Spinning Shutters: DIY Earring Display

by Henrietta Foster.
(Rochester, New York USA)

I’m a newbie when it comes to craft shows, and have been working on effective ways to display my jewelry. When we redecorated our bathroom, the louvered window shutters seemed perfect for hanging earring cards.

The rotating display, with some of my earrings.

At my first show I simply placed the shutters on a table, but I worried that they might tip over, and they took up too much space! Using a lazy susan base, I used the shutters to create a rotating display that takes up only a square foot of space, and will display up to 32 earring cards.

I decided to create a rotating display using a set of the shutters. I’m very pleased with the result and hope the process will be helpful to others as well!

Materials Needed:

• Interior shutters – you can buy them new or repurpose them, and the size is up to you!
• A wooden base – I used a DIY clock base from the craft store, but you can cut one from wood or plywood.
• A lazy susan base – mine came from amazon.com; you might find one in a home improvement store.
• Nails and screws.
• Wood filler or spackle.
• Sandpaper.
• Paint of your choice.

I left the top open. I may cut a board to fit on top and attach a pretty finial to dress it up.

Step 1 – Clean the shutters, making sure to remove any dust and dirt.
Step 2 – Remove any hardware.
Step 3 – Nail the shutters together.
Step 4 – Fill all holes with spackle or wood filler, let dry, and sand smooth.
Step 5 – Paint the shutter assembly and the wood base. Spray paint is the quickest and best way to paint shutters.
Step 6 – After everything is dry, turn the shutter assembly upside down, center the base, and nail it to the shutters.
Step 7 – screw the lazy susan to the bottom of the base, being careful to center it.
Step 8 – Add feet or pads to the bottom of the lazy susan to protect your table covering.

Detail of the lazy susan mechanism. Measure carefully to center it on the base so your display will rotate evenly.

I designed the earring cards before making the display, and they are just a bit too wide for these shutters. The larger the shutter, the more earrings you can display at a time! If you use this idea, I’d love to hear how it works out for you!