Necklace Tree Wall Art

For a good while my wife had been complaining about organizing her necklaces. She didn't have anywhere to hang them so they would get all tangled up so I decided to make something better than what she was using. See pic.

I had the idea to make a necklace tree and had originally thought of making one out of metal. But I had a pile of eucalyptus branches drying in a big pile outside from a previous project.  So since the eucalyptus was free I decided to go cheap and rustic.

Super easy project and super cheap.

This project didn't cost me a dime.  That is I already had all the materials and tools.  If you don't already have glue and polyurethane those should be the only things you might need to buy.

Materials
3/4" x 3" x 30" weathered board (had one sitting outside)
Twigs
Twine, String or Wire
Wood Glue
Polyurethane
Trim Nails

Tools
Hand Saw
Rasp
Pruning Shears
Drill & Bits

You can figure out a rough layout by selecting your twigs and laying them on the ground.  Prune any unwanted branches and trim to size.  You'll probably change this layout as you start to put it together but it helps to get an idea of how it will go together.

Once you know more or less where you want the twigs to go, drill in to your board with the same diameter bit as the base of each twig.  Glue in place.  Put a trim nail at an angle through the back side of the twig in to the board.  Use another nail or a nail set to set it flush.  At first I only put in three of the twigs so I could see exactly where the cross stick would go.  I tied that in place with synthetic sinew.  I used that because it's what I had on hand.  Hemp twine or thin copper wire would look cool too.  Install the rest of the "trees"

The twigs I used didn't have quite enough little branches to hang stuff on so I just added more.  Just pick twigs of the same color and texture and drill a hole at an angle with the same diameter of the twig.  Glue it.  If it's too tight just use a rasp or sandpaper to slightly taper end.  Put them in long and trim to length.

Paint it all with some kind of sealer.  I prefer satin finish polyurethane on most of my projects. because I don't like gloss too much.  Using the satin keeps the natural look of the wood.

You can use a bunch of types of hangers to install this.  I just used a piece of heavy gauge solid copper wire.  I drilled a hole into the board about an 1 1/2" deep.  You can plan these out so they hit a stud in the wall if you know where you are going to hang it.  I then bent the wire with pliers to the shape I wanted.  I then put a small bend in the wire to help lock it in when pushed in to the hole.  I put two hangers on the board and one on the cross stick where it hit tight against the wall,

Hang it!

I had an idea to add "roots" but didn't want to dig up little trees to get them.  So I took the tips of the dried eucalyptus branches where the branches die out and had leaves on it.  I ended up pealing the leaves apart so the main "vein" (ha ha) remained.  That simulates roots pretty well.  Then find appropriate "roots" for your "trees" and drill up in to your board.  Glue them in place.  You can poly these too but I didn't.  The eucalyptus is still fragrant and smells good.

All done!  Hang up your jewelry.