When I was younger, I used to have the most fabulous earring collection of all my friends. Everyone said so. From chunky to chandelier, sparkly to sassy, I had them all. I loved earrings. They are the perfect accessory to dress-up even the most casual of outfits. But then, sometime in the middle of last year, I found myself wearing the same three or four pairs of earrings, over and over and over again. This was because I couldn't ever find any of my earrings in the morning before I left for work! I could always find one of them, but finding the match was just too time consuming when I was already running late, so I just threw on the nearest pair and left. That's when I realized I needed to organize my earrings. And you can do it, too. It's easy!
What You'll Need
In order to organize your earrings, you'll need a system for organizing. Some people like to use earring trees or other appropriate statue-like figures. However, if you're like me and have way too many earrings for a single earring tree, you'll need something a little bigger. I chose a mesh stackable paper tray from a local department store, but you can use anything that is mesh and is big enough to hold all of your earrings. Old window screens or even pieces of lace work really well as long as they're framed. You'll also need your choice of hooks, wall adhesive, or a stand to place your finished organizer on.
What To Do
First, you'll want to start out by organizing all of your earrings and getting them into pairs. Sit at a larger table or on the floor, dump all of your earrings out, and go to it! Put them all in pairs. If there are any earrings you can't find a mate to, you can put those aside in a special box in case the mate shows up unexpectedly. Additionally, it might be a good time to repair any broken earrings or donate any earrings you no longer want to a reputable charity.
Next, take your mesh "organizer." Start by putting all of the smaller earrings with posts on the mesh. Be sure they are secured by poking the post through the mesh, then secure the back of the earring to the post. Hang pairs of earrings next to each other. Next, hang the dangly earrings on the mesh by putting the hooks or posts through the mesh and securing the backs to the posts, if necessary. Be sure to leave enough space for the earrings to hang down and not scratch each other. Hoop earrings can be secured to hang off the side so you don't bend the hoop. Leverback earrings can be secured to hang off the bottom so the lever can be closed.
If you want to organize your earrings by color or shape, rather than size, that's a great idea, too. That way, you'll be sure to find the earrings you want right away.
Once all of your earrings are on the mesh, you can choose to hang your jewelry on the wall using your choice of hanging hooks or wall adhesive. If you're not a fan of punching holes in your walls or ripping off paint or wallpaper, you can purchase or make a stand to lean your earring organizer against to have it stand wherever you want it.
Not only is this a great way to organize your earrings to be sure you never lose another pair again, it's a fantastic way to add some sparkle to your wall!
