{Functional Art} Broaches in the Bathroom

Here's a little "me" trivia:  I don't wear much jewelry.  I love jewelry, I own probably more pieces than I'll ever wear, and I like to buy pieces that I may never wear {go figure!}.

But I usually just stick to the basics:  wedding ring, college ring, watch, "What Cancer Cannot Do" cuff (for my mom), my diamond studs and a necklace {usually a simple pendant}.

I do love the occasional "dress-up" event, when I can really lay on the jewels, and I have some really pretty pieces for those times, but most days, I just keep it simple.

Somewhere along the line, however, I became a broach gal.  I just LOVE broaches, especially vintage, sometimes quirky ones, and I try to work one into most my outfits.

My collection isn't very large because I tend to be a little picky, but they are my treasures.  I had a jewelry box that was the perfect size for housing all these beauties, but on a recent trip to our ReStore, I grabbed this sweet little vintage jewelry box for just $3.  

Isn't that detail on top sweet?

I had been looking to downsize and this was perfect, although it meant my broaches no longer had a home. {sad face}

Like most DIY projects, this one came about as a solution for the above mentioned problem.  I needed a place for my broaches, and thought their perfect place would be on display, where I can see how perty they are each day!  And I had just the right spot in the bathroom:

And since they were going to be little art pieces, why not mount them on a canvas?  Right?

My display space is a little small so I opted for an oval canvas roughly 8x10.

Hanging the broaches became a little bit of a quandary.  Most of my broaches have the type of clasp with the long pin {sorry I don't know the jewelry lingo} that goes sideways, which gives it a good "hole" with which to hang it.  I did a test "hang" with a paperclip by pulling out the inside loop, and the broach hung nicely, so I had an idea of what I would be looking for to mount on the canvas for hanging my pieces.

A quick search at Hobby Lobby landed me with these guys.

So I have my canvas and my "hangers."  First problem I saw was the white canvas against my off-white walls.  Um, no.

So I did a quickie spray paint coat of Ivory onto the canvas, and it's like a perfect match.  I don't like to think of my walls as ivory, but I guess they are.  Ah well.

Next, I laid out my hangers.  This pattern left me with 3 hangers left.  I really wanted to use them all because I do hope to expand my collection, but I ultimately left them out because I didn't want my canvas to be overcrowded, which it is coming close to with just these.

Anyhoo, after I figured my pattern, I decided to go ahead and slightly pull out the middle part of the clip, rather than after I glued them on and placed undue pressure on the canvas.

Why the middle and not the outer loop?  Well, some of my pins are small and that outer loop would be too large for them to fit over. 

Then I used my trusty E-6000 glue to attach each clip to the canvas.

Now for the fun part!

Hang on the wall...

and add all my broaches.

Aren't they just lovely?!

And I love having them on display now.

This is the guy that started it all.  That fab little owl came from my great-grandmother, and I wore him all the time before I acquired others.

This crown jewel {ha!} is another of my favs.  I wear it quite often.  And I'm not a gold girl!!  But it's just different, and I love the worn look on the back of the jewel.  That big clear sparkly one came off my maid-of-honor dress from my brother's wedding.

This big beasty is another favorite.  It was a gift from a former boss when she found out how much I loved vintage broaches.  Its actually an old elks-lodge-type membership pen, and it is one heavy piece, but it makes such a statement!

This peacock is one of two {the other is a little red one} that my boss also gave me.  They are so cool.  The tails are on a hinge so they fall back.  The idea is to wear them up near your shoulder with the tails laid back semi-sitting on your shoulder.  So fun!

This lovely lady you may remember from our trip to Warrenton a couple of falls ago.  I love cameos but this is actually a reverse cameo {the pic makes it a little hard to see}.  

I'm eager now to fill in the last few hangers, but I'll still probably be picky about it, haha.

Whatcha think?

---

*Side note about the bathroom:  I did a quick glance back at the bathroom post after I added the link to this one.  Um, I'm thinking it's time soon for an update.  We had made some big changes at the time we moved in, but that's been almost 3 years {!} ago and we've made even more changes since then.  We have a couple more projects for that room -- a wall cabinet and mirror frame, and maybe a stool makeover -- then I'll share all that we done since we've done that room.  (:  I'd show ya now, but I think I'll just keep you in suspense. ;)

TTfN!

Enjoy this post? Then don't miss out on the others! (:

Follow along:

Bloglovin' * Facebook * Pinterest * Instagram

Subscribe by email:

sharing here:

Home Coming * House on the Way * Ella Claire * The Blissful Bee * Design, Dining & Diapers * Liz Marie Blog * DIY Showoff