For months I have been plagued with how to organize my belts. I've had several ideas floating around, but none of them seem to stick. You see the problem is that belts are not a go to clothing accessory for me. Unlike earrings or a necklace in where I feel totally naked without them. I have so many things in my closet I forget that things exist, especially when they're tucked away in a box or drawer somewhere. In my old apartment I had my belts hanging behind the door. Behind = forgotten. I really wanted to make my belts not only organized but easily visible.
Now, I can't take total credit for this idea. Actually my friend Connie is who put the bug in my ear. We were at the Dogwood Festival, and there is a vendor who sells these really cool colorful belts. The vendor had the the belts rolled up in an acrylic case, and stacked in a wooden structure. I forget the exact conversation, but somewhere Connie said those magical words..."You can make one of these". What?! Lightbulb! And just like that, right then and there, the project was in the works. Oh and I can't forget Sarah who then kindly points out how easily it would be to find clear boxes online or at the Container Store. See these are the kind of friends I have. When I'm not thinking about it they put the idea in the air, and I can't help but to just run with it.
As soon as I got home I got online to search for acrylic boxes. Unfortunately they were very difficult to find the size and type I needed. I found plenty of clear gift boxes but I questioned whether or not those would hold up over time. I ended up at the Container Store and found exactly what I was looking for. They were clear, hard acrylic and 4"x 4" in size. They were $3 a piece which was little more then what I wanted to spend, but I figured the boxes were an investment and could be used for lots of other things too.
Originally, I counted 20 belts so I picked up 18 boxes. Some of my belts are skinny and could be stored together in one box. I also wanted a couple of extra for growth. Unfortunately when I got home I realized I miscounted. There were 26 belts not 20. So I actually ended up using all but 2 of the boxes.
Now to create the actual frame. For this project I used scrap wood that I already had in the garage. Unfortunately not all of the pieces were long enough, so in some cases I glued 2 pieces together, and added wood filler to blend the line. Then I set up my Miter saw to make 45 degree cuts to all of the edges to create seamless joins. The inside frame was 30" x 8 1/4".
Once all the pieces were cut I did a construction check. I wanted to make sure everything fit perfectly before gluing and painting.
I decided to paint the pieces before I put it together just to make it easier. I used left over paint that I had from the color I used when I refaced my bookshelves (this project) in the living room.
I gave everything 2 coats of paint and let them dry over night. The next day I used wood glue to adhere all of the pieces together. I used my L ruler when gluing to make sure I created a perfect rectangle. After a few hours of drying I added the middle piece. It was midnight and I strive to be a nice neighbor, so I didn't want to break out the saw. Instead I used my hand saw. Definitely will not happen very often though. *Can you say hard work* I've gotten spoiled. I sawed and sawed and it still came out crooked. So I went to bed.
The next day I broke out the power saw and rectified my crooked cut. I gave the whole piece a good sanding and added wood filler to smooth out the grooves and spaces in the wood.
I let it dry and gave it one final sanding. I turned it right side up to do a final construction check
I was pretty excited by this point. I could see the vision coming alive. With the construction done I gave the whole piece it's final coat of paint. I waited until the end to paint the front so I could fill in all of the cracks and make it look like one solid piece from the front.
Only thing left to do now was add the backing and I had a completed project. I probably could have gone without one. However, I didn't want the boxes to slide backwards. I used poster board and cut it to size, then used panel nails to secure it. I used white instead of gray backing because I wanted to create lightness around the belts and make them stand out more.
And now I have my very own Belt Display!
LOVE! I'm actually more so excited about this project. I have been pondering belt storage for awhile. To finally have a finished project just gives me absolute tingles. I went upstairs and screwed in a wall anchor and a screw. It wasn't too heavy but I would rather be safe than sorry, and with the addition of the boxes I wanted extra security. Originally it was suppose to be propped up against the wall, but I found a small space that I thought it would look great in.
Add the belts...
I must say, I love it even more with the belts in it. In the realm of home projects, it is one of the easiest ones I've done to date. Just a couple pieces of wood and some paint. Oh and I figured since I have a new belt display why not make a new belt to go in it. HA!
How many people saw that coming? A friend of mine gave me a few pieces of scrap leather a couple of years ago. I have been meaning to use it to make a belt but never actually did. I figured now was as good a time as any.
So now I have a new belt display, and a new belt to put in it! Maybe next I'll make a dress to wear the belt with...hmmmmm. That is an idea. *Let's add that to list* For right now I have enough going on though. I am proud to say I am finally working on the return of TM.Originals. For awhile I've been so ingrained in house stuff that I put that to the side. I finally have real inspiration to get back to it, so I have. I finished the first piece this weekend. So stay tuned. Until then...it's on to the next project.
No comments:
Post a Comment