I’ve been on the lookout for a printer drawer to do this project. There are plenty on E-bay, but with inflated costs and shipping to boot, I wanted a little cheaper option to get this done. On a flea Market Saturday with my Mom in Jacksonville I came across a bunch of salvaged printer’s drawers marked $20 each. With a little wheeling and dealing I took home this little beauty for $15. Not too bad…

Somehow I just couldn’t keep the spray paint put up long enough to get a decent before picture – but here’s it almost like new.

 

 

In order to do this project you won’t need too much. Just a really good primer, like Zinnser’s Cover Stain Primer here. There was old printer dust on this piece that I just couldn’t clean off and I didn’t want it seeping through my bright white finish. I used Gloss White paint and a clear matte sealer since that’s what I had on hand. Anytime you’re painting a low grit sanding block and clean cloth are a must, so I had some of those on hand too. To hold the jewelry you’ll need some eye hooks and cup hooks. Those are easy enough to find at any hardware store or online.

I sanded down the piece with my sanding block, especially on the fronts and sides, and applied MANY light coats of primer. You’ll have to try lots of different angles and layers to get full coverage. Think about all the surface area created by these nooks and crannies…

Finish up with many more coats of your desired paint color and then 2 coats of sealer once it is fully dry. Next you’ll need your eye hooks and and cup hooks. The eye hooks I picked were all silver and the cup hooks only came in brass…not the mixed look I was going for…so I decided to paint the cup hooks silver before installing. I used my old worn out sanding block to hold them in place while I painted which made painting them quick and easy.

Then you’ll need to get your drill out and start making a plan for your hangers. On the skinnier cubbies I just put one eye hook to hold a single earring. On some of the larger cubbies I added a cup hook for bracelets, watches, and necklaces. Cup hooks in the small crannies are also perfect for rings…so it just depends what you’ll want to display when you are all done. I had help drilling all the holes…its amazing what you can get done if you agree to leave the tv on sports all night long so we pre-drilled the holes where needed using a power drill and 1/16th bit.

A good tip is to find some way to keep the spinning part on the drill from actually touching your drawer. It will rub off the paint in a second!

Don’t forget to add cup hooks to each side and the bottom of your drawer if you want to hold longer necklaces easily. Once you get it mounted you can tuck your post earrings into any of the unused crannies like a shelf…just make sure it is somewhere it won’t get bumped!

Now I just need to remodel my closet so I have the perfect place to hang it…til then it’s going on my bathroom wall.