Link Goodies #7
Monthly Inspiration: Palma de Mallorca
6 Unique Hanging Planters for your Home
DIY Hanging Jewelry Organizer
Today I'm going to show you how to make your very own hanging jewelry organizer. I have aquired a lot costume jewelry over the years and although I do have an organizer that I was hanging my jewelry from, the problem was that the necklaces were too long and they'd get bunched up on my dresser. There was no way to hang earings, even though I don't have that many, and there was no way to find my bracelets. What I ended up doing was not wearing my jewelry at all because it wasn't displayed neatly in front of me. Or I'd end up trying to untangle my necklaces before work.
I knew that I could buy a similar one online but they were pretty expensive and I knew could just make it myself. I had a leftover cabinet door from one of my previous projects when I showed you how to make a DIY Cabinet Door Chalkboard. I set off to finding the materials that I needed to build my hanging jewelry organizer.
What You Will Need:
1) Hammer
To break the glass in the cabinet and hammer nails into the wall to hang your organizer.
2) Gold Screw Hooks
These can be whatever color they come in but the color scheme I was going for was gold and white and these just so happened to come in gold.
3) Measuring Tape
I used this to measure and make sure the hooks were even with each other.
4) Grill Mat or Screen
I chose to use this grill mat instead of a screen because it was flexible and easy to cut. It was also heavy duty enough to hold up my jewelry organizer onto the wall.
5) Staple Gun
For stapling the grill mat to the frame.
6) Drill and Drill Bits
For drilling holes where your screw hooks will go.
7) Gold Spray Pain
Or whatever color you'd like to paint your wooden dowls or frame.
8) Paint
I chose Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White for my frame and also the grill mat.
9) Wooden Dowl
You can get these in many sizes at your hardward store. I cut mine in half for two rows. Also, this is important; make sure your dowl is smaller than the hooks so that you can easily fit your dowls onto your hooks.
10) Frame
You can use anything for a frame like a picture frame or mirror frame. I had a cabinet door frame laying around to use.
Additional Tools
I also used scissors, a plastic surface for painting, paint brush, and Annie Sloan furniture wax for the grill mat not to flake. (You could also use it to seal your paint if you don't want it to chip).
Directions
1) First you need to find a safe place to shatter the glass in the frame (if you have glass in your frame). My husband simply placed it in a bag and shattered it so all the pieces fell in the bag.
2) Next, you need to figure out how many screw hooks you want on your jewelry organizer. I used 18 hooks total. Twelve hooks to hang necklaces on. Four hooks for the wooden dowls to rest on. And 2 hooks for rings. Make sure you measure out your spacing correctly with your measuring tape. Also, mark the spot with a marker where you are going to drill.
3) Since these are screw hooks (they are twisted) you will need to use a drill to get them in place. Use a drill bit that is a bit smaller than the actual hooks you are using. After drilling the holes, simply screw your screw hooks into place.
4) Next, you can go ahead and do all your painting/spray painting. I painted my frame and grill mat the same color. I waited for the front to dry before painting the back.
5) After cutting the wooden down in half to make two, I used gold spray paint to cover the surface outside. I also decided to leave the gold fixture at the bottom on the frame for some extra decor. Even though it was already gold, I spray painted it to match the dowls and hooks. (I was able to unscrew this fixture to spray paint it outside).
6) After everything has dried you can use a staple gun to staple the grill mat onto the back of your frame.
7) Put your dowls into place and you will have created something like the image below!
8) The last step is to hang your jewelry organizer on the wall. You can use nails and the grill mat works well to hang the nails from. Go ahead and have fun adding all your jewelry to your new organizer!
This was a pretty easy project to make and if you don't have a drill you can always borrow one from someone. If you already have your paints and a frame then it's pretty cheap to make. You can even go to a thrift store to find a frame. The only thing that was a little pricy were the hooks. They can add up but overall this was still cheaper than what it would cost to buy a similar looking one online because you are doing all the labor.
