing creative skills to create DIY yumminess.  and did i mention she’s friend of the earth!  that makes me happy.  so without further ado – here’s MissMalaprop reporting on ideas for sustainable & eco-friendly displays.

 

I also love the idea of using vintage suitcasesfor displaying jewelry, small accessories, or even cards and stationery. Most vintage suitcases have some sort of fabric lining that’s great for hanging earrings on or attaching hooks and pins for hanging other jewelry pieces. If you’re going to be doing traveling shows or local events to help promote your business, suitcases do double duty as both display at the event and storage to and from. Both Etsy and eBay, as well as your local thrift stores and flea markets, can be great sources for affordable vintage suitcases. (note from Kate:  how cute are these for a kids store or area?)

Clothing racks are another fixture where the recycled possibilities are endless. I’ve seen great displays done with fallen tree branches strung up from the ceiling with sturdy chain. At home, my landlord used recycled metal piping for our closets, and it’s a subtle touch that I love. Most areas have hardware salvage stores where you can find unique fixtures taken from demolished older homes.

These salvage stores can also be a great location to find vintage chandeliers and lighting fixtures. The store I used to work for, Trashy Diva, used vintage chandeliers to bring a great retro ambiance to the shop, which specialized in clothing based on styles from the 1930s-1950s. I also found another ingenious tutorial on Instructables for building an  eye-catching lighting fixture using tumbleweeds or fallen branches and LED Christmas lights. Brilliant!

There really is no limit to what you can do with a little imagination. Vintage and recycled materials bring charm and can often be found for cheaper than new fixtures and displays. Keep an open mind while you browse your local thrift stores and flea markets, and you never know what you might find to transform your store!

thank you MissMalaprop for your great ideas!  i’d love to hear your ideas for recycled or DIY displays.