Thrifting Thursday- CD Rack to Display Fixture 8/23/12

If you are a regular reader you know that I enjoy 'thrifting'. I love the challenge and surprise of it. The surprise of course is that you never know what you will find. The challenge is how you will repurpose or re-use the item if you didn't buy it for it's original purpose.

I have begun working towards planning for fall craft shows and have recently been invited to place some of my items at a local hair salon. With these things in mind I have been searching for some new display ideas. Classy but inexpensive is what I am seeking.

Recently at my favorite charity shop I came across these 2 old CD racks. They were dusty and a bit sad but they spin!   Hmm... could these somehow be used as a display rack to put more merchandise in a smaller area?  Lucky me it was 1/2 off Tuesday, so I picked the 2 of them up for 99 cents each.

In all their dusty glory

Once home I gave them a good washing and let them dry. Then they sat in my workshop for a couple of weeks while I thought about how to use them.

I have some tag convertors from FMG that I planned to use with my business cards to display items. So I knew I wanted that to be a factor.  As it turns out the racks themselves didn't have a lip to hang cards so I needed another solution.  I stopped by my local hardware store and picked up a can of Krylon matte finish spray paint in chocolate brown for multi surfaces [including plastic] and some 1/8in. wooden dowels.

dowels cut to size

I cut the dowels and used E6000 to attach them to the existing grooves of the CD racks.
The racks were set up differently, so the taller one now has dowels that stick out on either side which is great for longer necklaces. The shorter one has its dowels on the inside, perfect for earrings and pendants.
A bit of glue drying time and outside we go to begin the painting process.

 I applied the paint in several light and even coats .  Voila'  It's amazing how a new coat of paint gives a fresh and modern look. This color coordinates well with the neutral white, black and khaki I use in my displays.

In the past week I had the opportunity to display and sell some of my pieces at a local salon.  They only had a small area for me so I decided to utilize one of my new 'fixtures'.  I ended up not using my existing business cards but made some on the pc that I cold fold over to hold necklace sets.  I think for less than $4 each they are going to be a good addition to my display arsenal. 

I would appreciate your feedback & as always ~~~ Thanks for stopping by. :-)