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10 Things to Do in Prague
Last month I visited Prague for the second time. I live very close to Prague so I plan on traveling there from time to time for the next year or so. My first visit to Prague was just lovely and nothing like I expected it to be. This time, I was acting as a tour guide to show the city to my mother and aunt as our last trip before they left back to the states. Because I've already done a recap of my previous trip to Prague, I figured I'd do a top 10 list for things you should see when you go to Prague for first time visitors!
10 Things to Do in Prague
1) Visit the Old Town Square
The Old Town of Prague is like walking into a midieval wonderland. Here you'll see the Tyn Church, the Astromonical Clock, Carriage Rides, hearty Czech food stands and if you're lucky a Christmas or Easter Market. It's a beauitful place to take pictures and get a feel for the city.
2) Go to the Farmer's Markets
Prague is increasingly becoming more green. Farmer's Markets are popping up more and more all over the city. This is a good oppportunity to try some fresh produce, buy some cheap knick knacks, and also try some other czech goodies like the famous Czech wafers pictured below. This particular market was only a few blocks away from the Old Town Square, but you can find more info on other markets, here.
3) Visit the Charles Bridge at night
The Charles Bridge is a must see for Prague. It's this eerie looking portway to The Prague Castle. It's filled with many statues and there are performers and locals selling handicrafts. The bridge gets extremely crowded during the day so I suggest seeing it at night as well because it will be a little less crowded, plus it's beautiful as the sun is setting. You can also go on a haunted tour of Prague where they take you across the bridge!
4) Try the Klobasa and Trdelnik
I have to say, though I've had some good Czech food, it's not a destination known for their food. There are a some things, however, that they do pretty well. The Czech klobasa is similar to its Polish counterpart, kielbasa. It's pretty damn good. And those Trdelniks, made of sugar and cinnamon dough are pretty amazing too. Last time I was in Prague, I tried the halusky and wasn't a fan. Loving Polish haluski, I figured I'd give the Czech version another try, but it just wasn't for me.
5) Revel in the beauty of Prague as you walk your way to The Prague Castle
The Prague Castle is another must see. Once you cross The Charles Bridge, you're pretty much on your way there. You get to pass some lovely shopping and restaurants on the way. From The Charles Bridge, the Castle looks like it is sooo far away but the walk to get there is a gradual incline so it's really not so bad. The Castle is pretty impressive but it is hard to photograph because it is surrounded by a wall. There are some great restaurants along the way to The Castle. I recommend "The Three Violins."
6) See a Cheap Opera, Ballet, Musical, or Magic Act
Prague is known for their inexpensive theater and operas. On a previous trip to Prague I saw an Italian Opera called Nabucci for around $35. The opera was in Italian (as most are) and there were Czech and English subtitles. You can find information about different shows, here.
7) Go on a Dinner Cruise
Perhaps seeing Prague by boat is more your thing. You can sign up for just the cruise and drinks or the cruise and full dinner. Floating down the Vltava River at night is as romantic as it gets. Book one here.
8) Go on a Day Trip to the Spa Town of Karlovy Vary
There are a ton of things to do in Prague, but if you have more than a few days there, I want to suggest taking a day trip to the Spa town of Karlovy Vary. It's about a two hour drive from Prague but it's lovely. The architecture is something to see and many people book cheap spa treatments and go to sip some of the "curative waters" from the many natural springs around the town. It's a more unique experience if you are looking for something in the Czech Republic that isn't Prague. They recently hosted The International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary this year. To see my trip to Karlovy Vary, click here.
9) Take a Day Trip to the Town of Kutna Hora to See "The Bone Church"
If you have time to do another day trip or just one, then you can also go to the even smaller town of Kutna Hora. The actual town is not a tourist attraction but it is very cheap and the thing that people go to see is "The Bone Church." This is a unique destination and the church literally features over 40,000 human bones as decoration. This is only an hour away from Prague. If you go there I highly highly recommend visiting the midieval restaurant "Dacicky Pivnice" for some great Bohemian food and several kinds of drinks including mead! If you want to read about my trip to "The Bone Church," click here.
10) Go to a Pub Crawl
Now I mention this with caution. While Prague is a pretty safe place to visit, add drinking into the mix and you need to look out for pick pockets and of course never leave your drink out of your sight. If you can go with a group of friends, the pub crawls in Prague are pretty awesome. The nightlife in Prague is wild and the last stop on the pub crawl will take you to the biggest club in central Europe (it's near the Charles Bridge). It has 5 whole floors! Have fun, but be safe! More info here.
