Inspiration and Rough Drafts: From Antique Printer Tray to Pretty Jewelry Display

Repurposing and finding new uses for old things is super creative. Not only can you solve a problem, get yourself organized, recycle something, show off a bit of history... you can also end up with a very pretty finished product.

In the case of this project, which transforms an antique printer tray into a jewelry display, I really fell for the history of the original piece and the beauty of the end result. The creative mind and talented hands behind this project belong to Yoko, the owner of Lucy & Larry and a friend of mine from college (we share many a memory from living in the same dorm, attending business and marketing classes, and working on group projects together!)

Take a peek at her awesome "before" and "after"... and then pop over to her blog for the step-by-step details.

Before

After

With my love of all things publishing, as well as my appreciation for antiques, I really enjoyed her fun fact about printer trays:

Printer trays were used between 1890-1960 to hold the various pieces of an alphabet set... these trays were organized in font families and stored in vertical racks - which is where the terms "upper case" and "lower case" came from.

Yoko also recently started her own jewelry collection. When I asked her about how she got started, she gave me the scoop. I think when it comes to a topic someone is passionate about, it's always best to hear it in her own words:

You know when you are looking for the perfect necklace or set of earrings to go with an outfit, then you come back defeated after an afternoon of shopping because you just couldn't find what you had in mind? I got sick of that and decided to take matters into my own hands. I got started on my own, relying on books and online tutorials, then luckily I discovered a coworker who has been making her own jewelry for years. She sat down with me after work one evening for a few hours and really helped me nail the basics.

Now that I actually knew what I was doing, I was hooked! Once I made a few items for myself, I started making jewelry as gifts, and then I got to the point where I was making things just to make them, because it was fun. A year and half later, at the rate I was going, I knew it was time for me to open up an Etsy shop. I'm still keeping my day job! I'm just looking to sell a few pieces every now and then to help fund my hobby. If anyone wants to keep tabs on me, they can do so at http://www.lucyandlarry.com/. I hope to launch by February 1!

She has a whole gallery of gorgeous jewelry on the site, but here are a few of my favorite Lucy & Larry creations...