I am a big fan of DIY and upcycling, and I’ve done a number of projects using yard sale and thrift shop finds to organize my house. I am an avid Pinterester and have a whole board devoted to DIY style. Every time I see a new project make the rounds I want in; I was one of the first to hop on the letterpress-drawer-as-earring-hanger wagon. Recently, I’ve been following all of the clever ways that people organize their jewelry. For a long time, I’ve wanted to figure out a new and unique way to organize my necklaces.
At a yard sale the other day, it finally came to me. I saw an old wooden travel chess set with carved chess pieces, and thought, that could be turned into something amazing.
Here’s a step by step of how I made a chess board necklace organizer.
Step 1: Find a wooden chess set with a wooden board.
The wooden pieces have the heft you need to hang heavier necklaces. You can also drill or nail into the wood if you need it to be even more sturdy.
Step 2: Figure out the configuration of the pieces.
I went with the famous Evergreen Board, although I’m missing a second rook. Depending on the number of necklaces you have, you may want to go with all the pieces, or fewer pieces to allow for maximum hangability.
Step 3: File the bottom of each piece
Epoxy adhesive works best with a little bit of grit, so sand down the bottoms of all the chess pieces.
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Step 4: Use Epoxy adhesive to secure the pieces to the board.
Read the directions carefully, because Epoxy can be tough to work with. Make sure you know where all the pieces are going before you start, or the adhesive may dry before you are finished. The Epoxy will need at least an hour and a half to dry.
Step 5: Mount the chess board on a wall.
I used a simple picture frame wall mount for this.
Step 6: Hang the goods!
This project was so simple to complete and I love the finished product. It’s got me thinking about all kinds of games that this could work with. Parcheesi, anyone?
For an easy alternative version, you could push eye hooks into any game board and work from there.
Oh my gosh, I would so do this with Sorry!
What a great idea for all those sad chess boards that don’t have all the pieces!
This would fit in GREAT with my “grown-up” Alice in Wonderland theme bedroom.
That sounds like an awesome theme! Pictures?
Yes, I think we DEMAND a submission.
Good idea! In the same vein as my current earring-hangers…I have a bit of an earring addiction. I bought embroidery hoops and an old sari in the colours of my bathroom from Value Village, put the fabric into them, cut around it and glued the edges down. The fabric-filled hoops hang on the wall, with pairs of earrings poked through them. It works best with dangly ones but I have studs on there too, just have to lift the hoops to get the backs on and off.
In the same vein, I wanted to have an organized way to hang up my necklaces on the cheap. I just took wire and thumb tacks and created a cool shape on the wall and stuck in the thumbtacks and was able to put up all of my dangling earrings and necklaces. It was time consuming, but it helps keep me organized!