How to make a necklace display

I wanted some displays I could use for a number of necklaces.  In addition, I wanted to be able to store them without having to remove the necklaces and  they had to fit in my plastic tote.

I went to the local hardware store and bought 5 feet of 4 inch drain pipe, three end caps and three knock out caps.  The end caps were over 7 dollars a piece and the knock out caps which I found later at Home Depot  were only 38 cents.  So if you want to save money you can buy the knock out caps for each end.  However, the end caps do add some weight to the bottom of the display.  I have also placed a bean bag inside for more weight.

The pipe was cut into length with a chop saw, but any hand saw would do the job as well. I wanted mine stepped so they were cut 22,20, 18 inches.  The necklaces displayed are on the shortest one. For foam I used a carpet pad which I also purchased at the hardware store.I

First end of pad duct taped to pipe.

My initial thought was to use Contact Cement to glue the carpet pad onto the drainpipe.  However , the carpet pad was pretty stiff so I decided to just use good old duct tape instead.  I rolled the pad around the pipe and cut it to fit.   With the thickness of my carpet pad it turned out to be 17 and a half inches. I then rolled the pipe onto the pad and duct taped the other end..  Not all that attractive, but it is going to be totally covered up by the velvet.

Old velvet curtain that I used in my booth for a number of years came in handy to make a cover for the tube.  The velvet was very slick on the back and also had some stretch to it so it worked perfectly.  After I made the tube, I pulled it over the pipe with foam.  I put some glue along the bottom and top of the foam to hold the velvet.  I cut the velvet long and also tucked it down behind the foam at the top so there was a nice edge.  I wanted the tops to open because I plan on having them double as storage for other jewelry. 

Measuring length and width needed.

Sewing the tube on my old singer sewing  machine

I wasn't happy with the contrast between the white knock out caps and the velvet.  I considered gluing velvet on the caps, but I had run out of glue and just so happened to have some purple spray paint.  So I sprayed some paint on the white tops and called it good enough for now. Might have made another decision if I lived in town, but I live in the back woods and wasn't willing to drive 15 miles to buy glue.

 I used the couple of feet of foam I had left into bracelet displays.  Again I used duct tape and made them into an oval shape.  My bracelets are oval , not round like the bracelet displays I have so they never look quite right on them.  Really look lots better on the oval displays.  Hope this gives you an idea of a way to make a display for yourself.  Love to hear about displays you have made. 

Three displays should hold 20 pieces all together

ReUse as a Way of Life- A tribute

I am old enough to remember the original Earth Day and am wondering what happened to this consciousness. My father started the family recycling in 1969. We washed our cans and flattened them, cleaned glass, saved newspaper. When there was enough to make a trip across town to the recycling center at Portland State, we took them. Having grown up during the Depression Era and WWII my dad believed firmly that resources were precious. The clock radio I received from Santa when I was 12 still sits next to my bed. Sure it is old, but it works so why send it to the landfill. Really, you don't need a new phone, Ipod, gaming system every couple of years. Even the computer I am writing this on is a refurbished model.

My studio is a great example of this philosophy. Years ago I had a hot tub and living in the woods in needed a roof over it to keep out debris from the trees. After giving the hot tub away, we enclosed the structure to make my shop. The windows and door were discards from a neighbors remodel. The wood stove was from another neighbor who was no longer heating with wood. The screen door is from my childhood home and is almost a hundred years old. I cherish the scratch marks in the wood from Susie, my family's dog, who died 40 years ago.

When you throw something away, it just moves to another location. Like my husband annoyingly points out, there isn't another planet we are shipping the toxic garbage to. As I learned from my dad, newer isn't always better. We wouldn't have all those great antiques and vintage items without the preservers of the world.

All I am asking is that you just think about what you are consuming and why. I'd love to hear about your efforts and/or great finds.