Display ideas from Junkin' Julie and Repurpose on Purpose

A BIG post with lots of ideas from Julie Mckinney and Gail Ross.

These gals personalities are just as exuberant as their recycled jewelry and their well suited re-purposed displays! Idea after idea in here...couldn't even crop some of the photos. Julie and Gail say they love going to junkyards and finding materials with which to make their displays... it's as much fun as making the jewelry itself. Even their business cards are embellished with old bottle tops. I must say, their displays spoke to me, as I have some of the same components already stashed in my studio waiting for their day in the sun.

Vintage library cards are re-purposed as display cards for new brooches. (Pinned to a dress form near the entrance to the booth.)
A vent pipe is the perfect size for headbands. Simply hung from the canopy frame. These wires with hooks are sign hangers from a store display supply house. You could make your own, using ribbons or chains.

Anything with holes in it can hang earrings. The bird is a whimsical touch! Antlers are perfect for chains.
The scrabble tiles make wonderful signage! Those are old fashioned ice cube trays with beans in it to display little items. If your style is more modern, you could use plastic ice cube trays in a color that goes with your work! Muffin tins work well too. Notice the table covering is PLAIN. More pattern here would make a customer crazy!

Their displays suit their jewelry so well...and display quite a lot of it in a small space. Nothing spare or reserved about anything in here! I could NOT get a picture here without customers getting in the shot. They couldn't keep their hands off, which is a very good thing.

Look at all the different components that went into these two pieces. Lamps, colanders, wrought iron doo-dads, rubber stamp holders, faucet handles, lion and tigers and bears, oh my! Adding embellishments made out of the same material as your product is a Hot Tip. Here, they used old brooch pieces and bottle caps. You might add rhinestones, vintage neckties or the broken ceramic remains of a kiln accident!

I asked how they attach things. Julie says that E6000 glue is the re-purposer's best friend. I agree...I've used it to adhere glass stones to glassware (a slick to slick nightmare!) Julie also added that she uses plumbing pipe flanges to add the rakes to the colander. Buying the closest size pipe to the handle allows the top to be removed from the bases, making things much more transportable for shows. Another great thing about their displays: if they have lots of stock, they could load up the base of the rake stand with more earrings. Or keep it simple by showing less. All with the same piece looking fabulous, and taking up the same amount of table space.

I also saw a few S hooks and wire making the displays work. A bike rim suspended from the canopy is a great way to make use of vertical space and get pendants right at eye level.

These displays work so well for these products because the "junk" is not disguised in either place. You can plainly tell what is what. If your product is more subtle, you might want to consider unifying your displays as to material or color. Maybe painting everything the same color...or sticking with just rusty metal objects. Remember that you want your products to shine! In this booth, the displays are really a product extension, and make the tiny jewelry items larger to attract more attention.

Learning to view everyday objects as display components is a great skill to cultivate. So experiment! And have fun with it, like this ladies certainly do.

Got questions? Email Gail or Julie!