What would you do in Prague?
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Homburg Flea Market
During my graduation ceremony I mentioned last month, I had a busy busy day. I walked in my ceremony, traveled four hours home and then had my graduation party. But before my ceremony which was around noon, I headed to the Homburg Flea Market about 25 minutes outside of Ramstein. This isn't the big city of Hamburg, Germany, but the small town of Homburg near Ramstein.
Since the flea market began so early, I had a few hours to look around. Only one hour actually. Though I had limited time to quickly look, I saw a lot of good items. I even snagged a few. I would definitely return to the flea market and plan to again next Spring for a proper look around.
Now on to what I bought. I purchased this seafoam green and gold 50's looking windup clock. It works too! The next item I purchased was a ceramic container in basically the same color scheme! Can you tell I love these colors? The container is from Paris. And then I found a cute metal napkin holder. I saw quite a few of them.
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Colmar, France; The Prettiest City in Europe?
Is Colmar the prettiest city in Europe? Well it sure is the prettiest city I've been to so far in Europe. And I think you can see why. Every street in this town is straight out of a fairy tale. I had a goal in my mind for what I call the Germany/France Border Trifecta. Basically, I wanted to see Strasbourg, Metz, and Colmar, France, because they are beautiful French towns on the German border and after my trip to Colmar, I have completed this goal. Metz is completely different looking but worth a visit. And Strasbourg and Colmar are similar, but Colmar is by far my favorite. I just can't get over how gorgeous this place is.
I'd planned a two day trip here with my mother and aunt and this was the perfect amount of time. We booked a flat through Airbnb and I had yet another great experience. Colmar is again, part of the Alsace region, known for their wine and it has a complicated past with Germany. But the German influences here are undeniable. In Colmar, not many people speak English, though you can get by. It's best to use French or German here.
You can find parking for free and make sure to hit up the Office de Tourisme first. Colmar is a lovely town that is walkable within about 2-3 hours. But it's best to spend the entire day there strolling through the streets, stopping at cafes, and doing some light shopping. I felt like I was in heaven here. Take in some sweets at one of the many bakeries where you can see the famous Alsace bunt cakes being made. Go ahead and take home some of the Alsacian pottery to make your own bunt cake.
There are many little spots in this town to tour but I was most excited about seeing "Little Venice." Though it looks nothing like Venice, there are little canal ways for you to explore by boat. We found one of the restaurants where you can buy tickets to ride the boat down "Little Venice". The tickets are only 6 euro and you can have a seat at the restaurant and enjoy some of the famous Alsacian wine while you are waiting. The Gewürztraminer was my favorite and no surprise, of the Germany variety. It's a sweet white wine you will love. Hungry? Try some of the Flammkuchen or Tarte Flambé as it's called in France. Either way, you are eating France/Germany's version of a thin crust pizza. Oh, and I have to mention that you should also try the creme brûlée!
Once on the boat, you'll stroll down the river which I admit, isn't as scenic as you'd think because most of the route is covered by trees. But it's a great chance to hear some history about the town from the driver of the boat. Our driver told us that the houses are so colorful because they used to indicate what type of profession one had. Green indicated farming, white or tan indicated a tanner, and blue was for fishermen. Even further back in history, he said that the houses were only white or red to indicate one of two religions. Could you imagine?
As we floated down the river I noticed a lot of hearts either painted on the houses or hollowed out on the shutters. He said this meant that a woman was either available to be married or she was about to be married. I guess that's one way to let the boys know you are single.
Besides the shopping and endless amount of cafes, there are some expensive antique shops nestled into the streets. This is a big tourist area, but not as big as say, Paris or Provence, so the atmosphere was way more relaxed and I thoroughly appreciated it.
One more thing I'd like to mention is that the Statue of Liberty in New York was designed by a French sculptor named Frederic Aguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi was born and raised in Colmar. The town is very proud of this and you can see a mini Statue of Liberty and a Bartholdi museum in Colmar.
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