BULLETIN BOARD TURNS OUT TO BE A GREAT JEWELRY KEEPER

A few years back, I got myself one of those girly, fabric-covered bulletin boards, criss-crossed with ribbons. I used it for displaying photos of my husband and me on our world travels. Then the children came along, and their photos took over the bulletin board. Little did I know that eventually the kids would push me to put that bulletin board to an entirely new use.

One night, I was putting my coat in the bedroom at a party and I noticed that my host was using one of these bulletin boards as a jewelry organizer. I liked the way it compelled her necklaces to do double duty as wall decoration when they weren’t on her neck, so I filed the idea away in the back of my mind.

Well, when baby number three arrived in our home, the top of my bedroom dresser became a changing table. With no storage surfaces available in the bedroom, keeping a jewelry box became a luxury I couldn’t afford.

Although I’ve long since forgotten that party host’s identity, I remembered her idea and put it into practice. I inserted a row of pushpins at the top of my bulletin board, and hung one necklace from each pushpin. Matching earrings hang from the ribbon alongside the necklace.

I find that I like this storage method much better than keeping jewelry in a box, where the necklaces would become tangled and I would rarely be able to locate an earring’s twin. I’m now much more likely to put on jewelry before going out, because my pretty things are always out and ready for use. And I still have room on the bulletin board for a few pics of the kids, off to the side.

That bulletin board from Bed, Bath & Beyond was probably one of my least expensive home purchases, but it has had more staying power than many more expensive but ultimately less useful items.

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