Jewelry Jumble No More

One of the hazards side effects of being on TV is a sore neck. Let me explain: my viewers only see me from the waist up. So I feel compelled to make my upper half visually interesting. Costume jewelry plays a big part in that. But costume jewelry, especially statement necklaces, are FREAKING HEAVY. So it's literally become a pain in the neck

You know what else is a pain in the neck? How messy and tangled my jewelry collection has become. I got this little jewelry armoire many years ago, when the necklace styles were much... smaller and tamer. In theory, it was a good solution. But my collection has since outgrown it, as you can see from these photos.

Your OCD super-organized spouse can only complain so many times about the pig sty in the corner before it becomes a fight trigger. So for the sake of my marriage, I started researching jewelry organizing solutions. There are plenty of cute DIY options on Pinterest... using everything from cheese graters to paper towel holders.

These are all gorgeous!  But I have hundreds of pieces of jewelry, so none of these crafty solutions would work for me. I then turned to Amazon, the seller of everything under the sun. Surely there would be a nifty doodad that solve my #firstworldproblem.

 

A lot of them were highly rated, but this $59.99 Longstem Organizer had five stars and looked the most promising, with 38 hooks to hold 300 pieces. It's pricey, and doesn't even qualify for free Prime shipping, but I was desperate. As soon as it arrived in the mail, my husband was so eager to get my bathroom counter de-cluttered, that he busted out the drill to help me mount it on the wall in our closet.

It's quite tall. 29 x 4 x 20 inches  and 7 pounds. We used the included brackets and anchors to mount it on the wall. It also includes over-the-door hangers, but our doors are too tall to use it that way. My only complaint, it covers the light switch.

 The steel frame is very sturdy, and it comes in a bronze coat or white. But the true test: would it hold everything and display it in a pleasing and accessible way?

 Sounds crazy, but it took me hours to sort through and hang, as well as purge unwanted pieces. But in doing so, I discovered:

1. A long-lost diamond earring stud
2.Many necklaces I had forgotten about
3. And that I need more jewelry. Just kidding honey!

But after painstakingly putting everything in its place, I was really happy to see that lo and behold, everything fit. Some of the back hooks aren't as easily accessible, you have to reach

between stuff hanging in the front. Some other cons: if your earrings are post earrings, it's a little tricky putting the backs on from behind. The plastic tray for rings/brooches is a little shallow, so it doesn't hold as much as I'd like.

But overall, I'm thrilled with this organizer. Every morning, I can clearly see my accessorizing options. This makes a big difference when I'm rushing to get out the door, and every minute counts.


Now on to my pantry. Anyone got any good organizing ideas for that space?