I love DIY

I've been itching at my desk of late, longing to get out of my little cubby and go create! I have so many ideas swirling around in my head, and I'm determined to try every one of them. Inspired by Design*Sponge's DIY series...I've decided to share my own DIY projects with all of you beautiful people.

First project...a case for my jewels:

Things you'll need:

Unfinished wooden shadow box: I purchased my box at Michaels craft store

Fabric: You'll need a swatch that is 1.5 inches larger (on all 4 sides) then your shadow box
Stain/Paint : I used Miniwax's stain/poly eurothane combo in Antique Walnut
Paint Brush
Cork Board: it may be difficult to find a cork board that will fit inside of the shadow box. I bought cork board squares and cut them to fit.
Push Pins
Drawer Pull/Knob: I purchased mine from Anthropologie's lovely collection
Spray Adhesive
Painter's Tape
Screw Driver
E6000 or other strong permanent adhesive
Foam Brush

Step 1: Prepare your shadow box
Carefully remove hinges from the shadow box, and place in a safe place. Using the painter's tape, line the window pane so that your stain/paint won't damage the glass


Step 2: Paint/Stain You Box
Set up your area, making sure to cover all areas with a drop cloth or plastic (don't want to ruin your stuff!). Following the manufacturer's instructions, paint or stain your box. Be sure to cover all sides. It is not necessary to cover the base of the box, as you'll be covering it with the fabric and cork board. I did 2 coats of the Antique Walnut stain and although not perfect, I think it looks just fabulous. I think I'd like to do another box, but next time painting it in a fabulous hi-gloss paint.

When the the stain/paint is dry, remove your painter's tape from the glass. Some of the stain made it's way through my tape, so I used a razor blade to remove the bits of dried stain.

Step 3: Preparing the Cork Board and Fabric
As I mentioned above, it may be difficult to find a cork board big enough to cover the inside of the shadow box. I cut my cork board squares (with a rotary cuter) to fit with a little room on each side taking into account that you will be covering the cork board.

Next, iron your fabric out so it is nice and smooth. With right side facing down, spray the wrong side of fabric with spray adhesive, and place your cork board pieces on top as centered as possible and press into place. Next, fold each side of remaining fabric to the cork board one side at a time.

With your permanent adhesive and your foam brush, paint a layer of glue onto the bottom of your shadow box.

Insert your fabric covered cork board and press firmly.


Step 4: Attaching the knob
This step is a bit tricky. Because the frame of the shadow box is not very thick, I needed to cut the stem of the knob down. I used a pair of wire cutters and it did the job fine. Next, measure half the distance of the long side of the frame (the side opposite to where the hinges are connected), and mark with a pen. To drill the hole for your knob, I found it best to use a self-drilling hook (like one you would use to hang a plant from on your porch) instead of an actual drill. That way you have more control, and can feel when you're getting close to the other side of the frame. Once you've drilled your hole and unscrewed the hook, screw your knob in to the hole.


Step 5: Putting the pieces together
Just a couple more things to do before you're all done.
Re-attach the the hinges to your box and frame. Make sure you have the hinges going in the right direction. First time I put the hinges back on,they were all wrong...lesson learned. haha.

Next, place your push pins wherever you'd like!

I like using push pins with the cork board because you can change the push pins positions if you need to.

Voila! You have a beautiful piece to showcase your jewelry

Besides the drying time...this project took me a couple afternoons to complete. I hope this little tutorial has been helpful...I'd LOVE to see pictures if you decide to try this one out!

Happy Crafting!